Questions about the MSP

[d.dmsp]

Hey guys im new to this forum i've been searching online and found a couple of reviews but i'm hoping to speak to some real owners and get an idea about the msp. Im a honda and nissan guy however i do own an mpv that has been great so far. anyways im in the market for a new car dont really have alot of money to spend up front. I found an 03 MSP for 7900 it only has 58k on it orignal miles it has only 2 owners and is a clean title the payments also are affordable but i have no clue about these cars im not building it its just going to be a daily driver and im want to know how reliable are they is it worth the investment of 7900. I commute about 60 miles a day so reliability and mpg and maintenance is most important

 

[d.dmsp]

Anyone

 

[boostoli]

yeah there reliable just keep it stock. don't modified it could be a b**** later bc of the crappy stock tune

 

[d.dmsp]

yeah there reliable just keep it stock. don't modified it could be a b**** later bc of the crappy stock tune

Don't plan on doing anything other then regular maintenance and putting different gauges in it

 

[Jaleik]

Don't forget it takes premium only too..

 

[d.dmsp]

Don't forget it takes premium only too..

I figured with it begin turboed. I have a Honda accord now with an h22 and it seems every other week I'm shelling out cash for it and that car also only takes premium the gas miles are horrible and I drive far. I never really looked into Mazda before because I was always told they were crap. I took a chance and bought an 05 MPV and have had it for over a yr and has never has serious problems so I can't believe everything I was told. I just wanna make sure this is a good choice car since I'm going to be make payments on it. It would suck to make payment s and have costly repairs especially since I'm still paying off my MPV but I need a good commutter car or I can't make money

 

[d.dmsp]

http://alfamotors.ebizautos.com/detail-2003-mazda-protege-mazdaspeed -used-10337241.html

That's the car

 

[thuzil]

Dunno but 8k sounds high to me. Also do not expect not to be putting money into a 10 year old msp.

Unless you are in love with the protege (it is an awesome car btw) and want a turbo, put the 8k into something newer.

 

[d.dmsp]

Dunno but 8k sounds high to me. Also do not expect not to be putting money into a 10 year old msp.

Unless you are in love with the protege (it is an awesome car btw) and want a turbo, put the 8k into something newer.

I here u. at this point I really don't care about the type of car I just need something reliable I don't really have a lot of money upfront only my car so they d taking it as a trade in and the payments are only 222 a mth for 2 1/2 yr which is very affordable to me. The kbb for the car in my area is 7.2 so I was going to see if I could get them to bring it down to 7.5. That's also the best looking car they have that I can afford

 

[d.dmsp]

My credit isn't also the best and I have another car financed for my wife so I can get another loan from a bank I bought my first car from this dealer so they r financing in house so I don't have to run my credit to try and get another loan

 

[Speed3.5]

Car is great if you treat it well speaking from my experience but in your case you dont know how well it was kept and thats a key factor but they are easy to work on if you are willing to work on it, most msp owners have worked on the car themself and thats one thing we all love about MSP.
FWI - Turbo's dont last forever so expect to change or repair it down the road , I have 86k mi and turbo its going to be replaced , some have gone past 100k mi .. but you will need to deal with it at some point ..

 

[BOOSTR]

I bought mine for commuting back in 2003. Put 36K on it in the first year. Has 103+K on it now. Its been towed once due to a mistake I made. It's been extremely reliable. It's modified but still on the stock pcm. It consistenly gets 30+ mpg's on the highway unless I am speeding. Original engine, turbo, transaxle, clutch etc still function well too.

Just check it out thoroughly before you buy. And definitely do not pay anything close to their advertised price.

 

[d.dmsp]

I bought mine for commuting back in 2003. Put 36K on it in the first year. Has 103+K on it now. Its been towed once due to a mistake I made. It's been extremely reliable. It's modified but still on the stock pcm. It consistenly gets 30+ mpg's on the highway unless I am speeding. Original engine, turbo, transaxle, clutch etc still function well too.

Just check it out thoroughly before you buy. And definitely do not pay anything close to their advertised price.

Thanks for the info i have no probs maintaining it ive never personally worked on a mazda but i have dont alot of the work to my honda including the motor swap it has and i also have a g20 that i turboed and i've done stuff on that . thats pretty much what i want a car that can get 30 mpg looks good and has some kinda pep im not planning on do nething except maybe some offset wheels and i was look at an injen intake thats all. is there things i can try to check myself before i take it off the lot. i test drove is and only thing i can see is the brake pads may need to be changed and the door locks dont work but they argeed to fix the locks for me. only thing i can see that scares me about the car also is it has an aftermarket bov, gauges and a full exhaust system but everything seems to be quality aftermarket parts hks,corksport etc

 

[Spiced MSP]

you will love the car, it's definitely fun to drive. As already stated, it's a 10 year old car, so it will have some problems eventually. If it still has the stock vac lines, you may want to look into getting some new lines if they are getting brittle. Treat the car well and it will treat you well.

 

[destineal]

Don't buy

 

[Jaleik]

It does have low mileage. Check to see if the LSD was replaced or not. If it was and everything runs fine and you keep it stock then its a good car. Otherwise that can be costly depending on your mechanical inclination. The front motor mount should also be replaced.

 

[d.dmsp]

It does have low mileage. Check to see if the LSD was replaced or not. If it was and everything runs fine and you keep it stock then its a good car. Otherwise that can be costly depending on your mechanical inclination. The front motor mount should also be replaced.

I have enough knowlege to know when im being ripped off and i can do basic things like starter alternators etc. im going to try and get my mechanic to come out and look at it before purchasing

 

[boostoli]

Car is great if you treat it well speaking from my experience but in your case you dont know how well it was kept and thats a key factor but they are easy to work on if you are willing to work on it, most msp owners have worked on the car themself and thats one thing we all love about MSP.
FWI - Turbo's dont last forever so expect to change or repair it down the road , I have 86k mi and turbo its going to be replaced , some have gone past 100k mi .. but you will need to deal with it at some point ..

my turbo past over 100k mi on mine so far. need to start saving for another turbo just in case lol

 

[tweety2300]

Look into the protege mp3 same thing just no turbo and its pretty slow. Not by any means saying the speed is fast ( its a 30 hp difference) same body kit, suspension etc. I get 30-32 mpg on a horribly maintained motor ( previous owner) and you can run 87 if you want for a 5 hp and 1-2 mpg loss

I have 3 mazdas now, all of them are simple to work on. Protege isn't as easy as my old ef but still fairly simple

 

[d.dmsp]

Look into the protege mp3 same thing just no turbo and its pretty slow. Not by any means saying the speed is fast ( its a 30 hp difference) same body kit, suspension etc. I get 30-32 mpg on a horribly maintained motor ( previous owner) and you can run 87 if you want for a 5 hp and 1-2 mpg loss

I have 3 mazdas now, all of them are simple to work on. Protege isn't as easy as my old ef but still fairly simple

the dealer had 2 mp3 but they were more money and had more miles they were newer though. i really wanted to try and get an mp5 but i cant find any with the amount im working with right now