Mazda is known for producing great driving machines, but when the turbocharged horsepower wars of the early 2000s really got going, the brand was on the sidelines. Sure, the 2003 Mazdaspeed Protegé was a half-hearted attempt at a compact hotrod, but the car was a one-year-only effort t…
I'm gonna have to disagree. I owned a 1st gen. That car stock would embarrass modified GD chassis or GR chassis wrx's and all generations of mitsu evo stock for stock. It beat up on the E46 M3's as well. All from a 40-60 mph roll it was nearly unstoppable in its class. A great driver in a sti could barely inch away from one up to 110-120mph before getting passed..
I had a 2010 for a while and had the turbo fail, fortunately under warranty, at around 40K. The only real problem was having a car that only got 20ish mpg on PREMIUM when gas went up over $4. Couldn't imagine that now!
Have a 2007. Had it since newm currently broken with a bad turbo. I'd call it.....medium modified. All its foibles aside there's a reason I kept it as long as I have.
How bad are these now? Is the blue smoke thing a "run away" scenario?
In reply to Defined motorsports :
Nah. The pcv system is sort of a pita to deal with, and you'll want a different turbo and exhaust (who doesn't?) But for the most part they're not bad.
MonzaRed said:I'm gonna have to disagree. I owned a 1st gen. That car stock would embarrass modified GD chassis or GR chassis wrx's and all generations of mitsu evo stock for stock. It beat up on the E46 M3's as well. All from a 40-60 mph roll it was nearly unstoppable in its class. A great driver in a sti could barely inch away from one up to 110-120mph before getting passed..
Back when they were new, a friend had a 2008 MS3, and I had a 2009 WRX. The MS3 destroyed my car in both handling AND speed. I could get out of the hole better, but in a second or two, the MS3 would roast my WRX. In the twisties, that car would leave me in the dust as well.
If I could go back, I would've gotten a MS3 instead of that WRX. That car was an absolute blast, and there are not many left in good, running condition around here. I'd love to have one as a 2nd/project car someday.
Only car I've ever driven that I swear was actively trying to kill me.
It was awesome.
My wife had a 2007 from new, moved up from a 99 Miata. I certainly did not notice any issues with the shifter even in comparison with the Miata. It would make a strange clunk into 2nd some times, but read that was not an issue.
It was an EXCELLENT freeway car. All the power you could want in most any situation. We generally did 23 overall and 27 freeway (really hard to not drive over 80). I am pretty sure you could make 30 mpg on a steady freeway drive if you could control yourself (that never happened). Premium, in CA could be painful to justify, especially when the seemingly forever 10 cent spread between the grades went away.
I did get the blue smoke thing a few times. Once under heavy boost (lots of smoke) and a few times just after startup. It frankly freaked me out a bit (did not know about PVC issues at the time). It would also occasionally smoke a little from under the motor after parked sometimes. I suspect it was some sort of unseen leak getting on the exhaust, but never found any leaking.
We ended up selling at a 107,000 miles to a younger guy, I hope he took care of it as it was a rather rare (for a Speed3) completely stock, excellent condition car with the original motor mounts!
If not already, I can see their prices skyrocketing. Re: nobody foresaw collector status and didn't bother to preserve them.
Maybe the smoking thing can be part of their charm. kind of like an old Ferrari. They all smoke a bit and are expected to.
In reply to A 401 CJ :
My daily for the last six years has been a regular 07 Mazda3, and for a commuter it is hands down one of the most enjoyable FWD cars to chuck into a corner. It wasn't in great shape when I got it and it's since been 'totaled' due to bodywork damage from a woman pulling out of a parking lot, but I've been keeping an eye out for an MS3 in good shape for a replacement.
I don't think I've seen one without major problems that cost less than $10k. Well modified ones have gone through the BAT tax at 18.5k. In a few years a low mileage stock example will probably cost as much as any WRX in the same shape, but much harder to find.
Starting to remind me of what's happened with the 323GTX, actually.
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