What about the way the MS3 drives?

It's a very "raw" car. I know for some people it could be tiring, but I love it.

Awd would be nice, but it is far from necessary. I currently drive a 2002 mazda protege 5 hatchback (like the mazda 3's little brother) and with winter tires I have no problems at all driving it in the winter. So I am pretty confident driving the ms3 in the winter won't be an issue as long as I have some decent winter tires on it.

The Speed actually does very well in the snow. I bought some awesome snow tires and this thing handled great for me this winter. I was a bit worried coming from a WRX but good tires go a long way.

I 2nd the volvo s60R recommendation

those things are so comfortable and if I am not mistaken paddle shifters

Fuck paddle shifters. I hate that shit. It's getting harder and harder to find regular manual transmissions these days. I heard that Toyota is dropping the MT in everything but the Tacoma in 2015. Many other manufacturers will follow suit. Volvo does make a comfortable ride though.

I just sold my 2012 Speed3 and soon will be in the market for a 2015 WRX... I live in New England and after the winter we just had awd is a must for me...I looked at a few 2015 Wrx's and although not perfect the interior is greatly improved!


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i prefer the standard MT too but this guy has only driven a MT once in his life lol

Not sure of the laws up there in Canuckistan, but can you buy one down here and drive it home, maybe paying a tax of some sort? If possible, might be a cheaper option.

Anyway, I have had my 2013 for 7 months now with no issues (aside from a dumb ass tow truck driver who failed to set a parking brake and rear ended me). So far, it's been bulletproof.

What I like: Power and practicality. It is absolutely the most ridiculous, bonkers car I've ever owned. As far as refinement and driving dynamics, it's a muscle car. Power all day long, even bone stock. The styling is organic and aggressive, and the car is unique. Non-car people don't give it a second look, and will try to abuse you constantly (tailgating, cutting you off) until you put them in their place with your right foot. Car-people will crane their necks to look at it. Fits a lot of cargo in the back. Bose is decent...not great. Tech package is 9 kinds of awesome. In mixed city/highway, I average 23mpg. Due to the...unruliness of this car, you need to constantly be aware of what you're doing.

What I don't like so much...you need to be constantly aware of what you're doing. I came from an RX8, which was such a fantastic chassis...absolutely effortless to drive fast, and made me feel like I could run on any race track I found. This car makes me WORK at it...right on the ragged edge. While my RX or even my Miata were smooth and predictable, this thing is white-knuckle time. That's both a good and bad thing and makes for an invigorating drive, when you want it. Tooling around town, the car does fine and is a decent commuter, but at the limits it's a challenge to work it. Still learning it though, so maybe that's just me.

If you're looking for something boring, this car isn't it.


Edit: snow tires as previously stated. Stock Dunlops are absolutely treacherous in snow.

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I think manuals are a dying off because they've made automatics perform a lot better than they used to, and get just as good fuel economy now. A dual clutch paddle shifter can also out perform a traditional manual gearbox.
I actually wouldn't mind trying out the vw DSG (except i've read a million failure stories about them) 90% of my driving is city. Honestly, the stick shift kind of sucks for it, but i also really hate how most automatic transmissions hunt around constantly and feel like crap. I haven't test driven any car newer than like 5 years old, but I'm sure some of the new automatics are probably really good.

As far as Volvo goes, since they were purchased by a Chinese company 4 years ago, I won't consider them... sick of cheap chinese shit in this country and i dont like supporting that country much. which is a shame, i've always liked volvo - a friend of mine just hit 200k with his even though the turbo seized up like 50k miles ago and he doesn't care. it never threw a CEL! now it gets better mpg!

I think that used to be common, but I think they changed it so you get taxed heavily for doing that now. Don't think its worth it anymore but I'm not really sure.

