Why did you buy a MPS?

[wyvernone]

I started looking at a Ford XR6 Turbo with around 7kg per kW of weight-to-power ratio.

but that was too big and I wanted something smaller but still with the same power to weight ratio... so the 3MPS came at the right time and it is nice and compact with 4 doors, versatile as a daily drive.

Plus I like Mazda reliabiilty - drove my 626 close to 400,000 km and it was still going...

did a couple months of research on it and reading various good reviews about it from the US and on the forums

also liked the GTI at the time coz it had a good engine but it was built in SA and I was concerned about that. 3MPS is built in Japan!

VW couldn't give a hoot about booking a test drive while I got one right away with Mazda... so bought it same day.

I still love it... and will start modding the suspension after the warranty runs out...

[Anfernee0525]

I just want to say,take the budget out of the equation i would rather go for the subaru liberty GT,other than the mps 6.

[pHiLix]

I got my MPS 3 mainly because I wanted something turboed and relatively new. I've been in a couple of my mates cars which are turbo. Being young, I basically had a craving for boost after those experiences. I never owned a turboed car before, this is the first time so I thought I might as well experience it while I'm young.

I had other options in mind such as the S15, WRX, and E46 3 series coupe. I didn't choose the S15 because it was getting too old, I was set on a jap spec as well which meant that it would probably of have a hard life back in Japan. WRX's interior was way too plain and the fact that too many people have it. E46 3 series coupe, well I really like these but a lot of them come in auto and performance isn't as great as the other options. I wasn't ready to settle down yet but will definitely consider european for my next car

[Mr Nasa]

i was driving in surfers in my wanker ss ute!!
haha i saw this mazda 3 mp5??... i slammed into 2nd... he then basically dropped me!!
it took me 6 months to get rid of the ute to buy my bootiful3!
love it to death!

[TD]

i was driving in surfers in my wanker ss ute!!
haha i saw this mazda 3 mp5??... i slammed into 2nd... he then basically dropped me!!
it took me 6 months to get rid of the ute to buy my bootiful3!
love it to death!

Hah! I reckon a few people have turned up to Mazda asking to drive a "MP3 or whatever it's called" after being blown away by one in a roll on

[mech81]

I always had the MPS3 at the back of my mind ever since a mate of mine bought a cosmic blue one up on the Gold Coast. Then..I had a pitiful Yaris as my drive but then it was fine as I did not commute to work and used it around town on weekends.

Then work brought me to suburbia of Victoria which meant more highway driving which meant that even the weekend drive was going to ****. I still kept the yaris. Then I saw a 08 MPS3 sports and in GREY!!! the colour I would have gotten if I had bought the MPS3 new. Waited for the new MPS3 designs and when it was announced, I preferred the previous style.

After waiting, I saw the 08 Mazda was still sitting in its lot. This car had my name over it after all that time...Bit the bullet and put money down with the money from my previous car. Never looked back at my first-owned turbo and manual car. A pleasure everytime...

[SSSRO1]

For me it was either Mazda 6 mps or 07-08 subaru liberty...

Both cars had about same "wow" factor and both were just as fast..

Mps was bout $15,000 cheaper than the lib lol so thats what done it for me

[tonks39]

After I decided that I didn't want to pay for the fuel a V8 would chug down.

What initially sold me was the features the mps comes standard with. No cruise control on the xr5 focus was a big no no for me.. Test drove both the ford and mazda and would have been happy with either (had already written off the rest of the hot hatch crowd for various reasons).

The biggest clincher was the price!! Test drove the mps on the same day i drove the focus. Completely forgot on the day that i had a friend that worked at another mazda dealership. Long story short.. Dealer A dropped his initial quote by $6,500 once he realised i had a friend in dealership B. This pissed my mate off to no end however i guess the winner at the end of the day was me

So yeah, features + price sold the mps for me..

Picked it up a week ago on tuesday.. Had a smile on my face ever since

[Carl]

I had to buy new, and I had a budget. So I started looking at Mini Cooper S, Peugeot 207GTI, Renault Megane R26, Renault Clio sport 197.
The Cooper S in it's most basic form is nice, but without any standard features makes it really expensive when you add everything you need. The Clio 197 was a pretty good car and unique (only 5 in NZ). Then I realised that Mazda gives discounts and I already knew the reputation of the 3 MPS. So I drove one and was astounded at the power and driveability. I hadn't finished my research yet, so after that I thought I could try the Megane R26. Loved it, and would buy it as it's power per litre is the same as the MPS, but then thought hard about being seen in a bright yellow car with a shape that is, shall we say, controversial... Then went back for an overnight test drive with the MPS and decided yep, the MPS is the best overall package.

