2011 Speed 3...finally mine...:)

[lukel90]

Ok so i havent posted on tm3 in a long time, had my 04 sport gs for a long time. Its still actually running great. i have yet to see a 3 with more km then my sport. Currently at 308 640km. Yeah i drive a lot.

The last few months i 've been looking for a new ride, test driving cars (GtI, WRX, ralliart) and of course the speed3. After a hard long fight with my concience, the speed won out and im taking delivery early next week.

2011 Speed 3, black mica again, tech package...wooohooo....i know im almost 30 and shouldnt be getting this excited about a car, but i am...:)

Reason as to why the speed won out.

The GTI was very close, and i almost pulled the trigger. Liked the car, felt very refined, handles great, good motor that could be great with 20-30 more hp, ( i didnt want to use apr, giac, or any chip as itll probably void the powertrain warranty, but the GTI is a great car, i have nothing bad to say about it, VW on the other hand and their ridiculous interest rates are probably the biggest reason why i didnt choose it, and those 18' Detroit wheels..just not my favourites.

The wrx was nice on the outside, power was good all around. Interior lacks a quality feel to me personally it just looked plain. To get the options the mazda comes with standard you'd have to opt for many options which would make the price too high for what u get. Decent car, AWD is nice, but it didnt blow me away when i drove it like the MS3 did.

How can mitsubishi biuld a sporty car like the ralliart and not give it a manual. Nuff said, sorry mitsubishi, evo is too much, put a manual in the ralliart and you might get more customers.

All in all with the features that come on the speed3, Bi-xenon HID, auto leveling, auto lights, dual climate, navi, bluetooth streaming,heated mirrors and seats, power seats, these are options that arent standard on most cars in this price range. I test drove the speed 3 times and each time i liked it more and more. the interior is good, not the best though in terms of plastics in some areas, but its good enough. You definately cant call it plain, power is great, the torque is addicting, 4 doors is a plus for me, it handles like nothing in its class, it was the only car that left me with a smile after the test drive. I love it. Cant wait to actually recieve it next week sometime.

I dont post much but im on here reading everything now about the speed. thanks tm3 members for all the information youve given me over the last few months.

Now, here we go again with the mods..hmmmmmm

[pearl3]

Hey bro,
Which dealership did you brought it from? I wish I can afford a speed 3.

I just noticed you're from Hamilton too. If u don't mind can you take me for a spin? Lol jkin...

[Takumi616]

congrats on purchase.... :)

[SonicBoy]

Good review on the other vehicles you evaluated in your sales purchase. Congrats on your new purchase.

Why is being excited about a new car at the age of 30 such a bad thing? Cars (especially with so much power) can excite at any age.:D

[rzapata]

Congrats on the new zoom zoom speed 3.. :) I just have to agree with you on the Mitsu Ralliart, I did test drive it but the only negative thing about it is the manual transmission not being present. I mean the paddle shifters are great and all but still, I like the feel of driving a real manual tranny car.. :)

As for the speed, for a few months, I was really looking into trading my car in for a speed 3 but decided to hold off on it for a while as I want to continue with saving money, just in case something happens. :) But yeah, as you said, the speed 3 definitely left a smile on my face before and after the test drive run..

Good luck and hope to see some pictures.. :thumbsup

[PR3Y11]

i agree 100% with what the op said. test drove the exact same cars minus the mitsu.
congrats on the purchase

[lukel90]

I bought it at select mazda. My last 2 mazdas i bought at burlington mazda, somehow this time they werent willing to negotiate at all, so i went to a different dealer. It should be here mid next week, cant wait. Now its just a matter of learning everything i can about turbo charged cars, its my first one.

Once its in my possession there will be lots of pictures coming..lol...

[Mazdy]

This is how you buy a car!

He reviews them first...did all the research...and at the end he knows what to buy.

Not like what i read on other threads buying cars who dont do their research first.

