Questions about buying a MSP...

B

Boosterific

Member
Hey everyone,

I've been a big fan of the Mazdaspeed since it first came out, and now I finally have the chance to purchase one. I found a used one at a dealership for $16K with 30K miles, and the CARFAX says its clean. First off, is this a decent price, or do you all think I can bargain lower? Also, I was wondering what I need to look for when I go to inspect/test drive the car. Is there anything specific that I should look out for? Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks.
 
First off, Good choice in cars =)

Speaking as a car dealer myself I can tell you some things to do... first.. when you're driving the car make sure there is no shudder in between shifting gears.. when you release the clutch, release it slowly. Even if it sounds fine, tell the dealer you think the previous driver might have driven it a little hard and want some money off for a new clutch. Don't try to get them to put one in, if you do that they will go to the mechanics whom will give em the straight up truth.. most car salesmen have no clue about mechanics... *at least most that I've met*. Whatever price they're advertising is probabaly about 2000-3000 above what they paid for it. a good profit margin on a used cars is about 1000 since most dealerships make salesmen pay "pack". if they're selling it for $16,000 then they probabaly bought it for somewhere between 13000-14000. a good price to offer would be sometihng mid 14's... like 14,5-14,6 Hope this helps! if you have any other questions of the inter-workings of us evil car salesmen, let me know!
 
take your time and look for sings of vacum lines that have been cut and spliced with zip ties or just take a mechanic with you,check for dents or posibly even if the car`s been painted over and dont forget to drive it and do a couple of hard stops...good luck...
 
Drive it for a while on the highway hitting hi revs. Then hit some slower streets that give you the chance to hit full boost up from 2500-5000 RPM in 3rd gear to verify it doens't have a bad hesistation. When your done, get out and look for a coolant leak/build up on the coolant resevior and look for a leak near the water lines of the turbo.

Also, hit some choppy roads and listen for the rear end clunking around.
Check the trunk for the factory stereo to be in place. It should have the suspended amp/sub enclosure in the back, hanging from the rear deck.

To add to Projekt, alot of dealers don't just add the 3-4K but add another $2K ontop to account for people wanting money off of it. Look at www.NADA.com to see the trade in value (which is what they paid for it) and what the selling price is.
 
That depends on a lot of things. Where you are located is a factor believe it or not, you also have to look at if it is an 03 or 03.5 I think that would be a good deal for one down here in Tampa FL. They have a good following down here were as if you were in like Lincoln, NE you would pay less as the market is more a truck market up there...
 
Where are you located? My local dealer has a black mica with 40k on it You could probably get it for about 13,500-14,500 out the door
 
Thanks for all the replies! They are very helpful. And just to clear some things up, it is a 2003.5 grey MSP, and I live in Atlanta, GA.

Also, is there any set way to determine if it's been abused? I've never driven a new one, so I don't know what to expect.

And since this would be my first time purchasing a used car, I'm not completely sure of how to go about finding a decent, knowledgeable mechanic to inspect it for me. Any tips?

Thanks!
 
I think look at the Vac hose. Follow the one from the wastegate or from the BPV to the T. Check to see that the T hasn't been tampered with or replaced. If it has, chances are that a boost controller has been used on that car.


-Ryan
Boosterific said:
Thanks for all the replies! They are very helpful. And just to clear some things up, it is a 2003.5 grey MSP, and I live in Atlanta, GA.

Also, is there any set way to determine if it's been abused? I've never driven a new one, so I don't know what to expect.

And since this would be my first time purchasing a used car, I'm not completely sure of how to go about finding a decent, knowledgeable mechanic to inspect it for me. Any tips?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
otmsp said:
make sure the sub isn`t blown!!
Click to expand...

Good point.
To add to that, make sure the radio can flip down to put in a CD and actualy flip back up. NOt to mention turn on and off properly.
 
Thanks for the plug Gbourdon (2thumbs)

I'm starting to get some more intrest locally and on the board so hopefully I can find her a good home soon
 
If it is under 50k in miles you can get the sub and radio replaced under warranty. I have already had the radio replaced once and I am on my second sub. First one just shut off and second blew.
 
VezMspeed said:
If it is under 50k in miles you can get the sub and radio replaced under warranty. I have already had the radio replaced once and I am on my second sub. First one just shut off and second blew.
Click to expand...


do you thik they would replace if you tried to fix sub tear your self.. and pulled it all out and have diff s*** in there right now.. but have all the craped out stuff in a box?? cuz thats my situation.
 
ya the price is bit high. i got the same model in same color as you, and got mine for less than 17k w/ 2500 on the odometer.

hell i'll sell you mine for 15k and its got lot less miles than that one.
 
orphman said:
do you thik they would replace if you tried to fix sub tear your self.. and pulled it all out and have diff s*** in there right now.. but have all the craped out stuff in a box?? cuz thats my situation.
Click to expand...
No, you voided the warranty on the audio system when you ****** with it. Why didn't you just take it in when you had problems? That's what they're there for.
 
mspdfreak said:
No, you voided the warranty on the audio system when you ****** with it. Why didn't you just take it in when you had problems? That's what they're there for.
Click to expand...



wait all i did was take it out... it had a hole in it.. so i tried to "gheto glue" it.. how is that ******* with it.. i mean .. i could care less.. but i didnt do anything worse to it.. not liek i poked a whole in it and tried to fix it.. i trie dot fix it so ididnt have to wory about it...
 
Thanks for all the input fellas. This forum is really useful and informative! I do really want an MSP and the used one I found was the only one I could find locally. But hopefully, if all goes well, I will have a MSP by June.

Just curious, but have there been a lot of issues with the stock stereo? It seems like you guys have had several issues. I thought the Kenwood system was supposed to be pretty nice.

And on a side note, I am interested in some modding. I'm wondering what should be done first. Is it better to get a new larger FMIC, downpipe, or exhaust first? I was thinking that I would get a new exhaust first because of some possible breaking issues of the stock exhaust. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
Boosterific said:
Thanks for all the input fellas. This forum is really useful and informative! I do really want an MSP and the used one I found was the only one I could find locally. But hopefully, if all goes well, I will have a MSP by June.

Just curious, but have there been a lot of issues with the stock stereo? It seems like you guys have had several issues. I thought the Kenwood system was supposed to be pretty nice.

And on a side note, I am interested in some modding. I'm wondering what should be done first. Is it better to get a new larger FMIC, downpipe, or exhaust first? I was thinking that I would get a new exhaust first because of some possible breaking issues of the stock exhaust. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...



search for my thread exhaust or fmic... or fmic vs exhaust something liek that... somefeed back for you there...
 
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