GONZO01

iTrader: (6)

Anyone had any kind of experience with these cars? My mate just bought a second hand one in white and I must say what a rapid bit of kit. I thought yes Mazda an old mans car when he told me he was getting one but f**k was I wrong!! his has had a remap, exhaust and a few other bits done to it and it's pushing out around 330bhp and it goes like stink in a straight line, build quality is good and it's a nice place to be sitting in not sure what its like in the corners yet but hopefully on the weekend we will find out. He did buy it off a 65 year old pensioner and what he was doing driving it I don't know lol. Just thought I would post my thoughts on it.

matt350

Just sold ours after four and a half years to get our new STI saloon and yes, you are right, in a straight line they are very rapid. In a rolling start the standard STI would have to work very hard to stay with it. But you have to remember they are a 2.3 turbo with 260hp, 280 lbsft torque and an LSD.
The best thing about them (ours was black) is that it was such a sleeper - as the OP has pointed out. So much fun upsetting Golf GTI etc drivers who look at the car in amazement when you lift off and they (eventually) go past.
Obviously in the corners it wasn't a patch on the STI and even with the LSD (albeit electronic) would understeer if you sniffed on the throttle in the wet. And torque steer? Gotta love the torque steer!!
Ultimately for the price we paid for it (£14k for a pre registered with 56 miles on the clock!) there was nothing comparable in the new car world and because it was a Mazda, if you looked after it, it was faultless. Sold it because it was nearly 5 years old and we wanted 4wd and something a bit different!!

thenewgalaxy

Nice cars. The JDM models are 4wd like the 6mps.

I'm a big fan of them, they're certainly quick, capable and a slightly quirky alternative to a Focus ST.

By the way, the Mazda 6 mps is an absolute bargain they absolutely fly, I nearly bought one.

matt350

Are you sure? I thought only the 2.0L Mazda 3 was available in 4wd. To my knowledge the JDM MPS never was.

There was someone who tried to put the Mazda 6 MPS running gear into a 3 but it proved to be a nightmare - no transmission tunnel for a start!

logger

Awsome cars, my mate has the 6 with 430bhp 2.3 engine so good for tourqe. The 3 is only fwd and i think if it was 4wd would have been better !!! Defo hard work for an sti once moving. Nearly bought a 6mps but its not a scoob but so nice inside aswell. Could well be my next car agree about the sleeper bit

JohnD

iTrader: (5)

The wife swapped her Mazda 3 Sport (About as sporty as my grandaughters pushchair!) for a Mk 2 MPS (ok, with a little persuasion from me!)and I must say, it's quite a nice car. Haven't given it the beans yet as I've never driven it without her in it! It's a much more civilised thing than my STi but then again it's got 180 bhp less! I must say, a performance car that hasn't even got a temperature gauge is a bit poor (stupid blue light that goes out when the engine is only warm)
I've been told in no uncertain terms not to tweek it

JohnD

thenewgalaxy

I appear to be much mistaken!

I know someone with an AWD Mazda 3, he's either got a 2.0 and chatting some or mistaken about how it is driven.

So in any form, the MPS of the 3 is always FWD unless modded.

matt350

Technically our MPS was the wifes car and she started looking at a Sport as well, fortunately she likes her cars so spotted the error of her ways!! I did have to push a little!