watup

[pcpower]

hey whatsup guys, gals.

this is my 1st post on msprotege.com forums,,, I am glad I came across this specific site, the rest of the mazda forums seemed somewhat boring,,, but I read through a number of threads on here and it looks all good in the hood.

anyhow, I will do the typical thing where I ask a bunch of questions about the MS3 I am about to purchase (this coming March when I have the $$),, feel free to answer or not... lol. seriously though, I will try finding these answers out on my own as well through the other threads.

I own an 08 altima 3.5 SL,, CVT shift (automatic) pretty nice ride, but boring. I need to get back to my roots,, 5 speed m/t with ridiculous amounts of power. So I have a pretty good trade-in value anyways (maybe $18K) even though I am getting reamed on depreciation. so here goes the random questions:

Should I go for an 08 MS3 (new) or an 09? I couldn't find any differences between the two really in regards to functionality,, although I thought read somewhere the 08's are available in Blue.?.? anyhow, from a financial point of view, there should be some dirt cheap prices on the 08 but then again the car has already depreciated for almost 2 years, so I'm guessing the 09 would be a better bet. I will be aiming for invoice price,, should be possible considering the general state of dealerships nowadays,,,.

Color,,,,, on the 09's I love the white, but doubt I would go for that, just because I'd be scratchin it up way too quick. Maybe though. In regards to the other 3 colors,, which one (if any) of these ideas do u think is cool?

blacked out ms3 (basically black rims and dark tint)
red ms3 w/ black or carbon-fiber hood, maybe black rims (get that two-tone look going on)
gray ms3... eh I dunno what I would do to modify the visuals on this one, it is a pretty good color, safe overall.

Another general question,, does Mazda sell dealer-installed MS3 parts, like how Scion offers all kinds of random upgrades to their cars? or rather is it pure aftermarket as far as exhausts, springs, etc.

and last but not least, I will just state my opinion on the 2010 ms3 (if it releases) is big deal.... Sure it will be a sweet ride, but I'm not going to wait around another year for a car that will cost more money and will have all the creeks and squeaks that new models always have when they 1st release. going straight for the 09 and not going to worry about what could be so potentially great about the 2010. :]

looking forward to hearing back some good advice on the upcoming purchase.

thx! (band2)

 

[NCZ13]

09s are just leftover 08.5s. nothing different.

Cosmic blue was only offered in 07.

I think MGM (metro gray mica) is a great color and is available on the 09s.

the dealership will have mazdaspeed parts. But they are extremely expensive, and really not worth it.

 

[Sport6]

09s are just leftover 08.5s. nothing different.

Cosmic blue was only offered in 07.

I think MGM (metro gray mica) is a great color and is available on the 09s.

the dealership will have mazdaspeed parts. But they are extremely expensive, and really not worth it.

I think they ditched Cosmic Blue in 08.5 for the Metrogrey. So 08s did have the CB

 

[Mike240SX]

09s are just leftover 08.5s. nothing different.

False. For one, the cars labeled MY09 have a "9" in their VIN in the year location, indicating that for all official purposes it is a 2009. By your logic, the early '08s are "just leftover '07s" because there were "no" changes.

Also, the Cobb AccessPort maps for all other MS3s will not work on 2009 models, indicating that there is at least SOME minor change.

Cosmic blue was only offered in 07.

And early '08s.

the dealership will have mazdaspeed parts. But they are extremely expensive, and really not worth it.

Unless you like your warranty.

 

[NCZ13]

fair enough. I thought CB was only on the 07s.

and my logic about 08.5s being 09s stems from how my midyear refreshening (02.5) is just an 03 that had all the changes done mid year.

edit: and i did not mean leftover like sitting on the lot and the dealer calls them 09s.

 

[oaklandopen]

i would also say that there are enough differences in the 8.5 and up that they shouldn't be referred to as "leftovers", but i get what you mean anyway

in fact, to the op, the newer you get the better you'll end up. if you do in fact plan on purchasing, and you take a look at this forum and maybe some others, you'll see that the first model year was not the best one. and by that i mean there were some bugs that needed fixing. and for the most part they were tended to and latter years have not had as many of, or any of the same problems. but then again, some others started appearing that weren't on earlier models....and there really are too many for me to name off the top of my head

this is not to say the car is perfect, it's just the same as any other car in production, just don't get the first model year.

ps...you'll only find the speeds in 6-speed

 

[240ka]

MGM rules

 

[pcpower]

coolimus. btw yep thx for the reminder I meant 6 speed not 5 speed.... hehe.