Should I trade in my MP3 for a Spec V?

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APEXistud

Member
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1990 Mazda Miata
Should I trade in my MP3 for a Spec V?

Ok, I've been thinking that I don't want to pay what I've been paying for my MP3 anymore and since I've test driven the Spec V and loved it, I was thinking a Spec V. Good thing is that they're still kinda rare in my area and they're quite a bit faster. While I was thinking about a Spec V, I decided to look on some message forums to see what people who already own one think. During my search, I found out the AEM makes an intake for the Spec V. I also found out that someone dyno'd his Spec V before and after the intake. His results were:

Baseline: Max HP=144.1, Max Torque=151.3
After AEM: Max HP=151, Max Torque=162.9

After reading that, I am convinced that I would be happy in the Spec V. What do you guys think....?
 
Haha, I guess I'll quit lurking and come throw in my opinions..

If you wanna do it, go ahead and do it. I haven't gotten a chance to drive the Spec-V yet, but I've wanted to, and if you've driven it and you think you'd like it more than the MP3, I don't see why you shouldn't go for it. It's a great, mean looking car (except the interior seemed a little funkily colored..) and it will probably end up having more aftermarket support in the long run.

If I had a chance to get the Spec-V instead, I would probably do it. But no matter what any of us say, it really all comes down to you in the end. Go take another look at the Spec-V, drive it again if you can, and if you think you would enjoy it more, by all means.. do it! :D
 
Why not wait for the Mazdaspeed protege and trade up when it comes in? It's got everything the SE-R V dose minus 10 hp and some torque, but it's got the limited slip, great sound set up, and MP3 handleing. Plus you'll already be used to it as soon as you sit in the seat sence you own an MP3 now. Not that I have anythin against the spec V, it is a sick car. Keep in mind, the car you have now isn't all that bad. *shrug* :D
 
Yeah, I thought about the Mazdaspeed, but it'll be priced a bit higher around these parts due to the dealer markup. Which I'm sure they'll mark it up around here in the bay area. I don't know what other color they'll have either because the orange is just ugly. I'm not that crazy about the Spec V's interior.

Just recently, I found an awesome website. True Credit.com, this site is perfect for those of us who want to monitor their credit history and see exactly what creditors look at when evaluating your credit. Anyway, to make a long story short, I found out that my credit isn't a bad as I thought, but as far as borrowing power goes, I don't think I'll be getting approved for anything anytime soon. So, if any of you guys out there are curious to see where you're at when it comes to credit, I highly recommend this site. Of course, you have to pay to see this stuff, but I found the information extremely useful.
 
My ex's mom worked at a bank so when I got a line of credit I was actually able to view my credit report. It's scary how far back they keep records of.....make sure to pay those minimum balances on Visa bills is all I gotta say. :)

As far as getting a Spec V. I say if your heart is set on it then get it, but just be certain it's what you want. Ya the MP3 may not be as fast performance wise, but then again most of us knew it wasn't going to burn cars off the line when we bought it. But the MP3 in my opinion is a nicer looking car in general both exterior and interior(no flaming as I'm saying this is just my opinion).

The danger with going for let's say the Spec V for it's power increase(I'd also say only power as the MP3 at the very least handles as well if not better), is that then you'll start looking up further again from there....IE WRX, RSX Type S, etc.....before you know it you'll be trying to buy a S2000 or an NSX :D
 
OK, you asked. I got to take a Spec V for a test drive...myself (my brother is a mechanic at a dealership). Anyways, here is how it stacked in my book:

PROs:
It is much quicker than the MP3
Good handling
Cruise Control
The stereo sounds great, no little buttons...in dash changer
Pretty good styling
Great value
My wife liked the red.

CONs:
Harsh ride, ours is much nicer
6-speed...not needed for street driving
No MP3 player...I am spoiled with ours
I am still not sure about that insert in the front bumper cover and grille
Orange-Red seats in a blue-green car????? YUK
Very Firm seats

Conclusion:
For me and how I use the car...to and from work, autocrossing and to the occasional cruise, the MP3 wins hands down. I am more comfortable driving it and it is more comfortable to ride in. I am willing to give up the power...for now...and keep this car.

