MS3 a Target?

[fortressofcomfort]

Let's face it, the MS3 draws a very specific kind of crowd.

#1 , and #1 most importantly, its only available in a manual transmission thank god. You really have no idea how important this fact is in keeping our car in the right "crowd." So that right there eliminates a shit load of folks who really know nothing about how to really drive a car, because one of the first things you do, if you are into cars, is to learn how to drive a stick. There are WAY too many boneheads with Camaros, Vettes, you name it that simply have it as a status symbol; not so with the MS3.

#2 , its not overally flashy or muscular looking. Sure the hood scoop, 18" wheels, etc. let you know something special is going on, the MS3 does not attract the pure "testosterone" crowd, again thank god.

#3 , If you are in the market for a hot hatch, you want some something cutting edge. Even though the engine is pushing 8 years old now, to me, a 2.3L all aluminum direct injected VVT turbo charged engine sounds more interesting than a 2.0L, iron block (Evos up through 9, and all VW products), port injected (Subaru) turbo charged engine.

#4 ), There's about 1/2 of the population that still won't buy a foreign car. Their loss.

#5 ), Very few people approach an MS3 as a "aesthetically customizable plaform" as simply opposed to a driver's car. I mean, you can't even get an MS3 without summer tires. It lays down the stats from the factory and you can't make it "softer" to appeal to the half-hearted crowd.

#6 ) There's not that many MS3s (and MS6s) out there. I mean for a cheap car it really is quite a rare/unique vehicle. So this deters the "mainstream crowd."

#7 ) Its not a Honda who always attracts the true ricer crowd (although I will be the first to admit that many of their engines are spectacularly engineered).

#8 ) It requires premium fuel; shoppers of cheap cars don't want to be constrained to $4/gal fuel so this removes the beancounters from our MS3 population.

#9 ) Being a hatchback design, it tends to be more versatile than other cars in its segment. This attracts those who have real needs (families, houses, etc).

#1 0) I could go on and on


So what does all this mean? MS3 DRIVERS ARE LEGIT CAR NUTS!!! Everyone on this forum is a very unique individual when it comes to what they drive, why they drive it, and what they do to it over the long haul. The MS3 is as far from being a "mid-life crisis" car as you could possibly get. Owners of MS3s derive their satisfaction from the drive itself as opposed to simply owning "that type of car."

[xb2ms3]

Originally Posted by moomooz12 People in Staten Island have the gheys. Not a lot of people even know what a speed is around here. I've ran into several cars that wanted to play tho. 1. A mustang v6.. they need to stop thinking they're fast. Pulled on him from a roll. 2. Heavily modded gen5 GTI. Dude had an upgraded turbo/full bolt on. Loss from a roll. 3. Modded maxima... yeah. Just pure win. Other then that islanders are either into that G35, Maxima, luxury crap.

Staten Island is the worst, everyone drives like they own a racecar, from camrys to escalades.

I get messed with alot by non-performance cars...

[Mazdalover01]

