What do you think about this mazdaspeed3

[Want]

Hello,
I'm looking to buy a mazdaspeed3 but my budget isn't that high. I came across this ad:
Mazdaspeed 3 2007
180000km's
Downpipe turbo xs
Vibrant catback
Cold air intake aem
Boost gauge autometer.
Timing chain recently done with vvt.
New rear breaks but the front ones are due.
Front bumper cracked from the snow last winter
A/C no longer works
New summer tires
Almost no rust

He's asking 3000$ CAD. I have 0 knowledge about this stuff so I cannot judge wether or not it's a good deal or if the engine is blown! It doesn't feel right asking to bring it to a mechanic before I buy it. Do you think it's a good deal or too good to be true?

[Pu Manchu]

Originally Posted by Want It doesn't feel right asking to bring it to a mechanic before I buy it.

???

Does it feel right buying it without knowing its condition?

[Reds3]

Couple things,

- Does he have maintenance records?
- Does he have records of the VVT being done?
- Are you going to drive it before purchase?
- Will it come safetied?
- With all of these mods done, does the car have HPFP internals?
- Does it smoke at idle?

IMO with it already coming with alot of mods chances are it could have been driven hard and if it doesnt have HPFP internals thats not a good sign.

You have the right to ask to bring it to a mechanic before purchase. If the seller says no then walk away, thats a red flag right there.

Bring a compression tester for sure.
Maybe scan it for codes.

I paid 3000$ for my MS3 and it had 0 mods on it which is the only reason id consider buying one for 3k. BUT if all those things check out and compression is good and it doesnt smoke then why not?

[Want]

Originally Posted by Pu Manchu ??? Does it feel right buying it without knowing its condition?

No, you're right. I'm going to ask him to bring the car to a shop and I'll pay for the inspection. if nothing really wrong is found, then I'll buy it.

Originally Posted by Reds3 Couple things, - Does he have maintenance records? - Does he have records of the VVT being done? - Are you going to drive it before purchase? - Will it come safetied? - With all of these mods done, does the car have HPFP internals? - Does it smoke at idle? IMO with it already coming with alot of mods chances are it could have been driven hard and if it doesnt have HPFP internals thats not a good sign. You have the right to ask to bring it to a mechanic before purchase. If the seller says no then walk away, thats a red flag right there. Bring a compression tester for sure. Maybe scan it for codes. I paid 3000$ for my MS3 and it had 0 mods on it which is the only reason id consider buying one for 3k. BUT if all those things check out and compression is good and it doesnt smoke then why not?

Good idea to ask him for records. he said it was done recently so he should still have receipts. But the problem is I don't even know what HPFP internals are nor how to use a compression tester or how to scan for codes. I decided to bring it to a mechanic before pursing tho. Hopefully they can do all that for me.

[MSMS3]

We are trying to help you stay out of trouble. Used performance cars can be a bargain, or they may have been abused and have serious problems. You need to check it out carefully and be prepared to spend some money on it.

HPFP is the high pressure fuel pump. The stock internals (piston and cylinder) are marginal for the stock tune. When he put on the TurboXS catless downpipe (and presumably the matching race pipe, both replacing the catted low flow OEM downpipe and midpipe, this dramatically increases flow.

First: Do you have emission testing in your state? if so, the catless exhaust will almost certainly fail. If you can't pass inspection, you can't drive it on the street. If you can run catless, then you need to know why the pump upgrade is essential. The air for all that increased exhaust flow has to come from the intake side. An engine is an air pump. It can't push more air out of the exhaust than it takes in. Thus, the aftermarket intake to add more flow capability. But in order for the engine to match the increased air flow with proper fuel, the pump has to pump harder. It has to maintain pressure at or above 1600 psi when the engine is under load.