[lukel90]

Pearl3..where about in hamilton are you.. I know a few tm3 members in hamilton..if you want to go for a spin why not..lol

[J.Dragan]

Hey brother luke, I'm 47 Yrs old I purchased my Speed 3 in 2010, don't worry we can still get excited about cars, women, the fact that we can stay up past 9:30PM blah, blah blah. :huge smile

[Fayvir]

Congrats! Nothin wrong with being excited for new car

[lukel90]

Its only been a few days and im getting antsy....this is going to be a long week of waiting lol

[Elusivellama]

I looked at all the same cars.



The GTI was very close, and i almost pulled the trigger. Liked the car, felt very refined, handles great, good motor that could be great with 20-30 more hp, ( i didnt want to use apr, giac, or any chip as itll probably void the powertrain warranty, but the GTI is a great car, i have nothing bad to say about it, VW on the other hand and their ridiculous interest rates are probably the biggest reason why i didnt choose it, and those 18' Detroit wheels..just not my favourites.


I just stay away from anything VW, I don't care if it's made in Germany or Mexico, I'm not interested in rolling the dice and hoping that I didn't end up with an electrical nightmare. And that's even before you start talking about VW's awful finance rates.



The wrx was nice on the outside, power was good all around. Interior lacks a quality feel to me personally it just looked plain. To get the options the mazda comes with standard you'd have to opt for many options which would make the price too high for what u get. Decent car, AWD is nice, but it didnt blow me away when i drove it like the MS3 did.


For me, it came down to the cost of the car (along with finance options), and the 5 speed tranny. I wouldn't have let a cheap interior stop me, but paying like $5000+ in interest over the finance term definitely made me think twice. Plus I wanted a 6 speed.



How can mitsubishi biuld a sporty car like the ralliart and not give it a manual. Nuff said, sorry mitsubishi, evo is too much, put a manual in the ralliart and you might get more customers.


I'm not sure that I'm totally opposed to the dual clutch auto transmissions if they're done right. But anyway, the turn-off for me was a relative lack of dealer support infrastructure, and an overall cheap feel to the cars that was just a little too much for me.



All in all with the features that come on the speed3, Bi-xenon HID, auto leveling, auto lights, dual climate, navi, bluetooth streaming,heated mirrors and seats, power seats, these are options that arent standard on most cars in this price range. I test drove the speed 3 times and each time i liked it more and more. the interior is good, not the best though in terms of plastics in some areas, but its good enough. You definately cant call it plain, power is great, the torque is addicting, 4 doors is a plus for me, it handles like nothing in its class, it was the only car that left me with a smile after the test drive. I love it. Cant wait to actually recieve it next week sometime.

I dont post much but im on here reading everything now about the speed. thanks tm3 members for all the information youve given me over the last few months.

Now, here we go again with the mods..hmmmmmm

I believe that the MS3 was carefully positioned by Mazda to compete best in its category - FWD C-segment turbocharged cars (with a bit of overlap from the WRX even though it's AWD). What really swayed my decision was the large number of reviews that consistently praise its handling, power and standard features/interior. The long-term blog by Inside Line really helped alot in the final decision.

[bluemazda3]

lol good purchase and reviews!!! congrats

[lukel90]

thanks guys...im counting the days...stocked up on cleaning supplies today,lol....this wait is brutal....i dont know how some people can wait a month or more for their vehicles..it would drive me mad

[gotak]

thanks guys...im counting the days...stocked up on cleaning supplies today,lol....this wait is brutal....i dont know how some people can wait a month or more for their vehicles..it would drive me mad

Just don't think about it :)

My buddy wanted a back sonata limited and it had to be ordered so he waited I think 2 weeks. The day after he signed on the dotted line and paid his deposite there was on in the garage where we work. I called him and told him about it, he was pissed. He kept saying he didn't wanted to get a mazda 3 cause he didn't want to look like he drives the same car as me. Now there are 2 black sonata limited in the underground parking LOL.

[runner2k]

heY! Congrats dude!

[n00bMeiSter]

:ttiwwp

[Kinn]

Gratz on the buy!!!

When I bought mine it was just before I took vacation so it was easy to forget and it was waiting for me when I got back

[J.Dragan]

thanks guys...im counting the days...stocked up on cleaning supplies today,lol....this wait is brutal....i dont know how some people can wait a month or more for their vehicles..it would drive me mad

Deep deep breaths, OHHHHMMMM, and a bottle of Valium, and then when you wake up one morning there she be in all it's pride and glory. ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM!!!!!!!