For what it's worth I test drove a focus st a week ago, and the first quirk I noticed was how sensitive the brake pedal was. Also compared to the speed3, boost comes on very early with less drama, which is to be expected with its smaller turbo. If you're 110% sure you don't wanna mod your car than the focus st is a considerable purchase id say. After the test drive I like the st better than the ms3 in most categories other than potential; it has no potential compared to our mazdaspeed3s

As much as I am hearing good things about the focus st, I just hate the way it looks. You can definitely argue that the ms3 looks obnoxious or that the front end is ugly, but overall I actually like the way it looks. Although I agree the front fender could be better.

Heard a lot of good things regarding the interior, handling, and how smooth the focus st is, but I just think it looks so bland and boring. That on top of the crazy car pricing here in Canada, I wouldn't buy a ST, they are $35k+ here.

I'm from Ottawa, and with the LSD and snow tires I was laughing at people with their Awd and all season tires.

The Ms3 is a solid car in the winter. You just need to give it what it needs to be successful in it (winter tires)

Does the 2010 that you are looking at have tech package? If so, I'd jump on that for $$$ savings and the low kms. I'm at 50k kms now and 0 problems


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I hear you. If I lived in a city and had to drive in traffic all the time, I might consider an auto. I live in Vermont so most of my driving is either highway or low traffic back roads.

For what its worth, I had an 08 MS3 that I loved and would still have if it didn't get totaled. After that I moved into a 2011 WRX and it was ok at best. The suspension was much softer than the MS3, the interior blew, and overall it didn't feel as fast or fun compared to the MS3. Long story short I am picking up a '13 MS3 on Tuesday!

My previous car was a 2003 Toyota Matrix XR. Because of it, I have fondness for the hatches.

I bought my MS3 back in October. Ever since seeing the GenOne back in 2007/8 I wanted one.

When it came time to get a new car I started looking around. MS3 was not immediately on my radar(mainly cause of my budget). I looked at all kinds of cars - VW CC, Toyota Venza, VW GTI(wifes favorite at the time), Focus Titanium, even looked at Kia Optimas and Huyndai Elantra. Budget was a HUGE factor for me, but also wanted something that would be practical for the family. Then I happened upon my MS3 and started doing research, gathering info. Got in contact with the dealer that had it, threw some numbers out at them and got close to the number I wanted and went in to test drive. The joy of driving it is just amazing. I was sold on it after the test drive and actually bought it the same day.

I was VERY fortunate in finding my 2012 w/ Tech and got it for a little over $19k plus TT&L w/ 18.5k miles on it. Since purchasing it I have added about 10k miles to the car.

Oh and I was like you and initially said I would not mod the car lol, well as you can see from my sig that didn't last long. TBH if you get the MS3 factor in at the minimum the cost of internals and an AP to monitor things with. I heard so many horror stories about ZZB that I bought my internals and AP pretty quickly.

fwiw ill also chime in

my previous fast/fun car was a 2011 mustang gt stick. i LOVED that car. sold it when i enlisted. It made 415/396 with intake tune and cat deletes, had koni yellows big brakes, sways, etc. won ESP class for scca florida region in it one year, ran 11.9's-12.0's@117 with a 1.71 60ft on beat to shit old mickey et streets. and did almost 170 in the standing mile.

but it was a damn handful to track it, and it attracted a ton of attention, it was a completely blacked out mustang that revved to 7800 rpm and poped fire on shifts. not so under the radar. it was a great car though and i miss it alot.

i picked up this speed 3 a few months ago. I knew i would like it, but my enjoyment of this car continues to grow, its quick enough to have fun it, to the point i can rip it wide open 10/10ths on the big long sweeping ramps we have down here( the mustang was just too fast to drive them that hard, id be doing 140-150 at the end of them) but not attract unwanted flashy light attention.

its a nice riding car, always has passing power, trans is decently smooth, nice features(ive got tech package) like turing headlights, rain sensing wipers, nav i dont use, etc. i get 32-35mpg on the highway, and average around 22-23 daily. the car just flies under the radar, and has tons of usable room, i took everything i needed to camp in sebring for 5 days inside it with space to spare.

im quite happy with my speed 3 and wont be swapping to the 2015 mustang gt end of the year like i thought i would have

Ummmmm add me to that list of VW owners. Issue after issue with the fucken thing! Had to learn how to work on the thing just to save money, which was in the thousands.

