WRX or Mazdaspeed3

spardavr4 said:
I don't think that is a fair comparison. The Ralliart/Evo's and WRX/STI's are rally inspired cars. They will give you unrivaled steering, whereas the MS3 is more of a really good sport version of Mazda's lower end car. LOL, actually, the MS3 is in a class of it's own, I don't really know what to compare it to!:xyxthumbs:
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I wasn't really comparing them against each other, but I was just saying that all three are a good choice IMO depending on what you are looking for, need or can afford.

You need to get yourself a Fiesta RS or a Citroen DS3 to get a current rally car! :)

I guess I would compare the Speed3 to the GTI, SRT-4 and the soon to be here Focus ST, all are FWD turbo cars.


gibbsj87 said:
I am leaning more toward the Subaru because of the AWD. I would love to have a MS3 but if winters are going to turn into a HUGE pain in the ass, then it's not worth it for me. If anyone can find a WRX near Upsate NY, let me know. I was shooting for the 25 - 26 range.
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Nothing wrong with that choice! While winters are bad here in the Detroit area, I can't imagine Upstate NY, my brother in law is from Buffalo, and they always seem buried in feet of snow! Good luck with the WRX shopping! Surprsingly, there are alot of WRX/STIs in the Detroit area with a couple of good shops for support.
 
gibbsj87 said:
I am leaning more toward the Subaru because of the AWD. I would love to have a MS3 but if winters are going to turn into a HUGE pain in the ass, then it's not worth it for me. If anyone can find a WRX near Upsate NY, let me know. I was shooting for the 25 - 26 range.
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Should be able to get a new base model for that price.
 
In your maxima/ms3 thread you mentioned freeing up money by buying an ms3. There is no way you will get your payment to 320 without a sizeable down payment and you wont save anything at all most likely. Especially if you are underwater on the max.

Also if you are at all concerned about reliability/longevity do not buy a Mazda. If you think you will drive it slow, you won’t. The car is geared so low you practically need to floor it off the line to keep up with traffic. I drove my ms3 around with the cruise set at 55 most the time and had tons of problems.

Here is my take on 25-26k sports cars:

MS3 Pros- Rediculously fast and agile handling, strong brakes, a lot of features for your money.
Cons- Horrible reliability, expensive replacement parts, at 70 mph the engine is turning at 3k rpms, look like a boy racer/rice bucket

WRX Pros- Fantastic AWD system, good all-around versatility
Cons- 5 speed so again ridiculously high rpms cruising on the highway, squishy weak brakes, boring suspension/handling, economy stereo

GTI/GLI Pros- Nice interior, tight German feel, feels fast especially w/ dsg
Cons- Won’t beat any “fast” cars w/ 200hp, VW is known for reliability issues so also plan accordingly

Camaro V6 Pros- Quick, Reliable, Fun to cruise in, 100k warranty
Cons- Cheesy styling, ugly roofline, low rent interior, kind of white trash/midlife crisis stigma

Mustang V6 Pros- Good performance, value & Fun to drive, ‘13 is pretty sexy looking
Cons- Cheap interior/seats

FR-S/BRZ Pros- Incredible balance, handling, driving experience, decent interior, good looking
Cons- A little down on all out power, such a small engine should get better gas mileage

If AWD is a must you’ve narrowed yourself down a lot. If it’s that important get a wrangler or something. Keep in mind the WRX has the same summer tires as the MS3 so you will need a winter set to take full advantage.

Hope this thread helped you. Also be sure to do your homework and test drive everything, then when your ready, call every dealer and play their prices off each other, that’s how I got my new car at $1500 under invoice.
 
James R. said:
In your maxima/ms3 thread you mentioned freeing up money by buying an ms3. There is no way you will get your payment to 320 without a sizeable down payment and you wont save anything at all most likely. Especially if you are underwater on the max.

Also if you are at all concerned about reliability/longevity do not buy a Mazda. If you think you will drive it slow, you won’t. The car is geared so low you practically need to floor it off the line to keep up with traffic. I drove my ms3 around with the cruise set at 55 most the time and had tons of problems.

