seriously interested in MazdaSpeed... would like info from currents owners...

[Chizzad]

seriously interested in MazdaSpeed... would like info from current owners...

i am a truck man buying a car... having gone from an Isuzu Amigo to a Ford Explorer Sport Trac I am now in need of a car with good gas mileage and something that will last for a few years as well as look good... I am also looking at Focus SvT's, Sebring Coupes, Stratus R/T's, Sentra Spec-V, Honda Elements althought i am most akin to the MSP right now... Wanted to know what everybody thinks of them(if u have one) pros and cons u ran into after buying and putting a few miles on it, which is the better option 2003 or 2003.5? If i do buy it will probably be a grey one... well just post ur thoughts/encounters and try and persudae me to make the deal soon.

-Chad

 

[Caffeine]

I dont mean to flame but i find it funny to mention Honda Element and look good in the same sentance. Stay away from the Rubbermaid mobile and go for a MsP. I cant vouch for the car first hand yet cause I have been waiting for mine sense february

 

[yashooa]

Well

As far as mileage goes I am getting about 36 MPG because yes I admit I drive like a Grandma most of the time a really slow gas-conserving Grandma. This mileage actually improved a bit under more boost I have no idea why but I do shift 1,3,5 most of the time and ease up to 65MPH. I drive 100 miles day and I keep a very close watch on my mileage I have gotten 437 miles out of 12.057 gallons. Usually I pull between 10''and 22''of vacuum on the highway totally out of the boost.
However, when it's under boost it is whole different story it runs great at 10-12PSI and I am no end of happy with my car. I for one have had really no problems to speak of.
I will being buying colder plugs to ensure that I won't detonate at 11PSI in the cooler weather.

 

[REMillers]

The MSP is a nicely rounded car for everyday driving with the nice interior, options, and kick arse stereo. In addition it has decent power that does not overload the suspension setup. It is this suspension setup that sets the MSP apart from the others. Straight line the MSP gets beat, but in cornering it will quickly re-gain that distance. In addition it is easy to drive fast which is good and bad

Only issues some owners have seem to have is hesitation with the fuel mapping and clunk from the rear suspension. The hesitation is being worked out plus some aftermarket vendors here are making kits to help fix it.
The Clunk can sometimes be solved by replacing the rear bushings, which Mazda may do under warranty.
All of above are not noticeable on every MSP, though the hesitation seems to show up more than the clunk.

If you want the gray then you get the 3.5, which introduced the color. Engine wise don't think there was much different between the different years. Everything looks to only be exterior changes.

Good luck with whatever you decide on.

Personally I would go
SVT Focus (newer models 02+)-
MSP-
Stratus R/T
Sebring
Spec-V

 

[Dr.Sound]

personally i love everything and anything about this car
had chevis, hondas, nissans, pontiacs, VWs.........and i think this one i like the most. i'm at 3700 miles on mine.

this car has pretty good gas milage, but it will never give you as good of a gas milage as let's say a civic would. I had a 2000 Si and ran it hard and it still gave me better gas milage than MSP. but i'm not saying it's bad, i'm sure its better than any truck outhere.

MSP is the best package for the money PERIOD!
u will not find suspension like MSPs on any car below 30k

great seats, stereo, rims, paint (although thin), LSD, ABS....... and so on.

I would say get the 2003 one, first of all it will be chaper than 2003.5 but that's only because it's a 2003 and not 2003.5. Other than that they are identical except for front lip, fogs, wing, and pedals.

The color choice is where it's up to u. if u like titanium or yellow, then u are stuck with 2003.5, there is also a 2004 which will be blue.......i think.

2003 had only 2 colors - Black Mica and Spicy Orange.

DUDE, go drive one !
that's the best way to find out if u like it.

 

[DistantTea]

Pros: Best handling FWD car I've driven. Great stereo. Great looks. Decent brakes. Great steering feel. Looks nice inside. Not a civic or a neon.

Cons: Seats suck ass. Great handling car relates to horrible city driving (uneven concrete or ramps to parking garages can jar your brain out of your head). Super short throw shifter and extreme notchy gates make for more work than a honda.

But its not a honda and you get alot of driving pleasure out of it every day. I wish I could replace my seats and stay in my stock racing class. I can't stand those things. I guess I'm just the wrong height for them or something and they started to break my back.

 

[David MPS]

For gas mileage........

My MSP are more economic than my ex-P5 !!!!!!! last weekend I do 7.5L/100km !!!!! and at 65-70mph and sometime.......110mph !

My choice of car you have listed is:

- MSP
- SVT Focus
- forget it, after I hate all of them anyway........

 

[chillinmcmillan]

GOOD: Great handeling, gret interior, great paint, engine has lots of potential, if done up properly

BAD: Turbo lag in 2nd gear (can be fixed though with propor mods) No sunroof, 4 doors

Great car all in all, highly recommended

 

[Heathen23]

BAD: Turbo lag in 2nd gear (can be fixed though with propor mods) No sunroof, 4 doors

There is no lag in the T25 at all as compared to any other turbo car. This is small turbo that spools up almost instantly. It may not be T-bo lag you are feeling...possibly the hesitation, but most likely not turbo lag.



I went from a truck to this car and haven't looked back. I had forgotten how much more fun to drive a car is...then add the fact it's at the top of the heap when it comes to handling and you are almost shell shocked how much more fun even a quick commute to work becomes!