Never considered Golf GTI... Too expensive and underpowered
Never considered the WRX.... Same price as MPS, but underpowered and only 5 speed and I don't need 4WD... I know how to drive.
Never considered the XR5.... Too fugly.

Anyway, just as i was about to purchase the MPS, the salesman who is a true Ford man said why don't you try the XR5 Turbo. So I did. Ho hum, awesome engine noise, but that's about it, nowhere near as exhiliarating as the MPS and $5k more expensive.
At the end of the day, the 3 MPS was the quickest by far, was the cheapest, and looks hot.

Drove a friend's Golf R32, and wondered what's all the fuss about? Feels heavy and slow compared to the MPS.
I borrowed my Mum's auto RAV4 for a week while my right arm was in a sling and couldn't wait to get my car back... it's awesome.

[AD07]

Nice work Carl......

[Nirvandan]

Never considered the WRX.... Same price as MPS, but underpowered and only 5 speed and I don't need 4WD... I know how to drive.

Ouch!

[LYNCHY]

Carl nice work

[kovmps6]

After having a rx8 i still wanted a mazda but not such a big fuel and oil bill

Cant go past a awd 190kw sleeper that has all the comfort, luxury and go in one!

my next car will be a CX7 or a gen2 mps3!!! all depends if i can convince my wife to get a CX7 instead of a SP25 !!!

[Perth Andy]

When considering my purchase recently I came down to the Subaru WRX, Mini Cooper JCW, Golf GTi and obviously the Mazda 3 MPS (Gen2).

WRX - too many of them in Perth all driven by idiots
Mini Cooper JCW - great drive, great finish, lots of fun, great fuel economy, but I didn't fit (I am 6"3) and only 2 doors
Golf GTi - again felt too small and too tame, not enough fun

THe Mazda 3 won because I was happy with the quality, the fun factor, the performance figures, the additional room for someone tall and someone with kids and it had everything I wanted from a car, all the extras I wanted that would have cost a fortune as extras with the other cars.

However, if the new Renault Megane Sport was out, I reckon it would have given the Mazda a real run for its money. I also wonder if I would have looked at paying the extra money for the Golf GTi-R or what ever they are going to call the new R version.

[RedDjinn]

i wanted to buy an MPS after test driving one.. the guy that owned it said give it to it!! after that i wanted one.. i had a neo 3 at the time which i still have, before that i had a 323 protege 10 years of mazdas. wanted to stick with mazda but i did consider - WRX (boring) EVO (insurance) RX8 (fuel,insurance) GTI ($$$) so my choice MPS 3 or 6?..went with the 3 cuz of the put you in the boot go from 60kph.... With a few mods now esp brakes, suspension. Its the best cornering car i have been in. all my mates think the same ( one mate said i thought there would be more wheel spin ).. when they get out they have all considered buying one. I guess ths is why all of us here have bought one. BUT i often think i should have bought the 6 at times.... but never any others...cant wipe the smile off my face with a meat axe...

[tigamica350]

I had a Mazda 6 Luxury Sports Hatch, which after my previous car a VTII SS with the usual bits (Modded MAF, CAI with custom ducting, full custom S/S exhaust, UNICHIP etc) was a fare bit under powered.

Whilst the 6 was a fantastic car to drive and was reliable (even my wife drove it something she would not do with the SS), it was just underpowered. I decided to get something with more power, but just as comfortable and user friendly.

I decided to look at the Liberty GT or the Liberty RB or whatever it is with the 6. I took the GT for a couple of drives but it just didn't seem to go that hard and was a bit too expensive and didn't have the flexibility of a hatch. The same reason I didn't go for the 6MPS.

I checked out the Golf GTI but having never owned a VW before I was a bit unsure of the reliability and servicing costs.

I tried to take a XR5 but no one would be in that, a bit "precious" I thought.

I was talking to the Mazda guy, who sold me the 6, bitching about the 6 MPS, and how the hatchback was much better looking and user friendly, when he suggested that I take the 3 MPS for a drive (I didn't think of the 3 MPS as I didn't realy like the look of it)

Anyway one drive and I was hooked. I thought wow, this kicks hard just like the SS would.

So the next week I brought one.

[All Smiles]

- its practical
- its got all the gadgets so its good value for money (my other option was a mazda6 or an Accord Euro)
- its luxury in a sporty way (c'mon im only 22)
- and its got guts/

[Daz]

When I bought my 6MPS, there was nothing else on the market like it, except maybe the Liberty GT but that was nearly 10k more.
Nearly 3 years on it's still a beautiful car, it still goes well and is uber comfortable on a long drive.