Originally Posted by fortressofcomfort Let's face it, the MS3 draws a very specific kind of crowd. #1 , and #1 most importantly, its only available in a manual transmission thank god. You really have no idea how important this fact is in keeping our car in the right "crowd." So that right there eliminates a shit load of folks who really know nothing about how to really drive a car, because one of the first things you do, if you are into cars, is to learn how to drive a stick. There are WAY too many boneheads with Camaros, Vettes, you name it that simply have it as a status symbol; not so with the MS3. #2 , its not overally flashy or muscular looking. Sure the hood scoop, 18" wheels, etc. let you know something special is going on, the MS3 does not attract the pure "testosterone" crowd, again thank god. #3 , If you are in the market for a hot hatch, you want some something cutting edge. Even though the engine is pushing 8 years old now, to me, a 2.3L all aluminum direct injected VVT turbo charged engine sounds more interesting than a 2.0L, iron block (Evos up through 9, and all VW products), port injected (Subaru) turbo charged engine. #4 ), There's about 1/2 of the population that still won't buy a foreign car. Their loss. #5 ), Very few people approach an MS3 as a "aesthetically customizable plaform" as simply opposed to a driver's car. I mean, you can't even get an MS3 without summer tires. It lays down the stats from the factory and you can't make it "softer" to appeal to the half-hearted crowd. #6 ) There's not that many MS3s (and MS6s) out there. I mean for a cheap car it really is quite a rare/unique vehicle. So this deters the "mainstream crowd." #7 ) Its not a Honda who always attracts the true ricer crowd (although I will be the first to admit that many of their engines are spectacularly engineered). #8 ) It requires premium fuel; shoppers of cheap cars don't want to be constrained to $4/gal fuel so this removes the beancounters from our MS3 population. #9 ) Being a hatchback design, it tends to be more versatile than other cars in its segment. This attracts those who have real needs (families, houses, etc). #1 0) I could go on and on So what does all this mean? MS3 DRIVERS ARE LEGIT CAR NUTS!!! Everyone on this forum is a very unique individual when it comes to what they drive, why they drive it, and what they do to it over the long haul. The MS3 is as far from being a "mid-life crisis" car as you could possibly get. Owners of MS3s derive their satisfaction from the drive itself as opposed to simply owning "that type of car."

That was quite an amazing post

[moomooz12]

Originally Posted by xb2ms3 Staten Island is the worst, everyone drives like they own a racecar, from camrys to escalades. I get messed with alot by non-performance cars...

Yeah si people have that racecar mentality for some reason. I need to move to Jersey.

[ASHMS3]

Originally Posted by Mazdalover01 That was quite an amazing post

Fortress's posts are usually very informative. You just have to grab a fresh beer prior to reading them.

Sent from my LG-VM696 using Tapatalk 2

[Dr. Speed]

Originally Posted by ASHMS3 Fortress's posts are usually very informative. You just have to grab a fresh beer prior to reading them. Sent from my LG-VM696 using Tapatalk 2

Yeah, I always hope I see them in the various threads I peruse

[Kyle Undefined]

Awesome post @fortressofcomfort and very well put. I guess another reason people really don't know about the MS3 is because the roads are flooded with regular Mazda 3 hatches. (At least down here in Tampa). People see the hatch and think it's a regular one, then get smoked :p

[CaptObvious75]

Originally Posted by Rampage I never get any attention at all. I expected more honestly when I first bought the car... Kinda glad though.

This applies to me as well

[xb2ms3]

Originally Posted by moomooz12 Yeah si people have that racecar mentality for some reason. I need to move to Jersey.

Its not much different over here.

[BlackBandit]

I have had the car for over a month now, and still haven't been challenged by anything close yet. All I get are trucks..... lowered, raised; gas or diesel; Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota, or Nissan; it don't matter. But every time I even just go out to get groceries, I get one revving and jumping off the line. If I feel like getting on it/have room for a run I will reel them in. Most times I just ignore them. Only other time was a kid in a base Lancer, and I fucked with him by launching slow and giving half throttle until 50 km/h. Letting him get a nice jump and maybe a glimmer of hope, before seeing how fast I could reel him in.

[fortressofcomfort]

Originally Posted by Kyle Undefined Awesome post @fortressofcomfort and very well put. I guess another reason people really don't know about the MS3 is because the roads are flooded with regular Mazda 3 hatches. (At least down here in Tampa). People see the hatch and think it's a regular one, then get smoked :p

Here too. And I think what happens is the "2.5" model is popular. It looks almost the same as a MS3 (it has dual exhaust, it has the big spoiler) and the only way to tell them apart are the wheels and the hood scoop (gen2) as far as I know. I bet most clowns have raced the 2.5 model (probably automatics), beaten them, then see a real MS3 and cannot tell it apart, at least from the rear. Most clowns probably think we riced it out by putting the "Mazdaspeed" logo on the hatch lol. Problem is when racing most of them never get to see the hood scoop

