Need some advice

Beej336 · Postby **Beej336** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

Hey guys, long time, no post.

I'm in the market for a MS3, and am going to look at one tomorrow.
It has a BOV, exhaust, and intake. The owner doesn't have the stock parts because he bought the car as-is from a dealership a year ago.
Is this something to worry about, or should it be okay?
I dont want to buy into a car that might blow on me down the road.

Also, opinions on the stripe? I cant decide if I like it or not.

http://boulder.craigslist.org/cto/3565093227.html

Also if anyone knows the car/owner and has some intel, that'd be awesome too.

Website · Postby **Shadowden** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

I personally don't care for the stripe, but it isn't horrible. I'm guessing it is vinyl so easy to remove.
I probably wouldn't worry about top quality parts being on there. Especially when it comes to the turbo. Surely others will disagree.

geo2maz · Postby **geo2maz** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

Looks good, I would just check for any smoke when starting it up, and any weird sounds in the engine, and if you do get it, I'd take off the BOV if you can...
(I have a stock intake for $20 if you wanted to take off the CAI)

Beej336 · Postby **Beej336** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

Thanks guys.

Yeah, the stripe is vinyl but I wasn't sure if it was too rice.

I have been checking for turbo snow and vvt rattle when I've been looking at these cars, so far I haven't found one with it yet.
I might consider your oem intake, but of the three accessories he has it would probably be the last thing I would replace. But I'll let you know.

kingtut · Postby **kingtut** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

I wouldn't do it. Owner didn't even care enough to clean the brake dust off those blemz of his. Not having stock parts shows poorly too. I also agree with Shadow. That strip sucks.

EDIT: I didn't mean to sound short/rude. Point being, if the owner didn't do 'the little things', its my opinion that he didn't take good care of the car. At those miles, the car will begin to show how it's been treated in the past. Also, he didn't spell check his ad. Again, may sound crazy...but those are the things I look at.

erod550 · Postby **erod550** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

Those aftermarket parts are super minor and will not be enough to drastically increase the risk of the car blowing up. The only thing to worry about is if a car is modded, how many mods used to be on the car before now that have since been removed. It's always a crapshoot buying a modded car of any kind, even if the current mods are mild.

Also, he's asking too much for it. If it was in near perfect condition it would still only be worth 14k at the most. Chances are it isn't perfect so it's more like $13,500. This is assuming it's a Sport and not a GT. If it's a GT (will have alcantara seats with leather inserts instead of cloth, possibly piano black stereo bezel but that may have only been 2009 GTs) then the price is about right.

But honestly, these cars are so picky and blow more often than a lot of other similar cars that I don't know if I could ever bring myself to buy a used one. I only had mine for 22k miles and am happy to no longer be worrying about blowing it up after reading so many horror stories about thrown rods all over the place.

Also, the stripe is hideous, but that's just personal preference.

KILLER_VIZ · Postby **KILLER_VIZ** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

^^^ What this gentleman said!

Beej336 · Postby **Beej336** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

Well I appreciate the help, everyone.

Its tough to make a decision. A lot of times I read people praising these cars left and right, saying they're super reliable and easy to maintain.
Then I read that a lot of people find the car unreliable and easy to blow.

Some say that the engine blows easier with simple mods like an intake and inlet pipe, and that a small tune with an AP is sure to blow it; others say that an AP is a good preventative to keep the engine from blowing.

Say I went with this car (or any other MS3), returned it to stock, and the engine blows down the road (assuming its not my fault). What's the likelihood of Mazda replacing the engine? Would I pay out of pocket?

erod550 · Postby **erod550** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

Considering that the warranty has already expired (5 year/60k miles powertrain and it's already 5 years old) no, they will not replace the engine if it blows, no matter whose fault it is.

geo2maz · Postby **geo2maz** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

I'm at 66k with no problems and just an intake,

Check this one out:
http://boulder.craigslist.org/cto/3489661087.html
Wonder how many miles it has...

Website · Postby **Shadowden** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

I thought folks were fond of the HKS BOV...why would you take it off geo? I'm not familiar enough with MS3s to offer a credible opinion, but I'll provide an opinion anyway.

