snowblazin
Member
- :
- 2014 Mazda3 SGT - It's the color of snowflakes!
Hi all!
I'm very excited to be active on these boards again! GF isn't home, waiting to go to a friend's house and decided to introduce myself and write about my journey back into the Mazda community.
In Feb 05 I bought a 2003 Protege5, Black on Black with 23,000 miles. This was my first car that wasn't terribly old/used and had all the goodies. I had a lot of different vehicles before it but nothing was as comfortable or was as much fun to drive as that little wagon. After a couple of years of ownership and light modding I got the bug and put in a full mazdaspeed kit, upgraded to a FMIC and the car was finally where it felt like it should've been from the factory. Obligatory pic.
After about a year like this, I developed a slow oil leak and realized the full extent of what I had gotten myself into as far as maintenance was concerned. Decided I just wanted a reliable daily driver and put everything(mostly) back to stock. After almost 7 years of ownership with barely any issues I decided I wanted something new.
I really wanted something with AWD as I live in NE and love to take trips to the mountains. A friend of mine has a Subaru Impreza and one wintry day I watch him pull out of a driveway first shot while my protege can't move. I decide I want a Subaru and something with some oomf so I go looking for WRXs. Long story short, they sell me a WRX from another dealer, turns out the other dealer had already sold it as well. They have a 2011 STI hatch on the lot and it's Dec 27th of 2011. I tell them that I'm sure they'd like to move the 2011 before 2012 and if we can meet a certain number it could work for everyone. I get a great deal on the STI and take it home.
Wow. The car is fast. Really fast. End up getting it professionally tuned, small mods, mostly cosmetic, some wheels and just enjoy it as it is. I read all the horror stories on the Subaru forums of WRX and STIs with ring issues, spun rod bearing etc. and think, "I take care of my car really well, it'll never happen to me." Sure enough, 27,750 miles later and my engine starts knocking on the way to work. I check the oil and there is none, not a drop showing on the dip stick. I waited 10 mins, 20 mins and same thing, no oil. It took 3 quarts before oil finally showed up on the stick. Had it towed to Subaru, diagnosis was a spun rod bearing. They replaced the short block, turbo and more misc. parts than I care to list. Obligatory STI pic.
I didn't trust the car after that. I got it back a few weeks later and it ran fine, but it felt like a ticking time bomb. Not to mention that Subaru's interior SUCKS, the sound system is terrible and there are more rattles than an infant's playpen. I also had to use 93 and it averaged 17mpg. So I decided it was time to get into something more practical but still fun to drive.
I looked at the Honda Accord sport, Camry SE and the new 6. The Accord and Camry were the most boring cars I've ever driven in my life. It wasn't until I went and looked at the 6 that I realized the 3 was the same body style and you could get much more for the money. Not to mention that I loved the old 3s before the stupid smiley face front end got introduced. Test drove the 3 and instantly fell in love. It took 3 different dealerships and dealing with a lot of stupidity and bs before I got into my new 2014 Mazda3 hatch SGT in snowflake white. I freaking love this car. So much more comfortable and refined than the Subaru. Sure, it's not the monster the STI was, but it's got plenty of power, and is incredibly fun to drive. Not to mention all the money I'm going to save on insurance and gas! I picked the car up yesterday and haven't stopped smiling since. I plan to leave this car alone for the most part, probably some tint and maybe a drop in filter and wheels in the summer. God that mod bug bites hard! Anyway, sorry for the long winded post, but it's good to be back in this community! OH! Obligatory crappy cell phone pic of the new car!
I'm very excited to be active on these boards again! GF isn't home, waiting to go to a friend's house and decided to introduce myself and write about my journey back into the Mazda community.
In Feb 05 I bought a 2003 Protege5, Black on Black with 23,000 miles. This was my first car that wasn't terribly old/used and had all the goodies. I had a lot of different vehicles before it but nothing was as comfortable or was as much fun to drive as that little wagon. After a couple of years of ownership and light modding I got the bug and put in a full mazdaspeed kit, upgraded to a FMIC and the car was finally where it felt like it should've been from the factory. Obligatory pic.
After about a year like this, I developed a slow oil leak and realized the full extent of what I had gotten myself into as far as maintenance was concerned. Decided I just wanted a reliable daily driver and put everything(mostly) back to stock. After almost 7 years of ownership with barely any issues I decided I wanted something new.
I really wanted something with AWD as I live in NE and love to take trips to the mountains. A friend of mine has a Subaru Impreza and one wintry day I watch him pull out of a driveway first shot while my protege can't move. I decide I want a Subaru and something with some oomf so I go looking for WRXs. Long story short, they sell me a WRX from another dealer, turns out the other dealer had already sold it as well. They have a 2011 STI hatch on the lot and it's Dec 27th of 2011. I tell them that I'm sure they'd like to move the 2011 before 2012 and if we can meet a certain number it could work for everyone. I get a great deal on the STI and take it home.
Wow. The car is fast. Really fast. End up getting it professionally tuned, small mods, mostly cosmetic, some wheels and just enjoy it as it is. I read all the horror stories on the Subaru forums of WRX and STIs with ring issues, spun rod bearing etc. and think, "I take care of my car really well, it'll never happen to me." Sure enough, 27,750 miles later and my engine starts knocking on the way to work. I check the oil and there is none, not a drop showing on the dip stick. I waited 10 mins, 20 mins and same thing, no oil. It took 3 quarts before oil finally showed up on the stick. Had it towed to Subaru, diagnosis was a spun rod bearing. They replaced the short block, turbo and more misc. parts than I care to list. Obligatory STI pic.
I didn't trust the car after that. I got it back a few weeks later and it ran fine, but it felt like a ticking time bomb. Not to mention that Subaru's interior SUCKS, the sound system is terrible and there are more rattles than an infant's playpen. I also had to use 93 and it averaged 17mpg. So I decided it was time to get into something more practical but still fun to drive.
I looked at the Honda Accord sport, Camry SE and the new 6. The Accord and Camry were the most boring cars I've ever driven in my life. It wasn't until I went and looked at the 6 that I realized the 3 was the same body style and you could get much more for the money. Not to mention that I loved the old 3s before the stupid smiley face front end got introduced. Test drove the 3 and instantly fell in love. It took 3 different dealerships and dealing with a lot of stupidity and bs before I got into my new 2014 Mazda3 hatch SGT in snowflake white. I freaking love this car. So much more comfortable and refined than the Subaru. Sure, it's not the monster the STI was, but it's got plenty of power, and is incredibly fun to drive. Not to mention all the money I'm going to save on insurance and gas! I picked the car up yesterday and haven't stopped smiling since. I plan to leave this car alone for the most part, probably some tint and maybe a drop in filter and wheels in the summer. God that mod bug bites hard! Anyway, sorry for the long winded post, but it's good to be back in this community! OH! Obligatory crappy cell phone pic of the new car!
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