[simply_pandora]

A few local speeds and I went to a meet last night, got sonic, headed back. moved past a v8 Dakota and he immediately felt his manhood threatened and chased me down. Revved, and floored it. Dropped great, pulled up and away. He fell back to the next speed, tried the same, got dusted. Moved on to our Mazda 2 (there's a modded 2 that hangs out with us) and dude tried the same. Open 2in exhaust, both slow, then he gunned it, I hit the brakes, raped him, slowed down, raped him again then let him leave with the shreds of his man card. Fuck yo Dakota!

"I got your 'tapa-tapa-tapa'.."

[simply_pandora]

Gear*

Stupid Android and Swype :/

"I got your 'tapa-tapa-tapa'.."

[silkyms3]

I've gotten ZERO action in 3 years. Couple of NeonSRT4 guys have given me the thumbs up, but that's about it. 99% of people think it's a POS hatch and don't bother.

[lilred]

Had an eclipse rev and bov me well I was next to him getting on the freeway... Never caught back up after that onramp lol

tapafuck

[himurax13]

Originally Posted by 3Gee Tee Gen Wons don't have that problem; we're discreet as fuck.

Black Pu's are either just as discreet or even more so proabaly due to the fact that it looks like a Minivan from many angles.

Nobody ever tries to initiate a race with me. I have even spun tires in 3rd in front of the cops and they didn't even bat an eye in my direction. I generally try to keep a low profile on the city streets because the speed limits are too low.

The only time I ever get any sort of action is when some ahole is driving like less than 75 in the fast lane and they get pissed off cause I am riding their ass and flashing my high beams in an attempt to tell them to get the fuck out of the way. After I pass them I usually slow down to see if they want to play. Sometimes I will just toy with them in fifth gear for a bit, then I drop it down to fourth when I want to end it.

Now if someone really pisses me off, I just ride there asses for a while till I reach my destination or they exit the freeway.

Then there are the occasional onramp kills when some other ahole in a "Fast" car wants to overtake before the lanes merge ...

These sorts of situations rarely happen though . I should just rebadge the car with a Skyactive Badge or something .

[Mclovin80]

I had some assclown come speeding up behind me in a 2003ish Acura TL after I passed through traffic five miles before. He thought he was going to pass around everyone in the slow lane and got pinned in before he got off on the next exit. I guess he wanted to see the Mazdaspeed badge again before I was gone. What a douche bag lol!

Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G

[SarcasticOne]

Jeez, at least you lot get some fun
Closest thing I've gotten is some young kid in a is250, didn't even have to drop out of 5th at 60mph with a 3071 on it to happily wave goodbye to him (only to ~85-90mph)

[b3nnno]

gen 1 is discreet as fuck. most people think its a 3

[Kyle Undefined]

I had some beat to shit accord try to race to me tonight on northern 41. Wasn't worth the gas and cops always sit up in that area.

[motherfnmonsta]

since I have owned my 2012 speed3 I have one had two cars try to race me one was a 350z with a intake and exhaust smoked his doors off with his gf laughing at him, and had a vr6 jetta trying to fuck with me and I left him on the high way as if he was just sitting there. But other wise no other import or domestic cars have tried to run me, but I dont go out looking for trouble either.

[gotspeed]

got to love the sleeper status... I even debadged my car to get even less attention.

I've still had these cars try to race/pass me without success:
mustang gt (not 5.0)
prelude
gti
acura cl type S
hyundai sonata v6
dodge charger rt daytona
civic sir
bmw 328i
porshe boxster
dodge ram
infiniti fx37

[Zerocool]

Originally Posted by snwslasher27 yeah pretty much unless they know its a speed3 they will ignore you. cops dont care either wayy some dick the other day driving a piece of shit civic with the hood tied down with rope didnt like me passing him on the highway tried to get around me for 10 minutes wouldnt let him pass me illegally when he went to turn off onto the turnipike on 476 he threw a handful of change at my car . ended up turning around at the next redlight and got on the turnpike and chased him down after 5 minutes and returned the favorr and then some. cool story bro. i know.

