View Full Version : Should I buy an MSP??
MackDadam
08-06-2003, 06:32 AM
Right now i drive a 2002 protege ES and im looking to sell it in. i love my car, i only want more power and i want more power while being able to keep my warranty which is why i dont buy a turbo for mine. anyway what id like to know is, are you guys truly happy with this car. i get buyers remorse so often and i dont want to buy this can and think that it was a mistake. i have about $10,000 to put down and someone wants to buy my car outright, so i could probably even only pay like 10,000 for it. i just want to know, does the handling and ride outweigh the fact that it only has 170hp? i mean, i could get an srt but i dont want a dodge. So is this car worth it? i hear even mazda is going to update the ecus/
Doggone
08-06-2003, 07:30 AM
I have a '01 Protege Sedan ES, but I put on the body kit from mazda. So it looks like a MP3, MSP but it is silver. So I dropped it 1" with Racing Beat springs. I put on G-Games 77 from Rays Wheels, gunmetal with machined lip.
Even with out a turbo this car is great to drive, it will out handle any car on the road. The fun is in the twisties. It handles like a BMW, or an Audi. I might put on a turbo, but I don't really need it. It is fun with out a turbo. I would not give it up. I've driven a lot of cars in this price range, and the protege beats them all.
blubyu21117
08-06-2003, 08:06 AM
as a guy who has driven v8 musclecars all my life, i was stunned at the performance of the MSP. the car does everything well. great handling, good power, great breaking. i have had some small problems ,though they've been covered under warranty.
i looked at the SRT, SVT, and the SPEC V, for me, it was MSP!!!
if you get a chance, go drive it. i think you'll agree it's the best for the money :D
servoeyes
08-06-2003, 08:08 AM
If you don't drive it it for yourself, then you'll never know. That's the best advice that I can offer. Try to get in contact w/ FLA people that have modded ones to see what an extra 500$ can get you with an MSP...hell and extra 1500$ and you should break 200whp reliably. But honestly...the ride is a little harsh, but that's because the handling is *amazing*. Pure and simple...there isn't a thing you need to do to that suspension.
My wife has a Silver 2002 ES. It's cool; and I drive it when I want.
The MAZDASPEED? Giddy Up!
DiscreetSpeed
08-06-2003, 02:06 PM
umm yea buy it.
FuriousMojo
08-06-2003, 02:07 PM
Definitely worth the $$$. By far one of the best investments I've ever made. :D
Drive up to the dealer, see the sexy car, drive the sexy car, and you'll know what you need to do. ;)
grishulia
08-06-2003, 02:16 PM
Why don't you get the Subaru Impreza... with 165HP it's only 5HP shy of the MSP... and the price should be about 19K...
...or better yet, get the WRX since you plan to spent more money anyway!
jred321
08-06-2003, 02:27 PM
Originally posted by grishulia
Why don't you get the Subaru Impreza... with 165HP it's only 5HP shy of the MSP... and the price should be about 19K...
...or better yet, get the WRX since you plan to spent more money anyway!
to this, i say
1) there is absolutely no need for awd in florida, other than drag launches, which (to me) isn't worth all that extra weight, compromised handling, drivetrain losses and other complexities associated w/ awd
2) they're ugly and far from unique
3) flat engines don't look fun to work on
4) way harder (meaning more expensive) to make more power out of an n/a motor than a turbo
servoeyes
08-06-2003, 02:28 PM
My answer to that is that 165 is crank and there are greater losses thru the transmission. So it's really more than just 5whp difference. Also...at 19k, the RS isn't nearly as good with:
1) handling
2) looks
3) power (said already)
4) options (stereo, rims, kit, etc.)
By the time I priced out a 2.5, brand new it was 22k, MSRP. The MSP can be had for ~18000 out the door with rebates, etc. Then when he has money left over, he can turn it into a monster because it's already turbo'd. The turbo set-up for a 2.5 rs is ~5000 last I looked. This was my reasoning at the time I bought my MSP, and exactly why the 2.5 rs was knocked off my list.
brennan
08-06-2003, 02:31 PM
I say go for it, I traded in my p5 for a msp and I love the msp, I've dropped about $200 CDN into it and I now have 195whp which is very impressive.
subaruwrx
08-06-2003, 03:15 PM
Hey, dont bad mouth teh RS. Its a great car... Granted, it doesnt handle as well as the MSP (what does?) but its still a great car...
Mackdadam, do whatever you feel like. Drive every car you want to drive, adn decide after that.