Had there not been any MP3's available, and considering the choices out there...Neon (yuk), WRX ($$$), Civic (more underpowered than the MP3), Celica ($$$) but very tempting, Focus (yuk again), Cavalier (NO), Eclipse (NO again), RSX (stereo sux and cheap interior) and I am sure I am missing a few, but I feel this is the best choice of cars. But you have to get red or black...to match the seats.

I am talking about the cars that are available now as they come off the showroom floor, no modifications, as close to apples to apples as you can get.

Well you asked, there is my opinion.
 
I thanks both of you guys for your opinions. I do agree with BigBlue and I was thinking the exact samething. I would definately be happy with a WRX, but I'd go broke trying to mod it. Too much aftermarket and I'd be way too tempted to upgrade the turbo. Not that that's a bad thing, but I don't think I's get the RSX mainly because I want to stay with the 4-Door, it has more utility.

I kinda agree with Norman in him saying that you don't need the 6-Speed, but more shifting mean more fun for me. :D And the Red seats are a little bit overwhelming. Although I was thinking of getting a white or silver one if I had gone through with it.

Oh, I also found out that the factory wheels on the Spec V weigh a ton...24lbs a wheel:eek: When I test drove it, I damn near broke the tires loose in 3rd gear, imagine if I had some 14-17 pound wheels on that puppy. The Spec V is one torquey b****...:D
 
I think the Black MS protege will be kick ass if there is no markup. Consider all the goodies, MP3 player, tires, Rims, exhaust etc. Not to mention the Turbo and LSD.
 
I just drove the spec-v and I love it......one torquey ass motor. My down side to the car is the damn 6000rpm redline. What the hell is that? Apexistud, I feel ya man....the WRX is my dream car. I would not go with the spec v for one reasnon, and I think a very valid reason. Do you really love the spec v? Do you dream of it? Are you longing g\for the car? Or do you just have new car syndrom. I was also thinking of the spec-v and then it finally hit me......I love the WRX and thats what I will save my pennies for, no matter how long it takes:D
 
And remember: "girls don't know cars"
The MP3 looks way more "cute" than the Spec-V.
Who cares if it runs fast? We have the MP3 player. ;)
 
I think what my fine Canadian friend meant to say that was that SOME girls...definitely not the beautiful, intelligent and witty ones here of course, don't care so much about the power of the engine, but are more concerned with the overall looks of the vehicle. :)

I too love the WRX.....I swear it's the damn conversion......for the price I paid in Canadian for my MP3 I coulda had a WRX for the cash and still had a couple grand left for some mods....hell and add to that the fact I had to pay 14% total tax on my car and I'm an unhappy camper. :mad:

My first car that I truly wanted was a Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. For a lot of the same reasons I love the Subaru too....factory turbo AWD and nice styling....but they don't have Mitsu dealerships yet in Canada(well not here anyhow) so I was outta luck on that one.

Spoolin makes a good point tho Apexi.....if the Spec V is your dream car, then go for it...if not, then I'd save those pennies for what is your dream....or turn your MP3 into a total sleeper.....stock looks that'll blow the doors off a lot of cars out there with some modest investment.
 
Well, in my opinion, the only car I am considering right now is the Mazdaspeed (black) when they come out. I love the handling our cars have, and the stereo (MP3s!) and looks are sweet. The LSD and turbo will be very nice also, just wanna know what SCCA class they'll be in. (probably be put in too high of a class)
Good luck if you go with the spec V or WRX though. Went to an autoX this past weekend. Had like 20 WRXs there, and even the modded ones didn't do much good. (I know, probably the drivers). For me there are just too many WRX on the road. My MP3 draws more attention and works fine for me. :)

JMHO
 
By no means is the Spec V my dream car. Nor is the WRX for that matter. Now the WRX STi (if it is released) will be what I'd save my pennies for. The STi if it was released here would have about 30-40 more HP, 6-Speed Trans, Variable Valve Timing, Different LSD's, Different Turbo "VF30 vs TD04", better brakes, Different seats, etc. I'd only get the Spec V if I could lower my payments which are sky high. Like I was saying before, why get the MazdaSpeed if for about $2.5-$3k more I could have the WRX. I'm not much for auto crossing, so that side of the car doesn't appeal to me. I already know I could get the Spec V for invoice and that's why I was mainly considering it....No markup :) Also the better aftermarket sooner than the MP3. Thanks to all the guys who actually read this post. Sometimes I wonder if I should have kept my 97 EX and boosted the SOHC like I had planned. I had a few parts on it. APEXi WS Coilovers, APEXi GT Headers, APEXi WS Exhaust, APEXi EL Tach, EBC Greendtuff Pads, EBC Turbo Groove rotors, Gunmetal Tenzo Shu's, Real CF Strut Bar, OBDI Dinan Stg2 ECU w/skunk2 OBDII-OBDI ECU Harness, and a few other goodies. All I had to do was fortify the internals which on a Civic is cheap, and buy the APEXi SOHC Turbo Kit w/fuel system & GT FMIC.
9465134-4c49-028001E0-.jpg

