Probably for the best. I doubt in the real world (traffic, road works etc) if any of the cars on your list would be significantly faster or more fun than a 172 anyway.
A wild "spec me" thread appears...£4k, 200bhp'ish hot hatch fun
- Thread starter SixTwoSix
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Probably for the best. I doubt in the real world (traffic, road works etc) if any of the cars on your list would be significantly faster or more fun than a 172 anyway.
A 172 is still a great car to have fun in, as you probably are aware. I'm not sure how a repair over £300 would mean looking at a new car, you'll still have to get the work done in order to sell it. At which point you may be better off keeping it than spending more money.
A month later, I sat, I waited. Car passed the MOT with a single minor advisory.
Last night, I might have bought a Mazda 3 MPS after grinning from ear to ear after a test drive.
Pics to come when I pick it up today/tomorrow, either here or in a new thread.
Last night, I might have bought a Mazda 3 MPS after grinning from ear to ear after a test drive.
Pics to come when I pick it up today/tomorrow, either here or in a new thread.
Hopefully you checked for all the things that I listed above for the MPS?
It'll be nothing compared to a 172 in the corners, but there is no denying how much fun the sheer straight line pace is on these. I enjoy mine, until it needed a new gearbox (booked in for a recon next week).
It'll be nothing compared to a 172 in the corners, but there is no denying how much fun the sheer straight line pace is on these. I enjoy mine, until it needed a new gearbox (booked in for a recon next week).
Yeah. I literally made notes from your post and also checked a guide on mpsowners. No distinct chain rattle and going from the videos i'd seen on YT i was expecting the engine to be much louder at idle.
Thanks, nothing i've driven to date has made me smile like this on the test drive last night.
Associate
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MPS is great, check the MPSOC and/or Facebook group for a load of info. Is is stock or tuned? (if you go down the tuning route make sure to use Justin, aka J-tune, in the owners group as other tuners, even the recognizable guys, seem to have had problems with the engine). And avoid TotalMPS... 
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Longest...day...ever!!! 
Pick it up in 2 hours.
It's stock I believe, nothing in the mountain of paperwork to suggest it's had any tuning. It's hiked my insurance up by about 20% but I knew that before I bought it. Therefore a tune down the line is a possibility from a cost perspective but part of me just wants to keep it standard.
Pick it up in 2 hours.
MPS is great, check the MPSOC and/or Facebook group for a load of info. Is is stock or tuned? (if you go down the tuning route make sure to use Justin, aka J-tune, in the owners group as other tuners, even the recognizable guys, seem to have had problems with the engine). And avoid TotalMPS...
It's stock I believe, nothing in the mountain of paperwork to suggest it's had any tuning. It's hiked my insurance up by about 20% but I knew that before I bought it. Therefore a tune down the line is a possibility from a cost perspective but part of me just wants to keep it standard.
So, got it, YAY!
The technical stuff: Mazda 3 MPS, 2.3litre turbo, 256bhp, 0-60 in 5.9 seconds.
Full Aero Bodykit - Spoiler, Lowered on Eibach springs, 2 spoke door mirrors, rear privacy glass, anthracite alloys, front/rear parking sensors.
It has half leather seats, BOSE stereo system, DSC traction control.
Went for a 50 mile drive on motorway, a & b roads last night. Feels like a caged animal, always wants to go faster and faster. Heavier of course in corners than my Clio but balanced out by the power delivery. I'm probably going to kill myself
As it's lowered I have to reverse onto my drive or the front catches. It hates every speed bump in the area, I literally have to creep over them.
Still struggling to pull away smoothly in 1st/2nd as the clutch/accelerator are so different to the Clio but that'll become easier with experience. I've only been driving 6 years and have gone from Corsa > Focus > Cliosport to this.
Tax is a killer, £500/year. Insurance went up £150/year from £750 - £900. However thats for the wifes car as well with us as named drivers on each others cars. She's also got 2 non fault claims in the last 2 years. Quotes without the non fault claims are over £200 less. Really annoys me that she did nothing wrong and we have to pay but thats a topic for another day.
Will need a loyalty card for the local petrol station, went through a quarter tank of fuel on that joy ride last night, however it's obviously me being over eager on the gas as it's new and fun to me.
Ok...quick potato quality pics...
It's pushing 260bhp, it'll do me for the moment. It's pretty much a sleeper in my eyes, 90% of drivers won't realise what it's capable of.
The technical stuff: Mazda 3 MPS, 2.3litre turbo, 256bhp, 0-60 in 5.9 seconds.
Full Aero Bodykit - Spoiler, Lowered on Eibach springs, 2 spoke door mirrors, rear privacy glass, anthracite alloys, front/rear parking sensors.
It has half leather seats, BOSE stereo system, DSC traction control.
Went for a 50 mile drive on motorway, a & b roads last night. Feels like a caged animal, always wants to go faster and faster. Heavier of course in corners than my Clio but balanced out by the power delivery. I'm probably going to kill myself
As it's lowered I have to reverse onto my drive or the front catches. It hates every speed bump in the area, I literally have to creep over them.
Still struggling to pull away smoothly in 1st/2nd as the clutch/accelerator are so different to the Clio but that'll become easier with experience. I've only been driving 6 years and have gone from Corsa > Focus > Cliosport to this.
Tax is a killer, £500/year. Insurance went up £150/year from £750 - £900. However thats for the wifes car as well with us as named drivers on each others cars. She's also got 2 non fault claims in the last 2 years. Quotes without the non fault claims are over £200 less. Really annoys me that she did nothing wrong and we have to pay but thats a topic for another day.
Will need a loyalty card for the local petrol station, went through a quarter tank of fuel on that joy ride last night, however it's obviously me being over eager on the gas as it's new and fun to me.
Ok...quick potato quality pics...
But you cant buy a hot hatch and keep it standard. The whole point is you make a pocket rocket and embarrass people in expensive German cars
It's pushing 260bhp, it'll do me for the moment. It's pretty much a sleeper in my eyes, 90% of drivers won't realise what it's capable of.
Soldato
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That looks great. May have to add it to the list to test although I can see insurance costing more than I'm willing to pay
I would say it's the tax is more than I'd be willing to pay than insurance. Well, that and mpg (for the power). But I am quite clearly a weirdo.
It is a nice looking motor though. Any interior shots?
It is indeed a sleeper, I remember my friends stage 2 mapped R26 and he wound a few people up in that
I can see a few people being surprised when they get up my ass, I drop a gear and push the loud pedal
Welcome to the club
I have registered and had a read, a tune is tempting but for the moment, will leave it as it is.
As I mentioned in the other post, the insurance hit wasn't actually that bad, I was expecting worse.
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Soldato
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£3k to insure it now (lol) ~£950 when i've got a years NCB which is a couple of hundred more than ST etc.. So will see..