The Fordspeed Protege?

[TurboMan]

I remember having a conversation with my uncle about buying an MSP before I bought my car. He advised against it, the main reason being that he said it wasn't reliable because Mazda was owned by Ford? I went against his advice. Does anyone know if there is any truth to this? And if so, how much of Mazda (percentage-wise) does Ford own. If you're really in the know, you could tell me if any of the MSP's parts are made by Ford. I'm pretty sure that the MSP is made in Japan however, because the first letter in my VIN# is J.

[Dexter]

Tell your uncle to fuck off.

[jflo]

HAHAHA....i wouldn't suggest the same, but seriously, FORDSPEED PROTEGE ? yuck...protege was built in japan...shipped to america away from the evil hands of Ford

[Roywhitep5]

do you work at starbucks on saratoga ave?

[Striker187]

your uncle is right. ford does own part of mazda. but i think mazda still operates basically autonomously from ford. but they do share parts i believe.....the ecu i think is one of them.

[jonnydoe48]

starbucks on saratoga? in westgate?

[snowboy70]

Originally posted by Striker187
but they do share parts i believe.....the ecu i think is one of them. ]


and ur ECU sucks...hahaha!


i want to die http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid91/p47e3fd7a775af261ce9875f37c64cb43/fa681542.jpg

[uclap5]

ford owns something like 20-30% of mazda.

the protege is built in japan with something like 97-98% japanese parts.

i think the ecu, and the seat belt clips are made in america. something like that. :D

[jflo]

as u should...just kidding i don't knoe u.

but ne way, i was kinda pissed off some time ago by a fellow student who i consider to be very DUMB and full of BS...ne way, he was blabbing off about the "integra r-type" (idiot can't even get the name right)...and i was beaming 'cause of my brand new MSP and stuff and talked about the miata...so he tells me yeah ford owns mazda and i said yeah i knoe that, but mazda is pretty much mazda still not much transplantation of crap from the new owner. and blah blah blah this and that...then he says oh yeah mazda is from italy. WTF ? ITALY ? i was about to jump up and yell in his face. he's like yeah italy 'cause u knoe how they look so similar to lamborghinis and ferraris. WHAT ? u idiot. mazda doesn't even sound remotely italian and mazda's cars don't look ne thing like overpriced italian cars. so yeah more BS from this guy...the Blitz R34 Skyline that was tested on the autobahn he says hit 300MPH...300MPH isn't possible on gasoline powered engines...they'd have to be powered by methanol and be in a funny car body. it was actually 300 km/h ~ 200mph or so...but yeah, hate that mofo for saying that mazda was italian and mentioning something about Ford (the mother of all crappy ass cars in america)

[Dexter]

didnt the RX7 hit ~200 landspeed record?

[jflo]

i think so...wasn't it the racing beat one ? that big black low flying thing ?

[ricenudles]

lol mazda is an italian car... good one

but yeah Ford owns 33.4% of mazda. They call it an "alliance" more than ownership and no its not a fordspeed. If anything, Ford bought mazda in order to learn engineering and development (saves ford $$$$).

[charles]

They needed small FWD cars, most of all.

[shaolin]

Originally posted by snowboy70
]


and ur ECU sucks...hahaha!


Why does this guy always hang out on the forum and say stupid shit all day? WTF? Go get a job or a girlfriend or something. Better yet, discover your right hand. I really don't give a shit about your stupid volkswagen. Grow up and get a life moron.

[Dexter]

hey fuck you, hes joking around.

(and btw, dont tell me the ECU doesnt suck. hesitation? yeah. mmhmm, fucking grand. bitch to get anythin to work with it...righ. :rolleyes: )

[charles]

Well, the ECU is fine, it's the programming that's wack.

Can I ask you why you are always so crass, Dexter?

