No there was just no point in responding as Mike had already done so...guess I had to spell that out to you didnt I? I figured that you might have figured that out yourself...but apparently your not firing on all revolutions...

I also like the way your trying to act intelligent...keep on frontin...

I'm not, but I'm prepared to have evidence as oppossed to you in order to prove my claims. I also don't dodge questions when I don't have an answer. Guess we don't have much in common at all, right?

I'm not, but I'm prepared to have evidence as oppossed to you in order to prove my claims. I also don't dodge questions when I don't have an answer. Guess we don't have much in common at all, right?

Umm ok let me answer your question then so you feel better mkay?


At autocrosses everywhere, every weekend, all across the country.

It's pretty even on even a track like TWS, look at the layout and it's not a tight course at all.


DITTO!

haa haa haa...

Yea we dont have much in common...I'm smarter and can afford to pay attention...

Pretty even doesn't mean beats it just fyi... and autocross isn't exactly held in the same regard as actual track racing in the real world just fyi. Gymkhana is more of a way to improve drivers abilities as oppossed to taking those lap times to heart as to what the cars are capable of. Let's talk about real race tracks?

Infineon? Evo
Tsukuba? Evo
Nurburgring? Evo
Laguna Seca? Evo
Fuji Speedway? Evo
Watkins Glen? Evo

Do I really need to keep going here? :)

Pretty even doesn't mean beats it just fyi... and autocross isn't exactly held in the same regard as actual track racing in the real world just fyi. Gymnkhana is more of a way to improve drivers abilities as oppossed to taking those lap times to heart as to what the cars are capable of. Let's talk about real race traks?

Infineon? Evo
Tsukuba? Evo
Nurburgring? Evo
Laguna Seca? Evo
Fuji Speedway? Evo
Watkins Glen? Evo

Do I really need to keep going here? :)

Yes please do...everyone is listening...you've captivated your audience...especially now that I finally learned how autocross is nothing compared to "real" racing...

You speak of peoples lack of comprehension yet you are guilty of lacking that same attribute. I said isn't held in the same regard, I never said autocross is nothing compared to track racing. Just to make it clear for the slower people :P

You speak of peoples lack of comprehension yet you are guilty of lacking that same attribute. I said isn't held in the same regard, I never said autocross is nothing compared to track racing. Just to make it clear for the slower people :P

Mhm...and den?

:jerkit:

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i134/DanicaTimesSeven/untitled2.jpg

Damn, you guys are making the troll work overtime.

Without a doubt he's the hardest working troll in the trolling business.

Damn, you guys are making the troll work overtime.

Without a doubt he's the hardest working troll in the trolling business.

You damn straight...just you wait till I start registering on other people's forums to troll too...

Damn, you guys are making the troll work overtime.

Without a doubt he's the hardest working troll in the trolling business.

It's amazing how inbreeding can make someone do and say the same stupid shit over and over and over again.

It's amazing how inbreeding can make someone do and say the same stupid shit over and over and over again.

Speaking from personal experience again I see...haa haa...nice

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87385&d=1161320445

Speaking from personal experience again I see...haa haa...nice


ZOMG how... did you come... up with... that one...haa...haa...shibby

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87385&d=1161320445

nice...

ZOMG how... did you come... up with... that one...haa...haa...shibby

Ummm by using that thing you call a brain...I know its a hard concept for you to grasp...but trust me you have one too...

;)

It's amazing how inbreeding can make someone do and say the same stupid shit over and over and over again.

Well at least he's consistent. He would be the perfect used car salesman:

"yes sir, I know there's a loud knocking sound from the engine and smoke everywhere, but that's how they come from the factory, I swear"

http://www.explosm.net/db/files/Comics/Matt/curiosity-killed-the-cat.png

Well at least he's consistent. He would be the perfect used car salesman:

"yes sir, I know there's a loud knocking sound from the engine and smoke everywhere, but that's how they come from the factory, I swear"

Consistent as you are slow...win-win

Consistent as you are slow

Coming from you, that's a compliment.

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87385&d=1161320445

Question #1, wth is that?

Question #2, Why hasn't this thread been locked yet.

Question 3, why the hell is this thread still alive locked or not. Let it go people. After someone answers question 1. (Which will be the first and last constructive thing in this thread) Let it die.