I also had an EG Coupe, but it was nothing special.
 
ApexiStud, the SpecV is one torquey mother F&^*$#. I agree with you that this is faster than the MP3 no doubt cause i always get the jump and i always get beat by my bro in his SpecV plus he's a rookie and still beat's be by a little. If i drove the SpecV and he ran the MP3 i would leave him behind by alot. But spoolinMP3 and bigblue are right if the WRX is your dreamcar then save all the $ for the WRX. Now the MP3 was my dreamcar the first time i seen it, i wanted it, look i thought this thing was going to have balls since car&driver, and MotorTrend compared it to the New Upcoming Nissan Sentra SE-R SpecV and Honda Civic SI's. They were saying that it's features new 2.0l DOHC 16-valve I-4, with recalibrated ignition timing to increase more acceleration and more Top End power, revised with a Intake manifold and headers with Cool air intake, with a low back pressure racing beat exhaust system to total the pump out of 150Hp. All of the sudden they couldn't pass by law smog legal and the engine could not tolerate hot air running to the engine. That's was my dreamcar which i have now and i still love the MP3 no matter what if it loses against a Civic Si or Sentra SpecV i can add more performance parts to the car.

Between the:
2003 Mazda Mazdaspeed protege
2002 Subaru Impreza WRX
2002 Sentra SE-R SpecV

if your a Mazda lover get the Mazdaspeed protege even if it can't outrun a WRX in a straight line performance, Maybe it can never know but if your dreamcar is WRX then Go that direction...good luck
:)
 
I actually got the chance to see the some of the new cars coming out pretty soon. One of the local Dealerships has 2, 2002 Civic SI's on it's lot. Damn, the seats are friggin dope. Nice alcantara (suede), the car definately needs a drop though. I also got the chance to see the new NSX at a local dealership......all that I have to say is "BEAUTIFUL". I think the coolest car I saw last weekend that was affordable is the Mini Cooper S. That little sucker is tight and will be pretty damn quick since it's soo light. It's also priced decent. The main reason I don't want a Civic, RSX, or any coupe is because I want a 4-Door. Anyway, I don't see myself getting approved for credit on anything, anytime soon. So, it looks like I'm stuck in this MP3.
 
Lol...please don't say you are *stuck* in an MP3......say you are priveleged to have it. :p

Hey it could be worse....you could have no car or some junky piece of crap right?

Did you get to sit in the Mini? It looks tiny to me, but it could just be deceiving...
 
Haha, sorry for making it sound like that, you guys know what I meant. I did sit in the Mini Cooper S, and it felt like it had plenty of room for 2 people. And it seemed like it would easily accomidate a person 6'0 tall and 200 lbs. Most cars that are European designed are made for larger people. Luckly, I'm only 5'10, so that doesn't really matter to me.:p
 
Hey, I sat in the Cooper S too :) That car is damn cool, personally, if Iwere you, i'd rather get the Cooper S over the Spec V. The nostalgic factor is there, and according to my dad (the BMW guys won't let me test drive it), he said the car is #$@(*& fast. Damn, the dealer had the, uh, what is it, electric blue (?), whatever that Cooper S-only colour is. That is NIIICE.

Actually, I heard from teh dealer that the Cooper is a LOT cheaper in Canada and if we buy it, we have to sign a paper agreeing that we'll never sell the car in the US or something, so maybe the Cooper is priced a lot more than the Spec V in the States, but here, in Canada, the Cooper S runs for $29k and if i'm not mistaken, the Spec V is $26k. I think that extra 3K is definietley worth it, considering how much better the Mini's interior is compared to the Spec V.
 
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