[Dexter]

no you cant

[nonameheroes]

maybe the kid confused mazda with masarati?? kinda similar in name but no where near in cars or quality. and as far as mazda being owned by ford...yeah its true. but ford steals from mazda...look at the 91+ escort...same chasis design as the 90-94 mazda protege...hell they even stole the 1.8 bp dohc and put it in the gt models. and the probe? they stole the klze and stuck it in the probe gt models...but only it was downgraded...dont know exact model size but its the same engine in the probe gt which is turbo'd. fun cars. so yeah...mazda may have stole the tranny for the 3rd gen proteges from ford...but ford has stolen everything else.

[shaolin]

Wow "fuck me he's joking around" huh...wtf like I'm fucking psychic and can read the sarcasm in his post. And I didn't say the ECU's programming wasn't crap, but I look at it like this. I'll sit here and talk shit about my car all day if I want to. But when a jetta owner (or any other car owner) tells me my car is shit, I'm the first one to jump down their throats. It may be a piece of shit, but that's my piece of shit. So fuck off.

BTW I have much better things to do than to whore around on a board that I don't even own that type of car.

[charles]

Originally posted by nonameheroes
maybe the kid confused mazda with masarati?? kinda similar in name but no where near in cars or quality. and as far as mazda being owned by ford...yeah its true. but ford steals from mazda...look at the 91+ escort...same chasis design as the 90-94 mazda protege...hell they even stole the 1.8 bp dohc and put it in the gt models. and the probe? they stole the klze and stuck it in the probe gt models...but only it was downgraded...dont know exact model size but its the same engine in the probe gt which is turbo'd. fun cars. so yeah...mazda may have stole the tranny for the 3rd gen proteges from ford...but ford has stolen everything else. Ok, just to be clear. The Probe is the same car as the MX-6. There is no KL-ZE in the U.S., due to emissions reasons. The KL-DE in the Probe is identical to the KL-DE in the MX-6. The G-series gearbox in the third gen Protege has been used by Mazda (at least) since the first-gen Protege, in one form or another.

[Dexter]

Originally posted by shaolin
Wow "fuck me he's joking around" huh...wtf like I'm fucking psychic and can read the sarcasm in his post. And I didn't say the ECU's programming wasn't crap, but I look at it like this. I'll sit here and talk shit about my car all day if I want to. But when a jetta owner (or any other car owner) tells me my car is shit, I'm the first one to jump down their throats. It may be a piece of shit, but that's my piece of shit. So fuck off.

BTW I have much better things to do than to whore around on a board that I don't even own that type of car.


hes on this board because he is my friend. good enough for you?

why dont you make fun of the jetta window regulators, the cold start issue and the coil packs fucking up. im 100% sure he wouldnt give a shit.

[shaolin]

Good for you.

[Dexter]

Its so good for me.

[spacemonkey]

Ford is not that bad...they make great trucks. My dad is still driving a 93 Ford Ranger (the B series Truck). I drove an 98 Explorer for 5 years without any problems...only the stupid tire issue which I didn't change till a year after the recall. They just replaced the damn thing with Bridgestone (same comapny). I traded my explorer because I didn't like driving a SUV cuz of the gas issue. I'm a bit bias cuz my whole family drives Chevy, Ford or BMW. I'm the first Mazda or Japanese car owner in my family...and I love my MSP, more then my ex(plorer).

Anyways I heard the FS-DE is good reliable engine. I don't know how good it does under boost. I do know the MX6 has the same engine.

I believe Ford owns 33% of Mazda. Ford also owns Volvo, Linclon, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Linclon, Mercury and Land Rover. Not a bad line up but what do they have in common? We were just discussing why Ford would be intrested in Mazda, Volvo and etc in our marketing class. My professor might be crazy but he claims its all about marketing and image. He made a good argument.

What company did Ford Motor company steal parts from for the GT-40? Aston Martin and Jaguar? I finally got to see it up close at a autoshow...ITS AMAZING. I wish my MSP had that kind of suspension. Mazda needs to steal some of that technology from Ford. The new Mustangs are nice too (IMO).

[luwe]

It's true that Ford owns Mazda partly. They rebadged the Protege 3rd Gen as a Ford (Tierra and Lynx) and it's being sold side-by-side with the 323 Protege in Taiwan I think. Also the Mazda Tribute is being sold as the Ford Escape. The Mazda pickups are being sold as Ford Rangers here.