Damn, I had the same thing happen. When I had my 09 MS3 a dick in a 3 series got all butt hurt I destroyed him and started flicking coins out of his sunroof after I let him by while laughing at him. I had a friend with me so we returned the favor with quarters ^^ We ended up going at it for like 5 minutes. Gridlock traffic came and he darted off illegally all over until getting off an exit. Fucking. Assholes. In. Beamers. That was one of the craziest things I have done. Something about messing with my car fills the rage meter instantly. I only had one hardly noticeable scratch.

[Dr. Speed]

Originally Posted by Zerocool Damn, I had the same thing happen. When I had my 09 MS3 a dick in a 3 series got all butt hurt I destroyed him and started flicking coins out of his sunroof after I let him by while laughing at him. I had a friend with me so we returned the favor with quarters ^^ We ended up going at it for like 5 minutes. Gridlock traffic came and he darted off illegally all over until getting off an exit. Fucking. Assholes. In. Beamers. That was one of the craziest things I have done. Something about messing with my car fills the rage meter instantly. I only had one hardly noticeable scratch.

You wasted perfectly good quarters on a bmw asshole??!

[jseams]

It seems that folks in automatics seem to like to floor it at stop lights. I've noticed SUV's in particular have that habit around here. I guess it's just natural for someone in most automatics to put the pedal to the floor everytime they launch - little possibility of roasting your tires, lol. It gets annoying sometimes, but sometimes there is a payout...

Two days ago I saw a jeep with huge tires gun it from a stop sign, switch lanes real quick to the right side of El Camino, near Belmont (he didn't know about the bump, apparently) and get airborn - he hit the sidewalk, took out a sign and kept going. I could see that the top of his window was busted up. Was pretty funny... he's lucky it didn't come over the drivers side and take off his head.

[robry]

this is why you go big turbo with a screamer pipe...

[dantes5823]

Originally Posted by robry this is why you go big turbo with a screamer pipe...

Fucking love doing that to people. Breaks their will instantly. I tend to try and not crack it open till its go time. Then I finally do and it's for them.

[robry]

Originally Posted by dantes5823 Fucking love doing that to people. Breaks their will instantly. I tend to try and not crack it open till its go time. Then I finally do and it's for them.

fucking right lol

[dantes5823]

Originally Posted by robry fucking right lol

I try to find dicks in convertible BMW and Benz and blow their ears off.

[boostdmazda3]

no one ever tries to race me unless i egg them on and thats coming from someone with ricer gold rims and liscense plate that says slowms3.

[dantes5823]

Originally Posted by boostdmazda3 no one ever tries to race me unless i egg them on and thats coming from someone with ricer gold rims and liscense plate that says slowms3.

Maybe you should have it say fastms3

[boostdmazda3]

Originally Posted by dantes5823 Maybe you should have it say fastms3

Nah that would be very much lying but i see your logic.

[himurax13]

Originally Posted by boostdmazda3 Nah that would be very much lying but i see your logic.

It needs to say something like "2SLW4CVC" or "2SLW4HON" .

Originally Posted by dantes5823 I try to find dicks in convertible BMW and Benz and blow their ears off.

Thats childsplay. Just roll by Glendale or Encino.

[re-rx7]

Originally Posted by gotspeed got to love the sleeper status... I even debadged my car to get even less attention. I've still had these cars try to race/pass me without success: mustang gt (not 5.0) prelude gti acura cl type S hyundai sonata v6 dodge charger rt daytona civic sir bmw 328i porshe boxster dodge ram infiniti fx37

This kill list made me laugh. I have a 2010 speed 3 and its my daily. I do not get any people trying to race me. In the Evo though, it seems like every speed 3, srt4, mustang, vette is out to prove themselves. Somedays its fun but most days just annoying.