Coming from you, that's a compliment.

I bet it is...I bet your also used to it as everyone around you kept reminding you while growing up...

Question #1, wth is that?

Question #2, Why hasn't this thread been locked yet.

Question 3, why the hell is this thread still alive locked or not. Let it go people. After someone answers question 1. (Which will be the first and last constructive thing in this thread) Let it die.

The thing in the circle is a cowbell...ever see that SNL skit w/ Christopher Walken and Blue Oyster Cult?

I bet it is...I bet your also used to it as everyone around you kept reminding you while growing up...

Hahaha, running out of material?

Hahaha, running out of material?

About as fast as you keep crappin out your IQ points...

Gonna go make some grub...so hurry up and give me something to work with of decent quality so I work better with it when I get back...

I'm all aboot quality...but as I am sure you havent learned yet...you cant just slap crap on something and expect it to be better when the original piece of crap began life as a hunk o crap...

Or

As I've seen on this thread...in other words...

You cant take bad crap and expect any magnificent crap to come outta it...when your working with pretty crappy crap...

About as fast as you keep crappin out your IQ points...

Yeah I've hit rock bottom and still have you beat.... kinda hard to get into the negative numbers.

I'm all aboot quality...but as I am sure you havent learned yet...you cant just slap crap on something and expect it to be better when the original piece of crap began life as a hunk o crap...


I wish somebody said that to your parents. They slapped you with an education and still failed miserably.

Question #1, wth is that?

Question #2, Why hasn't this thread been locked yet.

Question 3, why the hell is this thread still alive locked or not. Let it go people. After someone answers question 1. (Which will be the first and last constructive thing in this thread) Let it die.

Answer #1: It's a pic from a thread back in the day when threads didn't suck total balls like this one.

Answer #2: The mods are out catching delicious bass for all of us -- they're going to be mightily pissed when they get back.

Answer #3: Applesauce and upside-down potato chips!

Man that was some tastey bass...sea bass...not those other bass...which are also tastey....

Awww...why? Cause you lack the ability to constructively debate without getting your wito fewings hurt or cause your a whiney little emo kid...

Open your legs up a little bit...might help get some of that sand out of your vagina...You wouldn't know a constructive debate if it tickled your labia majora. Emo kid? I have kidney stones older than you. Like I said earlier...you'll eventually lose interest here. The only question is if you can keep yourself from getting banned between now and then. I doubt it. It's typically not difficult to bait a mental midget. Somebody will do it sooner than later. I'll post a funny kitty picture when it happens in your honor.

You wouldn't know a constructive debate if it tickled your labia majora. Emo kid? I have kidney stones older than you. Like I said earlier...you'll eventually lose interest here. The only question is if you can keep yourself from getting banned between now and then. I doubt it. It's typically not difficult to bait a mental midget. Somebody will do it sooner than later. I'll post a funny kitty picture when it happens in your honor.

http://www.catwack.com/pics/302.jpg

You wouldn't know a constructive debate if it tickled your labia majora. Emo kid? I have kidney stones older than you. Like I said earlier...you'll eventually lose interest here. The only question is if you can keep yourself from getting banned between now and then. I doubt it. It's typically not difficult to bait a mental midget. Somebody will do it sooner than later. I'll post a funny kitty picture when it happens in your honor.

Turd Squirter?

I think you're showing your age...

Turd Squirter?

I think you're showing your age...Is there an age when that eventually stops happening?

Okay, here's that Mazdaspeed 3 review I've been meaning to do for about a month now. It got way longer than I expected - I hope it makes sense, because I wrote it all in one shot. Here goes...

Initial Impressions
At first glance, I was moderately impressed. The car has a squat, wide stance, aggressive front end, and some pretty huge wheels for a car of this sort. It's a hatch, which isn't my favorite look for the 3, but the aggressive look really works with the shape of the car and it has grown on me quite a bit. After lifting the incredibly heavy, ducted hood, I found that the engine doesn't look like an engine so much as it looks like a mountain of plastic with a radiator on top (I know it's an intercooler). If you're into wrenching on your own engine, this thing looks like it would be a huge pain in the ass to work on. I also think that the intercooler, while the ducting is a great idea, probably doesn't get quite as much air as I would have hoped, but I'm no expert. Interior space is great, but it's still a small car, so don't expect this thing to be cavernous.

