Should I buy a Used MS3?

[UltimaGT]

I know some people hate these generic "should I posts" but some direct feed back on my question would be most appreciated. I need a used car, and for awhile I was looking at finding a used Civic Si 06 and up or a nice fully loaded 3. As of late I've been coming across nice MS3's that I could afford, so it has really gotten my gears turning. But here is the dilemma...

I previously owned a MS protege, and it was alot of fun. That being said it also was querky, and I ended up selling it because I felt that in the long run it was a huge liablity. After the MSP I told myself I really needed to start buying cars that were more tame and refined that wouldn't come with the baggage of an unpredictable nature both in performance and longevity.

Soooo should I buy a used MS3 with ~45k on the odo? Will the demeanor be comfortable and tame enough to keep for a handful of years? Will their be any reliablity factors I should worry about long and short term?

Lastly is there anything particular I should look on the vehicle itself that is notorious for problems or failure? It's an 07 MS GT with ~45k

Thanks!

 

[8.5MS3]

with any performance car you are taking a gamble. no one knows how the previous owner treated it, if it was fully bolted and returned to stock etc.

my advice

1. get a compression test (anything less than 170 walk away)
2. get all TSBs taken care of (motor mount, windshield cowl etc)
3. if there is a warranty option get it

The car itself is pretty reliable, again going used your taking a gamble. if your not going to modify it power wise you should be fine. Im sure other people will chime in.

I actually went back to stock this past weekend for a dealer visit. Very interesting to go back to stock style mapping and parts. Car is slow and sluggish, but seems less "high strung" and a bit easier to drive. Im sure ill hate it in a few days and be putting all my stuff back in but thought i would chime this in too.

 

[SPEED DEMON]

I would not. It would be like marrying an ex prostitute imo.

 

[NCZ13]

Take a look under the hood. its pretty obvious when stuffs been messed with. bolts will have rounded/shiny edges from being tools being used on it.

 

[NOTFA5T]

I bought a used 07 ms3 and but I knew the original owner of the car and it was un touched. I wouldnt buy one if there were multiple owners and if they only had it for a few months also. If you buy one used try ot find one that still in in the factory 3/36 so if there is any major problems they will be covered, also call the dealer the car was serviced and ask them the history on the car was the warranty ever voided? You can only do so much like (8.5ms3) said its a gamble.

 

[eg6motion]

Take a look under the hood. its pretty obvious when stuffs been messed with. bolts will have rounded/shiny edges from being tools being used on it.

not necessarily. You have to remove a fair amount of things to even check your plugs, certainly not difficult, but can leave scoring on all sorts of bolts. Best option is to see if there is any sort of vehicle history or do a compression test.
Other things I normally check for:
-stock wheels..and condition. I find that stock wheels that are in perfect shape mean the previous owner likely had them in storage, running aftermarket wheels and likely other parts...but that's just me
-Maintenance History... I actually stray from cars that haven't had oil changes done at a shop, or dealer...normally people that do their own changes are far more likely to also do mods...doesn't mean any damage would come from it, but your chances are slimmer from a statistical view.
-check how clean certain parts are under the hood...IE, if the stock intake appears far cleaner than the rest of the engine bay, or intercooler, bpv, etc...this could show that these parts were put back on immediately before sale.
-Check the air filter...the stockers are good for quite awhile, so if it looks brand new, see if it was replaced in the maintenance records, otherwise it's likely to be new...as it's been sitting off the car along with the intake.

just a couple things anyway, there's always exceptions.

 

[UltimaGT]

Thanks for the replys, and keep them coming. The guy I may buy it off of is a 50+ year old teacher, and he was the only owner, I'm not too worried about it being "*****" in the past, and I know he used good fluids

 

[FWD FTL]

no

 

[bluelion]

i personally wouldn't. althought the previous owner was 50yrs old....what if it was mario andreti or something like that...hahahaha.

 

[Speed3Rookie]

if i had to do it over i wouldn't buy a MS3 new OR used.

 

[8.5MS3]

if i had to do it over i wouldn't buy a MS3 new OR used.

why is that? for 20k theres not much that can touch it stock. many people lose sight of that when modding

 

[bluelion]

if i had to do it over i wouldn't buy a MS3 new OR used.

ditto....my reason is because i want a more mature car. yes it's a great bang for buck vehicle. but i guess i'm wanting something more refined. it's still enjoyable though.

 

[FWD FTL]

speed rookie ur my hero.. i agree 100 percent... Id go with a GTI, WRX, or used TT 3series... any of those would ride better, mod better, be worth more when ur done..

 

[LovinMyMS3]

speed rookie ur my hero.. i agree 100 percent... Id go with a GTI, WRX, or used TT 3series... any of those would ride better, mod better, be worth more when ur done..

I don't know why this guy is here, he'd rather have any car other than a MS3 and he makes this evident in almost every post.

 

[Speed3Rookie]

lol...to each their own.
this car is definitely a good bang for the buck. i just don't like how fragile it is...stock or modded.

 

[8.5MS3]

speed rookie ur my hero.. i agree 100 percent... Id go with a GTI, WRX, or used TT 3series... any of those would ride better, mod better, be worth more when ur done..

sure gti - very unreliable and expensive as **** if you break something
wrx - tranny is made of glass, gl modding that, theyve been blowing at 1500 miles lately
used tt 3 series - yea that wasnt beat to s***, good luck upgrading the turbos

yea if i had an extra 10k at the time i wouldnt have gotten the ms3 either, sti or evo, but at the time 20k was my limit, so ms3 it was. Im happy with what i got because i understand its a 20k car and not a 40k car.

 

[MSP300]

it is a gamble buying any uses turbo car, or any other used car for that metter. see how it drives check if there is any smoke coming out the exhaust, check what kind of mods he has on it. if it only has Turbo Timer, air intake and some gauges i would consider it. if its completly stock double check the turbo make sure it works properly....

 

[LovinMyMS3]

i just don't like how fragile it is...stock or modded.

I've got almost 36k and I beat the car to death, it's so fragile. You look at those that post on boards. You do realize that there are around 10 percent of total owners on boards so there are way, way more cars without problems than with.

 

[8.5MS3]

I've got almost 36k and I beat the car to death, it's so fragile. You look at those that post on boards. You do realize that there are around 10 percent of total owners on boards so there are way, way more cars without problems than with.

+1 when modding a car reliability always drops. its the price to pay no matter what car u got

 

[FWD FTL]

Yes, but also consider buying a used EVO is not the same as buying a used 3 series, look at the age and the type of ppl that buy those cars, there's a huge generation gap, and the ppl that generally can offerd a 30K+ BMW probably arent modding it.... I know with a tune and a couple bolt ons there are some guys making series numbers