How are the MS3's Holding up?

[xxmikkoxx]

As the topic said Im curious to find out how the MS3's are holding up. Any major recalls, defects, fit finish you know things like that. More then likely I'll be in the market for a car again 12-18 months from now and Im going to put A LOT more time into researching my next car purchase.

[MPC12347]

fuckin good lol best car for its price fastest and very sexy and u can smoke lots of cars stock, so get this car if u like speed also you better hurry because theres a rumor goin around that there gonna stop manufacturing these for 2009

[udontknowjack]

a fellow forum member put about 2500+ track miles...without any problem....another autox just about every weeks.....still going strong...:)

[GhostMercury]

a fellow forum member put about 2500+ track miles...without any problem....another autox just about every weeks.....still going strong...:)

thats awesome to hear

[mr_mazda329]

fuckin good lol best car for its price fastest and very sexy and u can smoke lots of cars stock, so get this car if u like speed also you better hurry because theres a rumor goin around that there gonna stop manufacturing these for 2009

09's are already out so. I got mine already.

[///M Compact]

fuckin good lol best car for its price fastest and very sexy and u can smoke lots of cars stock, so get this car if u like speed also you better hurry because theres a rumor goin around that there gonna stop manufacturing these for 2009

Well said!

[SwampAss]

Well said if you're posting from a cellphone. (boom07)


almost 30k and no issues.

[Bonafide_Spd3]

15000 miles and no problems. I've had it for over a year now

[DaleNixon]

400 miles and no problems yet! Haha!

The shifter feels broken but I think they come like that. Here's hoping this car stays solid for the long haul!

[Hyun]

leaky valve cover gasket, disappearing coolant. Window wont roll down sometimes but other than that.. perfect.

[phillyb]

i leaked coolant when i first got the car
there was a recall on the rear motor mount when the car first came out for 2007.
there was a recall on the all season floor mats - only matters if you bought them.

there have been technical service bulletins regarding the stock head unit and there have been tsb's regarding other stuff as well...
some people's turbos smoke
and i cannot for the life of me get my right leg situated so that it doesn't hurt from rubbing against the hard plastic of the center console

[///M Compact]

Well said if you're posting from a cellphone. (boom07)


Sorry, should have made my sarcasm a bit more obvious.

[Young Roids]

Well the motors are still dropping out of them. And mine has a grinding going into 3rd. Not so concerned with the 3rd gear thing but the motor dropping scares me.

[GhostMercury]

get a new motor mount and you'll be fine. I have almost 10,000 miles on mine without an issue so far and I took it on a 4000 miles road trip. And to cap it off the day I left to come home from the road trip I took it to an autocross.

[tripledigits]

4700 miles and no issues. I've owned many cars over the years, and this car is unbeatable for utility/price/fun to drive factor. This car drives like a $35K car. Mazda did their homework well on this one.

Yes, there is some torque steer at lower speeds on tight corners. No, this is not a race car, and particularly not an autox car (just my IMHO). But is it a fantastic street car.

[TheDoc]

12,200 miles since November 22nd... Minor mods, never so much as a CEL... working flawlessly. Averaging 27.5mpg. Some minor squeaks but it's not a Rolls... I have had the 3rd gear woes like others have mentioned, but i'ts the nature of the car, and it's not common enough to throw fits over.. it's a driver's car and it is fun. This is my first foreign car and.. I miss RWD, and I would have really enjoyed AWD.. evo, sti... I even considered the MS6, but they just weren't in the budget. That being said- I have no regrets. I'm no track star- occasional autox and if I make it to a track once in the next two years I'll be ecstatic... but it puts a smile on my face even time I turn the key.

[Russm]

Good Day
6 months old, 17,500 flawless miles, MSCAI & MS CBE, 13.53 @ 105, 27 city/hwy in Milwaukee commute 110 RT.MPG, 32 Open road, $22K
Couldn't beat it with a dead stick! or $35K dream mobiles!

[azturbo3d]

16 months old and 15,000 miles to date. i'm 19 and i drive like it. everything is stock, but have had no issues whatsoever. I get routine maintenance and recalls done, but that's it.

only thing is the black plastic on the dashboard top is fading due to bad plastic protectant and two 100+ degree summers in arizona :)

[///M Compact]

21,000 miles and no issues. Great car in a straight line or in mild street driving. Not so great on a road course, as I discovered after purchasing it. For the average driver it's a phenomenal bargain.

[DaleNixon]

Well the motors are still dropping out of them. And mine has a grinding going into 3rd. Not so concerned with the 3rd gear thing but the motor dropping scares me.

If you have a newer than 2007 model the motor mount shouldn't be a problem. If you have an '07 that had the recall done you are good as well.

About that 3rd gear thing... I know it isn't gear grinding, it feels like the shifter itself is grinding, right? What is the remedy for this? New bushings? Short throw shifter? Warranty work? I can live with it for now but it'll start to get on my nerves later.

[SSMS3]

21,000 miles and no issues. Great car in a straight line or in mild street driving. Not so great on a road course, as I discovered after purchasing it. For the average driver it's a phenomenal bargain.

Care to elaborate on the road course comment? I'd like to do some track days and have 'read' nothing but good things about the car on a track. Except for the guy who lost his brakes

Back to the OP
I have 21k and had a few issues in the first 10k miles, including being stranded twice and flatbedded to the dealership. Since then though it's been great, no problems

[///M Compact]

Care to elaborate on the road course comment? I'd like to do some track days and have 'read' nothing but good things about the car on a track. Except for the guy who lost his brakes


At my last HPDE I was able to stick with two other instructors who had modded Mini Coopers, but I felt like I was fighting the car almost the entire time. After twenty years of HPDEs(ten of them as an instructor) the MS3 was the first car that made me look forward to the white flag and the end of each session.

