Pro5 to STi to Element to MS3?

[LazerBlueP5]

Hello everyone- long time since I posted. I joined this forum many moons ago as a new Protege 5 owner. In 2005 I traded the Protege in for a STi. Then more recently I traded the STi in for....cough...an Element. Reason being I just purchased a house and wanted something with more cargo capacity and more economical.

Anyway to make a long story short I've been missing my STi, big surprise there huh? My parents were in the need of a new car and decided to purchase the 3 month old Honda Element off of me awarding me the opportunity to purchase another new car.

I loved my Protege 5, sans the performance aspect. I've always LOVED the look of the 5's replacement (the 3). A while back when I heard Mazdaspeed was doing a 3, I was excited but didn't get to jealous because I was driving an STi.

Now....I'm partially considering picking up an 08 STi considering it's going to be a hatch- I love hatches. However I'm not sure if I want to take on another $560+ car payemnt again- especially with a financial juggernaught also known as...my mortgage. I've been putting serious thought into the MS3 but have a plethora of questions. (I know, isn't this thread ALREADY long enough!)

1) Performance: I know the MS3 isn't going to be quite in the same realm as an STi (yet alone one with Cobb Stage 2) however what is one to expect with say a full exhaust including downpipe, and tune (accessport or similar)? I know Cobb isn't done with the goodies for the MS3 but is there even a ballpark estimate on what kind of 1/4 times and 0-60 figures? Btw, what's the MS3 pulling stock...14 flat?
Also, what is the general consensus regarding BOVs? As a former Subaru guy BOVs were very taboo. For one they don't offer any perforamnce gain with stock turbo and have even been said to REDUCE performance and causing the car to run rich etc. Is this the case with the MS3? I ask only because I truly do like the "sound" of a loud atmospheric BOV.

2) Insurance: Living in NJ I know I'm going to get slammed no matter what. I'm almost 30 y/o and have a clean driving record and I was paying $1500/year for the STi. Anyone near my age with similar (clean) driving record mind letting me know what the quote(s) are for the MS3 in NJ? PS I"m currently with Progressive

3) Price & Dealer Location: I'm interested in a GT model- I know there are numerous threads about pricing but what should one expect to pay in the South Jersey area. The only two dealerships near me are Pacifico Mazda in Philly and Maple Shade Mazda (in Maple Shade and Turnersville). Speaking of Maple Shade they JUST became a Mazdaspeed dealer. Here's a link to their MS3 inventory:
http://www.msmazda.com/mzsp3.html

4) Color: I know, I know...such a shallow topic. I thought I was sold on the True Red (marketing got to me I guess) but when I saw it in person in bright sunlight I wasn't impressed. I love black but it's a PITA to maintain, I love silver but it's sort of the "vanilla" of color choices..and the blue...ummm, I just dont know- looks like someone sucked the saturation out of Aurora Blue...

From what I heard the one at the top priced at $24,650 is the only one they currently have in stock. The other six are on order. How's the $24,650 price compared to other dealer MSRPs? What should I be haggling down to- $23,000??? In other words what's a realistic figure?


Thanks everyone in advance!

 

[speed3shon]

i think 300whp will be attainable with a tune and bolt ons, who knows, maybe more... but your still dealing with a fwd car, so your gonna need some fatass tires if you want to get off the line...

i know im not in your area, so this doesnt help, but my insurance is 1000/year, and ive got a slightly less than stellar record... 3 points from totalling my truck and one point from a hit and run (how the hell do I get a point for someone else hitting my car and taking off)

in NC, i paid 26 out the door, and my cars msrp was 26,400 (gt w/ nav), it was 24,751 before tax tag and title...

i love the black, its not that hard to keep up... and it looks awesome when its clean...

 

[Kosh]

Everyone around here seems to love talking about bov's. To me paying $300 to hear psssshhhhhh is a waste of money.

300hp won't be far with cai, 3" tmic, and turboback exhaust. Those are the most common aftermarket pieces available at this time. There isn't much out yet as far as tuning and we are all waiting for a good pnp system. This car is still pretty new and there hasn't been much time for aftermarket companies to put much out.

This car is in the same class as an sti for auto-x at least so expect this car to give those guys a run for their money.

 

[camrycev6]

If you could get a dealer down to $23K that would be very impressive. The cars (as a whole) are going for very close to MSRP. Most pay slightly less or MSRP. I know I purchased two MS3s and got them both for about 500 less than MSRP...and I had to negotiate for a while to get that!

 

[Kosh]

4) Color: I know, I know...such a shallow topic. I thought I was sold on the True Red (marketing got to me I guess) but when I saw it in person in bright sunlight I wasn't impressed. I love black but it's a PITA to maintain, I love silver but it's sort of the "vanilla" of color choices..and the blue...ummm, I just dont know- looks like someone sucked the saturation out of Aurora Blue...

Cosmic Blue FTW! I really wished they had Aurora Blue for the ms3 but Cosmic is a sweet color. You have to see the car in all different lights to appreciate the beauty. It takes on a whole different look at night, dusk and afternoon. I really love the white pearl available in canada. Those bastards (canada)

 

[camrycev6]

I love the red and black colors for the MS3, the silver is ok -- generic -- but ok, but I think the blue looks horrible. It looks like they mixed a medium blue and silver together! I wish they would have a midnight blue, or even a "regular" blue.

