Hi!
I am Zac. I live in Baltimore, Maryland and about 2 days ago I purchased a 2003 MazdaSpeed Protege in metallic orange (mine is the 03 and NOT 03.5 model). Years ago I had a Nissan SE-R and I liked it. Since then, I have been buying trucks. I have wanted the MP3/MSP ever since Road and Track started covering the first MP3's around mid 2000. When I decided to go back to school to complete my PhD, I needed a car and not a truck due to practicality and running costs. I immediately started looking at the MP3's. I found a nice MSP in Virginia, about 150 miles away. My best friend and I hitchhiked, jogged and took trains and subways on an adventure which resulted in meeting many interesting people and some new friends. When I got down to the car place, the vehicle was by no means stock as the dealer had told me. It really didn't bother me either way so I bought it. At the absolute least, the car has: a short ram intake (which I need to clean), upgraded turbo, upgraded intercooler and plumbing, upgraded related turbo accessories, larger mid/down pipe and exhaust, (possibly) refaced cams, basic engine management, different clutch than stock, what appears to be aftermarket pulleys, grounding kit, different coilover set with a nice drop, multiple sway/strut bars (IIRC fsb, rsb, fsb, and ltb; forgive me if I mixed it up), boost and AFR gauge, Alpine (not the stock Kenwood unit) head unit, my Escort Passport 9500ix, really crappy tires, some carbon fiber trim, and I am sure there is plenty I am missing. Overall the car is in good shape for being nearly a decade old and I really enjoy driving it. When I had my SE-R I was always on the forums as you can learn such a wealth of information by just browsing and reading. I think that is pretty much it. Anyway, hellos!
My technical thread and some pictures can be found at the link below!
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123777053
I am Zac. I live in Baltimore, Maryland and about 2 days ago I purchased a 2003 MazdaSpeed Protege in metallic orange (mine is the 03 and NOT 03.5 model). Years ago I had a Nissan SE-R and I liked it. Since then, I have been buying trucks. I have wanted the MP3/MSP ever since Road and Track started covering the first MP3's around mid 2000. When I decided to go back to school to complete my PhD, I needed a car and not a truck due to practicality and running costs. I immediately started looking at the MP3's. I found a nice MSP in Virginia, about 150 miles away. My best friend and I hitchhiked, jogged and took trains and subways on an adventure which resulted in meeting many interesting people and some new friends. When I got down to the car place, the vehicle was by no means stock as the dealer had told me. It really didn't bother me either way so I bought it. At the absolute least, the car has: a short ram intake (which I need to clean), upgraded turbo, upgraded intercooler and plumbing, upgraded related turbo accessories, larger mid/down pipe and exhaust, (possibly) refaced cams, basic engine management, different clutch than stock, what appears to be aftermarket pulleys, grounding kit, different coilover set with a nice drop, multiple sway/strut bars (IIRC fsb, rsb, fsb, and ltb; forgive me if I mixed it up), boost and AFR gauge, Alpine (not the stock Kenwood unit) head unit, my Escort Passport 9500ix, really crappy tires, some carbon fiber trim, and I am sure there is plenty I am missing. Overall the car is in good shape for being nearly a decade old and I really enjoy driving it. When I had my SE-R I was always on the forums as you can learn such a wealth of information by just browsing and reading. I think that is pretty much it. Anyway, hellos!
My technical thread and some pictures can be found at the link below!
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123777053
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