[lukel90]

got an email today from the dealer with the vin#....said it should be at the dealer on thursday. ANyone know how long the prep and delivery stuff takes. If its at the dealer on thursday i should have in on friday right?

[lukel90]

pic coming on thursday or friday...no worries...ill post them up..hehe

[Mazdy]

pic coming on thursday or friday...no worries...ill post them up..hehe

We cant wait to see it :chuckle

:thumbsup

[Speed_Demon]

Congrats on the purchase! :thumbsup

[Kinn]

You might be lucky and have a dealership that will do a nice clay and wax before turning it over. If so it might be monday :(

[Olestra]

The wrx was nice on the outside, power was good all around. Interior lacks a quality feel to me personally it just looked plain. To get the options the mazda comes with standard you'd have to opt for many options which would make the price too high for what u get. Decent car, AWD is nice, but it didnt blow me away when i drove it like the MS3 did.


Congrats on the purchase. I thought the latest WRX interior was much better than previous years. It looks and feels more refined. But the price difference is definitely still there.



I just stay away from anything VW, I don't care if it's made in Germany or Mexico, I'm not interested in rolling the dice and hoping that I didn't end up with an electrical nightmare. And that's even before you start talking about VW's awful finance rates.


My gf's sister's 09 Golf TDI DSG would randomly shut off while she was driving. So dangerous... The dealer finally replaced her transmission 2 weeks ago and now we're just waiting to see if that fixed the problem.

[lukel90]

i was on vwvortex for quite some time researching about the mk6. Although i never wanted a dsg, there are so many posts on there about dsg issues. I know every car has its problems including the 3, but vw reputation took a hit a few years back when they built their golfs in mexico, and fixing a bad rep is hard to do. Im sure the Gti that are built in germany are a little better, but people hold on to those negative comments about a car, (electrical issues, dsg etc.)

Im sure my speed will have issues as well (hopefully not), but i dont regret the purchase whatsoever. And thats usually a sign that you made a good decision.

Kinn.....please dont say Monday....that would be toooo long...lol

[09ms3]

congrats on the new speed

[Booostin]

I test drove the 2011 Speed3.. very nice car.

Congrats!

[Olestra]

i was on vwvortex for quite some time researching about the mk6. Although i never wanted a dsg, there are so many posts on there about dsg issues. I know every car has its problems including the 3, but vw reputation took a hit a few years back when they built their golfs in mexico, and fixing a bad rep is hard to do. Im sure the Gti that are built in germany are a little better, but people hold on to those negative comments about a car, (electrical issues, dsg etc.)

Im sure my speed will have issues as well (hopefully not), but i dont regret the purchase whatsoever. And thats usually a sign that you made a good decision.

Kinn.....please dont say Monday....that would be toooo long...lol

I think you're pretty safe. I'm trying not to be biased but the Jetta/golf has had issues for very many years that spanned generations. Mazda/Mazdaspeed 3 has had it's fair share of issues but for the most part Mazda has fixed those issues within the first few years, which shows the company has great character. They even go as far as extending warranties on models with more serious issues.

[ST3ALTH]

:ttiwwp

[lukel90]

Got another email from the dealer. Car came in today. But for some reason i cant pick up my car until saturday at 1030. I guess i can wait an extra day. its here.....wooohoooo...pictures coming this weekend..now if only the gas prices went down...lol...i guess we can dream...

[Elusivellama]

Wish granted, gas prices are supposed to drop by 4 cents/L overnight according to 680news. Going to break it in on semi-synth oil?

[PR3Y11]

Wish granted, gas prices are supposed to drop by 4 cents/L overnight according to 680news. Going to break it in on semi-synth oil?

wish they would do that every week

[iconicrocket]

Congrats on the purchase.

+1 on the pics.

