I'm considering buying an MS3.
I own a 96 Mazda Protege 1.5L. I bought it 7 years ago with 121,000 miles for $1900 as my first car. It has been through a police chase (not me), it started out life as a rental car in NJ, it has been hit in the rear at 30mph by a hit and run driver in a Ford Explorer, then fixed, it was used as a pizza delivery vehicle driving 100+ miles per day in city traffic for 10-12 hours/day. It has been used in 20+ long distance trips ranging from 3-6 hours, it has been used offroad. It has been used to carry 500lbs more than the weight capacity of the car, it has been lunch tray drifted. I drive it extremely hard and redline it all the time and I love to toss it in corners.
I had no major problems yet. Just regular maintenance. Had to replace muffler for $56 which broke off when I drove through a speed bump fast. 2nd gear synchro broke a couple of years ago at 156,000 miles when I was shifting fast and hard but since then I have been going from 1st to 3rd without issues.
I want to buy a Mazdaspeed 3 and be able to thrash it daily without worrying it will break down. I want it to be as reliable and strong as my 96 Protege. I probably will not be redlining it since I read that 6000rpm+ is where the power goes flat so the best time to shift for fastest 0-60 times is 6000rpm according to Car & Driver.
Also, I take my car to the race track and even do some autox. I want this to be reliable enough for the track. On non-Mazda forums, I have heard of these cars blowing engines with minor modifications and while pulling hard in 5th gear. Is any of that true?
The only modifications I would plan are exhaust(with cats to stay legal), Intake, rims and better tires. Maybe an ECU tune. Keeping PSI at stock levels. Mostly Stock suspension. Maybe a strut brace or performance sway bar. But I don't plan on lowering the car.
FYI, I don't plan to use this offroad in any way and I don't plan to redline it. 6000-6200rpm max. But, assuming I maintain it properly, I want it to be able to handle me thrashing it in corners and handle a race track without blowing or overheating.
I own a 96 Mazda Protege 1.5L. I bought it 7 years ago with 121,000 miles for $1900 as my first car. It has been through a police chase (not me), it started out life as a rental car in NJ, it has been hit in the rear at 30mph by a hit and run driver in a Ford Explorer, then fixed, it was used as a pizza delivery vehicle driving 100+ miles per day in city traffic for 10-12 hours/day. It has been used in 20+ long distance trips ranging from 3-6 hours, it has been used offroad. It has been used to carry 500lbs more than the weight capacity of the car, it has been lunch tray drifted. I drive it extremely hard and redline it all the time and I love to toss it in corners.
I had no major problems yet. Just regular maintenance. Had to replace muffler for $56 which broke off when I drove through a speed bump fast. 2nd gear synchro broke a couple of years ago at 156,000 miles when I was shifting fast and hard but since then I have been going from 1st to 3rd without issues.
I want to buy a Mazdaspeed 3 and be able to thrash it daily without worrying it will break down. I want it to be as reliable and strong as my 96 Protege. I probably will not be redlining it since I read that 6000rpm+ is where the power goes flat so the best time to shift for fastest 0-60 times is 6000rpm according to Car & Driver.
Also, I take my car to the race track and even do some autox. I want this to be reliable enough for the track. On non-Mazda forums, I have heard of these cars blowing engines with minor modifications and while pulling hard in 5th gear. Is any of that true?
The only modifications I would plan are exhaust(with cats to stay legal), Intake, rims and better tires. Maybe an ECU tune. Keeping PSI at stock levels. Mostly Stock suspension. Maybe a strut brace or performance sway bar. But I don't plan on lowering the car.
FYI, I don't plan to use this offroad in any way and I don't plan to redline it. 6000-6200rpm max. But, assuming I maintain it properly, I want it to be able to handle me thrashing it in corners and handle a race track without blowing or overheating.
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