Interior
The interior is the same interior that everyone already knows and loves. Looks like a 3, smells like a 3, it is a 3. There are some small additions such as the standard automatic climate control, which is quite nice once you find a temperature range which pleases you. The iPod adapter in the center console is probably pretty sweet for someone with an iPod, but I don't have one, so I wouldn't know. Steering wheel volume/cruise controls are present here, just as they are in every other Mazda vehicle (iirc), and they're great.

But, enough about the petty stuff, the seats are where it's at! These seats are pretty awesome for standard seats. They're by no means the grippiest or the most ergonomic, but they're very well bolstered, comfortable, and they're made out of material that doesn't feel like it's woven from fishing line, (like in my roommate's 3s) which is nice. The only problem I've noticed is, since I'm short, jacking the seat up real high seems to make the bottom slope downward a bit, causing me to have to snug back up into the seat every half hour or so. Also, the arm rest is rather...er...lame. It's about a 4 inch box and about the best I can do is get the tip of my elbow to just touch the front edge. This causes me to use the shifter as an arm rest on long drives, which I absolutely hate doing. Oh, and the driver's side seatbelt won't do that locking thing after you pull it all the way out - I'm going to have to figure something out for my track days now.

The shifter is something I'll probably replace. It's great for an economy car shifter, but it's quite bad as a sports car shifter. It's squishy, vague, and generally forgettable. I'll probably grab a short shifter at some point here.

Handling
This car is front wheel drive, and I know most of you are thinking that means understeer and torque steer, and yes, those two beasts are present. I've always hated FWD for those very reasons, but this car's handling has absolutely made me believe that both of those issues can be entirely dialed out with the right suspension setup. This car has 263 hp, and you would probably never know it was driven by the front wheels unless you really pushed the car to the limit. I've experienced excessive understeer once in this car - during very heavy rain after popping my clutch too fast, otherwise it's impressively neutral.

Torque steer makes its presence known, but it still doesn't dominate the dynamics of this car. If you go around a corner with the wheel turned and stomp on the gas, the car is going to RIP you in the direction your front wheels are pointed. But, really, stupid maneuvers aside, the torque steer is very well controlled. Flooring it from a standstill produces some mild pull on the wheel, but it's nothing unmanageable, and it surprisingly doesn't even get in the way when you're bounding down your favorite curvy road. Color me impressed.

Now, keep in mind, this car handles very (very) well for what it is, but it WILL NOT stack up to how the 8 handles. Do not go in expecting a blissful, near mind-reading handling experience; go in expecting this car to handle like the last FWD car you drove and I think you'll come out quite impressed.

Power
Power is what this car does. That's it's forte, if you will, and it sure does deliver. Don't judge this car by first gear - it's running low boost and sputters out pretty quickly. Hit second, though, and you'll initially be underwhelmed, but as soon as that thought enters your head, the boost will hit and the car will go leaping down the road until it hits 6000 rpm and the power completely dies out. If you keep this car churning between 3000 and 6000 rpms, you'll be afflicted with a bad case of perma-grin. I really don't know what else to say about the power, I can't complain about it, and I'll sound crazy if I just keep raving about it. All you need to know is that it's awesome.

Overall
Really, this is probably one of the few cars on the market that I could have chosen that wouldn't make me miss my 8 terribly. I drove a Civic SI and that thing was BORING - well built, comfy ride, but TONS of body roll and really unimpressive power (and power delivery). It just didn't feel sporty at all - I can really see why those things get modded all to hell and back. Now the MS3 is no 8, mind you, but the added power and still fantastic handling make this a stellar choice for people coming out of the 8. Add to all that some extra practicality and comfort, and you've got yourself a winner. If the offer came up, I'd take my 8 back in a heartbeat, but I haven't had the desire to look back ever since I got my Speed 3. If you want performance, practicality, and a relatively modest price, I can't imagine making any other choice. This car is fantastic.

this stupid thread went over a week without anyone touching it... why oh why did you bring it back to life :(

shoulda just made a new thread that said, Mazdaspeed3 review. The trolls are going to pop back up now!