I ended up with my S2000 because my mz3 developed a rod knock. To build or replace the engine was in the 5-6k range. I looked at quite few different cars including the frs, tc, xb, civic si, pontiac solstice, cooper s (turbo and supercharged), mazdaspeed3, and miatas. Iwanted a drivers car. The dealership was odd about the frs saying I needed to be ready to buy before I test drove it...that eliminated the frs. The solstice was too deep for me, the si was nice, but carries the rap and was expensive. The tc didn't fit being a drivers car. The xb was not to my wifes liking, nor a drivers car(but could haul bikes and dogs). So that left the ms3, miata, and mini. I loved watching the minis run at the autocross, their drivers/owners are almost cultish, and the cars are fun to drive with great aftermarket support. A mechanic I trust steered me away from them. My wife nixed the miata idea(perception), and I only considered the ms3 in passing. Reading in here and on other mazda forums, people are never happy with them, they don't handle all that well(IAutocrossed my mz 3), and the turbo although cool, isn't exactly geared for high performance(thus all the mods people do to them). I got lucky and responded to a cl ad for my s I was sure was a scam. It wasn't. One of my all time favorite cars I didn't initially consider was possible.

Now it seems you are looking for an enthusiasts car too. The ms3 has some of that. However, when you get into that area, you are going to be lucky to find one used that has never been modified. No one on here that I can think of is or has always been stock. Is there a risk of motor failure...sure. keep up the maintenance, don't abuse your stuff and it will likely last you a long time. Mainteanance on a turbo car is more...more stuff.

As for the ad itself, it is winter, i wouldn't stress about the cleanliness. In fact, if you are really interested, offer to take the car and wash it on the test drive. When you do, you will see more than if you just look at it. I did so with a 350z I liked a while back, but didn't end up buying.... As for grammar and ad quality, I've decided passionate car guys are better at driving and turning wrenches than spelling and grammar. Don't eliminate potential vehicles because of that.

Beej336 · Postby **Beej336** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

geo2maz wrote:I'm at 66k with no problems and just an intake,

Check this one out:
http://boulder.craigslist.org/cto/3489661087.html
Wonder how many miles it has...

I've been seeing this ad for a while now. And while yes the price is better than any other MS3 that's been on craigslist for the past 6 months, I'm just not a big fan of the color.
Its got 72K on it.
But it would be a trustworthy car. No mods, one owner, female driven.

Beej336 · Postby **Beej336** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

Shadowden wrote:Reading in here and on other mazda forums, people are never happy with them, they don't handle all that well(IAutocrossed my mz 3), and the turbo although cool, isn't exactly geared for high performance(thus all the mods people do to them).

Now it seems you are looking for an enthusiasts car too. The ms3 has some of that. However, when you get into that area, you are going to be lucky to find one used that has never been modified. No one on here that I can think of is or has always been stock. Is there a risk of motor failure...sure. keep up the maintenance, don't abuse your stuff and it will likely last you a long time. Mainteanance on a turbo car is more...more stuff.

As for the ad itself, it is winter, i wouldn't stress about the cleanliness. In fact, if you are really interested, offer to take the car and wash it on the test drive. When you do, you will see more than if you just look at it. I did so with a 350z I liked a while back, but didn't end up buying.... As for grammar and ad quality, I've decided passionate car guys are better at driving and turning wrenches than spelling and grammar. Don't eliminate potential vehicles because of that.

I'm not too worried about their performance. I havent felt the urge to ever track or drag, so handling isnt that important. And going beyond its stock 260hp sounds like an easy way to get into trouble with the law. Haha I'd just prefer something better than the 110 or so hp my MP5 gets. I'm sure I will now get people telling me to get just a regular MZ3, but for that extra $3k, i like the styling of the speeds way more.

The ad hasn't scared me away. First speed3 I went to look at was very dirty but it was worth the visit. Set the bar for the rest of my searching. I don't want to sound crude, but the guys name is Santiago. It's possible that english is not his first language, so grammar may not be his strong suit.

Website · Postby **Shadowden** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:14

I got my s in tbat price range. It is a model year 2000 with 31k on the clock now. I test drove numerous 350z in the same price range but with more miles(around 70k). Not to steer you away, but just giving an idea from my fairly recent searches.

dommo_g · Postby **dommo_g** » Sat Jan 26, 2013 9:14

I'd start the negotiating at $12k on that car.

The blue one is super nice. Near identical to mine that I sold for $15.5k last march.

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