The stock pump cannot keep up with this demand from the big catless downpipe and the high flow intake.. Unless the pump internals are replaced with the larger piston and cylinder, the pressure will drop. When pressure drops below 1600 psi the engine will lean out. When that happens the engine blows up. We've seen a lot of that here when guys try to bump up power without upgrading that pump. You need to verify that it has the pump upgrade., or be willing to have it done. If it has not been done, don't drive the car in high boost or you will blow the engine.

Also, the stock ECU tune is not compatible with running the big catless downpipe and race pipe. The tune must be modified, or the turbo will overboost with dangerous boost spikes. Has it been tuned. What tune, from what company and, if custom tuned, by whom.

Look at the modifications in my signature. Mazdaspeed/AEM intake. TurboXS catless downpipe and race pipe, among other things. Look familiar?

So, you need, at a minimum:

1. Upgraded HPFP internals.
2. A tune compatible with your mods. That means VersaTune, Cobb AP, or even the Hypertech, which works remarkably well, provided the car has a stock K04 turbo and is running on premium pump gas. Any upgraded larger turbo will require a special tune.

Please read the various treads here related to running catless, tuning options, "smoking turbo" and aftermarket HPFP upgrades.

You also need a way to identify and clear codes and to monitor and log basic engine functions to run safely with these mods on the car.

I agree that you must find out whether the engine is in decent condition. That means a static compression test and a cylinder leak down test. If it fails those tests, stop. If it passes, then you need to know if the turbo smokes at idle, a sign that its internal center shaft seals are failing. If so, the turbo will need to be rebuilt or preferably replaced. Almost all stock K04 turbos eventually smoke on our engines. There are threads here with the details.

Get documentation on the VVT work.

These are fun cars. I bought mine new in '08 and drove it for almost 11 years. But, the car is a high performance car that needs regular maintenance and needs to have very thoughtful modification so that the upgrades are all compatible with each other.

[Db09ms3]

Interesting, I hope you are factoring in labor costs for anything you need done to this car or learn to wrench asap.

[Want]

Originally Posted by MSMS3 We are trying to help you stay out of trouble. Used performance cars can be a bargain, or they may have been abused and have serious problems. You need to check it out carefully and be prepared to spend some money on it. HPFP is the high pressure fuel pump. The stock internals (piston and cylinder) are marginal for the stock tune. When he put on the TurboXS catless downpipe (and presumably the matching race pipe, both replacing the catted low flow OEM downpipe and midpipe, this dramatically increases flow. First: Do you have emission testing in your state? if so, the catless exhaust will almost certainly fail. If you can't pass inspection, you can't drive it on the street. If you can run catless, then you need to know why the pump upgrade is essential. The air for all that increased exhaust flow has to come from the intake side. An engine is an air pump. It can't push more air out of the exhaust than it takes in. Thus, the aftermarket intake to add more flow capability. But in order for the engine to match the increased air flow with proper fuel, the pump has to pump harder. It has to maintain pressure at or above 1600 psi when the engine is under load. The stock pump cannot keep up with this demand from the big catless downpipe and the high flow intake.. Unless the pump internals are replaced with the larger piston and cylinder, the pressure will drop. When pressure drops below 1600 psi the engine will lean out. When that happens the engine blows up. We've seen a lot of that here when guys try to bump up power without upgrading that pump. You need to verify that it has the pump upgrade., or be willing to have it done. If it has not been done, don't drive the car in high boost or you will blow the engine. Also, the stock ECU tune is not compatible with running the big catless downpipe and race pipe. The tune must be modified, or the turbo will overboost with dangerous boost spikes. Has it been tuned. What tune, from what company and, if custom tuned, by whom. Look at the modifications in my signature. Mazdaspeed/AEM intake. TurboXS catless downpipe and race pipe, among other things. Look familiar? So, you need, at a minimum: 1. Upgraded HPFP internals. 2. A tune compatible with your mods. That means VersaTune, Cobb AP, or even the Hypertech, which works remarkably well, provided the car has a stock K04 turbo and is running on premium pump gas. Any upgraded larger turbo will require a special tune. Please read the various treads here related to running catless, tuning options, "smoking turbo" and aftermarket HPFP upgrades. You also need a way to identify and clear codes and to monitor and log basic engine functions to run safely with these mods on the car. I agree that you must find out whether the engine is in decent condition. That means a static compression test and a cylinder leak down test. If it fails those tests, stop. If it passes, then you need to know if the turbo smokes at idle, a sign that its internal center shaft seals are failing. If so, the turbo will need to be rebuilt or preferably replaced. Almost all stock K04 turbos eventually smoke on our engines. There are threads here with the details. Get documentation on the VVT work. These are fun cars. I bought mine new in '08 and drove it for almost 11 years. But, the car is a high performance car that needs regular maintenance and needs to have very thoughtful modification so that the upgrades are all compatible with each other.

