Hi just some questions for MS3 owners

[maybemazda]

Hi fellas, how's the cars? I myself drive (dont own(whip) ) a 07 legacyGT. Since its not really my car, I have been considering getting either a MKV or MS3. I have driven a GTI and love it and I have TAKEN ride (not drove MS3) This will be in a year or so, when I have the funds, but still I am researching now. I know your car is FAST, hella fast in fact compared to a stock GTI and prolly handles better. VW has been in my fam for years (GTI or A4) so i definietly have a sweet spot for them and HAVE NEVER had any problems with any of them. HOWEVER I do love driving fast and hate even more losing while driving fast(argh) . Scary things however have been posted on your board...(engine falling out, cel CONSTANTLY, and GREEN smoke?) and have made me think twice about MS3. I mean even with mods the GTI will probably be a tad faster than an MS3 and an MS3 modded would kill it. So i dont know if there is any EXACT question here and I know you guys love your cars, but what do you think. I mean if this car is gonna be breaking down all the time I think I could take a hit in the speed area for a GTI. thoughts?

[msp35]

I'm not an ms3 owner yet....but will say this. IMO the ms3 just looks better than the 4dr GTI. As far as modding....VW has their turbos down to a science by now, whereas Mazda still leaves a bit to be desired. However the aftermarket is coming along for the 3, but again the VW has been around for a minute. I'm sure you've looked on www.vwvortex.com (http://www.vwvortex.com) if not you should research there too. good luck in your search.

[maybemazda]

NOTE: LETS NOT TALK ABOUT LOOKS, I like the looks of both. MS3 exterior is better, but MKV IN MY OPINION has a nicer interior. thx

[maybemazda]

see the thing is, to get real power from a stock GTI you need to get the bigger turbo, then yur at 300 and 300....for $4200!!! Not gonna happen, at best with ecu, exhaust, intake, tires, you will be in 13.8-13.9 range with GTI. I mean MS3 with a chip, exhaust and intake, should be DAMN close to 13.3-13.5.....Im guessing. So the power is just THERE in the Mazda but THERE for $$$$$$$$$$$ in the GTI

[maybemazda]

I dont want to FIGHT here or ARGUE I just would like some objective thoughts from owners.

[msp35]

There is www. m a z d a 3 forum.com One member hit 13.095 with the ATP turbo swap. IMO there's more mazdaspeed3 info there than here.

[maybemazda]

?? where is there?

[msp35]

we can't post links to other forums. You have to take the spaces out of what I type:
w w w . m a z da 3 f or u m . com

[maybemazda]

yah i got it...ATP turbo swap for ms3 or six? errr? Anyway doesnt matter, ms3 with exhaust, intake, ecu, light wheels, good rubber and lowered will be sweet...the more I read through all the forums and posts the more I want a MS3. LOL the same thing happens when I go to the VWVORTEX forum, (yes i have gone to the vortex forum already) makes me want a GTI. HA guess it just come down to which forum I want to hang in for the next couple of years. Again though any comments on the MS3 by owners would be welcome!

[Vixen]

Well, the CEL can be fixed. I have not seen any green smoke and my particular engine hasn't fallen out. By now they are probably replacing the bad part that causes the CEL on the cars before they sell them. It's under warranty, and it's fun, enough said.

[maybemazda]

I am in chicago to...where'd you buy? How much (if you dont mind)?

[Newter]

Is VW still plagued with horrible electrical issues? I know a guy who was looking at one a couple years back and a a huge list of things known to have above 50% failure rates within 3-5 years. He ended up getting it because he was going to replace most of the problem parts with after market anyway.

IMO Mazda > VW. This is coming from a long time VW driver too. Had a 69 bug, 83 gti, 91 jetta jli with tons of mods on it. As fun as the jetta and gti were I also spent a ton of money keeping them running.

[Mike V]

I used to be a huge VW fan but the newer cars don't do it for me. If a nice interior is the most important thing to you, then get the GTI. If you want more power and better handling, get the MS3. I have driven both. Although the new GTI is impressive, the MS3 is the better performer. Go test drive an MS3 and tell us what you think!

[Vixen]

I am in chicago to...where'd you buy? How much (if you dont mind)?

Are you talking to me? I'm not in Chicago. There are other cities in the state you know:)
I'm in Southwest Illinois near St. Louis.

[Mocoso]

....Scary things however have been posted on your board...(engine falling out, cel CONSTANTLY, and GREEN smoke?) and have made me think twice about MS3. .......thoughts?

Its a forum and like ALL car forums you will find 9 problem posts for every 1 Im happy post. Its the nature of the forums... people are more apt to post problems and not the positives... you cant judge reliability solely because someone posted problems...

Reality is engine falling off problems are RARE and I doubt 2nd year or late 1st year production runs will even be hit by this issue.... CEL issue is a more common issue which has a fix and which only tends to happen in cold climates... Ive yet to hear about green smoke that is a first...

Im sure the VW forum is full of "oh crap XYZ happened to me" or "my ABC broke and dealer cant fix it"... and for that matter ANY forum.... think the likes of Toyota dont have crap happen: My Sequoia has had the ABS computer replaced (a $5K job), the D LED is burnt, the front tires cant keep the camber in check worth a damn and it only has 30K miles...

As far as driving fast and hating to lose... get used to it.. there will always be someone faster than you out there - trying to prove otherwise will only get your license lost or worse your life or that of others...

