Hey OzMPS!
Name's Tom as above, and I've just moved into a 2006 3 MPS - my first Mazda.
To be honest I had only a very vague interest in the Mazdas during my search for a car. I was 95% sure I wanted a Mk V Golf or Jetta. I'd been in Vietnam for about a month, returned to Adelaide, spotted a 3 MPS for sale and decided hey, a test drive can't hurt.
Cannot believe the chasm of awesomeness between the MPS and the 3 Maxx Sport that I'd previously been in (family car). The fact that they share a name is something that just seems wrong now. Anyway, as you'd guess by the thread, I put a deposit down very quickly after reviewing the necessary documents!
No pics yet as I'll be picking her up tomorrow, but it is a pretty cool blue shade (I'm sure there is an equally cool name just like every other car paint) and is just the standard non-luxury model.
I've come from OzVR4 having owned two modded Mitsubishi Legnums over the past few years. I'm very interested to see the performance gains to be had in this car after reading some bits and pieces here and having a loose interest in the JDM scene for many years. Anyway, that's a big enough rant!