mazdaspeedster3
Member
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- Mazdaspeed3. 2008
Dont buy a modded used car! Portland rules. Live there in the 90's. LOL
STI or MazdaSpeed3
- Thread starter bryand8930
- Start date
SeR_Cyclops
Member
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- Mazdaspeed Protege
Dude I'd take the STI over the ms3 because of it being stock. Car makers usually build the car to take a beating in stock form, its when you start beating on it with after market parts is when it can start to be a problem this usually holds true unless its a mazdaspeed protege HAHAHA!!!
bryand8930
Member
haha yeah but i know the car and the guy so its different and i know that there has never been any problems. i love your silver ms3....it looks soo good. how often do u get pulled over for your tint? haha
mazdaspeedster3
Member
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- Mazdaspeed3. 2008
I havent been hassled about my tint at all actually.
bryand8930
Member
thats weird haha...can u even see well out of it at night?
funksilver07
Member
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- 2007 Sunlight Silver Mazdaspeed 3 GT
Not yet...haha.
I`m Batman
Member
If you can, spend a little more and just get a new 09 MS3. I would not buy (heavily) modded car from anyone, even (especially) from friends. It can cause problems with your friend later if you have issues with the car.
BTW, I bought a brand new $24K car in 1999 when I was 19... of course my parents cosigned for the loan. I paid for everything myself... didn't have much money left after the car payment + insurance though... lol.
BTW, I bought a brand new $24K car in 1999 when I was 19... of course my parents cosigned for the loan. I paid for everything myself... didn't have much money left after the car payment + insurance though... lol.
SeR_Cyclops
Member
- :
- Mazdaspeed Protege
What if all of the work was performed by a well known shop?
seeing that i have owned an 04' sti and currently own a ms3, i might be able to shed some light on your dilemma.
between the two cars, i would always choose the sti. that being said, i would aim to find an 05+ sti to have the five lug option, as well as, stronger wheel bearings. you can run fairly aggressive offsets with an incredible amount of tire. the aftermarket support is tremendous, so parts will be relatively easy to find when you need them. bottomline: though my ms3 has more power and straight speed, i just enjoyed driving my sti more.
i have bought and sold used cars quite a bit and i can always tell which cars are "keepers" and which are just meh. i have driven lower mileage cars which have been neglected and abused (20-30k) and i have driven higher mileage cars which have been absolutely babied (50k+). i know ive found something special when i walk away from a 50K+ mileage car thinking, "damn... that car was cherry..." just be smart about it - does the owner have a folder full of maintenance records? or does he have a few scattered reciepts? is the interior dirty and cluttered? are the rims curbed and the bumper rashed? hows the paintwork? check the rotors and pads, the tires, etc... you have the benefit of knowing if your friend drove like an arse, or if he actually cared for his car.
give me a few years and i will probably be looking to buy another sti... [if not a lotus, 135, or 370z]
sidenote: your sti insurance will absolutely be higher than your insurance for the ms3. significantly. if you have ANY points on your record, good luck locking down an even halfway reasonable payment. nothing like paying 15% of your car's value in insurance payments per year...
between the two cars, i would always choose the sti. that being said, i would aim to find an 05+ sti to have the five lug option, as well as, stronger wheel bearings. you can run fairly aggressive offsets with an incredible amount of tire. the aftermarket support is tremendous, so parts will be relatively easy to find when you need them. bottomline: though my ms3 has more power and straight speed, i just enjoyed driving my sti more.
i have bought and sold used cars quite a bit and i can always tell which cars are "keepers" and which are just meh. i have driven lower mileage cars which have been neglected and abused (20-30k) and i have driven higher mileage cars which have been absolutely babied (50k+). i know ive found something special when i walk away from a 50K+ mileage car thinking, "damn... that car was cherry..." just be smart about it - does the owner have a folder full of maintenance records? or does he have a few scattered reciepts? is the interior dirty and cluttered? are the rims curbed and the bumper rashed? hows the paintwork? check the rotors and pads, the tires, etc... you have the benefit of knowing if your friend drove like an arse, or if he actually cared for his car.
give me a few years and i will probably be looking to buy another sti... [if not a lotus, 135, or 370z]
sidenote: your sti insurance will absolutely be higher than your insurance for the ms3. significantly. if you have ANY points on your record, good luck locking down an even halfway reasonable payment. nothing like paying 15% of your car's value in insurance payments per year...
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Very true but if someone is trying to sell a car and a buyer is going to come look at it . . . 9 times out of 10 they will clean it up
. I know im kind of picking at your statement but you can't really judge how a car was driven based on door dings, curb rash, and dirty interior. Best way is just to drive it and see how it feels or your 1st impression of the seller. I was looking at a couple used EVO's / STI's but I drove them and all of them just felt. . . "off." Not to mention they were all kids in their 20's. As for the original question, if you find a solid used STI definately jump on it.
bryand8930
Member
Very true but if someone is trying to sell a car and a buyer is going to come look at it . . . 9 times out of 10 they will clean it up
As for the original question, if you find a solid used STI definately jump on it.
buying the speed3 tomorrow at 11am
lolguitarsoloist87
Member
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- 2007 Mazdaspeed 3
I would go to your quality mazda dealership, not the bad ones. Its actually called a quality one were all the ones other dealers cant fix go. Then just buy a bone stock or almost bone stock speed3. I would get an 07+. If it has stuff done it should only be a catback and ms3 cai that way you can keep the factory warranty. Try to keep your warranty a while so you can get whatever you find wrong fixed. Then start dumping money into it if thats what you want. I would rather drive a rare speed3 that hangs with sti's and evo's than drive an sti or evo. They are the new age civic. Every family has one!
(bow)
(bow)
bryand8930
Member
they only made speed3's in 07 and up...
Very true but if someone is trying to sell a car and a buyer is going to come look at it . . . 9 times out of 10 they will clean it up
As for the original question, if you find a solid used STI definately jump on it.
the general aesthetics are a part of it, but its only one of the many things i suggested when looking at used vehicles. im generally more concerned with the maintenance records - and of course - how the car drives. i tend to be somewhat wary of any seller, regardless of my initial impression. you cant always count on people being as honest as you might be. i hate to learn those things the hard way...
regardless, there are plenty of gems still out there - i can only hope to stumble upon one when im ready to buy...
bryand8930 - congrats on your purchase. the ms3 will be a joy to drive! post up pics when you get it!