Here is my take on 25-26k sports cars:

MS3 Pros- Rediculously fast and agile handling, strong brakes, a lot of features for your money.
Cons- Horrible reliability, expensive replacement parts, at 70 mph the engine is turning at 3k rpms, look like a boy racer/rice bucket

WRX Pros- Fantastic AWD system, good all-around versatility
Cons- 5 speed so again ridiculously high rpms cruising on the highway, squishy weak brakes, boring suspension/handling, economy stereo

GTI/GLI Pros- Nice interior, tight German feel, feels fast especially w/ dsg
Cons- Won’t beat any “fast” cars w/ 200hp, VW is known for reliability issues so also plan accordingly

Camaro V6 Pros- Quick, Reliable, Fun to cruise in, 100k warranty
Cons- Cheesy styling, ugly roofline, low rent interior, kind of white trash/midlife crisis stigma

Mustang V6 Pros- Good performance, value & Fun to drive, ‘13 is pretty sexy looking
Cons- Cheap interior/seats

FR-S/BRZ Pros- Incredible balance, handling, driving experience, decent interior, good looking
Cons- A little down on all out power, such a small engine should get better gas mileage

If AWD is a must you’ve narrowed yourself down a lot. If it’s that important get a wrangler or something. Keep in mind the WRX has the same summer tires as the MS3 so you will need a winter set to take full advantage.

Hope this thread helped you. Also be sure to do your homework and test drive everything, then when your ready, call every dealer and play their prices off each other, that’s how I got my new car at $1500 under invoice.
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I disagree on the WRX having boring suspension/handling but the rest is pretty spot on. I was able to get a set of 06/07 WRX wheels with brand new Hankook iPikes for $500 of a Subaru forum. The tires alone are ~$750. There are deals out there on tires and many other parts in the community.
 
i would get a wrx, im thinking about getting rid of my 2012 civic and getting a 2012 5 door wrx. in blue. i think there is a big change to the sti in 2014
 
gibbsj87

In the end it's up to you, everyone's perspectives and experiences per brand will differ. All the opinions in this thread shouldn't matter, just get what will make YOU happy! :dblthumb2:
 
derek0609 said:
gibbsj87

In the end it's up to you, everyone's perspectives and experiences per brand will differ. All the opinions in this thread shouldn't matter, just get what will make YOU happy! :dblthumb2:
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This. :iagree:

Go test drive any car you are interested in. Research them until you know them like the back of your hand. After all, you are spending a lot of money on them, you don't want to end up buying a car you will regret buying later on down the road (Like your Maxima). Do not switch cars because you don't like what your payments are on your Maxima. Like was already stated, you will need a substantial downpayment to get your monthly payments low enough for you to feel a difference.
 
i have no idea why i'm posting all of these but i went into the album for the ms3 and sti images and decided to go nuts

started with this...had it for 10 years

DSCN2321.jpg


had this too

337FD2.jpg


then finally got this

6c0ef353.jpg


then after this

Untitled.jpg


i got this a couple weeks ago

46494583.jpg
 
I should have added earlier. Maybe take a look at the 08/09 legacy gt. Same turbo motor as the wrx, a little smaller turbo. IMO it has a much more refined interior than the wrx and you still get your awd. I've seen several very low milage in the 22-24 range. If your willing to travel, there is a nice spec.b in CT. I didn't mention the newer legacy gt simply because I really prefer the look of the 4th gen, but maybe you'll like the newer ones. Bigger (more practical) than the wrx.
 
drewberg11 said:
I should have added earlier. Maybe take a look at the 08/09 legacy gt. Same turbo motor as the wrx, a little smaller turbo. IMO it has a much more refined interior than the wrx and you still get your awd. I've seen several very low milage in the 22-24 range. If your willing to travel, there is a nice spec.b in CT. I didn't mention the newer legacy gt simply because I really prefer the look of the 4th gen, but maybe you'll like the newer ones. Bigger (more practical) than the wrx.
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OMG THIS!

Get the last generation Legacy! Totally forgot about this!
 
drewberg11 said:
I should have added earlier. Maybe take a look at the 08/09 legacy gt. Same turbo motor as the wrx, a little smaller turbo. IMO it has a much more refined interior than the wrx and you still get your awd. I've seen several very low milage in the 22-24 range. If your willing to travel, there is a nice spec.b in CT. I didn't mention the newer legacy gt simply because I really prefer the look of the 4th gen, but maybe you'll like the newer ones. Bigger (more practical) than the wrx.
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+1 I love the Legacy GT and if the 5th Gen hadn't been so bulky/ugly I might have gone that route instead of WRX. The sad part is my 98 JDM Legacy GT had a better interior than my 05 Legacy did. The automatic climate control was leaps and bounds better than the one in my 2012 WRX even.
 
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