You can tell if it has the tech package by the big nav screen or lack of right? If so neither of the speed 3's at the dealership have it. I kind of want the 2013 because its white vs, the red 2010, and because the 13' is practically brand new.

The '13 tech had a touch steroe/nav

The 2010-2012 techs have a small nav screen up next tot he radio/ a/c info. For these they way to tell if it has a push button start. If there are no pics of the inside, look at the door handles - if there is a black button that means it is the tech package(also techs have LED taillights)

Yeah I think both of the dealer ms3's are just base. The 13' doesn't have the large nav screen and the 10' it's hard to tell because there is no good pic to see if there is push to start, but i'm fairly certain its the base model.

I definitely bought the right car. Thanks for this amazing link.

I bought my 2012 speed3 with tech package in the end of November, paid 20K +Tax/tags had 20k miles on it. I bought an 08 mazda3 hatch in 09, I originally wanted a speed3 or wrx, but my wife can't drive stick and there were times I wanted to take her SUV, she would not agree to learn stick, so I bought the mazda3 hatch and loved it but always wanted the speed.

My wife drove my car abt 4 times and hated it, said it was too small and low to the ground. So I kept looking at speed3's and was finally in a position to buy one. I absolutely love the car, for most of the reasons the others have mentioned. I have 2 kids and we all fit in the car just fine.

I originally said I wasn't gonna mod either, but I will get internals, AP, SRI and probably new exhaust and that will be about it.

Every day I drive the car I love it just as much.

i've been in love with MS3s since I was in high school.

It was definitely my goal to get this car, and I was very happy to be able to get it last August. Before buying, I test drove a brz and a frs and was quite underwhelmed.

MS3s I feel are the best all around choice for any type of vehicle. Has 4 doors, tons of trunk space, and good power. You can drive it hard, or comfortably just coast on by and save the MPGs.

The new WRXs are really nice though. And I think the ST just looks really ugly.

Why choose a Speed3? because nobody knows what the F it is. WRX's, EVO's (to a lesser degree), and STi's are borderline commonplace. I used to be a strict Bimmer guy and have owned 3 BMW's. I almost resented the idea of owning a FWD hatch, and then I drove one... Once I discovered how capable the MS3 platform was, I was instantly sold. I live in the mountains of West Virginia, and my area usually averages 100+ inches (250 something cm in your case) of snow a year. While I wouldn't classify my Speed as a plow on wheels, it managed to hold it's own on snow packed road surfaces. Some Rally Armor flaps would probably serve you well. Overall, my car's potential seems to be endless and it never fails to put a gigantic smile on my face when unsuspecting Subbies want to tango. :)

:iconcur:

i also like smoking mustangs

Probably because 85 percent of them are douches? lol jk I had one

late 90s V6 models lol

Mustangs are always fun. Although, the newer 5.0's can also be monsters. speaking from experience...:frown:

Truth being the MS3 is a nice car for the money. The features that the 2nd gen offer are quality for what the car is offered for now a days. Now the only flaw that i hate, is that the car is FWD, but some people are ok with that. Overall i think the car is a really good car, as well as the market for direct parts for the specific vehicle.

Yea.. That plus I think its butt ugly from the back.. I like the front view but the back kills me. That's just an opinion though

I came from a 06 STI to the MS3 side and here is why.

This is simply my opinion and experience,

In the snow you MIGHT miss the AWD, but with proper tires and some common sense the MS3 will perform just fine. The opportunity cost of an STI/WRX over a MS3 does not out weigh buying a MS3 and getting Snows for similar performance. I live in Coloardo and with snow tires the MS3 performed great, I have no complaints. I'm not saying that FWD = AWD but with proper proactive measures you will not regret getting the MS3.

