Pulling the trigger!

[jrmms3]

I am on the cusp of purchasing a new MS3...I am not picky about color...so my choices are abundant. My question as a newbie is, should I go for the fully loaded GT? I like the idea of NAV, but have never had it in any previous vehicles (240, Maxima, Pathfinder).

Yes...in the last few weeks my wife and I have argued about directions! Which her Murano cannot decipher!!!

[controlo]

its not worth the extra $1800 at all IMHO. if i had the money for a GT, i would've gotten wheels for my sport.

[Young Roids]

its not worth the extra $1800 at all IMHO. if i had the money for a GT, i would've gotten wheels for my sport.

^ I agree with this guy. Get the sport model and save the 1800 for mods. You could get alot better stuff for $1800 than lights and stupid auto sensing wipers.

[Thefa11en]

^ I agree with this guy. Get the sport model and save the 1800 for mods. You could get alot better stuff for $1800 than lights and stupid auto sensing wipers.

yeah I agree also, the nav is sorta over rated and a waste of money you could spend on buying other things for your sport version.

[johnnyB5646]

I like the cloth seats better and am glad I don't have to mess with the Bose stereo. Mapquest or get lost and enjoy the drive.

[Mocoso]

Get the iPhone and install Google Maps... it will give you real time traffic to boot and you can be part of the phone craze (yea your all nutz to stand in line for a phone.. come on its not like its a PS3...) all for about 600 bucks

that will leave 1200 which should cover you for about 1.5 yrs worth of phone bills...

But in all seriousness: the GT vs Sport is really a personal choice - YOU are the one thats going to drive it so at the end of the day its what rocks YOUR boat - is it overpriced for the value... yes (you can get better systems aftermarket and upgrade radio while you are at it) but is that additional price worth not having to deal with aftermarket installers denting your car and/or scratching your dash and/or nearly catching your car on fire... for some it is

By all means DONT GET THE GT FOR THE TRIP COMPUTER.... you can pay me 100 bucks and Ill activate it for you



ok ok ok or you could go and read the how to in the how to section.....

Have fun with your toy when you pull the trigger on it

[Kosh]

Sport model FTW. Aftermarket nav can be put in and I hear the Bose system is shit and you would be better off putting the money you saved into a sub and amp to pick the stock system up. Do it yourself. It is easy and a lot of people here have done it themselves and would be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

The leather seats are only about 60% leather not even that great looking. Plus the sport model is lighter which means it is faster! Save your money and check out the aftermarket.

[whitey4311]

Well I like my GT but will say that the leather isnt that great and this is true. It look sweet and I love it but its not your typical plush leather that you will find in VW or Toyota ect.

As for all the other stuff I have the NAV and wouldnt trade it for anyafter market since it looks clean and is OEM style. There are threads that you can search to buy kits to do this but I dont like messing with that shit and I dont want a portable unit with wires running over the dash and suction cupped to the window.

The other things I love are the HID headlights that are controlled inside the cabin for where you want them pointed. Also the rear lights are all LED and not that red/yellow plastic covers over a white bulb.

The Bose isnt a 10 inch sub and it doesnt go BOOM when the bass hits so if you are into that then its not for you. However I can turn it up high with no distortion and it sounds as good as I want it to and I am very happy with it.

For $2k more you are getting a ton more shit on the car and it will help resale but if you want to save the money and just have a bad ass car then go with the sport.

For the auto lights and wipers thats no biggie and just another perk to it but dont forget for what you are getting its pretty stupid not to consider the GT package.

Leather, Bose 6 disk and speakers, alarm, HID, LED lights, auto lights/wipers, NAV. There might be more but I forget.

As for the NAV if you decide against it thats fine but now realize the sport vs GT is only like $1500.

[civic si hb]

I think the GT is well worth the money for the leather seats, HID's and bose stereo since i don't plan to change out the stereo. so in my opinion it was well worth the $1800.

[whitey4311]

Same here. ^^^

All you will end up doing is trying to find after market shit that wont ever look as good.

