So does AWR sway bar kit have the same problem? I looked on their website and see that they sell sway bar bushings for the Protege. I havent asked Anthony yet but alot of his suspention parts work on the MSP...like the endlinks and etc.
Also someoen on here talked about going to pepboys buying like a $35 energy suspention sway bar bushing insert and replacing the stock ones with those. Seemed like a even cheaper and more relaible fix.
You probally would have saved a good amount of money by just buying AWR sway bars which are very beefy and nice. Then sell the Racing beat one, which alot of people still want. Also I would have tried contacting racing beat and see what they say. Either way its ironic that you talk about how mucht he MSP cost and then hiring a attourney and then spending on a perhaps another car that cost the same if not more.
The creeking sound I woudl think comes from your motor mounts as swaybar bushings make a "klunk" sound. The creek should should only happen when the weather is cold...or it is for me. And it got worse with stiffer mounts.
For the price at the time there were only 3 or so cars that produced 170 hp or more at 20K
Civic Si (Minivan look alike)
Sentra SE-R Spec V
2003 Mazdaspeed Protege
2003 SRT-4
Civic SI and Spec V were non turbo and I figured turbo cars for that price($20K) is better then a NA car for that price ($20K). I wasnt a big fan of the minivan Civic SI look. My friend worked in Nissan at the time and told me horror stories of the Sentra. At the time they had a recall for the firewall surronding the ECU? Where the ECU could catch on fire and burn the car down or cause the engine to **** up. Which I personally saw 3 cars with that problem happen.
The Nissan recall covers Sentras built between January 2000 and March 2003. A piece of foam insulation in a box housing the engine computer can emit sulfur, possibly causing corrosion in the computer that can lead to rough running or stalling engines.
Good thing the MSP hasnt had a recall yet. So seemed like the MSp had minor problems compared to the sentra.
so it came down to the SRT-4 and MSP. I did my research and the SRT-4 at the time had no LSD, skinny 205 KDW tires (1st version), looked like a neon, talks about clutch problems/oil leaks, made 215 hp, no racinghart rims, no badass stock sound system, soft feel as the MSP had more percise handling because of its springs.
My decision was the MSP becasue it offered a better overall package then the SRT-4 at the time. Problems that were fixed in the next year as Dodge added the LSD which makes the tranny stronger and put in more HP with stage 1 standard. Also priced climed almost 2-3K...which accounts for the LSD and Stage 1. MAzda on the other hand did not have another year to perfect the protege as it was discontinued. But they did improve on the MP3 design by adding a LSD, wider tires, redesigned rims, more power and etc. just like the difference between 2003-2004 SRT-4. What im saying is the models improve with time. Like the old RSX type S vs the new RSX type S. 2003 WRX vs the 2004 WRX vs the 2005 WRX. The 2003 EVO VIII vs the newer 2004-2005 EVO VIII wit more goodies standard. Or the 2003 SRT-4 compared to the new 2004 SRT-4. And you know what the next SRT-4 will be improved even more with the ACR package...addresses what peopel say is a improvment in handling. If the MSP was in production for another 2 year it would have definately been improved.
Also MAzda had the "test the best offer" which was like $2-3K off MSRP. Dodge SRT-4 at the time was pretty hot and dealers wanted even more then the $20K price tag. Dealers eat up alot of the cost. There was a point where manufatuers wanted a direct buy system like they have in Japan. Where you can order your car form the manufatuer to your specific spec without going into a local dealer. But america being the land of unions had somethign to say about that ideal North American Dealer Association shot it down and thus you can get owned by the dealer on hidden fees.