Moving on to summer/spring/fall driving the MS3 has been such a blast. It is so much more of a driving experience than my STI was. The STI always felt like the car was in control rather than me being in control. The MS3 does suffer from more torque steer, which is to be expected, but it is not overbearing in the slightest. After you drive the MS3 for a bit and begin to understand the car you will easily compensate for the TS.

I will also say that contrary to many beliefs on the forums I enjoy the interior or the MS3, much more than that of the STI. To me it flows much better and offers the same amount of desirable features for a fraction of the cost. As for interior noise the MS3 did have more harshness than the STI initially, but with 150$ worth of sound deadening and a weekend of labor it now is as much of a pleasure to drive as my C class, with twice the fun and twice the cargo space.

The MS3 is a practical, fun, relentless, and full of potential. Just get one and don't look back.

Again this is my opinion.

Yeah I am pretty sold on the MS3 but I do not have a lot of options for buying one here. The dealers has 3 of them and there is 1 other one for sale privately. The dealer has two 2013 base models, one has been in a big accident so I am not interested in that one (they still want $28k for it), the other 2013 seems really nice and has a clean title, but they want $32k for it(has 1400km on it). Dealer has one 2010 base MS3, 15000km, they want 25k for it. Only claim was for hail damage that got repaired.

The private MS3 for sale is a 2010 with tech package, 43,000 km. I contacted him for more information but hasn't responded yet, wants $20k.

I really want to get the clean 2013 but that is pretty expensive, $32k before taxes probably around $34k with taxes. Hard to justify that when for $38k you can get a brand new 2015 wrx, granted that's a lot of money too and I probably wouldn't do that. Also the MS3 is about the same price as a new Focus ST.

Everything here said about "subie" owners is so true. Makes me want to despise them.:burnout:

?????? Canada?

No way.. Kelly blue book puts a 2010 with tech at around 16k... And that's in excellent condition. Maybe the price is different up where your at. Look around you can get a 2012 or maybe even a 2013 used for around 20k easy

Yeah Canada. That's why I don't really know whats a good deal here for one, cause all cars are much more expensive than the states. What was the 2013 MS3's cost brand new in the states? I assume it was $10k more in Canada, because that's how it seems every car is.

The ones I looked at were around 25-27k online at the time. You could always pick one up here in the states and drive it back right

As far as I know it isn't worth it anymore to do that. Used to be common to buy a car in the states and drive it back, now I think you get taxed heavily and it isn't much cheaper if at all.

I did grab my 2011 MS3 Tech with 55K kms for $19K. Celestial Blue.

Canada pricing is always fun, MS3 are more rare here as well. Just keep your eyes open I have seen some decent ones come up here and there. Just that they go fast.

And yes everything costs more here.

As for importing you have to pay conversion, taxes (13%) and if it isn't built in North America then the import tax which is I believe 6% or so. So price + conversion + 19%.

Doesn't make for cheaper cars all the time.

Previously I owned a 1999 1.8 L VW GTI Turbo, (Manual) and it was easily the worst, most costly car I have ever driven and I will never own another one. Going from that to the Speed 3 has been a fucking dream. I think, for what it is, the Speed 3, (mine is a 1st-gen 2006 model) is an under-estimated drive given how engaging it is to drive.

It can be costly to run and its advised to keep revs under 3 k because otherwise, you may as well be pouring your money down the toilet.

Road-noise can be high at times but this can be lessened somewhat by choosing appropriate low-noise road tyres.

All in all I think the Speed 3 is a great car and I have to say in terms of other cars that I have driven its a fantastic sports package that can be sedate enough to drive around town with no problems while still being powerful enough to put the wind up any unsuspecting ricers even if it's still factory.

Go for it and buy a Genwon Speed 3 I reckon, you won't regret it.

lol I posted 1 minute too late. Congrats and welcome to the Speed family!!!