Thanks for the advice! I didn't even think about the emission testing, I'll be sure to ask him about that too! And I'm going to read the forums about the different topics you stated. Hopefully I'll get a better idea about what I'm getting myself into.

[SpeedThrills]

I bought mine for $4500 which at the time was about half of the KBB value. However, it had been previously totaled and rebuilt so that seriously diminished the value. I don't give a shit about the rebuilt title so ultimately, I got a great deal. Bought it from a nice older guy who lived in a nice house and had a built and refinished old Plymouth GTX in his garage and he followed me over an hour home so I could use his plates... all in all I felt really comfortable about it. Alot of times you can get a feel. I've bitten on plenty of "good" seeming deals in my day and gotten screwed. My MS3 was totally stock and that was a big sticking point for me, I didn't want another car that someone had molested and beaten on.

As members better than myself have already pointed out - have it looked at. I was previously a tech and a licensed state inspector and still missed some things I should have noticed as I got clouded up in the " but I really want this car" mindset (see my short-lived ownership of a dozen German cars...). There are many things that can be hiding, and it's good to just have a trained and unbiased set of eyes and hands to give you an opinion. Hopefully for your sake, it's just a damn good deal!

You can usually tell when someone cares for their car. I have nearly $10,000 worth of work and parts documented in receipts which are in a folder in the car and also backed up on my phone in digital copies, I can rattle off the dates I've installed parts from memory. Usually, there are signs and there is the gut feeling you get. You're off to a good start by being cautious and you came to the right place.

As has been said, if it has those mods and DOESN'T have upgraded internals and/or hasn't been tuned... I wouldn't touch it. That's a clear indicator of someone with a 'look fast, go fast' attitude and those are the cars I see on craigslist being sold with blown motors. If he can't tell you the last time he changed his spark plugs... I've rambled enough. Good luck!

[Jeff23spl]

you wont like my answer but it is point of vu of a 40 years old guy that don t like gambling much and what you think of doing is a big poker game for someone that don,t know all the tricks.
If you don't do mechanics, getting a 12-13years old car is already a bad choice especially a commonly abused model....
add it risk of being badly modded, the abuse can be worst or catastrophic. Turbocharged car is never a safe option. the speed isnt worst than any other hot turbo car but it is what it is....
If you cannot afford expensives repairs, you won t like it. Needs could be anywhere between 1000 to 6000$ to keep it running....If you dont want that risk, you may better look into a 2010+ base model to serve you better....it would be a wiser choice...

that car was about twice the price of a base model because it cost twice the price to run and repair. and getting a 3k one when the average price for this used model in shape is more around 6-7k, is calling for problems. If you are that tight, you wont be able to keep it running unless you spend all your money into it (save on everything else) or your parents can stay behind to help...

i can also look into it from a younger guy point of vue where being wise isn,t fun...we live just once etc...yes it is fun to drive a hot hatch like the speed. But it is just fun as long as 3000$ isn't a problem if you lose it...in the other case, it won't be that fun...

[whatsabrooklyn]

3000 cad? that is really cheap! i would be careful...

i would get it inspected or just assume something is wrong and have some saving ready just in case...

it may be an awesome deal, but i would get it check out...

a totaled or blown engine version is around the same price...