[re-rx7]

Originally Posted by fortressofcomfort Let's face it, the MS3 draws a very specific kind of crowd. #1 , and #1 most importantly, its only available in a manual transmission thank god. You really have no idea how important this fact is in keeping our car in the right "crowd." So that right there eliminates a shit load of folks who really know nothing about how to really drive a car, because one of the first things you do, if you are into cars, is to learn how to drive a stick. There are WAY too many boneheads with Camaros, Vettes, you name it that simply have it as a status symbol; not so with the MS3. #2 , its not overally flashy or muscular looking. Sure the hood scoop, 18" wheels, etc. let you know something special is going on, the MS3 does not attract the pure "testosterone" crowd, again thank god. #3 , If you are in the market for a hot hatch, you want some something cutting edge. Even though the engine is pushing 8 years old now, to me, a 2.3L all aluminum direct injected VVT turbo charged engine sounds more interesting than a 2.0L, iron block (Evos up through 9, and all VW products), port injected (Subaru) turbo charged engine. #4 ), There's about 1/2 of the population that still won't buy a foreign car. Their loss. #5 ), Very few people approach an MS3 as a "aesthetically customizable plaform" as simply opposed to a driver's car. I mean, you can't even get an MS3 without summer tires. It lays down the stats from the factory and you can't make it "softer" to appeal to the half-hearted crowd. #6 ) There's not that many MS3s (and MS6s) out there. I mean for a cheap car it really is quite a rare/unique vehicle. So this deters the "mainstream crowd." #7 ) Its not a Honda who always attracts the true ricer crowd (although I will be the first to admit that many of their engines are spectacularly engineered). #8 ) It requires premium fuel; shoppers of cheap cars don't want to be constrained to $4/gal fuel so this removes the beancounters from our MS3 population. #9 ) Being a hatchback design, it tends to be more versatile than other cars in its segment. This attracts those who have real needs (families, houses, etc). #1 0) I could go on and on So what does all this mean? MS3 DRIVERS ARE LEGIT CAR NUTS!!! Everyone on this forum is a very unique individual when it comes to what they drive, why they drive it, and what they do to it over the long haul. The MS3 is as far from being a "mid-life crisis" car as you could possibly get. Owners of MS3s derive their satisfaction from the drive itself as opposed to simply owning "that type of car."

I have some issues with your points that seem very biased.

point #3-Its sounds more interesting and thats about it. What is the more proven engine? the Mzr or the 4g63 or alot of other Iron blocks.

Point #4- you have facts to back that up?

Point#7- You can thank Honda for the Speed even being here. That car started everything. Yes there are ricer Hondas but there are plenty of speeds Ive seen driven by 17 yo racers.

Point #8- you realize you can buy a v6 mustang that is just as quick and gets better gas mileage then the speed 3 all on 87? Plenty of cars say premium fuel only but will run fine on 87. Most of the Time if your just driving not boosting everywhere 87 is the better choice as it burns easier.

It means that its an affordable sports wagon. Its an Srt4 of sorts that alot of kids own as it is affordable.

[speed31982]

I drove over 30 miles to and back from work outside of Baltimore and I almost NEVER get pulled on. My car is a sleeper, permed by Alex at Stratified, but my car is loud as hell. I had an STI come up to my ass and i floored it and then hit traffic, and the other day I had a street bike get on my ass, so I floor it and was doing 140 before I knew it and the bike wasn't keeping up... loved it! Then he thought it would be cool to weave in and out of traffic doing 90 to show me up i guess?

[breakfstincluded]

Originally Posted by re-rx7 Point #4- you have facts to back that up?

The same facts that show the F150 and Silverados as being the top selling cars in America, what other nation has trucks as the best selling vehicle?

