Looking at 13 MS3

[WillEngineer]

Hey. Just had an uninsured motorist wreck my 08 Si. Thing only had 112,000 miles.

Anyway, I'm looking for a replacement. I have an acquaintance that owns a Mazda dealer with a 13 MS3 with 50,000 miles. I test drove it and all seems to be in order. Good and smooth acceleration, no issues shifting, smooth idle, etc.

Just curious with everyone's impression of this car. It will receive very little to no modifications over its lifetime with me. I just want a nice fun car for my commute and to haul my kids around town. I'm OK with average maintenance costs, and I tend to do the small to medium work myself. I just don't want a money pit.

Thanks.

Will

[SaveMelMac]

How much?

[WillEngineer]

Originally Posted by SaveMelMac How much?

$15k and change. This does not have the tech package.

[crankshaft]

We all hate them. that's why we're here.


64k miles on mine. Only routine maintenance.
It was a "culture change" for me because I'm used to much more stoplight performance......but I otherwise love it.

[JakeMS3]

It will definitely be a lot more enjoyable driving experience over your Si. Get it, drive it, be happy. And to hell with uninsured motorists!

[WillEngineer]

Originally Posted by JakeMS3 It will definitely be a lot more enjoyable driving experience over your Si. Get it, drive it, be happy. And to hell with uninsured motorists!

When I was driving by myself, the Si was somewhat enjoyable. Had it almost 6 years.

When it got hot here in Arizona (like 8 months of the year), and the AC had to come on, and I started putting my family in the car, it just bogged it down.

Originally Posted by crankshaft We all hate them. that's why we're here. 64k miles on mine. Only routine maintenance. It was a "culture change" for me because I'm used to much more stoplight performance......but I otherwise love it.

Good to hear on that. This one would likely get around 12-14,000 miles/year on it. I have an older Tacoma that will still be the used for errand runs and weekend chores, so I don't expect a lot of undue wear and tear.

Also, a good bit of my commute is highway with little traffic, so I'd say 3/4 of the miles will be low effort anyway. It won't get babied, but far from abused.

[kpeezy188]

I bought my 2012 w/out tech package at 47k miles. I now have 74k miles and I've only done routine maintenance along with a few mods. It's been a reliable car. Knock on wood.

[Varomnia]

It's a good vehicle if taken care of. Mine has a few thousand shy of 150k miles on it now. Only needed to replace the turbo once, which was a $200 drop in the bucket and 3 hours of work.

The better question is, do YOU like it? Like the body style? Like the handling? Like the power?

2013 is the last year model for the gen 2 MS3s, so you're getting the newest of it's king until (speculating) Mazda quits being silly and releases a gen 3 or gen 4 Mazdaspeed 3. They already have Mazdaspeed 3 Gen 3 body lips for sale from official Japan sites, so just a matter of time, but unlikely we will see it in the states this go around.

[WillEngineer]

Originally Posted by Varomnia It's a good vehicle if taken care of. Mine has a few thousand shy of 150k miles on it now. Only needed to replace the turbo once, which was a $200 drop in the bucket and 3 hours of work. The better question is, do YOU like it? Like the body style? Like the handling? Like the power? 2013 is the last year model for the gen 2 MS3s, so you're getting the newest of it's king until (speculating) Mazda quits being silly and releases a gen 3 or gen 4 Mazdaspeed 3. They already have Mazdaspeed 3 Gen 3 body lips for sale from official Japan sites, so just a matter of time, but unlikely we will see it in the states this go around.

I do like my experience with the car. I couldn't believe how wide open the view felt compared to that two tier dash in the Civic. The darker color on the car hides the "smile" a bit, which is acceptable to me. The power was intoxicating, I will say that. Steering felt nice and tight and communicative and not vague like many moderns cars. Basically, my 15 minute test drive produced very few hesitations.

I come from a predominately Honda background. I've had 3 Accords, 1 Prelude, 1 Integra GS-R (stolen and stripped), and two Civic Sis. The people on Honda boards are usually snobbish regarding turbocharged cars, almost like it lacks some purity. I am personally not that way, I like each nicely engineered car for what it brings. I just wanted to hear from the owners that besides the normal cost of ownership, I am not looking at a car that has left a lot of owners in a financial bind. I haven't heard this, but I wanted to ask anyway.

[Sandman978]

Originally Posted by WillEngineer Hey. Just had an uninsured motorist wreck my 08 Si. Thing only had 112,000 miles. Anyway, I'm looking for a replacement. I have an acquaintance that owns a Mazda dealer with a 13 MS3 with 50,000 miles. I test drove it and all seems to be in order. Good and smooth acceleration, no issues shifting, smooth idle, etc. Just curious with everyone's impression of this car. It will receive very little to no modifications over its lifetime with me. I just want a nice fun car for my commute and to haul my kids around town. I'm OK with average maintenance costs, and I tend to do the small to medium work myself. I just don't want a money pit. Thanks. Will

Bought my tech 12 with 2.9 miles on the clock. It has 82k now. No issues except for people not being able to see it. I've been sideswiped once and rear ended three times, and a front end head on once. Still runs like a champ with minor PM's done on schedule, and one major service at 75k. Getting ready for vvt service at 100k. Check the VIN, if all is well, get in it and thank us later.

Fapped over pictures of Laguna Seca

[Sandman978]

The car has treated me very well. It's mostly Ford under the hood, but takes a licking like it's Japanese. It's my daily, lightly modded. Biggest cost to own is the tires you'll be changing every twenty to thirty thousand miles, and the numerous trips to your local petrol station. Stay away from cheap gas, keep your filters clean, and avoid low rpm wot.

Fapped over pictures of Laguna Seca

[andale927]

I've only had my speed3 for a few months. If you are planning on keeping the car mostly stock and take care of scheduled maintenance there's no glaring issues with the platform and you will be fine. You might need a new turbo if you're unlucky but its not a huge deal to replace.

If you treat your MS3 like the people on certain facebook groups... you're in for a bad time.

[WillEngineer]

Well, I did get it. About 10 days ago.

Besides the weekend, I have driven it each day and it has been all in all an enjoyable experience. Fuel economy is a bit down on the Si, but that's what you get with 140ish more ft-lbs of torque on tap. First tank was 23 mpg and the 2nd tank was 25 mpg.

After doing some very non-aggressive driving for a couple of days and a lot of highway cruise control speed, I did hit a traffic light and floored it on a hard left and got some black smoke. I read through the forums and the rich fuel mixture seems to be fairly normal for this car and nothing to be alarmed at.

At any rate, I'm in for the long haul now so I imagine I'll see you guys/gals around the forum.

[andale927]

Originally Posted by WillEngineer Well, I did get it. About 10 days ago. Besides the weekend, I have driven it each day and it has been all in all an enjoyable experience. Fuel economy is a bit down on the Si, but that's what you get with 140ish more ft-lbs of torque on tap. First tank was 23 mpg and the 2nd tank was 25 mpg. After doing some very non-aggressive driving for a couple of days and a lot of highway cruise control speed, I did hit a traffic light and floored it on a hard left and got some black smoke. I read through the forums and the rich fuel mixture seems to be fairly normal for this car and nothing to be alarmed at. At any rate, I'm in for the long haul now so I imagine I'll see you guys/gals around the forum.

Yeah this is normal especially on the stock tune. This isnt officially documented or anything, but from what I've noticed false knock is much more likely to be registered when making a turn and accelerating. Fuel enrichment kicks in and timing is pulled and you get that puff of black smoke.

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