NO LONGER a member of the Crappy Car Club

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Jedi2016

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Well, my Crappy Car™ finally died the other day. Not 100% sure what it was (the engine runs, but the belts aren't turning, so there's no alternator, no cooling, and no power steering), but I was looking for an excuse to get something better, anyway.

So, I'm now the proud owner of a brand-spanking-new 2006 Mazda3i sedan.. 2.0L I4, 148hp, 5-speed manual. Definitely a snappy little car compared to my old dying Tempo. :) The ride, the handling, everything is better now... :)

Just wanted to let Event know that I'm no longer a member of the Club™. :)
 
Hmm, did you check the damper/harmonic balancer?
Anyways, congrats on the new vehicle! Woot!
 
Or the tensioner isn't aligned?
 
I can't get to the crank myself, but a couple people have said it's probably the balancer (since it's not the belt, and it's not the tensioner).

The car was a POS anyway.. I'll probably get it fixed up at some point, and then just put an ad in the paper to sell it off to some poor college student or something.

And, as I said, I was looking for an excuse.. the more I've been looking at new cars lately, the more annoyed I've been with my old one.. it's near-death was a good excuse to get something new.
 
Yep, trading up is so much sweeter when your old car is a ****box :D

The Mazda 3i is a real nice looking car, and if it shares the driving dynamics of the old Protege it's probably good fun (I test drove a Mazda5 a few years back)...
 
Actually, it might even be snappier than the Protege.. I think it's got a moderately sporty-like suspension (it handles brilliantly), and the five-speed is definitely preferable to an automatic when you're talking performance. I can spin the tires in first with little effort, and I can get a decent bark going into second if I like. :)

It's been forever since I've driven a stick, though, so I'll have to get used to it again.. hehe. It's like riding a bike, though.. I've had the car less than a day, and I'm already figuring out where the shift points and so on are.

Now I just need to figure out how to set the frikkin' clock.. lol. ;) I think everybody does that with a new car.. can't figure out all the damn buttons. :)
 
So you didn't want to wait on a MKV Golf? Well fair enough because your car did bite the dust. Congrats on the new car, it always feels good to get something new.
 
Jedi2016
Now I just need to figure out how to set the frikkin' clock.. lol. ;) I think everybody does that with a new car.. can't figure out all the damn buttons. :)
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Clock? What's that? Oh, you mean that thing that tells time. Hey, I don't need that. When the cop writes me the ticket he has to put the time on it...Er...

I should probably set the time on my head unit, it's been installed for a year and I've never done it.

Nice car 👍 Get some pictures.
 
Jedi2016
Actually, it might even be snappier than the Protege.. I think it's got a moderately sporty-like suspension (it handles brilliantly), and the five-speed is definitely preferable to an automatic when you're talking performance. I can spin the tires in first with little effort, and I can get a decent bark going into second if I like. :)

It's been forever since I've driven a stick, though, so I'll have to get used to it again.. hehe. It's like riding a bike, though.. I've had the car less than a day, and I'm already figuring out where the shift points and so on are.

Now I just need to figure out how to set the frikkin' clock.. lol. ;) I think everybody does that with a new car.. can't figure out all the damn buttons. :)
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I love that car... it's really snappy. Have you driven the MP3 Protege? I'll give that it's a better steer than the base Prote, but the MP3 has a quikcer rack and stiffer suspension.

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Now if only I could swap my Proty dash with that one... :lol:
 
Nice choice dude ! I drove a 3 before my wife and I bought our focus wagon, I loved the 3, and everything about it ( but the wagon was better for our dog )....otherwise, we'd be driving the 3 right now ! Excellent choice! **edit** thats something that blew me away too was the interior...soo much better than anything else in its class !
 
Congrats, that's imo the best buy in the category, and by far the nicest interior you can get for that price. You're right about the manual transmission, the one I drove felt a bit underpowered with the auto. Very good looking car too, especially the sedan. 👍

As for the car handling vs the old Protege, well, it depends on what you like. Steering feel / feedback and overall rigidity are much better in the 3, but I remember reading that the weight distribution has been slightly shifted to the front, and with the added weight, this may explain why the 3 feel a bit heavier and slightly more understeer-prone than the nimbler Protege when pushed hard. (drove a 3 GT and 2 Protege LX / ES 2.0 a few times) The protege chassis was very well balanced, a good base for a racetrack car, but I haven't seen much (well, none so far) race conversions of the 3 yet.

You won't notice it in normal driving though, where the 3 will feel better. It also have an awesome stability in the snow, but I doubt you'll ever need that in Texas... :p
 
Well, see, that's why I'm asking. People compare it to the ES, but the MP3 and MP5 have the best "feel" of the lot. Oh well. Still a very nice car. If they ever bring the manual version here, I'd definitely consider trading in the Prot for one. Or keeping both. :lol:
 
niky
Well, see, that's why I'm asking. People compare it to the ES, but the MP3 and MP5 have the best "feel" of the lot. Oh well. Still a very nice car. If they ever bring the manual version here, I'd definitely consider trading in the Prot for one. Or keeping both. :lol:
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What's an mp5? a Protege5? The mp3 has indeed the best handling of the bunch in every aspect, with a harsher ride as a side effect. (and that fugly rear spoiler)

Edit: just had a look at yours, niky, nice car. I wasn't aware that ford were selling rebadged proteges. The rear end looks better than the protege sedans IMO.
 
I've always thought build quality and handling were great on most Mazdas. Nice buy there, Jedi! 👍 Mazda 3 definitely is one of the cars I'd like to buy, so I'm little bit jealous!(I like the wagon though). With a stick shift, 3's gonna be a blast to drive on a curvey roads. Congrats! :)
 
It just occurred to me that, once again, I'm driving a car that isn't in frikkin' Gran Turismo. And it's a new car! I thought they included like.. EVERY new car?!? What the hell? I just can't win for losin', can I?

Well, here's hoping for GT5... although with my luck, they'll have a different design Mazda3, or they'll only have the hatchback, or something else equally stupid. *sigh*
 
Congrats on the kick ass new car! The 3 is my second favourite favourite small car on sale (only behind the Mini Cooper).
 
Carl.
What's an mp5? a Protege5? The mp3 has indeed the best handling of the bunch in every aspect, with a harsher ride as a side effect. (and that fugly rear spoiler)

Edit: just had a look at yours, niky, nice car. I wasn't aware that ford were selling rebadged proteges. The rear end looks better than the protege sedans IMO.
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We've been getting some inquiries at the local club from guys with MP3s and ES's who want to swap fronts and rears... but it's an expensive one, involving quarter panels. Still, won't be surprised if someone does it in the future.

Jedi2016
It just occurred to me that, once again, I'm driving a car that isn't in frikkin' Gran Turismo. And it's a new car! I thought they included like.. EVERY new car?!? What the hell? I just can't win for losin', can I?

Well, here's hoping for GT5... although with my luck, they'll have a different design Mazda3, or they'll only have the hatchback, or something else equally stupid. *sigh*
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That's why I swapped to the Mazda Prote... no Sentra/Sunnys in GT... at least not since GT2... :lol:
 
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