If you are looking to have more plug and play type mods look at the focus. The after market for the focus is fairly strong.

 

[Chizzad]

thanx

wow... thanx for all the responses...

caffeine - to each his own dude

yashoa - i'll be driving the same way because i drive 100 miles per day also... so it was good to hear from u... but whats vacuum??

REMillers - hesitation from fuel mapping and clunk in rear?? what are these??

Dr. Sound - THose are all the reasons why I am into this car... Driving was great but the stock extras making it even better!

Distant Tea - never thought about city driving cons... will have to take them into account... thanx

David - preciate the gas mielage info... this is prob. the biggest selling point on this car for me.

chillen - turbo lag?? is that only when racing?? at all times??

heathen - won't be doing to much aftermarket work to the car at least not for the first year or so... some basic stuff like better air filter, plugs, few other small things but nothin serious... and im hopin this is the car that makes me forget about trucks!

all in all after driving this car im stil really into it... the dealership let me take it out alone(im 19) so i took advantage of that and brought it on the highway the local heavey traffic road and back roads.. a 45 minute 20 mile trip... sat down with the guy.. got him down to $19,000 for the 2003.5 in Tintanium but he was only willing to give me $8000 for my truck... not enough... so we'll see if he calls back today... if not its off to another dealership.

thanx,
chad

 

[NeverSober]

The blue is 2003.7 I heard. And this is the only year they will be making the MSP, next year they are doing the mazda speed miata, and then the year after that they are doing the mazdaspeed 6. I talked to my dealer about it the other day.

 

[Dr.Sound]

miata then RX-8 then 6

 

[Tex]

I too went from a pick-up driving Texas boy to a MSP, and have only looked back once, when I went to buy this big ol' home gym that K-Mart was clearancing before they closed the store. I got all the way to the register before I remembered I had no way to get it home anymore.

Other than that, I love my MSP. I look forward to driving to work everyday, or anywhere else for that matter. If the hesitation/stumble becomes a problem, Joe P from these forums has a $25 fix that greatly improves it.

My car is equally happy cruising at 100 MPH, or lolligagging through the gears and enjoying the scenery. The stereo kicks ass, the handling is nothing short of superb, and it draws compliments wherever I go. Buy the MazdaSpeed.

 

[nmaino]

I'm on the other side of the fence. I would not buy this car again if I had the money.

If you are going to buy a small car, I would look at a Mini Copper S, a SVT Focus or even a WRX. But again, I am not happy with this car, the service that Mazda provides, the build quality or the overall performance of the MSP. I would stay away.

And one more thing: The seats really do suck.

 

[twiztedjeckel]

wait till they can come up for a fix for the current issues then get one. untill then you have a couple domestics in your list there. look into the SRT-4

 

[DistantTea]

It really does look like the SRT-4 can make the most people happy... because it offers what the most people want.

But the folk like us who love our MSP bought it for very particular reasons even knowing all its problems. If they still made an Integra Type R that would be its only handling rival. The car is damn good at what it does and damn nice to look at.

It does not beat a mustang on the 1/4 mile. It does not allow for a comfortable drive across the country. It does not come without serious drawbacks to daily drivability.

It does handle corners better than 99.8% of all the cars tested by motortrend. It does tear up an autocross course like aliens built its chassis. It does look awesome. It does have the best OEM stereo on the market (excluding the Mark Levenson systems).

It does make me happy every time I drive it on back roads, parking lots, and race tracks... and when I turn the stereo up and make those punks ass rap listening neon bitches listen to bluegrass or Jamaroqai as I cruise on by.

 

[No.5]

I'm on the other side of the fence. I would not buy this car again if I had the money.

Me too. The car is fun to drive, but the problems I've had far outweigh the fun to drive factor. Mazda has completley turned me away from ever purchasing another one of their cars in the future due to the way they're handling MSP concerns.

If I didn't get completely hosed on a trade-in, I'd be getting rid of my headache tomorrow for good.

 

[Mazdaspeed1]

i would have to agree with dr. sound.. this car is great, especially for the price and all you get with it.. it's one car you truly can drive off the lot with and not have to do a lot of work to it. i think the seats are comfortable, but everyone has their opinion. while i was looking at the MSP i looked at WRX, SRT-4, and focus SVT. the wrx is all engine, and nothing else. cheap interior like no other car i've seen.. pretty much manual everything.. the SRT-4, well i'm not going to get into that. and the SVT focus is about the same as the WRX.. now, some major bad to the MSP that i found after purchasing.. little things that you don't really pay attention to when buying.. it has no cruise control and the unlock button is ONLY on the drivers door.. if you don't mind not having these minor details i'd say go with the MSP.. you'll love it.. i know i do.

 

[Chizzad]

i never thought about the seats much... on test driving they didn't bother me at all... but that holds no truth for me in the long run... i don't have a bad back or anything but barely am I ever able to sit in most seats for more then 20 or 30 minutes... except for a few exepensive office chairs and couches... so that is something i will have to add in to my final decision.... in any case though I have hit a major setback... I have to sell my truck before I buy something... I also have gained some liking in the past few days for the P5... although it doesnt come stock with as much, but the MSP is stiill my first choice and I will continue to research the car... I am compiling a list of all my personal pros and cons with the car... when I finish i'll run it by u guys and so where I stand...

Thanks for everything guys...

Chad