thank everyone for the info.
my wife hates my truck now because of the ride. when i had it lowered it was a smooth ride until you hit a small rock or god forbid railroad tracks. it felt like a ton of bricks were dropped in the bed. so my wife will be pleased to see it go.
she actually test drove an 08 mazda 3 hatch sport a week ago and feel in love with it.
about 8 years back i owned a 91 323 5-speed. when i bought it there was over 160,000 on it, and that clutch was either in or out. but that was the car i larned to drive stick in. anyone else that drove it stalled out constantly because of the clutch.
sunday i'm going to the dealer to test drive.
I don't think the suspension is very stiff. In my opinion it is perfect. My wife and I have a baby and she has never complained about ride quality (she drives a Pathfinder). If you need to convince the wife, the MS3 has safety latches for a child seat, and plenty of airbags. So it's safer too.
About the clutch, I test drove my friends '07 befroe I went to the dealer, and I stalled it a couple of times. I've been driving stick for almost 15 years and I felt like an idiot. The clutch engages too high. I test drove a demo at the dealer and I had the same problem. When I went to pick up mine (2008), I was preparing myself for the drive home, but to my surprise, the clutch engaged low like I like it. And I actually find it very easy to drive. The clutch pedal can be adjusted if you think it engages too high.
Anyway, good luck with your decision.
Dont get me started on the stock Potenza's... cause in my opinion they are horrible!!!! At least in snow and ice conditions. I had my MS3 for 4 days.. after surprise!!! lets have a huge ice storm in Illinois. Lets just say... I made really close and good friends with a fire hydrant and have to replace the front bumper. And the driver side fender is a lil banged up. But its all fixed now.. cept for the fender... Other than that.. the car has been a dream. If you are worried bout wheel hop... get the TRZ Poly mount and some really sticky tires.. I have KDW's and that will greatly reduce the wheel hop. Mine is practically gone.. although I havent launched the car in a while.
thank everyone for the info.
my wife hates my truck now because of the ride. when i had it lowered it was a smooth ride until you hit a small rock or god forbid railroad tracks. it felt like a ton of bricks were dropped in the bed. so my wife will be pleased to see it go.
she actually test drove an 08 mazda 3 hatch sport a week ago and feel in love with it.
about 8 years back i owned a 91 323 5-speed. when i bought it there was over 160,000 on it, and that clutch was either in or out. but that was the car i larned to drive stick in. anyone else that drove it stalled out constantly because of the clutch.
sunday i'm going to the dealer to test drive.
Don't worry about the clutch. While I was driving the car today, I was thinking to myself that the clutch feel in this car is *perfect*.
Any "problem" with wheel hop can be attributed to driver error.
Unfortunately, most people haven't been taught to drive a car with a manual trans correctly.
Hell No..!
Not yet! The MS3 Coupe is almost out!
I hope they put a lot better suspension on this one.(poke)
i highly suggest the MS6, its way better, but the MS3 is also really nice
so how's this for a kick in the nuts.
i go to the dealer today, they sold the one they had listed online.
they "ran the numbers" to see what i could get as a trade in and payments.
they come back and tell me that they will give 2000-3000 less then what i owe on my truck, so my payments would be almost $500 a month for 72 months.
the worst part, i never even drove it!
I know I know, Mazda is not the best or reliable, but I pretty sure I heard it from Nelson Mazda or the Speed Channel.
Now walk slowly to the phone, pick it up. NOW DIAL VERY FAST, 1-800-222-5500