[div2]

I think the GT is well worth the money for the leather seats, HID's and bose stereo since i don't plan to change out the stereo. so in my opinion it was well worth the $1800.

It all boils down to personal preference. If decide on a MS3, I'll get the GT, mainly because I want the HIDs and stereo upgrade- and my only mod will probably be the MS CAI. That said, I can understand why others would prefer the Sport, especially if they want to free up some extra $$$ for mods. Ya' pays yer money...

[CTGrey02]

I like the creature comforts of the GT (just wish there were more electronic comforts) I was getting high beamed due to my headlights yesterday and they were on low. I've spotted I dunno how many deer thanks to these lights that I never would have seen in my mustang or Focus. The autosensing windshield wipers kick ass too. It only wipes when they're needed and so you dont have to consciously alter the rate, speed/ect. I love it.

[funkyman]

GT is definately worth it without HID,Bose,trip computer you might as well throw the car in the trash because its incomplete.

[CX-7owner]

With GT models don't you get DSC/TSC?

[speed3shon]

they all have that...

the GT also has an automatic A/C... i dont think the sport does, i could be wrong though

[BLACKMS3]

Sport does have auto A/C.

[eddienyny]

Here's the full list of GT extras based on the brochure:

- HID headlights
- Auto on/off headlights
- LED taillights
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Driving trip computer (but there's a hack for the Sport)
- 6-CD changer w/ Bose speakers
- Anti-theft security system
- Optional Nav system (not available as a Sport option)

They're all mainly 'comfort' enhancements (nothing related to performance) so its up to you to decide if all of the above is worth it.

It really comes down to:

1) Do you want a stereo system better than the stock single disc in the Sport AND you don't plan to install your own;

or

2) You want the Nav system.

[SwampAss]

I went on the cheap with the sport. To me, the GT has certain niceties that I wasn't interested in paying for. The seats are leather trimmed, not full leather. The NAV is a $1750 option you can get for $300 at any best buy. The hids may be nice but honestly, the halogens are fine. I've heard people say the wipers are too sensitive when the W/S is foggy or misty. I've also heard people say the BOSE isn't all that. My non BOSE is ok for what I need. Most audiophiles end up getting the factory system and hand pick components anyway.

[whitey4311]

My black MS3 was the only black one on the lot and it had NAV and all upgrades so I went with it and am happy I did. Yes you can buy any $300 portable NAV but they look retarded and just arent the same.

The leather trim looks sick to me and I love the contrast like that so my ass doesnt burn up when I first get in the car.

The only thing that blows is if you want to upgrade your stereo and have Bose since you will be wasting all that you paid for. So either live with the Bose if you arent huge into sound and know it sounds better then the sport version but not as good as after market stuff or buy the Sport and spend money on other things to make it what you want.

For me the HID and LED's were worth the GT price alone so the rest just sealed the deal.

[Haltech]

Another GT owner here. Aside from being disappointed with the BOSE setup, its a nice package. You cant beat factory HID with height adjustments. I think the the interior looks great with factory nav. I wouldnt want the aftermarket plastic pod for an external indash Nav/CD unit.. It would sit way to high just for radio adjustments, but to each their own.

I had to add a custom sub and amp to make my BOSE bass come alive... After i got the car back, i realized just how shitty the rest of the speakers are. So, next month, im adding focal seperates to the system and more power.

The GT will have a higher resale value. The only option i didnt get was the autodim mirror with homelink. I found a vendor on Ebay and purchased one, which i will install sometime next week unless i decide to send it out to have a V1 Alert system installed it in. Kind of hard to swallow a $600 mod for some red arrows.

[WildChild]

The sport also has the auto climate control. I originally wanted the GT when I was looking to purchase. After owning two cars with leather seats. I couldn't envision another flesh melting summer. I would have liked the HID's but the leather was a deal breaker. The nav is a expensive option on the GT. For less than 1/4 the price you can have a touch screen that works every bit as good. And in most cases has alot more features.

[RIV3R3D]

You could get alot better stuff for $1800 than lights and stupid auto sensing wipers.

