spun bearing 2xxx miles

Not to mention..Maybe he liked the styling of it..and the nice interior they get.
There is a lot mor to look at than the HP.
Geez people..That is just an Ignorant assumption and Generalization.

Its almost as if your being racist because he doesn't want to beat the piss out of his car.
Wow.

Glad they fixed it BTW.
My MSP had a motor failure after 3200 miles when I got mine in early '03..It was the first MSP Failure and they hod to go through some hoops as well to get me a new engine.
It was never right after that though....But it ran stout.
 
Not to mention..Maybe he liked the styling of it..and the nice interior they get.
There is a lot mor to look at than the HP.
Geez people..That is just an Ignorant assumption and Generalization.

Its almost as if your being racist because he doesn't want to beat the piss out of his car.
Wow.

The exterior differences between the regular 3 and ms3 are so close that most people won't be able to tell the difference right away. Also, aside from the seats the interior isn't that much different either. What really sets these cars apart is what's under the hood and skin.

I'm basing my opinion off of what the op said. And it's just that, an opinion.
I can understand a person not wanting to beat the crap out of a car, but from what was said, this car just doesn't fit with his dad's driving style or demographic. Again that's just my opinion. And like I said, I'm not trying to making a connection between his driving style and the failure, imo, the two had nothing to do with each other.
 
Well, to each his own, but I can't understand why you'd buy a high performance car and then drive it like a blue haired old lady in a Park Avenue. After all, I'm 51 and every time I drive my 3er or MS3 the tach sees 6000 rpm more than once. As a matter of fact, today some redneck in a late 90s Mustang GT was tailgating me(I was driving 70 in a 55) so I dropped down a cog and left him for dead.
Disclaimer: I do NOT think all Mustang GT owners are rednecks. That guy was; all the chrome trim was tinted gold and it had badly installed sidepipes with "SVO" decals stuck on them.
 
IMO, if you drive like an old lady 95% of the time, then you don't need a car with 260 hp. 170 hp should do just fine. Whether it's your money or not is irrelevant. I buy things I don't need or use all the time, yeah it's 'my money', however that still doesn't make them a wise purchase.

Regardless, I agree, the above point has little to do with the fact the engine failed. Whether it was driven like an old lady or not shouldn't have caused a spun bearing. And if we're getting the entire story, then the dealer was just being asses like many do in situations involving expensive parts. At least they're getting a replacement.


No one needs a car with 260hp.

I bought a car with 260hp for the 5% of the time I don't drive like a grandma. Actually it's closer to 300hp now with money I've wasted on hop ups.


Whether it's my money or not is completely relevant.

Who are you to quantify the purchases made by other people? You are only qualified to make that determination for yourself.


Add the fact I live in the Republik of Virginia. 81mph = reckless, 3 years of civil penalties, and possible jail time.
 
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No one needs a car with 260hp.

To get from point to A to B correct. But to get there with a thrill, feeling the seat pressed into your back as the boost kicks in, even 260 is puny by today's standards


I bought a car with 260hp for the 5% of the time I don't drive like a grandma. Actually it's closer to 300hp now with money I've wasted on hop ups.

And, IMO, I still say that's a waste. It's like seeing an old couple in a new cobra or z06 putting along at the highway at 55. It also begs the question of what you do with the extra power in that 5% of the time you use it.

Whether it's my money or not is completely relevant.

Who are you to quantify the purchases made by other people? You are only qualified to make that determination for yourself.

Who am I? An individual with an opinion same as you. And the last time I checked, having an opinion didn't need a qualification. Remember you're the one that stated you drove like an old lady 95% of time. With just that info I was able to form my opinion.

As for the question of relevancy, well when talking in the context of overkill, money IS irrelevant. I can afford a $2,000 digital camera with all the bells and whistles to take casual photos once in a while. Because I can afford it doesn't mean it's a better choice over one that's half the price (a lot less nifty features) that can fit my needs. And let's say I went ahead and bought it anyway with 'my money' it doesn't make the above point any less valid despite what I might believe.
 
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I guess that makes me "the old Z06 guy" everyone chides. I'm cool with that. I can't wait til I get my PnP software. I'll get to the fire hall for my Tuesday night Bingo game and have enough time to court Gladys, my 75 year old Boo. Nothing gets blue hairs hotter than gold bond cream and driving 45mph on the highway with your signal on.

Before you say it, I buy the big tube of Gold Bond cream. I use half of it and then pitch the remainder. I have a rep to uphold you know.
 
Huh, imagine if only the people who purchased the MS3, MS6, STi, WRX, EVO, Mustang GT, Vette, Etc... were *ONLY* the people who used the power these cars had daily? LOL! There would be no MS3, MS6, STi, WRX, EVO, Mustang GT, Vette, Etc... because the sales would be minimal. The majority of poeple on *this board* and others are heavy footed. It's a performance community. **BUT** The majority of people who buy performance cars are not heavy footed 95% of the time. That is how it is. And for the record. I drive my MS3 almost 80 miles a day mon-fri. Some weeks I drive like a nanny and get 28+ mpg. Last week I was having a bad week at work and my MS3 was my shrink and I got 19mpg. Every day isn't race day but it's nice to have the modern day HotRod when you want to play.
 
I commute almost 100miles a day. I drive 80MPH on the freeway if I can. I find that having power and good brakes have saved me more times than I can count from the other fools on the road.

Power, handling and good braking are very important in daily driving and you don't have to be doing 100mph+ or 0-60 in 5secs to benefit from them.
 
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I can't tell you guys how many old ladies with gray hair or lesbian couples bought WRC blue WRX's when they came out because of the color. You can get a RS in navy blue for 18g and they dropped 25g for a color preferance. People do stupid s*** with THEIR money.
 
I can see someone buying it because "it's the top of the line 3".

Have heard of similar things with other marques...buying an Acura Integra Type R (very rare) just because "it's the best one they made", despite actually having no sound deadening and other creature comforts.


Regardless, I would like to hear what caused the failure. My guess is on oil starvation....
 
Or improperly torqued bolts/studs. There is another MS3 on one of these sites that spun a bearing with around 3200 miles. And I saw one about a CX-7 with a spun bearing also. The threads are around. I do not save things so..........dig you'll find them.
 
what would the oil starvation be from? Hard cornering?

Could be a zillion things. Hard cornering, hard acceleration, hard braking...doubtful that the pump failed, as those things are like super-reliable.

He already said the oil level was fine, but that doesn't rule out starvation.


It's moot at this point since the dealer is picking up the tab, as they should. I don't really know why the dealer would care either way...they get reimbursed by Mazda, so it's not like it really costs them anything.
 
Could be a zillion things. Hard cornering, hard acceleration, hard braking...doubtful that the pump failed, as those things are like super-reliable.

He already said the oil level was fine, but that doesn't rule out starvation.


It's moot at this point since the dealer is picking up the tab, as they should. I don't really know why the dealer would care either way...they get reimbursed by Mazda, so it's not like it really costs them anything.


Hard cornering, hard acceleration, and hard braking is what this car was pretty much designed for. If any of that caused oil starvation, they'd be tons of threads like this.

I'm all for a dealer/Mazda honoring the warranty but if they can prove poor maintenance or just neglect, I don't think they should pick up the tab just because. In this case however neither can be easily proved (unless he showed up with no oil)and with such low miles it should definitely be a warranty issue.
 

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