09 ss vs ms3

[jpower102]

Originally Posted by SSlobalt

I looked at the MS3s and really liked them. I looked at the GTI as well. Both were very nice, but I couldn't afford either one and I wanted to try out an American car, so Cobalt it was. I have not been unhappy with my purchase at all, but I realize that the MS3 and GTI are both fine autos.

I agree ..

MS3 : why I wouldn't buy it is : 1) torque steer 2) ride confort 3) price

GTI: 1) price 2) hp

but the GTI is the best alrounder for fun vs handling vs looks vs interior quality
I'd definitly buy a GTI but would get the tune ( it does 260 hp and 300 torque with the tune which is plenty IMO)

I find the GTI is the best looking car .. but for the price the cobalt is the best driver's car ..

[Nismothecat]

Originally Posted by metroplex

I didn't mean to say the MS3 was slow like the VW GTI, it just didn't feel as fast or angry as the SS/TC. There was noticeably more torque-steer in 1st gear acceleration (I was practically thrown into the left lane) and the 6-speed gearshift felt like it'd fall apart at any time due to how you can push it down (to get into reverse) at any gear/position.

I test drove the bright red 2008 MS3 and I did like the:
HID headlights
LED taillights
5-door station wagon practicality
Audi-like refined interior

What I didn't like about the MS3:
black interior (felt too dark, like I was driving in a cave)
no sunroof (some BS about extra reinforcements in the roof)
single piston front calipers
telescopic steering wheel looks great on paper, wasn't that useful for me
seats weren't as comfortable as the one in the SS/TC

i see what your saying, the gearbox is kinda weird. gotta buy the shifter bushings and it makes everything much better. the way reverse is(push down and 1st gear) is not fun to get used to but that is one thing i loved about the car. going from R to 1st was so simple.
it does have alot of torque steer(one reason i got rid of mine). made the most of it abd got a TQ STEER license plate. the brakes may be single caliper but the brake jsut as good as the SS/TC, just not as pretty.

Originally Posted by jpower102

MS3 : why I wouldn't buy it is : 1) torque steer 2) ride confort 3) price

I know your in Canuckistan, and thats why the MS3 costs more. but in the US the MS3 is actually over $1,000 cheaper than a SS/TC

[SuperchargedSS]

I have the regular mazda 2.3L 5 door hatch as a daily driver and it hardly sees 10km over the speed limit. The tranny blew at 19 000km, the front axle's needed to be replaced at 22 000 (defect), the ball joints (defective), the oil pan started leaking at 25 000km, the car wont start in P, needs to be in drive (fixed), plus about 5-6 other problems. You can tell the side of the garage my mazda parks on, its the one with all the oil and leak stains. One mechanic even left his tools under the hood. I started the car up and drove off the lot and soon as I hit a bump a wrench when into the fan and caused 1200$ worth of damage that mazda was not going to fix. I had to walk back and get the mechanics wrench to prove to them. At 90 000KM I have rust starting over the wheel wells and it will need body work.

All in all given my experience, mazda 3's are complete shit, their dealerships here are slimy, and the service dept are liars. Garbage car. I test drove a speed 3 and mentioned that I have no confidence in their service or cars at all. I showed the sales guy my rust and an overflowing binder with work orders etc. The shuttle dood knows me by name cause I used to see him once a week.

I traded my SC in with 78 000KM on it, and not one single problem that I didnt cause myself. No leaks, no rust, perfect.

[northvibe]

Originally Posted by metroplex

When I was shopping for a pocket rocket, the only MS3 in the area was a 2008 being sold as new (this was April 2009). It was an early 08 model too, so the engine would probably fall out and the turbo would probably suck oil like a diesel from the 70s. The LNF itself is a pretty stout motor. There are other issues with the Cobalt itself (rear brakes, e-brake adjustment from factory, lousy headlights, etc...) but I wanted something that was fast, handled well, and had a sunroof. The MS3 is none of these things and it doesn't look like Mazda subscribes to kaizen because the 2010 isn't much of an improvement.

I had a early 2008 and knew many as well, none of us had issues. The engine mount bolt was found at the early stages of 2007 shipment and most were recall fixed on the dock. You seem to be misinformed slightly. Just because 1 kid rants about a issue doesnt make it wide spread.

Have you seen the LNF issues with oil leaking out? I think Gimpster made a thread on it. How about the boost tube blowing off. poor body panel fitment, lack of a refined interior? dude the SS isnt the top of the line. It has tons of issues.