I've been to the Ford plant here. Proteges for export to Malaysia and Lynxes for domestic use were being assembled side by side.

But I guess since you guys have all those all-american Ford cars, I know why you're all ashamed of Ford owning part of Mazda.

[shaolin]

My car was built in Japan I don't know what you're talking about. 98% Japanese origination.

[spacemonkey]

Not to mention Mazda NAVAJO...lol. Glad that went off the market.

[charles]

Originally posted by shaolin
My car was built in Japan I don't know what you're talking about. 98% Japanese origination. Not the only place it's made, but the Hiroshima plant is the source for U.S. imports

[oliver2000]

Ford owns 33.4 % of Mazda and according to japanense law this is a controlling interest.

for more read this

http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/MAZDA/tokusyu4/e980526.html

[1sty]

Originally posted by ricenudles
lol mazda is an italian car... good one

but yeah Ford owns 33.4% of mazda. They call it an "alliance" more than ownership and no its not a fordspeed. If anything, Ford bought mazda in order to learn engineering and development (saves ford $$$$).

33% is considered a controling share per japanese law if i am not mistake. So even though in this country that would entitle them to only a serious opinion in Japan it gives them the last word.

[spacemonkey]

Originally posted by oliver2000
Ford owns 33.4 % of Mazda and according to japanense law this is a controlling interest.

for more read this

http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/MAZDA/tokusyu4/e980526.html

Thats a cool article!

"Ford does not want Mazda to become just like Ford. That would be of no interest to Ford. Let's make no mistake about that. Ford says it wants Mazda to maintain its own distinctive existence, and to produce characteristically Mazda vehicles. Ford doesn't want to make Mazda indistinguishable from itself. These sentiments are very strongly held at Ford, you know."

On a side note: GM has relations with Subaru's parent company Fuji Heavy Industries. Nissan is now owned by Renault. It is all about survival in the automotive industry...:(

[Tex]

Very interesting, Oliver. Thanks for the link.

[ahb11m]

yup, its a two sided thing... mazda was going to go belly up, ford came in and saved them...
we have way too many re-bdges here the ford laser/protege the courier/bravo escape/tribute

big thing is ford don't want to sell ford through mazda.... that would be silly, and now mazda has been having great success ford want to share complete models and not just technologies!!

eg the new mazda three has the same chassis as the focus and the new volvo 4wd.... thats where the similarities stop...

i am curious to know who tuned the protege suspension, coz stock handling is out of this world

[BinaryRotary]

Tell your Uncle that I saw him once, there was a 20/20 special about chicks w/dicks. Ford, fuck him.

[rocketspeed]

Ford's controlling interest in Mazda means they run the show. Ford is the boss. They share some parts. Chrysler shares parts with Mercedes Benz. Ford with Jaguar. The X-type Jag shares its underpinnings with the Mondeo (Contour). The Volvo s40 and Mazda 3 now share a platform. GM shares parts and platforms and owns a chunk of Isuzu. They own a chunk of Subaru, who will be making a revised WRX wagon as the new Saab 9-2 (which GM owns also). Chrysler and Mercedes Benz are starting to share lots of parts and some platforms. GM is starting to source engines from Honda. Toyota will be selling its excellent hybrid powerplants to a bunch of other manufacturers in the near future. The SRT-4 has a mitsubishi sourced turbo. There are a zillion examples and they don't always flow from companies that share ownership (ie. GM sourcing Honda motors).

Its the way the auto industry works. Look under the hood in the top corner of the drivers side on your MSP and there's a little electrical doodad sitting there with a Mitsubishi logo on it. I don't know what it is, but its sitting there.

Honda and Toyota are the only two truly independant Japanese auto manufacturers.

I think someone asked who tuned the suspension for the MSP- it was Racing Beat.

[spacemonkey]

I just hope we don't see rotary engines in other vehicles...thats Mazda's trademark and Ford better not change that. YOU HEAR THAT FORD MOTORCOMPANY...rotary is off limits!


