My car is running great, is yours?

A great number of posts here have dealt with mods gone wrong, major components cratering, Gen-1 owners slagging Gen-2 owners (and their cars) and vice-versa, negative (and sometimes positive) issues with Mazda Corporation, issues with particular dealers, issues with other members, etc...

I thought I would put in my 2-cents worth at 5000 miles of ownership.

Fact: My pre-owned Gen-1 is running and performing much better than it was when it was purchased.

My mods are modest and basically reliability-based. They are far more rewarding that I ever thought they would be. The gutted 2nd cat. provides a pleasurable rumble without drone or any dire effect(s), Corksport TMIC has all but eliminated heat soak (we have had many 100+ degree days here and I have no doubt the CS TMIC has made a difference), a Forge diverter valve (type 2) has assisted in better boost hold and taper rates, Hypertech has yielded 2.5mpg to 4.5mpg better fuel economy (depending on pedal aggresiveness) while providing a very noticeable increase in performance, JBR upgrades have made the car more pleasurable to drive, Safe-Seals & a latest incarnation CDFP have given some peace of mind (real or imagined), Mazda's "smoke at idle fix" has eliminated smoke, stumble, missing, & hesitation, and the Ford magic transaxle fluid & fish oil have eliminated hard shifts to 2nd and 3rd gears (JBR parts have something to do with this as well), my AFE Dry-S filter provides improved airflow w/o any CELS, and an Optima Red Top has been providing instant starts & has shown me just how inferior the stock battery was...

You get the idea...

I am quite happy with my car...

Are you happy with yours?

Elaborate.

[PunjabiPlaya]

37,xxx miles and the only disappointment I have is my own ability to have enough money to keep modding

[topher3134]

Runs great 9000+ miles. I too am in texas. Was thinking of getting the TMIC from corksport. My JBR stuff has made it a lot more fun to drive. I have added the corksport aluminum skid plate which makes a difference when I hit armadillos in the road! I have a pile of stuff still to be installed that's another day that's not 110 degrees! I prob will go with the ford trans fluid even though I don't have the shifting problem. I also don't have the tire wear problems some people have complained about.

Overall I am very happy with my car. I would rate it an 8 as far as cars I have owned.

[vivolorosso]

Almost 10,000 miles in to my 2009. The only problem I have is keeping tread on the tires.

[tddvrrn]

yeah, i love mine too. 18 months into it and 29k miles, it is running beautifully. i'm the 3rd owner, too, which makes it more of a surprise.. i haven't had the vc replacement, as i don't smoke, but the ht, sri, rmm, itv22s, bnoon bolt, ssp and heavy knob have all come together to make this car drive more smoothly and powerfully than when i bought it (with some parts just there to reduce my anxiety).

i do wear out tires quickly, but that may be due to how i drive this beaut.

[CosmicArkie]

52k and still on our honeymoon.

[BrandonDrums]

Originally Posted by PunjabiPlaya 37,xxx miles and the only disappointment I have is my own ability to have enough money to keep modding

LOL, this=true

[SRTie4k]

I like everything but the shocks. They suck ass and mine are dead at 58k miles.

[Rich-PMS]

4 months, 10k miles, 2 dealer visits.


eehhh i can't say i'm totally ecstatic, but i'm pretty happy with my purchase. but at this milage rate, it'll have over 180k on it when it's paid off.


i think i'll be more happy when i get around to getting a FMIC, and tune my standback

[Vader]

28,xxx mi, fully bolted, and I'm very happy.

Though, with what our cars are fetching right now, I've been considering parting out and getting an Exige S... Don't know if I want to give up the practicality of the HB though.

[ridenfish39]

22k now, about 6k with the mods in my sig. I still like the car, especially for hauling my fishing and biking gear. I'm just getting tired of the front wheel drive fail, I'm really trying to resist the urge to trade it on a Camaro or Stang.......need.....more.....mods

[boardjnky4]

2 years and 40k miles later she has ~68k miles total, and she's doing great. New brakes and tires just went on recently. Right now, I am planning on keeping it a while longer.

[WorstEpEver]

32k miles, runs and feels great. Especially when it's cold out.

[wankular]

Mine's decent, considering it's 110 out and I don't really like to push it. My rear end clunks constantly but this weekend I'm going to set my sway bar back to soft and tighten/grease the fuck out of everything I can reach. I have a slew of parts to install once it cools down a little - dp, mani, side mounts, spin-on, and plugs and meth next weekend as soon as I figure out how to tune the standback for it.

[16-driver]

1 year and 9 months with 35,xxx miles. Let me say that I'd be happier if my clutch didn't click and clunk everytime I shifted. I need to pay the dealership another visit.

[ScarMS3]

I love my car, think I will keep it as long as I can, I dont see any reason to sell at this point, and once my wife starts working as a dentist...i can mod some more and get another car when this is on down time...

[jonlax]

My only complain is the squeeks and rattles.

They could have used more felt tape from the factory to fix this problem.

[andrewpiro]

I've put about 4k on mine in the Four months I've had it. Loved every second. I only wish I had the dough to mod some more. I think I'm going to buy a hypertech next up. That should help wake the car up a bit. Other than that, my speed is great the way it is.

[Rich-PMS]

Originally Posted by andrewpiro I've put about 4k on mine in the Four months I've had it. Loved every second. I only wish I had the dough to mod some more. I think I'm going to buy a hypertech next up. That should help wake the car up a bit. Other than that, my speed is great the way it is.

just shell out the 225 for the one in classifieds here

[magicka]

Nearly 2 years and 60k miles, and I'm still happy. My dash rattles, and I want and AP and an FMIC, but otherwise I'm pretty pleased.