Meh, then the other trolls would have bitched that I opened a new thread when there were already multiple MS3 threads open. It's a lose/lose situation.

Yeah I think considering its a review and the backlash this is probably the right spot...

However its only a matter of time before the fanboi crowd comes back and starts the whole insecure chest thumping shenanigans...

nice review, i felt the same way, i almost traded mine in for the msp3 or an evo, but i didn't want to start all over with payments even though trading in for the msp3 my payments would be cut in half but the thought of having another 3-4 years really sucks. m y 8 will be paid for in 7 months btw.

*very* heavy down payment FTMFW!

Haa...

Okay, here's that Mazdaspeed 3 review I've been meaning to do for about a month now. It got way longer than I expected - I hope it makes sense, because I wrote it all in one shot. Here goes...

Initial Impressions
At first glance, I was moderately impressed. The car has a squat, wide stance, aggressive front end, and some pretty huge wheels for a car of this sort. It's a hatch, which isn't my favorite look for the 3, but the aggressive look really works with the shape of the car and it has grown on me quite a bit. After lifting the incredibly heavy, ducted hood, I found that the engine doesn't look like an engine so much as it looks like a mountain of plastic with a radiator on top (I know it's an intercooler). If you're into wrenching on your own engine, this thing looks like it would be a huge pain in the ass to work on. I also think that the intercooler, while the ducting is a great idea, probably doesn't get quite as much air as I would have hoped, but I'm no expert. Interior space is great, but it's still a small car, so don't expect this thing to be cavernous.

Interior
The interior is the same interior that everyone already knows and loves. Looks like a 3, smells like a 3, it is a 3. There are some small additions such as the standard automatic climate control, which is quite nice once you find a temperature range which pleases you. The iPod adapter in the center console is probably pretty sweet for someone with an iPod, but I don't have one, so I wouldn't know. Steering wheel volume/cruise controls are present here, just as they are in every other Mazda vehicle (iirc), and they're great.

But, enough about the petty stuff, the seats are where it's at! These seats are pretty awesome for standard seats. They're by no means the grippiest or the most ergonomic, but they're very well bolstered, comfortable, and they're made out of material that doesn't feel like it's woven from fishing line, (like in my roommate's 3s) which is nice. The only problem I've noticed is, since I'm short, jacking the seat up real high seems to make the bottom slope downward a bit, causing me to have to snug back up into the seat every half hour or so. Also, the arm rest is rather...er...lame. It's about a 4 inch box and about the best I can do is get the tip of my elbow to just touch the front edge. This causes me to use the shifter as an arm rest on long drives, which I absolutely hate doing. Oh, and the driver's side seatbelt won't do that locking thing after you pull it all the way out - I'm going to have to figure something out for my track days now.

The shifter is something I'll probably replace. It's great for an economy car shifter, but it's quite bad as a sports car shifter. It's squishy, vague, and generally forgettable. I'll probably grab a short shifter at some point here.

Handling
This car is front wheel drive, and I know most of you are thinking that means understeer and torque steer, and yes, those two beasts are present. I've always hated FWD for those very reasons, but this car's handling has absolutely made me believe that both of those issues can be entirely dialed out with the right suspension setup. This car has 263 hp, and you would probably never know it was driven by the front wheels unless you really pushed the car to the limit. I've experienced excessive understeer once in this car - during very heavy rain after popping my clutch too fast, otherwise it's impressively neutral.

Torque steer makes its presence known, but it still doesn't dominate the dynamics of this car. If you go around a corner with the wheel turned and stomp on the gas, the car is going to RIP you in the direction your front wheels are pointed. But, really, stupid maneuvers aside, the torque steer is very well controlled. Flooring it from a standstill produces some mild pull on the wheel, but it's nothing unmanageable, and it surprisingly doesn't even get in the way when you're bounding down your favorite curvy road. Color me impressed.

Now, keep in mind, this car handles very (very) well for what it is, but it WILL NOT stack up to how the 8 handles. Do not go in expecting a blissful, near mind-reading handling experience; go in expecting this car to handle like the last FWD car you drove and I think you'll come out quite impressed.