Originally posted by rocketspeed
I think someone asked who tuned the suspension for the MSP- it was Racing Beat.

I think he was asking...


Originally posted by ahb11m
i am curious to know who tuned the protege suspension, coz stock handling is out of this world

[rocketspeed]

I don't think you have to wory about Ford using the rotary. Or any other car manufacturer, for that matter.

[Dexter]

Originally posted by BinaryRotary
Tell your Uncle that I saw him once, there was a 20/20 special about chicks w/dicks. Ford, fuck him.


lol

[rocketspeed]

One interesting thing to note here is that the two best handling front drivers on sale in the US right now are probably the MSP and Focus SVT. I guess Fomoco knows a thing or two about front drive performance.

[Newf]

actually some of the dashes in Honda's are apparanty made by an american company. My Honda mechanic said this to me with my last Honda. Said there was Ford stickers on the inside of the dash like it was assembled in a Ford plant. first I ever heard of it, haven't heard anything else abou it either.

Ford does own a lot of shares in Honda as well, so I wouldn't doubt it. Yes Honda makes all of it's own stuff though.

I've said it time and time before, and I'll say it again. Ford's relationship with Mazda is and was the only thing preventing me from owning a Mazda earlier. I still will NOT buy one of their shared vehicles...aka, tribute, MPV, B2000 series. They are NOT mazda's in my mind, and the troubles I see people having with them are typical of Ford vehicles.

The Mazda 3, while mostly Mazda, shares a little too much with ford for my taste, and to be honest, I may not buy another Mazda passed this one. I don't want a 4 cyl Mazda 6 ( all Mazda btw ) and I do not want a 6 cyl. Mazda 6 that has anything to do with Ford.

So, your uncle is both right/way wrong. 33% of Mazda is owned by Ford. that's the controlling interest for the Japan market, which means....Ford is the boss.

The ECU, and I think ( rumor warning ) the seatbelts, and airbags are Ford. Seen no proof that the seat belts/bags are Ford yet though. Everything else is all Japanese, built in Japan, and shipped from Japan.

[BinaryRotary]

Originally posted by newf
actually some of the dashes in Honda's are apparanty made by an american company. My Honda mechanic said this to me with my last Honda. Said there was Ford stickers on the inside of the dash like it was assembled in a Ford plant. first I ever heard of it, haven't heard anything else abou it either.

Ford does own a lot of shares in Honda as well, so I wouldn't doubt it. Yes Honda makes all of it's own stuff though.

I've said it time and time before, and I'll say it again. Ford's relationship with Mazda is and was the only thing preventing me from owning a Mazda earlier. I still will NOT buy one of their shared vehicles...aka, tribute, MPV, B2000 series. They are NOT mazda's in my mind, and the troubles I see people having with them are typical of Ford vehicles.

The Mazda 3, while mostly Mazda, shares a little too much with ford for my taste, and to be honest, I may not buy another Mazda passed this one. I don't want a 4 cyl Mazda 6 ( all Mazda btw ) and I do not want a 6 cyl. Mazda 6 that has anything to do with Ford.

So, your uncle is both right/way wrong. 33% of Mazda is owned by Ford. that's the controlling interest for the Japan market, which means....Ford is the boss.

The ECU, and I think ( rumor warning ) the seatbelts, and airbags are Ford. Seen no proof that the seat belts/bags are Ford yet though. Everything else is all Japanese, built in Japan, and shipped from Japan.

The Mazda3 is 100% Mazda, made in Japan. Just because Ford loves Mazda's chassis, doesnt mean you shouldnt buy it. Thats fucking stupid. You're gonna tell me you feel safe having mitsubishi components in the car? Give me a fucking break.