[andrewpiro]

Originally Posted by Rich-PMS just shell out the 225 for the one in classifieds here

I'm thinking about it. Next paycheck. I gotta pay $90 tomorrow to get a fucking door ding fixed. Then I'll save 'til I can buy it, being as I'm broke. $225 isn't a bad price at all.

EDIT: Well, looks like it sold.

[IshiKage]

53k miles, Fully bolted and the only issue ive had was a leaky strut.

i piss on anyone who says these cars arent reliable

[TWOptSL0W]

53k and pulls like a mutha fucka...might be my new 3076

[Biggs]

25 months ~30k miles and idk what i want to do with it really... on one hand I want to mod some more add power (FMIC, BT, exhause mani), get a dedicated summer setup and coilovers etc.. but IDK if thats such a great idea if im DDing it.... and I dont think this car is "good enough" to warrent turning it into a weekend/track car.

but every day the drive is enjoyable, so i guess that counts the most in the end.

[Rich-PMS]

i go this as a DD so i can boost the shit out of my integra....but ive been tossing the idea of trading integra for a street bike, or trading my buddy for his 94 sentra so i can keep the miles off my ms3

[Lytheum]

42k miles on 08.5...bought it new 3 years and 3 months ago.

interior still looks new. nothing broken or worn yet in there. still no exterior dings or dents. front end has a few rock chips and a few small scratches but nothing major.

pretty sure my suspension is worn. had one completly blown strut replaced at 35k miles. just doesnt feel as stable as it did when new. though my tires are on their last legs too.

engine runs strong with only problem being smokey turbo that started last winter. bumped idle to 950 and have been smoke free for the last 5 months. mods in sig.

really couldnt ask for much else....except more traction!

[PunjabiPlaya]

Originally Posted by 240mazspd3 53k miles, Fully bolted and the only issue ive had was a leaky strut. i piss on anyone who says these cars are reliable

you mean "aren't"?

[Design]

The "My car is running good thread"

Originally Posted by Design The "My car is running good thread"

Doh, good catch. But, in my defense there is a slight difference in the threads.

This one is about "running great" (or in varying degrees of "great") & has a poll (lol) as well.

[jlink38]

.

[BlueDmnSpeed]

with 40,500 on my car and about $4000 worth of mods i am thoroughly happy with my car. no problems except when i got PTuning to tune my car. baaaad idea. but now that myself and @atvfreek have been tweaking an OTS stage 2 map it is running great. Only thing left to do is put on the HKS Coilovers then do my 40k mile service on the car. gonna do brake fluid flush, power steering fluid change, coolant flush, and probably upgrade to royal purple transmission gear oil unless someone knows of a better brand

[boardjnky4]

glad to hear people still enjoying them

Originally Posted by BlueDmnSpeed with 40,500 on my car and about $4000 worth of mods i am thoroughly happy with my car. no problems except when i got PTuning to tune my car. baaaad idea. but now that myself and @atvfreek have been tweaking an OTS stage 2 map it is running great. Only thing left to do is put on the HKS Coilovers then do my 40k mile service on the car. gonna do brake fluid flush, power steering fluid change, coolant flush, and probably upgrade to royal purple transmission gear oil unless someone knows of a better brand

...Royal Purple - great choice, but IMHO you might try the Ford XT-M5-QS & it's up to you whether you use limited slip additive* as well.

The Ford "fish oil"* quiets the limited slip (friction modifier), but some say it messes with the synchros in 2nd and 3rd. No such issues here.

[BlueDmnSpeed]

Originally Posted by MS3go ...Royal Purple - great choice, but IMHO you might try the Ford XT-M5-QS & it's up to you whether you use limited slip additive* as well. The Ford "fish oil"* quiets the limited slip (friction modifier), but some say it messes with the synchros in 2nd and 3rd. No such issues here.

yeah i hear RP is good. as for the limited slip additive rather not chance it so i won't add it. can you get the Ford M5-QS at auto zone or advanced or only the dealership

Originally Posted by BlueDmnSpeed yeah i hear RP is good. as for the limited slip additive rather not chance it so i won't add it. can you get the Ford M5-QS at auto zone or advanced or only the dealership

...at any Ford dealership or online. Runs anywhere from $15 to $20 a quart. 2.8qts. needed so you need 3qts.

Mazda master tech at my favorite Mazda dealer here performed the service (put the limited slip additive in as well - had no issue with it).

Dealer charged $45 for the service. Total cost $90.

Noise-free, resistance-free, effortless shifts... priceless.

They suggest the service be done every 30k miles.

[Marchy]

Bought my 08 in may of this year with 35k on the dial. No mods, previous owner took meticulous care of it. 12k miles later and I still love it to death. She holds all my hockey gear, camping gear, is fast enough (for now) and the only Mod i've done is added a rear sway bar which has drastically improved the car handling specially on big sweeping highway on ramps. I've also only had to visit the dealer once to recalibrate the stupid rain sensor.

Next summer will likely be brakes and suspension. My wife's wants my car so I'm hesitant to put any power mods on it. But when I'm ready for a new car I'll trade in her focus for something AWD or RWD.

[USAF MS3]

My car's Odometer just dinged to 82,000 and it's an 08.5 CWP. It beckons me to drive it hard and asks for even more.

The MS3 has proven to me that there are reliable fast Mazda's, and that reliability is not just held by Honda/Toyota. This is also considering that my background in cars is Honda/Toyota.

[PunjabiPlaya]

also thanked for avatar

[predapio]

39k owned for 39 months. I absolutely love this thing. Just had pads and rotors replaced.

Gonna keep her till the wheels fall off.

Saving for the new speed6 due out in 2012-13