TURBO3WAGON
Member
It's not a AWD Speed6.
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What do you dislike most about your Speed 3?
- Thread starter oskinosmee
- Start date
kneedragger241
Member
I can't drive it slow.
Squeaks bother me the most.
Mirror defoggers would be nice.
The clutch takes some getting used to and as mentioned before, it does take some effort to drive the car smoothly. I drove a 5 speed Ford Ranger for 12 years and getting in this car was like learning stick all over again.
I recently replaced the low beam lamps and found that the metal wire retaining clip was a major pain to deal with.
Tires wear faster than I'm used to and I don't really drive all that aggressively.
I'm at about 7,000 miles and and other than those items I've been very pleased with the car. I would buy this car again if given the choice.
Mirror defoggers would be nice.
The clutch takes some getting used to and as mentioned before, it does take some effort to drive the car smoothly. I drove a 5 speed Ford Ranger for 12 years and getting in this car was like learning stick all over again.
I recently replaced the low beam lamps and found that the metal wire retaining clip was a major pain to deal with.
Tires wear faster than I'm used to and I don't really drive all that aggressively.
I'm at about 7,000 miles and and other than those items I've been very pleased with the car. I would buy this car again if given the choice.
well seeing all this makes me feel a lot better. I thought maybe I was an idiot. But it does take some effort to drive the car.. Not a big fan of the clutch or gearing. And the tires do suck really bad. Wearing on them is crazy.
Yeah the stock Bridgestones don't last long at all and they're like 210$ each! Perhaps burning out has something to do with but still..I was hoping to get at least a year out of them but it looks like 7months is about all I'm getting.
It would be nice if they came out with a decent aftermarket or inhouse mazdaspeed clutch / shifter kit for the MS3. I'm sure those things would sell like crazy! I would be first in line, It would have to be proven of course before I bought it.
I don't own a MS3 (yet), but I disliked a few things during my test drive:
1. Gearbox - It's probably one of the worst I've experienced. Any gear I would shift to after 2nd would have me double-checking whether or not I was in the right gear. Very mushy with no feedback. It was especially difficult with me after being used to the silky-smooth Honda gearboxes for so many years. The shifter was positioned too close to me and I often found myself hitting the center console with my elbow on 2nd and 4th gear shifts.
2. Gearing - I don't see Mazda's reasoning behind the ultra-short, almost unusable 1st gear. It's as if they took a 5-speed, split 1st gear into two, and called it a 6-speed. Everything from 3rd gear on up was enjoyable.
3. Clutch - Wow...I was expecting a heavy clutch to support all that torque being driven to the wheels, so I was definitely caught off-guard. Much lighter than I expected with an on-off switch characteristic to it. Not exactly a negative thing, but more resistance when depressing the clutch would've been nice. As long as it holds the power, I suppose.
So I was pretty much disappointed with everything transmission-related. I can get used to the gearing and the clutch, but the gearbox will have to be fixed with after-market items. Hopefully the TWM bushings and a custom modification to the stock shifter will satisfy me.
As for the tires, they are what give the MS3 its edge. Anything less and you'd have a car that utilizes less of its potential. It's the price we pay for performance.
1. Gearbox - It's probably one of the worst I've experienced. Any gear I would shift to after 2nd would have me double-checking whether or not I was in the right gear. Very mushy with no feedback. It was especially difficult with me after being used to the silky-smooth Honda gearboxes for so many years. The shifter was positioned too close to me and I often found myself hitting the center console with my elbow on 2nd and 4th gear shifts.
2. Gearing - I don't see Mazda's reasoning behind the ultra-short, almost unusable 1st gear. It's as if they took a 5-speed, split 1st gear into two, and called it a 6-speed. Everything from 3rd gear on up was enjoyable.
3. Clutch - Wow...I was expecting a heavy clutch to support all that torque being driven to the wheels, so I was definitely caught off-guard. Much lighter than I expected with an on-off switch characteristic to it. Not exactly a negative thing, but more resistance when depressing the clutch would've been nice. As long as it holds the power, I suppose.
So I was pretty much disappointed with everything transmission-related. I can get used to the gearing and the clutch, but the gearbox will have to be fixed with after-market items. Hopefully the TWM bushings and a custom modification to the stock shifter will satisfy me.
As for the tires, they are what give the MS3 its edge. Anything less and you'd have a car that utilizes less of its potential. It's the price we pay for performance.
Where do I start......
1. Gloove box rattle - fixed with a couple rubber stoppers
2. Center console rattle - fixed with a couple rubber stoppers
3. Drivers seat belt rattle - Mazda replaced it
4. Squeak in moulding right by my head - can't fix
5. Squeak in moulding goes crazy if the stereo is on - can't fix, and can't use the stereo to drown it out
6. Crazy torque steer - uneven pavement causes wild weaving across lanes
7. Boost cutting out above 6,000 rpm
8. Bone jarring wheel hop
That's about it for complaints. So what do I like about it?
1. Hatch back practicality
2. Seats are comfy
3. Highway cruising is great - low end torque in 6th gear is very nice
We will be selling the car in the spring - overall it was a mistake! I will never buy another Mazda (hand). Will give Subaru a try - 08 STI (dance)
1. Gloove box rattle - fixed with a couple rubber stoppers
2. Center console rattle - fixed with a couple rubber stoppers
3. Drivers seat belt rattle - Mazda replaced it
4. Squeak in moulding right by my head - can't fix
5. Squeak in moulding goes crazy if the stereo is on - can't fix, and can't use the stereo to drown it out
6. Crazy torque steer - uneven pavement causes wild weaving across lanes
7. Boost cutting out above 6,000 rpm
8. Bone jarring wheel hop
That's about it for complaints. So what do I like about it?