[AutoBox]

it will get to the point that everything except high end cars coming from japanesse companies are gonna be build in the u.s so a u.s company takin dibs isnt gonna be uncommon....few companies now and days work alone....gm attained vtec/vvt technology from honda and honda got access to gm's onstar system no one can work alone and success......live with it :)

[jred321]

Originally posted by charles
Ok, just to be clear. The Probe is the same car as the MX-6. There is no KL-ZE in the U.S., due to emissions reasons. The KL-DE in the Probe is identical to the KL-DE in the MX-6.
if i remember correctly it said "made by mazda for ford motor co" on the door of my probe my probe

[snowboy70]

Originally posted by shaolin
Wow "fuck me he's joking around" huh...wtf like I'm fucking psychic and can read the sarcasm in his post. And I didn't say the ECU's programming wasn't crap, but I look at it like this. I'll sit here and talk shit about my car all day if I want to. But when a jetta owner (or any other car owner) tells me my car is shit, I'm the first one to jump down their throats. It may be a piece of shit, but that's my piece of shit. So fuck off.

BTW I have much better things to do than to whore around on a board that I don't even own that type of car.


Well, I guess uve got to call a help hot line for me too cuz that same exact post said "I wanna die". Oh know, ive got a gun to my head. Im almost pulling the trigger. Almost there. *BANG* You're dead. I wouldn't shoot myself fucker!

[Newf]

BinaryRotary - dood, come down a few notches will ya. I am only stating my opinion, and I'm not alone in it.

Mazda 3 = 100% Mazda....get real, you know there's something in there that's Ford. Yes, it's built in Japan, thank god.

Feel free to state your opinion and all, but if you want to talk to me in that tone, PM me, leave it off the forum.

[TXMazdaSpeeder]

Originally posted by uclap5
ford owns something like 20-30% of mazda.

the protege is built in japan with something like 97-98% japanese parts.

i think the ecu, and the seat belt clips are made in america. something like that. :D



ford owns 33.7% , and yes the protege is about 98% all japanese,but u'll look guess where the ecu is prollly made.....

[1sty]

ECU is a ford but mazda programmed.
The alternator is Mitsubishi :D

[BinaryRotary]

Originally posted by newf
BinaryRotary - dood, come down a few notches will ya. I am only stating my opinion, and I'm not alone in it.

Mazda 3 = 100% Mazda....get real, you know there's something in there that's Ford. Yes, it's built in Japan, thank god.

Feel free to state your opinion and all, but if you want to talk to me in that tone, PM me, leave it off the forum.

Well, you best remove your LSD because its made by Fuji Heavy Industries, which makes Subaru, who deals with GM. You better take out your alternator because its made by Mitsubishi who has had ties with Chrysler since the early 80's. It just doesnt make since to NOT purchase a vehicle based on the kinds of guidelines.

[Tex]

When I worked for a Chevrolet dealership in the mid 80's, the Chevy Nova was a Toyota Corolla. We called it a Toyolet.

Back when American cars were slumping badly in sales because Japenese cars were superior in every way, the UAW folks put up signs at the American manufacturing plant's employees parking lots that said, "Warning-Do not park your Japanese car here". That always cracked me up because many of those cars were assembled here with at least some US parts.

[Dexter]

the Mazda3 is 80% japanese parts and 20% other. 0% american.

[ricenudles]

Originally posted by Dexter
the Mazda3 is 80% japanese parts and 20% other. 0% american.

yea...i was about to say...mazda3 100% japanese? no way. I was at the dealer and read the side sticker on one of the new mazda 3s. it said "80% japanese origin."

btw 1stmp3, is the 33% controlling interest true for all companies in japan? or just car manufacturers (wouldn't make sense if it wasn't but just asking anyways)?

[Dexter]

just because it says 0% american doesnt mean the parts cant be made by Ford ;)

[YuYuRena]

some more interesting things about auto industry:

subaru is in partnership or somewhat with GM, look who's helping to develop the new saab 9-2.

Mitsu is in parternship with Daimler chrysler. "Engine Alliance"

Toyota's engine is mostly developed by yamaha.

Bently and Mini = BMW
VW used to own Bently
MG Rover used to be = BMW now it's in British hand again.

33.2% or whatever share they own that gets them a controlling share doesn't mean ford gets the final say. it just says that they can put a board member to vote, but the other 66% owners still have the majority to block Ford's wish if they unify together.