[spike blue]

well im not a ms3 onwer right now but i own a cx-7 that has the same engine with 20hp less and i can tell you that this engine has a lot of potential and is not going to brake down if you moded!!! Well said the ms3 is a better car than the vw GTI why?? Is less expensive, more power, handle better and it looks way better IMO!! well actually im going to be a ms3 owner in two weeks!!!

[ALIEN3T]

have an ms3 here! but remember thats a few motor problems but there are 5000 being sold in the states and a few boards have liek 200 ms3 member that regulary post. and i have heard of 5 motors dropping. a few cel btu that was peeps in real cold weather. my bro has an ms6 where the cel of the one sensor started. He hast had one cel in the 9 months of his. I have 3000 miles on my ms3, not one hicup yet. and my pops a old school v8 guy driving things like tigers (4 banger alpines replaced with mustang v8's) and he was actually impressed and usually isnt with 4 bangers.

most people will opost problems. Alot more wont. but i bet teh ratio of no problems is better than peeps with problems!@

i didnt read all but i will say i love the looks. most people dont expect it. They think a normal slow 4 cyln till the power comes on!
But im more than happy with it, even my wife also.

[WildChild]

If you want the fastest car out of the box go with the ms3. If I am not mistaken it is faster than ANY factory gti of any year. Even the latest version of the R32 will have less hp. This car is cheap, fast and the insurance is reasonable. I have yet to see another one on the road. Unlike the gti which I see on a daily basis. My car has about 3200 miles on it at this point. No cells, engine still in the bay, and green smoke non-existant. The car almost has too much power for fwd. I don't plan on adding any mods, it is fast enough. For exclusivity and power choose ms3!

[Ms3Xeoc]

Almost 2000 miles here no problems what so ever... I love my MS3 (2thumbs) (2thumbs) (rockon) (rockon)


nuf said

[knowledge007]

All I Have To Say Is With My Mods This Fucking Car Is Amazing!!!

[gr3y]

My engine has never fallen out..
My CEL has never come on..
And I don't know where you got green smoke from..

The only thing I've seen in my car that I've read on these boards is the black tail pipe.. and even that has gone down after break-in and my ecu adjusted to my slow driving :)

[egypsy]

I haven't tested the GTI yet but I test drove the Audi A3 2.0T after I test drove the MS3. It was an anti-climax to me. The Mazda engine has a lot more punch and very little turbo lag compared to the A3. The steering on the Mazda is razor sharp compared to the A3. The interior with the A3 has a better quality feel but I feel more cramp than the MS3. Plus I really like the MS3 red glow dashboard and red stitchings on the seats and steering. This really lighten up the plain dull black interior.

Anyway, I am just comparing the A3 and MS3. The VW GTI may be a little different.

[bmman93]

just from experience. my buddy had a mk4 wit like 8 grand in it(intake exhaust chip, more fuel k04 turbo and suspension) and more i cant think of. he had a lot of problems wit it being that modded! he was going through coil packs like they were under wear! NO JOKE it was a nice i car( i liked the seat heaters) but for the money he had in it wasn't worth how it preformed! just an fyi

my ms3 hasn't given me any problems! i love driving it! i like it better then driving the mk4. sure there is little issues but when a new car comes out that happens its normal!

just to say there is a mk5 around here wit intake exhaust and chip when we run i got him by 2 and pulling away from a 5 roll, 30 roll and a 60 roll.! it was good times in the neighbor hood that night

[Andrewsmc]

sounds like a 16 yr old with a reallllllly heavy foot....

[Antonio DiMarco]

Its a forum and like ALL car forums you will find 9 problem posts for every 1 Im happy post. Its the nature of the forums... people are more apt to post problems and not the positives... you cant judge reliability solely because someone posted problems...

Reality is engine falling off problems are RARE and I doubt 2nd year or late 1st year production runs will even be hit by this issue.... CEL issue is a more common issue which has a fix and which only tends to happen in cold climates... Ive yet to hear about green smoke that is a first...

Im sure the VW forum is full of "oh crap XYZ happened to me" or "my ABC broke and dealer cant fix it"... and for that matter ANY forum.... think the likes of Toyota dont have crap happen: My Sequoia has had the ABS computer replaced (a $5K job), the D LED is burnt, the front tires cant keep the camber in check worth a damn and it only has 30K miles...

As far as driving fast and hating to lose... get used to it.. there will always be someone faster than you out there - trying to prove otherwise will only get your license lost or worse your life or that of others...

You need to keep perspective. Like he said forums sometimes bring out the worst in people. There are also those who simply need to vent- which is fine as long as they keep perspective. I just picked up my 08 MS3 and have no doubt that it will be as reliable and trouble-free as my other 6 Mazdas.

Think of it this way. For every unhappy Mazda fan there are 100's of others who are very happy.

[Demi]

Look, uncle sam doesnt pay me enough to have the free time to read all this junk so if i double up on someone im sorry, dude here is the skinny. The aftermarket for MS3 blows, but that is because its new and special. That alone is worth something. You want a car you can tool around with and make your own get an S-14. If you want something that kicks all sort of ass out the gate, and have some sort of (prescience about you, then get the MS3. Its a wicked ride that im sure will be more impressive as time goes on, but what do you want to do? do you wanna slide sideways through the corners (dont get me wrong thats great) or do you want to own GT mustangs......cuz thats what im doing.......stock.....enjoy your MS3.