What do you dislike most about your Speed 3?

[happy and angry]

If I was going to be elitist about drive-train, I'd rather have a rear-wheel drive vehicle. I "get" the big desire to have an AWD vehicle, but I'd rather have RWD or an AWD with a heavy rear power bias. You'll never really get the same sort of launch an AWD car can, but track handling ends up being better.

The thing I dislike about the MS3 so far are the rattles, and the service from my dealership.

 

[chacon101]

I don't like that all of the windows are not one touch up and down....only the drivers side window is.

Seriously, WTF is that all about? Even if it wasn't for the rear because of kids or whatever..the front should be a given.

There is only one other complaint and that's a rattling when I am cruising at like 90 or so. It's at eye level on the left A pillar where the window meets the pillar. I have never seen a car vibrate and make noise right there.

Otherwise, I can't stop always wanting to drive the damn thing (guitar)

 

[clos561]

I don't like that all of the windows are not one touch up and down....only the drivers side window is.

Seriously, WTF is that all about? Even if it wasn't for the rear because of kids or whatever..the front should be a given.

There is only one other complaint and that's a rattling when I am cruising at like 90 or so. It's at eye level on the left A pillar where the window meets the pillar. I have never seen a car vibrate and make noise right there.

Otherwise, I can't stop always wanting to drive the damn thing (guitar)

yea that kinda ticks me too, is there a way to mod the window switches on the drivers door?

 

[sfalexi]

The only complaint I have is the shifter/gears. Love everything else but I'm not liking the notchiness, the fact that it isn't smooth at all, and that first has be to shifted out of so quickly. I'm working on those problems little by little (gonna change the fluid, change to a TWM short shifter, and just learn to deal with 1st gear). Otherwise, I love this car.

 

[Sacrilicious]

rattles and squeaks. they piss me off to no end, but i'm getting rid of them one by one. first was the windshield cowl creak, next will be the rear suspension squeaking...then any other residual stuff that makes itself known after the big squeaks go away...=d

 

[Powerslave]

traction.. can't think of anything else

 

[Derek88]

The very small aftermarket

 

[laloosh]

1. Homo ecu
2. Gearing is way to short
It should be like this at 6000rpm
1st 35
2nd 60
3rd 90
4th 115
5th 140
6th gear it to 180
3. Pita oil filter location thanks to the aero guard or whatever you want to call it

 

[Stamperman]

1. I hate one thing about the climate control - when I have it in manual mode, then turn the defroster on and it decides the fan should be blowing at full blast. It's in manual mode, I know how fast I want the darn fan to be running.

2. The shiny metal hat on the gear shift looks great, but will fill your car with the smell of fresh made bacon in ther summer when you touch it.

3. Any car sold north of the Mason Dixon line should have defrosted mirrors as standard. Mazda should just bite the bullit and add the 5 dollars worth of content to the car. Scratch that, to all their cars......

4. Same as #3, but change "defrosted mirrors" to "all season tire option"

The shifter and motor mount don't bother me, but I have the after market lower mount and the metal shift platform bushing in the car. Before that they did.

Other than those small things, I'm extremely happy with the car.

 

[Engineer420]

You know what I've noticed..kinda crazy but the front doors swing too freely. If your sitting in your car with the door open a little about the get out and a gust of wind comes(its windy)..it can and will fly open and hit the car next to you or a wall..which happened to me twice, my door hit a a fence and a wall..bought some touch up paint from the dealer. Also it seems that people keep slamming the door when they get out of my car

Also last but not least the fact that I've had to take my car to the dealer 6 times for bulls*** defective sat radio antenna, then reciever, then blown speaker, 2 recalls, and loose rear sway bar linkage twice. First run cars aren't perfect i guess.

I love this car and I've never taken car of something as well as I do my speed. Funny thing is I never even test drove the car until the day I picked it up after waiting 5 months..my Pop did and told me yoooooooooo! and I took his word for it because he doesnt get that impressed too easily.

 

[jengajoe]

noisy seat belt.