Basically nowaday it's too expensive and risky to develop a complete car and try to sell it. Usually they bring in partners to help take on the costs. Look at the Mazda3 and Mazda6 chassis, good example of "partnership."

[TurboMan]

I find it somewhat interesting that the airbags on the MSP are supposedly made by Ford. I say this because I think I've seen a couple threads about how there is no known case of the airbags deploying upon impact in the MSP. I recall some guy even driving off a cliff and they didn't deploy. ;)

[jred321]

Originally posted by TurboMan
I find it somewhat interesting that the airbags on the MSP are supposedly made by Ford. I say this because I think I've seen a couple threads about how there is no known case of the airbags deploying upon impact in the MSP. I recall some guy even driving off a cliff and they didn't deploy. ;)
http://msprotege.com/vbb230/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41592

[BinaryRotary]

(owned)

[spacemonkey]

If the airbag didn't deploy and he or she walked out without a scratch or very minor injuries...then he or she probally didn't need the airbag deployed. Air bags don't go off everytime you hit something. I'm not sure about the science behind it but there are numerous factors that come into play when deploying an airbag. sometimes airbags do more harm then good....especially 1st gen airbags. I remember my neighbor taped a wall in his MR2 and his 1st gen airbag deployed...fucked his face up. Thats stuff was like sand paper (well a bit exagerated but it had a pretty rough surface). Note: I've never had an airbag deployed...I always thought it was a semi soft texture. I don't know if it was a defect but that airbag should not have gone off.

But I think I know what you are saying Jred321...are you talking about the spicy orange that rolled down a cliff? I think he walked out unharmed.

[TXMazdaSpeeder]

Originally posted by BinaryRotary
Well, you best remove your LSD because its made by Fuji Heavy Industries, which makes Subaru, who deals with GM. You better take out your alternator because its made by Mitsubishi who has had ties with Chrysler since the early 80's. It just doesnt make since to NOT purchase a vehicle based on the kinds of guidelines.

my car is a automotive mutt :(

[splitvizion]

from what i know most companys have american based ties dodge/mitsubishi, ford/mazda, etc. In my opinion as long as it is not touched by Chevy than I am OK with it. Although having a completely imported car would be nice but then we would all have Civics like everybody else. I don't know I like something differant than everybody else on the road and the MSP give me that. Yesterday I saw the first one in Pittsburgh besides mine.

[shaolin]

Actually I have a 2001 civic EX that was built in a Canadian manufacturing facility.

[03.5YellowMSP]

the wiring harness going to the ecu has FORD stamped on it.

[jflo]

there's a mitsu part in the MSP...it's on the left hand side of the car under the hood...u'll see the diamond star on some wire harness module thingy i don't knoe...but it's on there

[Notorious]

If your talking about dr. sound i can guarantee it would have injured him if they deployed. In a roll over accident air bags should not deploy. Read your manual.


Originally posted by TurboMan
I find it somewhat interesting that the airbags on the MSP are supposedly made by Ford. I say this because I think I've seen a couple threads about how there is no known case of the airbags deploying upon impact in the MSP. I recall some guy even driving off a cliff and they didn't deploy. ;)

[girth]

Originally posted by Tex
When I worked for a Chevrolet dealership in the mid 80's, the Chevy Nova was a Toyota Corolla. We called it a Toyolet.


LOL, that my friend is genius!

All I know is that I wish Ford would take even more control over Mazda -- maybe that way Mazda wouldn't be such a little bitch when you complain about a problem. Fords may have a lot of problems but at least they admit it and recall the POS instead of sit and deny any problems exist for years like Mazda does (e.g. clunk=denied for over a year, hesitation=denied for many months).

[charles]

Geez you guys are babies! Many cars today have Mitsubishi parts in the electrical system! What about those bosch relays? :confused:

Oh no, my 86 Volvo had a German transmission and Bosch electronics!

My 77 Pontiac has a Chevrolet engine!

My 92 Protege has a Mitsubishi ignition system!