The ms3 has more torq and its very noticeable if you drive one. both are great cars, its all personal preference when it comes down to it.

Originally Posted by SuperchargedSS

I have the regular mazda 2.3L 5 door hatch as a daily driver and it hardly sees 10km over the speed limit. The tranny blew at 19 000km, the front axle's needed to be replaced at 22 000 (defect), the ball joints (defective), the oil pan started leaking at 25 000km, the car wont start in P, needs to be in drive (fixed), plus about 5-6 other problems. You can tell the side of the garage my mazda parks on, its the one with all the oil and leak stains. One mechanic even left his tools under the hood. I started the car up and drove off the lot and soon as I hit a bump a wrench when into the fan and caused 1200$ worth of damage that mazda was not going to fix. I had to walk back and get the mechanics wrench to prove to them. At 90 000KM I have rust starting over the wheel wells and it will need body work.

All in all given my experience, mazda 3's are complete shit, their dealerships here are slimy, and the service dept are liars. Garbage car. I test drove a speed 3 and mentioned that I have no confidence in their service or cars at all. I showed the sales guy my rust and an overflowing binder with work orders etc. The shuttle dood knows me by name cause I used to see him once a week.

I traded my SC in with 78 000KM on it, and not one single problem that I didnt cause myself. No leaks, no rust, perfect.

hahah have you check the "problems" thread on this website? ohhh man you people crack me up

[metroplex]

I had a early 2008 and knew many as well, none of us had issues. The engine mount bolt was found at the early stages of 2007 shipment and most were recall fixed on the dock. You seem to be misinformed slightly. Just because 1 kid rants about a issue doesnt make it wide spread.

Have you seen the LNF issues with oil leaking out? I think Gimpster made a thread on it. How about the boost tube blowing off. poor body panel fitment, lack of a refined interior? dude the SS isnt the top of the line. It has tons of issues.

The ms3 has more torq and its very noticeable if you drive one. both are great cars, its all personal preference when it comes down to it.

Actually, the MS3 issues were POINTED OUT to me by Mazda forum members. A few members even recommended I buy the SS/TC because of the problems with the MS3.

As for the oil leaking problems, I believe that is caused by the camshaft position sensor and I haven't noticed it on my 09.5 build, same with the "boost tube blowing off". The panel fitment and interior quality are decent for an American car. I didn't buy the SS/TC so it would be the epitome of automotive interior design. I wanted something fun to drive, and the MS3 wasn't as fun to drive as the SS/TC.

I had a early 2008 and knew many as well, none of us had issues. The engine mount bolt was found at the early stages of 2007 shipment and most were recall fixed on the dock. You seem to be misinformed slightly. Just because 1 kid rants about a issue doesnt make it wide spread.

Have you seen the LNF issues with oil leaking out? I think Gimpster made a thread on it. How about the boost tube blowing off. poor body panel fitment, lack of a refined interior? dude the SS isnt the top of the line. It has tons of issues.

The ms3 has more torq and its very noticeable if you drive one. both are great cars, its all personal preference when it comes down to it.

Actually, the MS3 issues were POINTED OUT to me by Mazda forum members. A few members even recommended I buy the SS/TC because of the problems with the MS3.

As for the oil leaking problems, I believe that is caused by the camshaft position sensor and I haven't noticed it on my 09.5 build, same with the "boost tube blowing off". The panel fitment and interior quality are decent for an American car. I didn't buy the SS/TC so it would be the epitome of automotive interior design. I wanted something fun to drive, and the MS3 wasn't as fun to drive as the SS/TC.

[northvibe]

Originally Posted by metroplex

Actually, the MS3 issues were POINTED OUT to me by Mazda forum members. A few members even recommended I buy the SS/TC because of the problems with the MS3.

As for the oil leaking problems, I believe that is caused by the camshaft position sensor and I haven't noticed it on my 09.5 build, same with the "boost tube blowing off". The panel fitment and interior quality are decent for an American car. I didn't buy the SS/TC so it would be the epitome of automotive interior design. I wanted something fun to drive, and the MS3 wasn't as fun to drive as the SS/TC.

Um just 1 member? that could be a very biased opinion. I owned a MS3 and you never talked to me.

I never had a issue with my ms3 or my ss.

