My GTO is looking for a little brother...

H

Habuzaki

Member
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2007 MazdaSpeed 3
Hey guys/gals, just signed up here on the forum. I'm just about ready to make the plunge on a MS3. I'm looking for a fun car for my daily driver. I was about ready to buy the WRX TR, but after reading up, all things considered I'm pretty sold on the 3SPEED.

Anyway, just thought I would say hello and try and get some honest feedback on the car from previous/current owners. I have spent some time reading your old posts, but would still love to hear of any criticisms (pros and cons) of your vehicle that you feel strongly about. Although I need to keep the gas mileage reasonable, I will do some light modding in the near future, and maybe more if my commute shortens. I was shy about going with Mazda, mainly because I thought the aftermarket/mod scene was pretty bleak.

Like my title says, I have my GTO that gives me a SEG on my days off. Now I'm looking for a car that lets me smile a bit on the way to work as well. Cheers everyone.
 
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I don't have a 3 but as you may know that thier has been a recall on one of the motor mounts, I believe it's the rear mount. Other then that I haven't heard anythign bad about them.
 
Yeah, I did see mention of that. Thanks for the reminder, going to do a search on that now.
 
Ive had my MS3 since late Dec. I bought the car sight unseen and had to wait 2 weeks for it to arrive. If I had it to do over...Id do it again. Its a very fun lil car. Quick and fast enough to be fun on the daily drive. MPG with the Mazdaspeed CAI is 21-22 around town (even with me driving it pretty aggressive most of the time) and 30 on the highway. I drove from Jax,Fl to NC and back over Easter and it did great. I was plus 85 MPH most of the drive up and back with a top speed (for me, not the car) of 135 MPH on the way back. It took it like it loved it. The handling is far above average for a hatch. Ive put it into some 'S' curves that going into I thought I might have got a lil too aggressive, but it stuck like glue and ripped right through. I got into a hard left high speed curve yesterday on the way home from work and felt it trip the DSC were I could feel it correct the rearend. Straightened out a lil and kept right on getting. The brakes are over the top. Stopping power that inspires stupidity. lol Ive had a couple friends comment on how I snapped there head back and they really didnt expect that type of take-off just looking at the car. The lil car is so incognito its hard to get any play on the street. Mine is bright 'I-wanna-ticket' red and even the cops dont seem to pay me much mind. As mentioned the shifter could use some work. Under hard driving 3rd can be a b**** to get into, as well as 4th on hard down shifts. The Bose stereo is 'OK'. Not terrible, not great. I have the GT. The auto headlights work great. The auto climate control works great. The auto wippers work great except for early morning. They run to much when you have the morning 'dew' on the glass and create there own 'smudge' that trips the next wipe cycle. The interior is nice looking and seems to be good quality. Of course it's a hatch, so its got lots of room for people and stuff. The stock tires are ok..dont look like they are gonna last all the long but I have been working them pretty hard too. The paint on the nose is too thin. have 2 chips already. Otherwise paint seems 'OK'. When I was in the Mazda showroom I notice orange peel on just about ever car in there. Hope this helps.
 
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the goods have been gone over.

I'll list the bads:

Paint. It's shiny, it looks great, but doesn't stand up to any abuse at all. The front of my car has more rock chips in 8000 miles than my 325 does in 60,000 miles.
The interior plastic pieces show wear. Shoe scuffs, arm scuffs, you name it. A little elbow grease will bring it back to new, but really show even in light usage.
The mosiac styled dash panels are hard to clean. The gauges going dim during dusk hours isn't a huge deal. You just have to hit a buttom to brighten the numbers. My drivers seat has a sometimes squeak in it. Not a big deal either.

Wheel hop @ WOT with TC off. It was a problem on my last turbo FWD car also, but something to consider.

SRT4 hatred. heh. I am sorta kidding but I've been stalked by more than a few locals with SRT4s. Personally, I don't care who is quicker or faster. Most of the local guys here DO care. So driving to take my wife out to eat sometimes involves a brief car chase with someone in a Turbo'd Neon.
I am still holding out though. I know I'll eventually run into a cool dude with one instead of a street light racer.


I am really nitpicking though. It's a great car. I am STILL in love with it. I tend to fall out of love with cars fast and tolerate them after only a few months. I've had mine 3 for 6 months and love it more than I did when I first got it.
 
StealthWyvern said:
I don't have a 3 but as you may know that thier has been a recall on one of the motor mounts, I believe it's the rear mount. Other then that I haven't heard anythign bad about them.
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No such recall know by the 2 dealers I have been to so I dont think this is true.
 
i dont know about the recall but its true the motor mounts suck... the motors have fell out of a number of cars due to bad mount
 
the motor mount issue is not the rear motor mount is the upper motor mount and a bolt being improperly torqued and backing out of the mount. From what I have read Mazda is aware of this and addressed the problem with the newer releases of the speed3 and some dealers will inspect and correct the problem with some locktite, correct torque, and a washer. (you must request this service though).

