Picked mine up on Saturday - Pics

[Mark94]

Hi everyone, I finally picked up the car on Saturday. I can't say enough about the car, it is exactly what I was looking for. I will not be modding it at all because it will be my daily driver and is perfect just the way it is. The handling is unbelievable and the paint quality is flawless. Interior suits my style perfectly and is a pleasure to sit it. Mazda really paid a lot of attention to the details, even though it isn't a 30k car. I can't say anything new, which hasn't been said yet.

One thing that is true, is that the color is beautiful - must be seen in person.

I only have a few comments which in my opinion would improve the car, but they are not necessary:
have an available moonroof option
Lower the roof line of the car. It is very high
bigger side bolsters on the seats. That's about it.

Now on to the good stuff, the two sisters.

When I was leaving I got a little bad news from my salesman. We'll it's bad news for those of you still waiting. He told me that they received a memo from Mazda saying that the rest will not arrive until sometime in March. Sorry to be relay the bad news guys. He said they received the memo on Friday.

Mark

 

[jroof]

I completely agree with the roofline comment. I'm 6'3" and I have at least 3-4 inches of headroom. That's a little bit in excess in my opinion.

 

[OrangeAppeal]

I completely agree with the roofline comment. I'm 6'3" and I have at least 3-4 inches of headroom. That's a little bit in excess in my opinion.

That is of course unless you autocross. That extra space is ideal for comfort if you are wearing a helmet...no crouching down and less wear on the headliner.

But your right, it is a little high.

 

[slug420]

march? cough cough. UNACCEPTABLE.........

 

[Grimace]

Hi Mark-
Great pics, glad you like the car, and congrats!
Any idea why the rest aren't arriving until March??
I know the rest of the MSP's are late arriving to my dealer in Toronto here, and he didn't know why. (I'm not in a rush to get one though, the longer the delayed, the better my chance of not having to get snow tires.)

 

[AGR]

Cool! Here's mine, and some comparison photos alongside my wife's ES. (1st Black Mica on the streets in the Memphis area)

http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b333ba60c437

 

[Mark94]

ARG - nice pics as well! It does look sleek in black. I was just afraid of how it shows dirt and scratches. Best of luck to you and take care of her.

Grimace - I'm not sure why they are being delayed and neither was he. He just said that I was lucky to be first to put down money because the rest won't be in until March. I asked why and he wasn't sure - he said maybe shipping delays. He said they received a memo on Friday from Mazda stating this but it wasn't specific as to why they are being delayed.

Sorry I don't have any more info guys and I wish it was wrong, but he said it came directly from Mazda.

Mark

 

[Grimace]

No need to appologize, thanks for the info. We won't shoot the messenger... this time.

 

[Dexter]

march. right. dully noted. *shoots self*

 

[Newf]

nice pics....I'm jealous...when can I have Mine

That lude is nice as well. I used to have a 94 SR. Loved it. Bit small though.

 

[Limited Edition]

Mark 94
Congratulations on your purchase!
Your garage is pretty much what i've got at home now. It's funny, We've got a prelude as well too! But it's a White 5th generation. It's got a few mods on it too. (thumb)

We needed a more practical car, yet, with something for my likings. This car is absolutely it!

Your pictures look amazing. I still remember 3 weeks ago when i brought it home. It was soo shiny and flawless. Now, it's dirty and has sand stuck underneath the fenders.
Ahh well, it's a car and it's meant to be driven so...enjoy!
It only takes a wash to get the dirt off and you'll enjoy it even more when you see her shine all over again.

I totally agree with your comments. The roofline is almost like a Van to me. I came from a 5th generation civic which was lower 1.5". Everytime i get into the Mazdaspeed, it feels soo high and the roofline has too much space. Even with a 2 1/2" hair spike, it doesn't even come close to touching the roof.

I wish it has a avalible/option sunroof too. I think i would have gone with one if they offered. Although i know about this whole situation about the structual integretity of the car when a hole is cut in the roof. Doesn't matter to me, i don't toss turns like i'm on the edge of the world.

Speaking of tossing turns, when you do so in this car, i wish there was more side bolster in the seats.

Enjoy your car!