[fortressofcomfort]

Originally Posted by re-rx7 I have some issues with your points that seem very biased. point #3 -Its sounds more interesting and thats about it. What is the more proven engine? the Mzr or the 4g63 or alot of other Iron blocks. Point #4- you have facts to back that up? Point#7 - You can thank Honda for the Speed even being here. That car started everything. Yes there are ricer Hondas but there are plenty of speeds Ive seen driven by 17 yo racers. Point #8 - you realize you can buy a v6 mustang that is just as quick and gets better gas mileage then the speed 3 all on 87? Plenty of cars say premium fuel only but will run fine on 87. Most of the Time if your just driving not boosting everywhere 87 is the better choice as it burns easier. It means that its an affordable sports wagon. Its an Srt4 of sorts that alot of kids own as it is affordable.

OK good questions but I respectfully disagree on some.
Point #3 , it's a more interesting engine. I didn't say anything about being proven or having more aftermarket supports, etc.

Point #7 , Mazda has been making cars more than 30 years longer than Honda or Toyota. Fact. Also, Honda's "vision" of high performance (VTEC) was directly aimed at turbocharged cars. So thank Mazda for keeping the rotary and engines like the DISI turbo alive.

Point #8 . A BONE STOCK Mazdaspeed3 can run the Nurburgring in about 8.4 minutes. To put that in perspective, the 9th fastest production car in the world at any cost on the Nurburgring is the Corvette ZR-1 with a 7.19 I believe. Evos and STIs stock fall in the 8 flat range. That V6 Mustang you mention has no chance whatsoever of breaking 10 minutes on the Nurburgring. In fact, the MS3 is the only car under $35k new that can run the Nurburgring in 8.5 minutes or less. Now the Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca does very well there but its a $50k Mustange. If you don't know what the nurburgring is well then just stop reading now.

[GODspeed7]

Originally Posted by fortressofcomfort OK good questions but I respectfully disagree on some. Point #3 , it's a more interesting engine. I didn't say anything about being proven or having more aftermarket supports, etc. Point #7 , Mazda has been making cars more than 30 years longer than Honda or Toyota. Fact. Also, Honda's "vision" of high performance (VTEC) was directly aimed at turbocharged cars. So thank Mazda for keeping the rotary and engines like the DISI turbo alive. Point #8 . A BONE STOCK Mazdaspeed3 can run the Nurburgring in about 8.4 minutes. To put that in perspective, the 9th fastest production car in the world at any cost on the Nurburgring is the Corvette ZR-1 with a 7.19 I believe. Evos and STIs stock fall in the 8 flat range. That V6 Mustang you mention has no chance whatsoever of breaking 10 minutes on the Nurburgring. In fact, the MS3 is the only car under $35k new that can run the Nurburgring in 8.5 minutes or less. Now the Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca does very well there but its a $50k Mustange. If you don't know what the nurburgring is well then just stop reading now.

Thanks for posting this fortress. And as for you @re-rx7 I don't believe you ever introduced yourself? In fact looking back on all 24 of your posts, you pretty much came on to this forum as a know it all cocky fuck. You post once every few months and not to compliment, not to socialize, just to spew your high and mighty "shit house knowledge" but it looks like my good friend fortress here, shot that all to hell.


Tapatalk LIKE A BOSS!

[fortressofcomfort]

Actually, sorry, the MS3 did it in 8:39. There's only two Fords on the list at all, the Focus ST (8:51) and the Ford GT (7:40)

There are only 3 Hondas listed. Actually one is an Acura, the NSX, and it put down a very good (7:56). Then you have the S2000 (8:39, rings a bell doesn't it?), and the Honda Civic Type-R (of course) at (8:47)

Don't believe me, or want to know where your piece of crap Scion lands on the most demanding race track in the world, go see for yourself:
List of Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And like GODSpeed7 said, people on these forums have their facts straight before opening their yappers.