Power
Power is what this car does. That's it's forte, if you will, and it sure does deliver. Don't judge this car by first gear - it's running low boost and sputters out pretty quickly. Hit second, though, and you'll initially be underwhelmed, but as soon as that thought enters your head, the boost will hit and the car will go leaping down the road until it hits 6000 rpm and the power completely dies out. If you keep this car churning between 3000 and 6000 rpms, you'll be afflicted with a bad case of perma-grin. I really don't know what else to say about the power, I can't complain about it, and I'll sound crazy if I just keep raving about it. All you need to know is that it's awesome.

Overall
Really, this is probably one of the few cars on the market that I could have chosen that wouldn't make me miss my 8 terribly. I drove a Civic SI and that thing was BORING - well built, comfy ride, but TONS of body roll and really unimpressive power (and power delivery). It just didn't feel sporty at all - I can really see why those things get modded all to hell and back. Now the MS3 is no 8, mind you, but the added power and still fantastic handling make this a stellar choice for people coming out of the 8. Add to all that some extra practicality and comfort, and you've got yourself a winner. If the offer came up, I'd take my 8 back in a heartbeat, but I haven't had the desire to look back ever since I got my Speed 3. If you want performance, practicality, and a relatively modest price, I can't imagine making any other choice. This car is fantastic.

EXCELLENT REVIEW!! :) I guess you pretty much wrote "my review" :) :) This is exactly how I feel when comparing both cars.

Carlos

Okay, here's that Mazdaspeed 3 review I've been meaning to do for about a month now. It got way longer than I expected - I hope it makes sense, because I wrote it all in one shot. Here goes...

Initial Impressions
At first glance, I was moderately impressed. The car has a squat, wide stance, aggressive front end, and some pretty huge wheels for a car of this sort. It's a hatch, which isn't my favorite look for the 3, but the aggressive look really works with the shape of the car and it has grown on me quite a bit. After lifting the incredibly heavy, ducted hood, I found that the engine doesn't look like an engine so much as it looks like a mountain of plastic with a radiator on top (I know it's an intercooler). If you're into wrenching on your own engine, this thing looks like it would be a huge pain in the ass to work on. I also think that the intercooler, while the ducting is a great idea, probably doesn't get quite as much air as I would have hoped, but I'm no expert. Interior space is great, but it's still a small car, so don't expect this thing to be cavernous.

Interior
The interior is the same interior that everyone already knows and loves. Looks like a 3, smells like a 3, it is a 3. There are some small additions such as the standard automatic climate control, which is quite nice once you find a temperature range which pleases you. The iPod adapter in the center console is probably pretty sweet for someone with an iPod, but I don't have one, so I wouldn't know. Steering wheel volume/cruise controls are present here, just as they are in every other Mazda vehicle (iirc), and they're great.

But, enough about the petty stuff, the seats are where it's at! These seats are pretty awesome for standard seats. They're by no means the grippiest or the most ergonomic, but they're very well bolstered, comfortable, and they're made out of material that doesn't feel like it's woven from fishing line, (like in my roommate's 3s) which is nice. The only problem I've noticed is, since I'm short, jacking the seat up real high seems to make the bottom slope downward a bit, causing me to have to snug back up into the seat every half hour or so. Also, the arm rest is rather...er...lame. It's about a 4 inch box and about the best I can do is get the tip of my elbow to just touch the front edge. This causes me to use the shifter as an arm rest on long drives, which I absolutely hate doing. Oh, and the driver's side seatbelt won't do that locking thing after you pull it all the way out - I'm going to have to figure something out for my track days now.

The shifter is something I'll probably replace. It's great for an economy car shifter, but it's quite bad as a sports car shifter. It's squishy, vague, and generally forgettable. I'll probably grab a short shifter at some point here.

Handling
This car is front wheel drive, and I know most of you are thinking that means understeer and torque steer, and yes, those two beasts are present. I've always hated FWD for those very reasons, but this car's handling has absolutely made me believe that both of those issues can be entirely dialed out with the right suspension setup. This car has 263 hp, and you would probably never know it was driven by the front wheels unless you really pushed the car to the limit. I've experienced excessive understeer once in this car - during very heavy rain after popping my clutch too fast, otherwise it's impressively neutral.

