The wife currently drives a Mazda3 2ltr Sport (Why it's labelled 'Sport' I'll never know!) and as voluntary redundancy will bring in a few quid, is contemplating either a Focus ST or Mazda3 MPS (something around a '59 plate)
The MPS tends to be a rather overlooked car but seems well equiped and with a good performance and the later ones aren't bad looking, either!
Has anyone experience of the MPS and could give some advice as to what to look out for?

Cheers JohnD

 

If you can get on with the bizarre styling then go for it. You won’t get any more for your money elsewhere at that age and ST are 2 a penny. I do recall that one version is in the £475 tax bracket. Can’t remember if that’s the earlier or latest shape but something to check if that will affect your decision. Mazda seem to do pretty well in the reliability rankings as well.

A sleeper as well as not many people know that Mazda do a 250ps hot hatch. You will get wheelspin / torquesteer in anything but bone dry conditions – trust me I drive an RS Mk2

 

Mate had a Mazda 6 MPS and within 3 days put the conrod through the block while driving through town :/ don't know if that's common but he's the only one I know of that's had one

 

The mk1 didnt look so weird but they were the ones in the high tax bracket, which was the main reason for me not getting one last year. The new ones are under the 225g/km limit so are cheaper to tax but do you really want to drive something that looks like an old person that has had one to many staples and botox? I think that Mazda took the term 'facelift' too far.

 

And that's exactly the colour she wants! Not very common though?
The alternative is of course, a Focus ST
The looks are 'an aquired taste' I guess, but then again you can't exactly call an Impreza pretty?
Coming from Essex, ST's tend to be not uncommon!

JohnD

 

I think the Hawkeyes look quite good, the hatches dont look bad but they are completely boring, which is worse. The Bugeye on the other hand, oh dear Lord.

I think they look best in red or black as there is less of a contrast in colours to accentuate the gawping stretched smile look. Still a great car though, but those looks completely ruin it for me. Why when marques spend millions on design to you get this^?

 

I don't mind that

 

I like these, don't have any experience of them but also not heard any negative stuff. I saw one earlier in Grays and it looked superb.