Potential Mazdaspeed3 buyer

[ezekielwhore]

hellooooooo mazdaspeed owners!!! just looking for some pros/cons about the mazdaspeed3. and wut better way to do it but to ask fellow MS3 owners! so lets hear it. here are some things that are on my mind...

- grand touring worth getting?
- do the mpgs bother you much?
- any future mazdaspeed3s to wait for or just snatch an 08?
- reliability?
- insurance rates?
- best offset for 18s?
- how much did you get your ms3 for?

at the moment i own a honda fit. hence the mpg question. ive had it since it first came out (so about 2 yrs and some months). ive actually test drove a friend's ms3 and i was really impressed. and since my work recently acquired mazda, im not too worried about getting a good deal. here are some pictures of my fit, just to make this thread not so boring

 

[Antoniogut]

ew

 

[amnestia]

cons of ms3 - too much power, for some reason they didn't include a moon roof...

grab it man, you won't regret it

mpg - im getting about 18-19 city with lotsa spirited driving but I definitely fill it up more often than my 97 accord, on the highway 26mpg or higher is definitely attainable
GT - got my car used and it was a GT which is what I was aiming for, the Bose system is what made the GT a must have for me
reliability - car is almost at 20k with no problems at all
price - got mine used for $19k OTD with 15k miles on it (MS3 GT 07)

 

[ezekielwhore]

ew

that was very helpful. thanks!! (notcool)

 

[MattheuOfVa]

I purchased my Metro Grey MS3 about 2 weeks ago. I Love it. LOVE IT! I got the GT. I had to have the HID's and the resale i feel will be greater on the GT's then the sports. I could be wrong. I love every bit of this car though. As for an 09 ms3 i think it's just a carry over of the 08.5's which is what I went and bought. No sunroof/moonroof, and the horn sounds like a fairy on it's period. Those are the only cons I've seen. (drive2)

 

[xboxlivemonkey]

you can pick up speed 6 around for 18 k if you look around

 

[johnnyB5646]

I changed the horn, and I get 25 mpg with my foot on the floor and 75+ mph highway (very quickly by the way). The thing is, coming from a Protege5 which is also a gas sipping, great handling, attractive car such as your Fit, it is sometimes more fun driving a slow car fast than a ... NAHHHHH it is a lot more fun handing a G35 its ass in a realatively gas guzzling/sipping(depending on your mood), better handling, hot ass hatch. Get one and enjoy the greatest online community EVAR! Fan boi-ing aside, it is the most fun under $25 grand and 25 mpg there is. Get the sport cause leather belongs in a Caddy, and enjoy the piano black interior with my envy.(cheers)

 

[bjjer]

Yeah the car is reliable, but is lower than Honda. Of course the Fit has better gas mileage, and needs only 87. Get the GT, I bought the sport because I DETEST leather seats, especially cheap leather seats. The Bose is crap, but a lot of people like it. I could care less about HID's or LED's but they are very popular, so I imagine you would like them.

 

[Hyun]

get whatever is better deal.. gt or sports they are both good. The only thing i liked about gt is hid but didnt feel like paying 2k just for that.

 

[ezekielwhore]

yea. im not too big with leather seats. i hated them when i had my integra. i like the seats the sports have. and HIDs i can always get those HID kits like i have on my fit. i appreciate all the feedback. the other forum was pretty dead. this one seems more active.

 

[RelliMS3]

as far as mpg go i actually like to brag about my 24.5. most people are surprised to hear of the performance/mileage combo of the speed3.

 

[essejkcamraw]

I drive a 3 right now, nice peppy car. great MPG but in 4motnhs. i plan on DEF gettin a speed3. not too concerned about the sport or GT. the cars a badass car regardless. im sure you wont be unhappy.

 

[ZooMIN3]

go with the GT Trim minus the Navi
people complain about 2k for the HID's
you don't just get HID's, you'll get "ADJUSTABLE HID's" lol
plus
-LED Tail lights, (sexy.. by the by)
-Leather seats which are by far the hawtness, why caddy?
-Rain sensing wipers (hardly use these though, comes in handy when you least expect rain..especially when traveling long distances between several states!)
-I get 100mpg....in my dreams! i didn't get this car with gas mileage in mind..i got it for BOOST! yey yey!! who cares about the prices...lmao i don't!!
The only thing I don't recommend getting with the GT is the Navi...get yourself a TOM TOM which is far superior than the stock crap..IMO that is..