The panel fitment is decent?!?! are you insane?! have you seen the gaps? they are awful. My ford escape from 2005, my 1993 ford taurus, moms 2005 malibu, 1996 merc sable NEVER had fitment issues that bad. the cobalt is a eco box but theres no excuse for fitment issues that bad.

Keep making up excuses and rationalizing them so you can sleep, but theres no reason to be biased.

[SuperchargedSS]

I had a early 2008 and knew many as well, none of us had issues. The engine mount bolt was found at the early stages of 2007 shipment and most were recall fixed on the dock. You seem to be misinformed slightly. Just because 1 kid rants about a issue doesnt make it wide spread.

Have you seen the LNF issues with oil leaking out? I think Gimpster made a thread on it. How about the boost tube blowing off. poor body panel fitment, lack of a refined interior? dude the SS isnt the top of the line. It has tons of issues.

The ms3 has more torq and its very noticeable if you drive one. both are great cars, its all personal preference when it comes down to it.

The "Boost Tube" doesn't really "Blow off", there is a grommet that pops off and just remains loose. The pipe itself remains completely intact. and fine. My 09.5 has yet to do this and I am not pushing stock boost levels. Minor issue , simple fix in any regards.

My 09 is leak free, but I am pretty sure its just the sensor seal leaking. Again, simple fix.
Now I will slide through all the oil and grease and go and check whats seeping from the bowels of my mighty wanna be duratec 2.3..... ahhh fak it... (pop's a heinie)


As far as my Mazda interior.... Hmm. I dont care what my interior is like when the car is in the shop 3 days a week. Kind of hard to enjoy the tight fit n finish when it's hoisted 8 ft in the fukin air in the service bay

The ss interior doesnt get enough credit, its just the weakest point to attack for those who are usually buttsore cause its spanks anything in its class on the performance tests.

[metroplex]

Originally Posted by northvibe

Um just 1 member? that could be a very biased opinion. I owned a MS3 and you never talked to me.

I never had a issue with my ms3 or my ss.

The panel fitment is decent?!?! are you insane?! have you seen the gaps? they are awful. My ford escape from 2005, my 1993 ford taurus, moms 2005 malibu, 1996 merc sable NEVER had fitment issues that bad. the cobalt is a eco box but theres no excuse for fitment issues that bad.

Keep making up excuses and rationalizing them so you can sleep, but theres no reason to be biased.

It was more than 1 MS3 owner that told me to go buy the SS/TC. I test drive the MS3 and really checked it out because I could buy it using the X-Plan discount. Overall I just didn't feel it was worth the money. The SS/TC was a lot more fun to drive.

I'm not biased and I'm not sure where you got the idea I was rationalizing. The panel fitment is decent on my SS/TC, it's not going to be a handmade Ferrari but I don't see any large unsettling gaps. The dash rattles a bit but the quality is on-par with my 07 Mustang GT and 00 Crown Vic - basically, an American car.

I dig Econoboxes because they don't try too hard to be flashy. It is what it is. The MS3 has an Audi-like interior in terms of fit/finish, but the interior is low on my list of purchasing priorities. Give me power, handling, and driver's excitement.

[jpower102]

Originally Posted by Nismothecat

i see what your saying, the gearbox is kinda weird. gotta buy the shifter bushings and it makes everything much better. the way reverse is(push down and 1st gear) is not fun to get used to but that is one thing i loved about the car. going from R to 1st was so simple.
it does have alot of torque steer(one reason i got rid of mine). made the most of it abd got a TQ STEER license plate. the brakes may be single caliper but the brake jsut as good as the SS/TC, just not as pretty.



I know your in Canuckistan, and thats why the MS3 costs more. but in the US the MS3 is actually over $1,000 cheaper than a SS/TC

Ok .. I didn't know that ... here it's actually 6000$ more at least (25k cobalt and 32k ms3)

and about the same difference for a well equiped GTI

so its a no brainer

[metroplex]

The SS/TC fully loaded was about the same price as the MS3, but I also used a GM Employee discount. The MS3 had to be ordered and they weren't taking orders at the time.

The worst part is that when they order them from the factory to stock the lots, they're all in gray or black. The VW GTI is a VW, so my choice was easy: SS/TC.

The SS/TC fully loaded was about the same price as the MS3, but I also used a GM Employee discount. The MS3 had to be ordered and they weren't taking orders at the time.

The worst part is that when they order them from the factory to stock the lots, they're all in gray or black. The VW GTI is a VW, so my choice was easy: SS/TC.