[lukel90]

that was the original plan to break it in using the factory oil then switch to synthetic when my first oil change comes up. I have a pretty good idea that these motors have already been run quite hard at the factory in their quality control testing. At least thats how it is when we test cars that come off the line. We build the rx350 where i work, so i know a little about what goes on before the car is actually shipped to the dealer. Regardless, i still follow the break in procedure. Vary the rpm's...you guys know the drill...but 2 days to do prep and delivery....cant they wash the thing and test it a little quicker then that..hehe :)...I guess im just a little impatient at the moment...lol

[lukel90]

PR3Y11...i just took a look at your album...how dark is your tint...20% all around...Just curious..looks really good

[captobvious75]

My choice is between the RA and MS3... like the GTI, but not hardcore enough.

RA's tranny is its best part (besides the 4B11 which is directly the same as the Evo, save the turbo and intercooler). For some people the SST isn't their cup of tea, but having driven it, and seeing the tunable power it can hold (300 ft lbs of torque before slippage!), its a solid tuner car. Stock wise, its low on power. Can't go wrong with the Evo 9's AWD system either.

But the Ms3 is far more engaging... feels tighter stock. More powerful as well, but we all know the direct injection will leave valve's dirty, and the fwd aspect will have some limiting factors (or more fun, depending how you look at it!).

I like both cars, but the MS3 did it for me stock for stock. I'm going back to the dealer today to work on trade in values for my 2009 GTS... black mica FTW!

[lukel90]

Black mica FTW.....

[lukel90]

Just a basic interior shot
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/lukel90/IMG_3102-1.jpg

Another interior shot
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/lukel90/IMG_3101.jpg

Front headlight...i love these lights
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/lukel90/IMG_3097.jpg

Ahh the engine bay when its 100% stock....not sure how long its gonna stay this way, so i thought i might as well take a picture of it.
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/lukel90/IMG_3095.jpg

Mazdaspeed 3 emblem + Led
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/lukel90/IMG_3092.jpg

[lukel90]

If you guys want any specific pictures let me know...time to do the usual..Wash it, clean the paint, clay bar, polish, and wax...Looks like its gonna be a busy monday for me...So glad to finally have it...Fuel economy has been surprising at 9.5L/100km.....Didnt think it would be that good. It sure is addicting...:)

[MZR87]

Let's see some wide angle shots. You know, get the whole car in there.

[Elusivellama]

If you keep it out of boost, it will return approx. the same fuel economy as a 2.3L. Such a clean engine bay, yet it looks so sterile. Needs a red intake, I think!

[lukel90]

Some more for you guys...
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/lukel90/Mazdaspeed%203/IMG_3122.jpg
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/lukel90/Mazdaspeed%203/IMG_3121.jpg
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/lukel90/Mazdaspeed%203/IMG_3120.jpg
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/lukel90/Mazdaspeed%203/IMG_3124.jpg

[2zoom]

congrats on the new ride you will love it.....do you have any mods in mind yet?

[Kris"Speed3"CWP]

I hoped you leased it. After your break in period I would dump the oil at 4500-5000km and at that time take an oil sample and get analysis done to make sure everything is breaking in the way it is supposed to. Then you will have a base line of the state of your car prior to doing any mods. Then put your synthetic in and enjoy! Just remember there are no Mazda speed parts for Gen2, that Mazda will warranty no matter what any dealer tries to tell you!! Enjoy your ride and hope you have better luck than me!

[Kinn]

that was the original plan to break it in using the factory oil then switch to synthetic when my first oil change comes up. I have a pretty good idea that these motors have already been run quite hard at the factory in their quality control testing. At least thats how it is when we test cars that come off the line. We build the rx350 where i work, so i know a little about what goes on before the car is actually shipped to the dealer. Regardless, i still follow the break in procedure. Vary the rpm's...you guys know the drill...but 2 days to do prep and delivery....cant they wash the thing and test it a little quicker then that..hehe :)...I guess im just a little impatient at the moment...lol

Here is a link to a thread I startred about break in...not sure if this is helpful at all...i know it's a little late

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?42892-New-Engine-Break-in&highlight=

[PR3Y11]

soooo clean.

[Caligari]

Nice car!

[J.Dragan]

Very nice brother, looks just like mine except yours is nice and shiny and clean. Enjoy your new ride. ZOOM ZOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!