[dandydaniel]

500 miles. no glaring problems besides my right knee rubbing on the center console, a couple squeeks coming from the center dash, and the gear box feeling like utter crap. but besides that i'd rate the car 11/10

[Ghoust]

I have had one CEL due to a leak in my cold air intake, other then that, the car runs and drives great. It is my daily driver so it keeps me satisfied until the weekend when I drive my 500rwhp cobra.

[ivanhoe]

22k miles only cobb springs and injen intake...no problem at all! Love the car

[FrequentFlyer]

Bought the car May 27th and have about 6,000 miles on her already. No problems other than the Bose radio issue that seems to be common with the 08.5's, but I haven't had the time or patience to take it to the dealer for service.

[iredremix]

almost 23000 miles, 1 year and 1 month... i had to get 2 motor mounts replaced cuz they were cracked and bolts were stripped. o2 sensor had to be changed. bolts on sways had to be changed. other than that pretty good lmao

[714ms3]

09's are already out so. I got mine already.

Ummmm, are you sure about that home skillet??
Maybe you mean to say that you pre-ordered your 09, but none of the 09's have actually shipped yet to my knowledge.
Maybe you are referring to a 2008.5???

[mordant80]

Ummmm, are you sure about that home skillet??
Maybe you mean to say that you pre-ordered your 09, but none of the 09's have actually shipped yet to my knowledge.
Maybe you are referring to a 2008.5???

They're out, another member took a picture of a 2009 sticker for one he saw on a dealer lot.

As for my input on reliability, it's a great car, unfortunately I've been graced with an overheating problem at 7k miles. Probably thermostat, but the dealer is saying they think the head is cracked as well. My incident is the only one i've heard like this, so hopefully this is isolated to me.

[Kain]

Ummmm, are you sure about that home skillet??
Maybe you mean to say that you pre-ordered your 09, but none of the 09's have actually shipped yet to my knowledge.
Maybe you are referring to a 2008.5???

No, we're pretty sure on this one.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj265/huntercall/tag084.jpg

[F430TECH]

1098 Miles...holding up JUST FINE~!~!

LMAO

[number95]

2009's are out. There's several in the Seattle area I'm looking at.
Just my $.02

[Conso]

38k on mine and still going strong

[coololddude]

sweeeeeet! no problems. doesn't even burn any oil. (except when my hair catches on fire!)

[J-Rod76]

2008 with about 8500 miles on the clock with almost no issues at all other than the rock chips on the hood and front bumper. If I could go back I would have had a clear bra or something like that installed the day I drove it off the lot.

Off subject but... I thought the 2008.5s were going to be the last ones made?

[imac]

only 2100 miles on mine, but no issues whatsoever.

[Design]

I'm in the same boat and looking at the 09 CWP MS3 Sport. I've heard of several owners with 60K+ and minimal issues. It's rare that Mazdaspeed produces a model for more than 2 years, so that should say something about this version.

[viper117630]

I love this car and it is holding up well. 6k miles and no issues other than those freaking paint chips!

[Alexsered]

40,110 miles and no issues. Had a couple issues like cylander missfire, which was fixed with some octane booster. Got the engine mount replaced and has bee a great ride so far.

Most people have been very happy with the car, there have been a couple that just get a random lemon, but nothing consistant.

[DaleNixon]

890 miles and my right side view mirror glass fell out! Other than that she's still good!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/2809484580_a078d429b9.jpg

[sunny4201]

11,000 and my dashboard is getting dusty.

[nate0123]

11,000 and my dashboard is getting dusty.
I hate when that happens :(

Guess it's time for a new car!

[CnoTataymo]

So far, I've only had the gas cap break 2 days after I got my MS3 and like 2 weeks ago, my shifter broke. I have now around 143XX miles and nothing really major.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123716721

[dhois]

2008 MS3 with 23,000 miles, built 11/2007: A/C clutch frozen, Mazda has compressors on back order until Spetember 23 or so...bad supplier? Also had gas cap black outer part break off from the white inner part earlier. No AX or track days on it.

[speedalot]

other then the recalls, some dust here and there, brake dust, and tires wearing out fast because of all that torque... shes a beaut. have about 30k miles and enoyed every mile of it.

[Mike V]

At my last HPDE I was able to stick with two other instructors who had modded Mini Coopers, but I felt like I was fighting the car almost the entire time. After twenty years of HPDEs(ten of them as an instructor) the MS3 was the first car that made me look forward to the white flag and the end of each session.

That's surprising to hear. I normally track a 95 M3 but when I didn't get parts in time for a track event last year, I took the MS3 instead. I was VERY pleased with how well it did. It didn't do as well the M3 on Ground Control of course, but it held its own very well in the advanced class @ at a Heartland Park BMW CCA event.

33k on mine with a few autocrosses and a track event - no issues yet.

[mike8748]

I am loving this car! I have had it about a year now.
No complaints, always a blast to drive.

ETS 3.5 TMIC, COBB SRI, Forge BPV, COBB Shifter Weight, TWM Shifter Bushings, SU Boost Tubes, TB Bypass Mod, Denso 1 step Colder plugs, CorkSport Motormount Inserts, CorkSport racepipe, Custom Silicone Turbo Inlet, COBB AP, MSD dashHawk

[MS3_Wild_Thang]

27k miles, have little bit of rust in the rear trunk dealer tried to fix it but rust came back, squeaky when entering car and exit. windows in rear make crunching sound when going up and down. other then that car runs like a charm.

[ottawaP5]

10k miles....only issue are interior rattles.