I will agree that the paint is a bit of an issue with me. I am pretty particular about keeping my car clean, and it seems like every time i wash it i find more rock chips (and not just on the nose either). I just try and keep a good coat of wax on there as an extra layer of protection and hope for the best. I would like to clarify though, that I see this problem in many new cars and not just Mazda. In general car companies are going on the cheap for paint nowadays.

Overall, I am absolutely thrilled with my purchase of this car. I would buy this car again 100 times over the competition that is out right now. My main rival in this purchase was a gti, jetta gli, or a civic si, none of which even compared to the overall package you get with the ms3. Gli had more of the creature comforts but also cost $10k more than the ms3. Wrx has the awd, but again, ur paying much more for one extra feature. In the end its your decision, but u can def do no wrong with the ms3...(oh and ignore swamp...he loves the attention from those srt4 ricers lol)
 
hehe dude, I was just looking at your car in the GTO picture thread at the GTO forums yesterday. Nice ride.

I'll send you a PM.
 
the car is fun to drive and really turns heads when im around town...mods are pretty good for now there is a wide variety of things to upgrade on the car atm, with time mods will become more aggressive for serious tuners. go to the dealer and test drive one, i have the gt and it has leather trim,rain sensing wipers, the upgrades headlights heds? i think,you cna have navigation upgrade too. i have not had any problems with my car except for jsut recently my 2nd gear has been popping out and it is curretnly getting fixed, the car is very responsive when accelerating and taking sharp turns...like i said before you should go to the dealer and drive the car. i test drove it and bought it the same day, it was more than what i expected...but everyone is different and this may not be the car you seek...good luck.
 
Wow, great replies. Thanks for the honesty too. As far as the paint chip thing, I feel you guys on that. I have the same problem with my GTO, but I kind of thought that was from my crazy speed romps down the highway. I swore I would go with the clear bra after my next front end job or new car. Anyone know of a good installer here in Nor Cal?

I'm going out today to test drive the MS3. Hope I can hold out and not revert to my impulse-buy self. I was planning on waiting till my next overtime check cleared.

This seems like a cool community too. I like the GTO forum, but some times you get tired of the "if you don't buy American, you're going to hell" attitude. Kind of funny too, seeings the GTO was made in Australia. Anyway, thanks again guys. I'll be picking your brains and experience in the near future.
 
jbiird317 said:
the motor mount issue is not the rear motor mount is the upper motor mount and a bolt being improperly torqued and backing out of the mount. From what I have read Mazda is aware of this....
Click to expand...


This is more then likely the reason why I figured thier was a recall on the motor mount issue.


Sorry that I miss informed you Habuzaki
 
StealthWyvern said:
This is more then likely the reason why I figured thier was a recall on the motor mount issue.


Sorry that I miss informed you Habuzaki
Click to expand...

Hey, I appreciate the heads up if anything. I did go to the dealership today and the two salespeople that I spoke to didn't know anything about it. But I'm used to most dealerships not knowing too much about their cars. I think its all part of Dealership 101/Sales 101 -don't educate your staff so you have "plausible deniability" when questioned about a problem. However, ask them about any of the positive aspects of the car and they won't shut up(headshake .
 
Not knocking on the GTO one bit, but I think you will be very impressed with the speed3 handling in comparison.

My p5 knocks the socks of GTOs in autoX. I can't imagine what a speed 3 would do.
 
Yeah, I feel you. Although a popular upgrade for the goats is the Australian brand Pedders Suspension components. I've upgraded with some Pedders bushings and coils and have installed Hotchkis front and rear sway bars. This has really tightened up the ride a lot. Still, I would need to go to a street 2 or track Pedders kit to make it competitive in autoX.

Of course, a problem us GTO owners have is limited wheel space. I've beefed up my wheels and tires, so if I drop my car any, its going to get ugly. I was rubbing when I put 265's in back, so I had to roll the fenders and put some stiffer coils back there.
 
Habuzaki said:
......

This seems like a cool community too. I like the GTO forum, but some times you get tired of the "if you don't buy American, you're going to hell" attitude. Kind of funny too, seeings the GTO was made in Australia. Anyway, thanks again guys. I'll be picking your brains and experience in the near future.
Click to expand...

Yer lucky WE let you use OUR engine in the GTO... for some that was blasphemy!!!(lol2)

Did ya get the testdrive after all?
 
I just read another thread. He says they didnt let him after he went to two stealerships. That sucks.
 
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