--Adam
Doggone
08-06-2003, 03:20 PM
In the handling department it is Protege all the way. In this price range nothing can touch it.
http://cnn.heavyplasma.com/www/cnn/2003/NEWS/08/04/world/48987index.html change ur mind about the srt4 ;) hah hah
j/k
Have you bought it yet? Huh??!! Have ya??!!!! Huh???!!!! What are you waiting for????!!!!!!! Be your own man! Don't be a fuddy duddy~~!!!!! :p
hey greg loan me 20k so i can buy an srt-4 ;op
Originally posted by Ryan
hey greg loan me 20k so i can buy an srt-4 ;op
Nah!! I will PayPal you $35,000 so you can choose between an STi or Evo. How's that?
servoeyes
08-06-2003, 03:55 PM
Originally posted by subaruwrx
Hey, dont bad mouth teh RS. Its a great car... Granted, it doesnt handle as well as the MSP (what does?) but its still a great car...
Mackdadam, do whatever you feel like. Drive every car you want to drive, adn decide after that.
--Adam
:D
I wasn't bad mouthing it...per say. Just value-wise when compared to the MSP, I'd have to go MSP. Actually...I did go MSP. hehe! Not to thread jack...but are there any other decent turbo kits other than the SPO for the legacy/impreza? My girl has a 97 legacy GT that could use some boost! PM me...
aiight that works paypal to me.. ;op
jred321
08-06-2003, 04:12 PM
Originally posted by subaruwrx
Hey, dont bad mouth teh RS. Its a great car... Granted, it doesnt handle as well as the MSP (what does?) but its still a great car...
Mackdadam, do whatever you feel like. Drive every car you want to drive, adn decide after that.
--Adam
i wasn't bad mouthing either. it is a good, solid car for what it was meant to do, but it wasn't built for performance, and i want a car that at least had performance in mind when building it, so it isn't for me. plus, turbo's make getting more power way easier, all you have to do is turn a knob.
VegasMSP
08-06-2003, 08:23 PM
Originally posted by servoeyes
My answer to that is that 165 is crank and there are greater losses thru the transmission. So it's really more than just 5whp difference. Also...at 19k, the RS isn't nearly as good with:
1) handling
2) looks
3) power (said already)
4) options (stereo, rims, kit, etc.)
By the time I priced out a 2.5, brand new it was 22k, MSRP. The MSP can be had for ~18000 out the door with rebates, etc. Then when he has money left over, he can turn it into a monster because it's already turbo'd. The turbo set-up for a 2.5 rs is ~5000 last I looked. This was my reasoning at the time I bought my MSP, and exactly why the 2.5 rs was knocked off my list.
This is the car ('99 RS)(some mods) I used to have and traded in for MSP.
http://pete.cerebraldynamix.com/Pete's%20Car.jpg
I was happy with my old car for cornering because of the awd but was disappointed in the stock handling and power (rated 165 hp)(89 whp because of awd) (yawn). You could turbo it but then you'll be under that hood daily as most of the rs-t owners are. Not a bad thing but for daily driving its a pain. Then a WRX would be a ok car but then you'll have to put money into fixing it up for handling. I almost got a wrx or sti w/ the subaru dealership because I known them for a long time but I wanted a car that was already badass out of the box w/ warranty and didn't cost 30k w/ a markup (STI/EVO). Plus my insurance on the MSP didn't go up very much. I'm only paying $10 more then when I had the RS. Go test drive it and decide. MSP is definitely a fun car. Good Luck!
Originally posted by VegasMSP
This is the car ('99 RS)(some mods) I used to have and traded in for MSP.
I was happy with my old car for cornering because of the awd but was disappointed in the stock handling and power (rated 165 hp)(89 whp because of awd) (yawn). You could turbo it but then you'll be under that hood daily as most of the rs-t owners are. Not a bad thing but for daily driving its a pain. Then a WRX would be a ok car but then you'll have to put money into fixing it up for handling. I almost got a wrx or sti w/ the subaru dealership because I known them for a long time but I wanted a car that was already badass out of the box w/ warranty and didn't cost 30k w/ a markup (STI/EVO). Plus my insurance on the MSP didn't go up very much. I'm only paying $10 more then when I had the RS. Go test drive it and decide. MSP is definitely a fun car. Good Luck!
Really??? I never kept much of what they dynoed stock to the wheels but seriously? That's like a 55% drivetrain loss! I always guestimated 120-130 being awd
VegasMSP
08-06-2003, 08:49 PM
Thats what's rated per wheel! I was disappointed in the numbers too. A bunch of magazines did the dyno on that car and got around the same results. Don't get me wrong off the line it was awesome, alot torque from that 2.5, but mid range up kind of dogged a bit.
That sucks. AWD is nice but hurts at the same time :(
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