Torque steer makes its presence known, but it still doesn't dominate the dynamics of this car. If you go around a corner with the wheel turned and stomp on the gas, the car is going to RIP you in the direction your front wheels are pointed. But, really, stupid maneuvers aside, the torque steer is very well controlled. Flooring it from a standstill produces some mild pull on the wheel, but it's nothing unmanageable, and it surprisingly doesn't even get in the way when you're bounding down your favorite curvy road. Color me impressed.

Now, keep in mind, this car handles very (very) well for what it is, but it WILL NOT stack up to how the 8 handles. Do not go in expecting a blissful, near mind-reading handling experience; go in expecting this car to handle like the last FWD car you drove and I think you'll come out quite impressed.

Power
Power is what this car does. That's it's forte, if you will, and it sure does deliver. Don't judge this car by first gear - it's running low boost and sputters out pretty quickly. Hit second, though, and you'll initially be underwhelmed, but as soon as that thought enters your head, the boost will hit and the car will go leaping down the road until it hits 6000 rpm and the power completely dies out. If you keep this car churning between 3000 and 6000 rpms, you'll be afflicted with a bad case of perma-grin. I really don't know what else to say about the power, I can't complain about it, and I'll sound crazy if I just keep raving about it. All you need to know is that it's awesome.

Overall
Really, this is probably one of the few cars on the market that I could have chosen that wouldn't make me miss my 8 terribly. I drove a Civic SI and that thing was BORING - well built, comfy ride, but TONS of body roll and really unimpressive power (and power delivery). It just didn't feel sporty at all - I can really see why those things get modded all to hell and back. Now the MS3 is no 8, mind you, but the added power and still fantastic handling make this a stellar choice for people coming out of the 8. Add to all that some extra practicality and comfort, and you've got yourself a winner. If the offer came up, I'd take my 8 back in a heartbeat, but I haven't had the desire to look back ever since I got my Speed 3. If you want performance, practicality, and a relatively modest price, I can't imagine making any other choice. This car is fantastic.

Great summary. The understeer of the car at the limit is what ruined it for me... probably is THE BEST front wheel drive car on the market currently though.

test driving the speed 3 tommorow...no joke*

Always fun to read reviews, but nothing we haven't really heard all along. The torque steer isn't bad, the car goes like stink, and it can't pwn the RX-8 in the twist1es.

Always fun to read reviews, but nothing we haven't really heard all along. The torque steer isn't bad, the car goes like stink, and it can't pwn the RX-8 in the twist1es.

Pretty much, but I figured I'd go more in-depth for those who wanted to know. As I said in another thread, it's a great car, but it's by no means a world beater.

Okay, here's that Mazdaspeed 3 review I've been meaning to do for about a month now. It got way longer than I expected - I hope it makes sense, because I wrote it all in one shot. Here goes...

Initial Impressions
At first glance, I was moderately impressed. The car has a squat, wide stance, aggressive front end, and some pretty huge wheels for a car of this sort. It's a hatch, which isn't my favorite look for the 3, but the aggressive look really works with the shape of the car and it has grown on me quite a bit. After lifting the incredibly heavy, ducted hood, I found that the engine doesn't look like an engine so much as it looks like a mountain of plastic with a radiator on top (I know it's an intercooler). If you're into wrenching on your own engine, this thing looks like it would be a huge pain in the ass to work on. I also think that the intercooler, while the ducting is a great idea, probably doesn't get quite as much air as I would have hoped, but I'm no expert. Interior space is great, but it's still a small car, so don't expect this thing to be cavernous.

Interior
The interior is the same interior that everyone already knows and loves. Looks like a 3, smells like a 3, it is a 3. There are some small additions such as the standard automatic climate control, which is quite nice once you find a temperature range which pleases you. The iPod adapter in the center console is probably pretty sweet for someone with an iPod, but I don't have one, so I wouldn't know. Steering wheel volume/cruise controls are present here, just as they are in every other Mazda vehicle (iirc), and they're great.