The bose system is the s*** for the mediocre listening... I recommend upgrading the speakers and perhaps the "sub woofer." which I plan on doing once I get home... although i'm keeping the stock H/U.

If anything go take a look BOTH the SPORT and GT trim SIDE by SIDE and do a comparo right there... decide for yourself if the extra 2g's is worth the upgrade or not... I def love my GT trim over the sport and glad I didn't go with the lower trim... whatever you decide let us know!

-J

 

[sunny4201]

I have had the speed3 for about 9 months now and to be honest i am getting bored. I'm tired of the springy clutch, the rough shifter, and the loud ass exhaust (i deleted one resonator). So i wouldn't recomend buying it. I drove the mini copper S the other day and its a pretty fun car, i would take it over the Speed3. It handles if anything better, and its slower but still hella fun and the clutch is soo much more fun and easy to drive in traffic. If the MS3 had a better clutch i would love this car way more than the mini, but it doesnt.

Oh yea, the bose stereo sucks, the shocks are cheap and very annoying when going over a speed bump, the tires wear out fast and thats about it.

 

[chief_wiggum]

I've had my GT for only a week so, for what it's worth; mileage is not as bad as I thought it would be, the horn is embarrassing, BOSE stereo is pretty mediocre. HOWEVER, put your foot in it and you forget all about those petty things....

How hard was it to change out the horn?

 

[imac]

ew

agreed.

anyway, one of the great things about the car is that it can accomodate pretty much whatever driving style you care to employ at a given time. if you drive it for mileage, it can be pretty damn good (i get about 26 around town going moderate, still about 23-24 if i boost through most accelerations, and about 30 hwy). on the other hand, if you drive it for fun, there's plenty to be had. havent regretted getting mine at all.

to answer your questions directly:
1) i think the GT trim is worth it. you get a ton for your money (HID headlights, LED taillights, leather trimmed seats (MUCH better than full leather seats IMO, not sure why some people detest them so much because you get the best of both worlds... easy sliding in and out, but planted when you drive) BOSE soundsystem (mediocre, tho still an upgrade no doubt) rain sensing wipers are cool but the sensitivity adjustment doesnt seem to do s*** for me, never really use the auto-on headlights.

2) mpgs dont bother me at all. i came from a celica which got like 30 around town, but for bumping my HP numbers up by roughly 225%, a 13% decrease in mpg doesnt sound like a bad deal at all to me.

3) might as well grab an 08.5. sounds like the 09's are just gonna be the leftovers anyway. new generation might come about in '10, but nobody knows at this point.

4) only 2000 miles on mine, but no issues so far. overall reliability sounds to be quite good for a FI car from what i collect from other members.

5) insurance will certainly be more than the fit, but its really not terrible. some people have even managed to trick their insurance into giving them rates for a regular 3, which would be a steal.

6) the offset for 18's should be somewhere in the +42 to +45 neighborhood.

7) i believe mine was $24,400, OTD for GT with only like $100 in options.

 

[DaleNixon]

I have to give a thumbs up to that fit (thumb)

It's a good looking car indeed.

You will LOVE the Speed3. The stock clutch is insanely grabby. Combined with my noob stick skills it's turned into a stressful daily driver for me (only owned for about 4 days). Once I get the hang of it I know I will love this car forever.

I have a sport and I will tell you this: the factory stereo is abyssmal. Probably the worst sounding stock speakers I've ever heard.

On the plus side, I rarely listen to music because I love to hear the engine scream like a banshee.

 

[ezekielwhore]

LOL @ the horn. is the horn really that horrible?

7) i believe mine was $24,400, OTD for GT with only like $100 in options.

thats not bad for GT. wut did you get for options?

 

[imac]

i bought one off the lot that came with locking lugs and the cargo net. wouldnt have wanted anything more anyway, dont really need all the frills like sat radio and nav.

 

[Hyun]

I have had the speed3 for about 9 months now and to be honest i am getting bored. I'm tired of the springy clutch, the rough shifter, and the loud ass exhaust (i deleted one resonator). So i wouldn't recomend buying it. I drove the mini copper S the other day and its a pretty fun car, i would take it over the Speed3. It handles if anything better, and its slower but still hella fun and the clutch is soo much more fun and easy to drive in traffic. If the MS3 had a better clutch i would love this car way more than the mini, but it doesnt.

Oh yea, the bose stereo sucks, the shocks are cheap and very annoying when going over a speed bump, the tires wear out fast and thats about it.

almost 2 years with speed. Agree with you on some points. Def not the car i will keep for more than 3 years.