The Cure for Projectitis

[CaptainHenreh]

I freely admit it. I had Projectitis. I figured it was terminal, and then resigned myself to this fate. Moving from busted pile to busted pile, always scratching at the very limit of my meager budget to have something that moved like it meant it.

But there was a light at the end of the tunnel. A cure for Projectitis. It's simple, and I'll share the secret with you:

Buy a car that isn't a piece of shit.

Yeah, I didn't think it was that easy either. But I looked at my budget, and went and bought the fastest thing I could afford:

And it *is* fast.


The formula is pretty simple. You take a ranted-and-raved about chassis, drop it, stiffen it, and then throw a Ward's Ten Best motor:

Direct Gasoline Injection, 9.5:1 Compression, and a smallish turbo reaching a 15.6 psi max (although people have recorded spikes into the 19's).

That translates into 268hp and 280lb-feet of pavement shredding torque. Have I mentioned I have an enormous hard-on for this car?

You put that torque to the ground through six forward gears and a torsen limited slip differential. I probably would not have bought the thing had it been Dodge Neon-esque and not had six speed and LSD. But you combine the six speed, the direct injection engine, and a torsen LSD...and it was a package I couldn't turn down.

My favorite bit is the subtlety of the car. At first glance, it's not really that different from a regular, mundane, run of the mill Mazda 3. It's the little things that make the difference:
Larger rear spoiler, different rear valence:

Unique foglights, front valence:

And you've already seen the pretty subtle "Mazdaspeed".
You get a bling oil cap:

And cool little chrome accents on the doorsills:

You also get some really comfortable, stylish, supportive seats, but I didn't include pictures of those cuz I'm laaaaaazy. If you're made of twigs with skin wrapped over 'em, you might slide around a little, but if you're my size, they're perfect.

My only beef is with the shifter. See, this is the same trans as the Speed 6, including the same shifter. It might be my imagination, but it seems a little better in the 3, but it still isn't the rifle-bolt shifter I'd really love. But with 0-60 in under 6 seconds, I won't complain.



I mean, would you?

I just wanted to show it off a little. Don't misunderstand, it's not perfect. The electronic throttle can be a bit nannyish (it's the main way the Traction Control works) the shifter can be a little vague and notchy, and I don't like the fact that it's got 18" wheels. 17" would be much more better. But on the 2-3 shift, when the turbo comes on full, you pretty much forget all that...you also forget about having any shit projects, too. I mean it's a nice, new, warrantied car that's probably about as fast as my old Supra. That is, fast enough.

[Sijray21]

having busted piles is like having a collection of rare expensive vehicles - they're always sitting still more than you're actually having fun with them....except you have to work to get them to run instead of just turning the key :-P

nice buy Rex, i hope you enjoy the MS3! i want a ride sometime! I want to compare this to the MSP that Ryan Wilson has. I love that car!

[Mike]

a very good choice indeed.

tip: don't f'ing touch the thing. not a damn thing... maybe wheels and tires, but don't start adding power and crap... it'll suddenly turn in to a shitpile project just like the rest of em.

tip #2: get a cheap project car... you'll miss wrenching and having something to throw bits of money at. if you're like me, they're very little bits over a long period of time so it doesn't affect the wallet too much.

[Feersty]

Its a beautiful car Rex. Can I get a ride this weekend? I'll be in Manassas.

[Jewels]

Its a beautiful car Rex. Can I get a ride this weekend? I'll be in Manassas.

Sorry Feerst, but its Mother's day weekend and we have 2 moms and a grandmother to visit, so we'll be spending our time this weekend running up and down the valley.
At least though, my parents and Rex's grandmother live in the same town so we don't have to do tooo much running.

[.RJ]

tip #2: get a cheap project motorbike

Fixed that for you

[Mike]

tip #2: get a cheap project motorbike

Fixed that for you

noooooo! they're not cheap. cause you WILL crash it

[Jeff]

Nice car...the PT owned you with teh burnouts! :wink: I'm thinking over this "nice new car" thing....but mine will have 8 cylinders, 4 doors (5 is just too much! :lol and RWD! The minivan will go bye bye next year in favor of some big body lovin...my weekend in the C made the decision for me. 55 to 120mph without waking up the girls? Hole in one...no more noisy FWD turbo cars for me.

[.RJ]

noooooo! they're not cheap. cause you WILL crash it

Not if you dont have fairings

[Jeff]

noooooo! they're not cheap. cause you WILL crash it

Not if you dont have fairings

Do medical bills count here? :wink:

[.RJ]

Do medical bills count here? :wink:

Rex has a good job, I'm sure he's got health insurance

[ScottyB]

i don't know, Rex. i've never seen you in anything that wasn't either old, obscure, or a mess in some way. this is all a but much for me to handle at the moment :lol:

for the record, i'm jealous. that is a hell of a car. also, i might have to take your advice at some point.

[CaptainHenreh]

Nice car...the PT owned you with teh burnouts! :wink:

Yeah, shit tires and no LSD *will* make a little noise...

Scotty, I didn't say I was done with projects...just done for a little while. I'm sure the urge to wrench on something will be overwhelming, and Mike speaks the truth: The best way to handle this is to not TOUCH the MS3 (except for maybe wheels'n'tires) and then get something to wrench on...later.

Something that runs.

I'm not even going to speculate on what that thing would be. Could be anything, it will be cheap.

[Apoc]

I'm sure RJ will say I don't wrench anyway but I learned this with my last car. I did shit to my M3 and while it wasn't exactly busted, the things I did do ended up with undesired side effects. Many times I've thought about modifying the S4 but I like not having a car that works as intended and is fast by design.

The universe will cease to exist when RJ learns what you did.

[.RJ]

The universe will cease to exist when RJ learns what you did.

:dunno:

No busted ass projects here... all my shit runs and I love my truck and F4i just the way they are.

[WRXtranceformed]

Awesome car Rex!!

Although, I heard a story about this um, kid, who took one from a roll in an autotragic IS300 the other night with a couple of passengers in the car. I couldn't tell you who that was, I just happened to witness it...

[CaptainHenreh]

Awesome car Rex!!

Although, I heard a story about this um, kid, who took one from a roll in an autotragic IS300 the other night with a couple of passengers in the car. I couldn't tell you who that was, I just happened to witness it...

It's quite possible. The throttle is limited in gears one and two, so if it was from a "slow roll" I can definitely see this happening. But an MS3 would flashburn your ass on an interstate.

[Apoc]

The universe will cease to exist when RJ learns what you did.

:dunno:

No busted ass projects here... all my shit runs and I love my truck and F4i just the way they are.

Only because you've finished your last busted ass project and haven't started a new one yet.

[.RJ]

Only because you've finished your last busted ass project and haven't started a new one yet.

Possibly... but I'm not using busted ass vehicles for everyday use anymore. Its kind of nice.

[Maengelito]

I did shit to my M3 and while it wasn't exactly busted, the things I did do ended up with undesired side effects. Many times I've thought about modifying the S4 but I like not having a car that works as intended and is fast by design.

ditto on my STi. its nice not having to do shit except change fluids and tires. otherwise, that bitch is stock and still pretty fast. i did put that blingin' CF lip i bought from BJ several months back. i have been contemplating a turbo back exhaust though because the sound of that boxer engine is amazing. i'm just afraid of that slippery slope