 

[Pondo]

1. Rattles. They annoy me to hell
2. No stock heated mirrors
3. No DIN openings for Stereo upgrades

 

[PeterC]

Easily the clutch...I can't believe there are not more complaints about it. It is more touchy than any car I have ever owned.

 

[sfalexi]

Easily the clutch...I can't believe there are not more complaints about it. It is more touchy than any car I have ever owned.

As per this clutch, that WAS going to be one of my complaints, but recently it seems to almost have "broken in". I think it's a combination of me getting used to it and being more sensative to it and it actually breaking in a little. But if it happens to you like it did to me, the clutch won't be an issue for too long.

Alexi

 

[dan1101]

No sunroof.

 

[mike69440]

Hmmm I was hoping the MS3 would be near perfect.

My wife has a 03 Protege5 that has gone 130,000 miles and still seems "new".

The MS3 seemed like a nice addition to the family at twice the HP, but some of the complaints sound like the MS3 is a Ford, not a Mazda! Rattles, wheel hop, sloppy shifter? How bad is getting at the oil filter?

300HP is a nice round number. Anyone ever put one on a dyno? What does it take to get a MS3 there?

I want through enough crap with my 600 RWHP 03 Cobra getting it to the point of where I actually enjoy ( or scare myself) driving it, so I guess I want a fast inexpensive, good on gas small wagon, but with a real mid 90's Honda/Toyota build quality. (Or Miata for that matter)

Is the MS3 that car?
What about Gas Mileage? I expect a lot out a pint size 4 banger, as even my 03 Cobra averages 19-20 MPG.

 

[3.slow]

I get 28 MPG staying out of boost or 7MPG having tons o fun. (drive2)

 

[Young Roids]

How bad is getting at the oil filter?

The oil filter itself is very easy to get at(one of the best located oil filters I have ever seen and I worked at a lube joint before) other than the fact that you have to remove a plasic pannel to get to it.

 

[Bufalo]

Thing about the oil filter is... you can tell Mazda was el-cheapo when they put the car together. There's an access hole in the bottom of the underpanel that (I am assuming) makes it easy to change the filter in a standard Three. It's in the wrong place for the filter on the Speed. Couldn't they have just moved the hole?????


Anyway, my car has really no squeaks or rattles, and I'm kinda shocked to hear all the complains concerning that. I've actually been very impressed by the how few of them this car has.


My biggest "complaint" is about just how hard it is to smoothly daily-drive this car. It gets zero traction pulling away in 1st at anything above baby throttle. The clutch is finicky. The throttle has a mind of its own. This car routinely makes me look like I cannot shift. I keep hoping that some wider tires and a different engine mount will cure some of this, but I'm skeptical.

Minor quibbles are the lack of a sunroof (been mentioned), the non-heated mirrors (been mentioned), lack of one-touch on all windows (been mentioned) and the effing lousy cup holders (not mentioned). I think Mazda went out and found every possible configuration of fast-food drinking cup and convenience store coffee cup, and then managed to design cup holders that don't adequately support ANY OF THEM. Any time I stop for coffee in the morning, I spend the rest of my drive to work alternating my right hand between the shifter and the coffee cup to keep it from tipping over and leaking coffee into the console. The only cup I've found that fits is the thermal coffee mug that MAZDA itself sells. Bastards.

 

[justa4banger]

WOW i never hear rattles in my MS3. 11k miles now.
i have gotten used to the shifter, but it could be a little better.
wheel hop sucks, but if they did something about it most drivers would b**** about motor vibrations.

i do wish the MS3 had one touch up/down for the front windows, but oh well.
i wish there wasn't SO much red on the dash lighting. i love the blue but a VW dash would be awesome.......... maybe i was just spoiled with my old GTI.

Paint is thin and chips easy but most cars nowadays are like this.

i wish the MS3 would hold its value more. I tired to give the car away and it still didn't sell. Now i'm going to keep it so it doesn't matter, maybe later on it will be better.

everything else i love.