1. Hatch back practicality
2. Seats are comfy
3. Highway cruising is great - low end torque in 6th gear is very nice
We will be selling the car in the spring - overall it was a mistake! I will never buy another Mazda (hand). Will give Subaru a try - 08 STI (dance)
motocrosser614
Member
- :
- 2008 Mazdaspeed 3
I dislike how i had the car for 2,114 miles before i was hit by a 02-03 4x4 tundra and thjrown into the cement wall at 60mph. Now almost a month later im still driving a chevy malibu and still dealing with his insurance on the fact that this guy lost control on a service road came up across the grassy hill leading to the highway, crossed two lanes then hit me in the far left lane causing a 4 car accident.(pukey)(getting the pics from the gf posted here soon) I also dislike how my cobb sri was destroyed through this whole s*** and the dealer nor his insurance will replace. On the good side reading through the forums and not having the car helps me consolidate what setup and parts i wanna use performance wise when i get the car back!.
2008 Ms3 sport
True red 2,114
2 1/2 weeks and counting till i get the car back................(drive)
2008 Ms3 sport
True red 2,114
2 1/2 weeks and counting till i get the car back................(drive)
2008 Ms3 sport
True red 2,114
2 1/2 weeks and counting till i get the car back................(drive)
That sucks, but you're not alone. Tree fell on mine at 3,600 miles, I'm out of my car for 6 or 7 weeks, but I'm not having any trouble with insurance. I'm driving a Kia Optima rental, wanna race? Gotta do something to relieve the horrible driving boredom.
I don't own a MS3 (yet), but I disliked a few things during my test drive:
1. Gearbox - It's probably one of the worst I've experienced. Any gear I would shift to after 2nd would have me double-checking whether or not I was in the right gear. Very mushy with no feedback. It was especially difficult with me after being used to the silky-smooth Honda gearboxes for so many years. The shifter was positioned too close to me and I often found myself hitting the center console with my elbow on 2nd and 4th gear shifts.
2. Gearing - I don't see Mazda's reasoning behind the ultra-short, almost unusable 1st gear. It's as if they took a 5-speed, split 1st gear into two, and called it a 6-speed. Everything from 3rd gear on up was enjoyable.
3. Clutch - Wow...I was expecting a heavy clutch to support all that torque being driven to the wheels, so I was definitely caught off-guard. Much lighter than I expected with an on-off switch characteristic to it. Not exactly a negative thing, but more resistance when depressing the clutch would've been nice. As long as it holds the power, I suppose.
So I was pretty much disappointed with everything transmission-related. I can get used to the gearing and the clutch, but the gearbox will have to be fixed with after-market items. Hopefully the TWM bushings and a custom modification to the stock shifter will satisfy me.
As for the tires, they are what give the MS3 its edge. Anything less and you'd have a car that utilizes less of its potential. It's the price we pay for performance.
what do u mean no feedback? what is a tranny supposed to feel like? what does a trany that gives u feedback feel like. the trany feels very shoft imo and i dont have a problem with it, Even before my mods i never had a problem doing regular shifting ( feel wise )
Overall, i'm very, very satisfied w/ the performance, esp for the price. However, i think Mazda, knowing this is a true sports car, should have included a CAI + a short-shift gear lever w/ solid bushings, as well as more solid rear motor mount. As much as i enjoyed paying $23,500 for a turbo rocket, i didn't like having to invest ~ $600 to improve things that could have been done cheaper + better at the factory level. Just my $0.02
Everything creaks :S also the auto window wipers never seem to come on when its raining.. always have to do it manually. Did i mention that everything creaks!!!!!!
That's funny, mine doesn't creek at all.. Maybe they fixed that for 08
I'm thinking you just got a bad one out of the bunch, like yours wasn't assembled right or something
I think the squeaks come out more in cold weather, something you wouldn't see as much in Orlando. I've got a few, not the least of which is the windshield cowl squeak.
VERY TRUE! THAT AND THE FACT I NORMALLY HAVE THE RADIO BLASTING.
BUT THIS IS KINDA THE WAY I LOOK AT IT.. WHEN THIS CAR WAS MADE THEY HAD TO CUT SOME CORNERS TO KEEP THE COST DOWN. SO THE SQUEAKS AND CRAP I WOULD JUST TAKE WITH A GRAIN OF SALT BECAUSE I STILL CONSIDER THIS VECHICLE A STEAL FOR THE PRICE REGUARDLESS.
what do u mean no feedback? what is a tranny supposed to feel like? what does a trany that gives u feedback feel like. the trany feels very shoft imo and i dont have a problem with it, Even before my mods i never had a problem doing regular shifting ( feel wise )
By "no feedback", I meant that it was difficult to tell if I've shifted the transmission into the intended gear. Maybe I'm just used to the gears "snapping" in from what I'm used to driving.
Either way, I'm getting the TWM shifter bushings to (hopefully) remedy the problem.
Overall, i'm very, very satisfied w/ the performance, esp for the price. However, i think Mazda, knowing this is a true sports car, should have included a CAI + a short-shift gear lever w/ solid bushings, as well as more solid rear motor mount. As much as i enjoyed paying $23,500 for a turbo rocket, i didn't like having to invest ~ $600 to improve things that could have been done cheaper + better at the factory level. Just my $0.02
Mazda made it so they could entice you with their mazdaspeed aftermarket parts $$$$$ chi ching$$$
Most first year cars (07 MS3) have some issues that are corrected in subsequent model years
creina1221
Member
- :
- 2008 mazdaspeed 3
i dont like how easily the paint chips. other than that, no complaints, then again, it's quite an upgrade from a contour SVT, although the SVT had a good refinish on it.
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