 

[Mark94]

Thanks Newf, I Hope you get yours soon! I love my Prelude, it is small, but when I get into it I just slide into it and it fits like a glove. I truely feel like I'm in a sports car when I get into the Prelude. It's a totally different feeling when I get into that car, one which I have never felt in any other car. I was considering trading it in towards the Protege and not having any payments but I just couldn't do it.

Limited, thanks and congrats also! 5th gens are beautiful too, I just fell in love with the 4th gens the first time a saw one when I was a freshman in high school.

The roofline of the Protege does bother me a little, not for the fact of all the extra headroom in the car, but when I look at it compared to the prelude it is SOOOOO high. The first night I had the Protege home I pulled it into the garage to give it a coat of wax and I almost needed a step stool to reach the center of the roof. It is also a LARGE roof and could have benefited cosmetically by placing the moonroof up there. I'm not going to be tossing the car around either so I would have liked to have a moonroof........oh well.

I'm also dreading the first time it rains and snows here.

Thanks for the kind words and enjoy yours as well!

Mark

 

[DooMer_MP3]

I'd take the lude any day . I love those things. Yours is killer.

Chris

 

[Mark94]

Thanks Chris! You guys all seem like great guys here because you just don't hold loyalty to one specific car and are open to other manufacturers. I feel the same way. Although Honda has always been good to me, I fell in love with Mazda and their product line also.

(thumb) to all you guys!

Here are a few more pics of the Prelude because you guys seem to like it.

System in trunk spare tire well

Mark

 

[Kooldino]

Sweet! Two good cars.

 

[Grimace]

Very nice prelude! Not overdone at all, just right. I was seriously considering one, but I can't find a used one with low miles and a decent price. These things really hold their value! Good for the seller I guess.

 

[whatwhat411]

What part of Jersey are you from Mark?

 

[Limited Edition]

Whoa! Kick ass Prelude.
What kind of engine mods do you have?
other than the visbile stuff? i see header, intake, spark plug wires... lots of chrome and shinies. (thumb)

Ever wonder which car would win if they dragged? hehe.
I might go against my prelude this summer...it's going to be exciting to see the result. I'm sure we'll have the prelude on 1st and 2nd gear...but 3rd is damn strong on those prelude when VTEC is running strong. We could lose in the end.

Oh well, it's all good and fun!

 

[Mark94]

Thanks Grimace, they are hard to find in good condition (the 4th gen VTEC models at least). I searched for four months before I was able to find one. Drove an hour and half to see it and left a deposit with the owner. Haven't looked back since!

411, I'm in Burlington County.

Limited, basically what you see is what you get. I'm more of a shower than a goer so I don't have anything done to the engine internally. It only has 77,000 miles on it and it runs perfectly so I'm not going to open it up and start replacing things. When and if it ever needs a rebuild I'll upgrade everything but not now. Right now it has:
MMR short stack intake (ceramic coated inside)
GReddy stainless header
GReddy stainless Power Extreme exhaust
Nology hot wires (didn't provide any HP increase whatsoever-they just matched my color scheme)

For suspension, I have a Tein coilover kit, Ingalls front camber kit, DC Sports strut bar, DC Sports rear strut bar, and DC Sports rear lower tie bar.

I feel the Prelude is definitely faster with 190 bhp. It definitely gets up and moves in every gear no matter what RPM its at. The GReddy header caused a slight loss in low end power but it GREATLY improved my mid to high end power. Your right, the third gear in all Preludes is very strong.

In the handling department, I feel that the Prelude (in its modified state) can take the Protege also. I was tossing the Protege around a few off ramps yesterday and noticed quite a bit of body flex. Around the same turn at higher speeds the Prelude stays firmly planted and level. I find that I'm often thrown into the side of the drivers door while its having no problem navigating the turn at a very level and controlled stance.

Stock vs Stock, I think the Prelude still has the upper hand in power but the Protege would dominate in handling.

Mark

 

[Newf]

Yeah, my little ole prelude could hall ass. I had 3 ludes. 90,94,97. I must say, the MP3 can out handle them all.....with one exception. I find the MP3 very sharp and precise, and stickier. But over bumpy surfaces, it gets upset more then the lude did. Of course, the tires are probably the cause. But stock for stock, the MP3 easily out handles all my old Preludes.

I wish I could keep every car I buy