I completely disagree, I live in FL and it rains off and on all the time, holy crap I love my automatic wipers it’s the coolest thing ever lol.
But in all honesty saving yourself the 1800 dollars isn't going to get you any mods, not unless you are planning on only paying for 35 dollars in mods a month.

[redspeed]

Meh, who really needs rain sensing wipers. HIDs was the ONLY feature that I wanted from the GT.

[MX6toMS3]

I completely disagree, I live in FL and it rains off and on all the time, holy crap I love my automatic wipers it’s the coolest thing ever lol.
But in all honesty saving yourself the 1800 dollars isn't going to get you any mods, not unless you are planning on only paying for 35 dollars in mods a month.

+1
If anyone's been keeping up with the weather in Houston, it's rained every day for the last month or so. These wipers are so awesome! Sometimes though, when it's drizzling they never come on because the rain keeps missing the sensor.

Man I love all the automatic crap. It's so nice to not think about lights, wipers, a/c as soon as you get in. :D

[Young Roids]

I Don't like extra automatic crap. It is just more stuff to go wrong and break. And I know most people do pay for their cars with loans so you can't get mods but there is probly a way around that like take out another loan for mods only.

[BSTD3]

they all have that...

the GT also has an automatic A/C... i dont think the sport does, i could be wrong though

Yup GT has auto climate control...

[BSTD3]

Meh, who really needs rain sensing wipers. HIDs was the ONLY feature that I wanted from the GT.

Rain sensing wipers are the shiznit! (stash)

[CTGrey02]

I Don't like extra automatic crap. It is just more stuff to go wrong and break. And I know most people do pay for their cars with loans so you can't get mods but there is probly a way around that like take out another loan for mods only.

Anything can break, like motor mounts. So that said, I'll take my automatic wipers (which do rock.) It irritates the crap out of me to drive my other cars in the rain now. The HID's rock too. I've seen more deer since buying this car than I've ever noticed in any of the others. The lights help. The only thing about the car that sucks is the Stereo system and it's lack of playing MP3 cd's or even the burned CD's I've made.

Lastly, financing mod's is asking for trouble. If you can't afford to do them and have things break, don't bother with them.

[MS3Chik]

if i had to do it again i would stay with the sport..

[redspeed]

if i had to do it again i would stay with the sport..

(iagree) (iagree)

[79_Limited]

I went with the GT because that was just about all you could find in my area. I was able to get mine for dealer invoice so I did not worry about the price too much.

I love the automatic AC btw.

[jrmms3]

Thanks for all of your input!

I have decided on the GT...creature comforts. Will be heading out within the month to haggle with a couple local dealers. From digging around the boards, it looks like a MS CAI is something I will investigate...hopefully the dealers aren't charging too much!

No NAV though...arguing with the Mrs. is too much fun!

[whitey4311]

be sure the underside of the hood has the sticker indicating the mount has been updated.

[jrmms3]

Let the bidding wars begin!! I have sent emails to all local dealerships...the first to respond cut $500 off MSRP, which is 24,650 around here. We'll see how it goes. Apparently '08s are on the lots around here, so maybe they'll be willing to deal on the '07s.

Do you know I have yet to see an MS3 here in the western burbs of Chicago, yet I've seen a Ferrari F430 and a Lamborghini Garalldo Spyder in the last week...I guess the Speed3 is more rare!!!

[shockdoctor]

Nav is available on the sport or GT. You can get a TOMTOM or Garmin for $300 at Target if you want nav. Yeah, It won't be as clean as oem, but for $1700 for the upgrade? I would have to say skip it. I have a pretty stock GT, other than Sirrius and auto dim/compass mirror, and for that $1800, it really is money well spent. The HID's alone are worth it. In the long run, so are the leather (ish) seats. The rest of it make daily life with your ride pretty painless.
i looked a the sport for about 3 minuets, and saw my GT soon after, and threw down the green as soon as I sat in the GT. It is personal preference, and the only way you can make this choice is to drive both. You will have to live with this car, not the rest of us, so choose wisely. All of us here think you are wise for looking at the MS3 anyway, so have fun with either the sport or
gt. Good Luck from all of us here!(drive2)