 

[shamrock]

Laserblue, I was a huge WRX fan until the 08 showed its bland face. I used to post on nasioc and wrxtuners all the time. But know recently I have noticed the MS3 and I like it so far. Honestly I have not heard one bad thing about the car so far, unlike the WRX(not sti) which 95% of owners complained about the weak tranny(direct), due to AWD. Color wise,
blue- I am not a huge fan, it dosent seem to fit the car, needs to be bright or dark.
Red-dosent look bad, but screams look at me(attn)(five-0)
Black-looks nice, but is hard to keep clean(bang)
Silver- yea some say it looks plain, but remove the side door trim, get some tint and a set of wheels and it may not say look at me, but when people do notice it(humpleg)

sorry about all the smilies, but I have never seen a form site with so many good ones LOL

 

[DredPir8Roberts]

I agree with Kosh about cosmic blue, I thought the color was truly awful from seeing it on Mazda's site. But in person, the color is gorgeous. In bright sunlight the mica really comes out, and as Kosh said when it starts to get dark out it takes on a totally different color. I went from hating it from seeing it in pictures, to choosing that color when I saw it at the dealer.

 

[jinzumkei]

About Cosmic Blue:

After I saw the color on the website I was like "WTF why would mazda make such an ugly color for such an awesome color" I was sold on black until I saw them both in person. I saw a black on the road and a CB in a parking lot (at dusk) and I liked the blue a lot. Then seeing the CB in the dealer in the sunlight sold me on it.

 

[camrycev6]

I saw two Cosmic Blue MS3s at two different times of day. I saw one mid-day (sunny) and one late afternoon / early evening. (Both were clean and at the dealer.) I guess it is just a matter of opinion, but I thought it was bad in pictures, and worse in person. The worst color of the four. To each his own though!

 

[Jon45189]

Maple Shade must've just become a Mazdaspeed dealer very recently because when i went three weeks ago, they didn't have any mazdaspeed 3's. They also have a lot of incentives if you buy from them.

 

[TMR Net Shark]

Ok, I'm 16 with clean record and my insurance for my Mitsubishi Evo MR is around $110 a month.

But I guess it also helps to go to a professional driving school. (yes)

 

[shamrock]

Ok, I'm 16 with clean record and my insurance for my Mitsubishi Evo MR is around $110 a month.

But I guess it also helps to go to a professional driving school. (yes)

And your car is probubly in your parents name as well. A driving school will not help your insurance. Not to be an ass or anything, but it must be nice to be 16 an have your parents buy you a $35,000 car(glare) and dont say you paid for it on your own

 

[camrycev6]

And your car is probubly in your parents name as well. A driving school will not help your insurance. Not to be an ass or anything, but it must be nice to be 16 an have your parents buy you a $35,000 car(glare) and dont say you paid for it on your own

Ditto

 

[bast525]

Get a sport for $23k... most of the GT's extra's ain't all that great (wish i'd saved the two grand myself)

From a dead stop, it would take a LOT to get the MS to match the STI's AWD advantage. From a roll... hardly anything at all.

Many people have dyno'd stock or with easy bolt on's and made wheel HP in the same ballpark as an STi or an Evo. Plus, the MS weighs a bit less than those cars. So... eliminate the AWD advantage and suddenly they are very close if not dead even. Handling-wise the MS is already great, with a great platform and good grip (I've seen magazines report as high as .91 g's)... add some wider tires and maybe some stiffer springs and you're probably right there with the STi. Braking is already there... the MS stops on a dime.

To match the STi's antics from a stop though you'd need some really sticky tires and some way to keep the car's weight over the front tires so you could lauch full throttle with no wheelspin... aka slicks and a wheelie bar (cool)

 

[Belvadere]

I went from Type R, to STi, to Element, to MS3GT. My love factor of the vehicles was, in this order (not including my brand new MS3GT):

1. Type R
2. Element
3. STi (a very distant 3rd - I hated that car)

So far, I'd say the MS3 is every bit as fun as the R was (back in 2000). Much more car for the money, too. My Element was great! It went coast-to-coast and was terrific. Sold it to my son, so I kept it in the family.

 

[shamrock]

I went from Type R, to STi, to Element, to MS3GT. My love factor of the vehicles was, in this order (not including my brand new MS3GT):

1. Type R
2. Element
3. STi (a very distant 3rd - I hated that car)

So far, I'd say the MS3 is every bit as fun as the R was (back in 2000). Much more car for the money, too. My Element was great! It went coast-to-coast and was terrific. Sold it to my son, so I kept it in the family.

You hated your STI(boom07), I have never heard anyone say that. Might I ask WHY

 

[Hikaru9]

I went from Type R, to STi, to Element, to MS3GT. My love factor of the vehicles was, in this order (not including my brand new MS3GT):

Which Type R?

Civic? Integra? Accord? NSX?

You do realize there is more than one, right? (depending on your where you live)

 

[controlo]

Which Type R?

Civic? Integra? Accord? NSX?

You do realize there is more than one, right? (depending on your where you live)

i'm pretty sure he means integra. No one drives Accord Type-R's or Civic Type-R's... they are right hand drive and a b**** to import. if he had an NSX he wouldn't have gotten another car.

 

[Belvadere]

ITR (Integra)

STi = Subaru (rattle trap, clunky transmission, poor quality build)

It had mad power for sure, but the Type R handling smoked it. I've not driven an EVO, but have heard it's got mad handling (but still, it's a Mitsubishi). I've been very high on Honda made products all my life. This MS3 is my first Mazda product, but so far (only a few hundred miles) I'm very impressed. People said the shifter was clunky, but I haven't found that to be true. Drive any STi and you'll know what clunky feels like.