But, enough about the petty stuff, the seats are where it's at! These seats are pretty awesome for standard seats. They're by no means the grippiest or the most ergonomic, but they're very well bolstered, comfortable, and they're made out of material that doesn't feel like it's woven from fishing line, (like in my roommate's 3s) which is nice. The only problem I've noticed is, since I'm short, jacking the seat up real high seems to make the bottom slope downward a bit, causing me to have to snug back up into the seat every half hour or so. Also, the arm rest is rather...er...lame. It's about a 4 inch box and about the best I can do is get the tip of my elbow to just touch the front edge. This causes me to use the shifter as an arm rest on long drives, which I absolutely hate doing. Oh, and the driver's side seatbelt won't do that locking thing after you pull it all the way out - I'm going to have to figure something out for my track days now.

The shifter is something I'll probably replace. It's great for an economy car shifter, but it's quite bad as a sports car shifter. It's squishy, vague, and generally forgettable. I'll probably grab a short shifter at some point here.

Handling
This car is front wheel drive, and I know most of you are thinking that means understeer and torque steer, and yes, those two beasts are present. I've always hated FWD for those very reasons, but this car's handling has absolutely made me believe that both of those issues can be entirely dialed out with the right suspension setup. This car has 263 hp, and you would probably never know it was driven by the front wheels unless you really pushed the car to the limit. I've experienced excessive understeer once in this car - during very heavy rain after popping my clutch too fast, otherwise it's impressively neutral.

Torque steer makes its presence known, but it still doesn't dominate the dynamics of this car. If you go around a corner with the wheel turned and stomp on the gas, the car is going to RIP you in the direction your front wheels are pointed. But, really, stupid maneuvers aside, the torque steer is very well controlled. Flooring it from a standstill produces some mild pull on the wheel, but it's nothing unmanageable, and it surprisingly doesn't even get in the way when you're bounding down your favorite curvy road. Color me impressed.

Now, keep in mind, this car handles very (very) well for what it is, but it WILL NOT stack up to how the 8 handles. Do not go in expecting a blissful, near mind-reading handling experience; go in expecting this car to handle like the last FWD car you drove and I think you'll come out quite impressed.

Power
Power is what this car does. That's it's forte, if you will, and it sure does deliver. Don't judge this car by first gear - it's running low boost and sputters out pretty quickly. Hit second, though, and you'll initially be underwhelmed, but as soon as that thought enters your head, the boost will hit and the car will go leaping down the road until it hits 6000 rpm and the power completely dies out. If you keep this car churning between 3000 and 6000 rpms, you'll be afflicted with a bad case of perma-grin. I really don't know what else to say about the power, I can't complain about it, and I'll sound crazy if I just keep raving about it. All you need to know is that it's awesome.

Overall
Really, this is probably one of the few cars on the market that I could have chosen that wouldn't make me miss my 8 terribly. I drove a Civic SI and that thing was BORING - well built, comfy ride, but TONS of body roll and really unimpressive power (and power delivery). It just didn't feel sporty at all - I can really see why those things get modded all to hell and back. Now the MS3 is no 8, mind you, but the added power and still fantastic handling make this a stellar choice for people coming out of the 8. Add to all that some extra practicality and comfort, and you've got yourself a winner. If the offer came up, I'd take my 8 back in a heartbeat, but I haven't had the desire to look back ever since I got my Speed 3. If you want performance, practicality, and a relatively modest price, I can't imagine making any other choice. This car is fantastic.

+1 I feel the same way. The 8 is a sports car, the MS3 is a sport compact. Only thing I can say is, be glad they are both in the same family ^_^.

Great.

my buddy just raced me in his ms3 like 2 days ago. it was frm a roll at bout 30mph. i was in secound n just floored it. sucked his doors off.

his doors came off? man, mazda needs to improve build quality...

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i134/DanicaTimesSeven/untitled2.jpg


omg... it's me^

no seriously, it really is me! :)

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87385&d=1161320445

Question #1, wth is that?

Question #2, Why hasn't this thread been locked yet.

Question 3, why the hell is this thread still alive locked or not. Let it go people. After someone answers question 1. (Which will be the first and last constructive thing in this thread) Let it die.


1) That's my bear and cowbell.

clearly, you don't watch SNL.

you can see my arm in there also.

you can see my arm in there also.

Haha, those were some good times. I didn't get anything done at work that week.

Haha, those were some good times. I didn't get anything done at work that week.

Yea, I remember that the Acura RL beat the S2000 as the ultimate Jap sports car around that time. ;)