Sheesh.

[spacemonkey]

My TV is made by Mitsubishi...they do heavy industry...they make everything (almost). Im intrested to learn what other car Manufactures are found in our MSP?

[Notorious]

This is kind of interesting... look up toyota cavalier on the internet. You'll see it actually exists.

[rocketspeed]

Originally posted by girth
LOL, that my friend is genius!

All I know is that I wish Ford would take even more control over Mazda -- maybe that way Mazda wouldn't be such a little bitch when you complain about a problem. Fords may have a lot of problems but at least they admit it and recall the POS instead of sit and deny any problems exist for years like Mazda does (e.g. clunk=denied for over a year, hesitation=denied for many months).

Don't be so sure. The Focus SVT's have had issues with the dual mass flywheel causing clutches to prematurely fail and Ford isn't admitting to the problem yet, despite the fact that clutches are failing at an alarming rate in the 10-20k mile range.

They've also had a problem with the cable that controls the dual stage intake. They break. They designed an improved cable, it also breaks. Lots of people have had this fail 3, 4 times.

The clamps that hold the intake manifold on are cheap, so lots of intake manifolds have fallen off. They clamp them back on and they fall off again.

Worst one of all, there have been a bunch of cases where the clutch disc breaks loose and comes through the bell housing of the tranny. Bring it in and the dealer will try to deny your warranty citing abuse- they'll tell you it had to be abuse because this just doesn't happen if you don't abuse. It looks like the dual mass flywheel may also be the culprit here, but its not definate yet. People have had to raise hell to get their trannies replaced under warranty.

They aren't too much different than Mazda in my experience. Or really any other manufacturer. VW can be a huge PITA.

[MazdaSP]

isnt sparco an italian industry? so the 03's knob and pedals are italian, i dunno what im talking about. I apologize

[spacemonkey]

I thought Sparco was from teh US and Momo is italian...might be wrong.

[03MSP]

Originally posted by nonameheroes
maybe the kid confused mazda with masarati?? kinda similar in name but no where near in cars or quality. and as far as mazda being owned by ford...yeah its true. but ford steals from mazda...look at the 91+ escort...same chasis design as the 90-94 mazda protege...hell they even stole the 1.8 bp dohc and put it in the gt models. and the probe? they stole the klze and stuck it in the probe gt models...but only it was downgraded...dont know exact model size but its the same engine in the probe gt which is turbo'd. fun cars. so yeah...mazda may have stole the tranny for the 3rd gen proteges from ford...but ford has stolen everything else.


KLZE was j-spec engine, KL-03 was a-spec....anyway, they used the 1st gen engine from the MX-6's and 626's in probes too.

[WillisW555]

Sparco is Italian. Also, look at VW and Porsche, when they co-developed the chassis for the Touraeg/Cayanne.

They have to in order to stay competitive. Parts and platform sharing cut costs, which allow us to buy nicer, faster car for less money.

I think Ford had too much input a while back, when the products were not appealing. I think I read that Mazda will have more say now and look at the products that are coming out now, the 6, RX-8, the 3, hopefully a US bound RX-7.

BTW - Fiat owns at least part of Ferrari which owns Maserati

[MSPDAVE125]

I remember reading somewhere that Mazda could at any point buy back the shares Ford owns. Because of people like us who have made their sales turn around completely in the past 5-7 yrs.
I don't think they will because having that type of capital backing you is NOT a bad thing.

In regards to the whole mix-n-match parts thing?

Every car has Mitsubishi parts.

Hell the Chevy Cavalier 2.2L Ecotec is a Honda Block and Head!

Figure that one out!

[kcbhiw]

Originally posted by MSPDAVE125

Hell the Chevy Cavalier 2.2L Ecotec is a Honda Block and Head!


I thought the Ecotec was a derivative of the Quad-4.(scratch)

[rocketspeed]

The V6 being stuffed in the Saturn VUE Redline is Honda designed and built. Much stronger motor than the GM 6 cylinder plant they formerly offered in that goofy little SUV.