Hey,
Im new to the forum, I currently have a Moded 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege'. Im selling it for certain reasons but I am very stuck on an EVO. Im sure I will be buying one within a couple weeks. I just have to wait for the mazda to sell as a downpayment. I have a couple questions to shoot and I figured an Evo forum would be the best place. (as I know I've recieved alot of help moding the mazda just off of forums)
-first off. I test drove an 2003 Evo VIII with 19k miles on it, selling for 23k. I noticed I couldnt figure out how to raise/lower the seat. Is this possible? (Im a short man, and i felt a little low)
-Im looking to spend less than 24k, what is the best model to buy, with lowest miles, shoot some suggestions out here. I'd obviously like a six speed mr but then the miles are gonna be redicious or price and im streching my budget as it is. I'd like less than 40k on it.
-but im also fond of the tarmic/gravel/snow settings. and the thing where you can set more power to your back wheels/vise versa. Is that stuff on most models. or just certain ones.
-Is the 2003 a pretty stripped model? I just need to be refreshed here on the best one to get for the price. what is the ssl? benifits of certain models/ ect.

-Thanks and any suggestions on anything is apprecciated.

 

1. yea its a triangular shaped object on the door side of whichever seat your on and you turn that. not easy but hey you set it and forget it.

2. i got the 05 model cause i wanted the active center differential (tarmac/gravel/snow on 05+) plus it's also a bit more whp than the 03 and 04 from what i read (240whp compared to 220). i also got the 5 speed cause i do want to take it to the track and i heared more people have problems with the 6 speed on track builds. as for daily driving it's fine.

3. i got mine for 25k with 17k miles on it when i got it so dependin on dealer you should be able to stay in your price range.

4. the 03 is not a stripped model the RS version is which is the base model. then theirs the GSR and then the MR.

other than that hope you have good luck in finding one that suits you just make sure you get what you want and not just whats available. if you have to wait till the time is right cause you dont want to buy and then keep thinking to yourself "man i should have got that color" or something similar.

 

Thanks, that helps alot. I thought the 03 felt a little slugish. but at the same time, the guy at the dealer rode with me and my friend. he was a good 350lbs to weigh down the backseat.
keep it comin guys, any buying advice is helpful. In case any of you were wondering I had the mazdaspeed close at 240whp. It was a quick little guy but suffered from fwd, plus the stock motor was pushed to the max basically and I didn't wanna replace the motor. basically any evo is still faster stock, so I feel its a good upgrade. but what Im most suprized at, is how smooth it was. I thought it was going to be more go kart ish of a feel like the stiff suspension of my speed. but it was alot smoother over bumps and yet still handled very well.

 

zodiac got it all covered..

if your going to get an viii then stick with the 05.. then there is the ix for 06.. dont limit yourself do only looking within a certain price range. the dealer was asking 28k for mine and i got it for 25k with 17k for miles just about one week ago. they have room to negotiate.

 

zodiac13 covered it all except the SSL question, The SSL package is the Sun, Sound, and Leather package the Sunroof, Infinity sound system, and Leather Recaro racing seats.

 

Unfortunately in an evo there is no way to raise or lower the seat. You can only move the seatback back and fourth and slide the seat forwards and backwards.

 

zodiac said it was on the door, triangular thingy

 

good to know, thanks
yeah, thats the kinda deal I need.

 

That will just move the back of the seat forwards and backwoods.


Also the ACD does not distribute the TQ differently. Its always a 50/50 split

 

a quick note or two to consider ..

you said :
and the thing where you can set more power to your back wheels/vise versa

The Evo doesn't actually change it's F/R torque ratio, what the ACD does is optimize diff release depending on the setting/environment. There is a thread on here about how it works exactly. You may want to read up on that since it has more clearified informatin than what i can provide.
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=175195
Edit: I noticed kreionic already caught this one.

Also, I know a lot of people say that the 6 gears in the MR's are weaker, but they're a bit mistaken. IF I needed to finger the weakest link, i'd say that 4th could have been made a bit thicker. But honestly, mine's just fine. Drive it well and make sure to mod wisely, and it should take. Perhaps you may want to take a few moments to cool down between road course laps, but other than that, the tranny is fine - and for auto-x, it's ideal. MRs gears 1-2-3 are fat enough to take a serious beating.

As for price and milage, I know you said you want to go as cheap as possible, but USE CARFAX!!!! These cars can be abused when they're thrown in the hands of the unworthy. 40k may sound low, but it's high if it's 40k of abuse. Ask for maintanence history and be firm about pricing.

When you find the one for you, you'll know it :-) Hope you find the perfect one for you.

Good Luck


~s3t

 

IMO its more the heat thing in the tranny than anything . Think about Same size gear box with 1 extra gear and around a .5L less fluid

 

best advise.... get CARFAX (as mentioned). Take the car to a trusted mechanic to get a compression test on the motor and check other signs of stress on the car. Its gonna cost some $ to have this done, but trust me the last thing u want is to get into a car thats been abused. If I were u I would save and stick to the 05 and 06 models...less miles the better.

 

indeed. Thats why, from what I've seen, most people that run road courses hot loose it. There is at least one kit out there that I know of that dramatically improves tranny cooling... first mod to consider if you're going road coursing hot often.

 

yes, good Ideas. I've thought alot about that. These cars are kindof bought to be beat on. and yes they are insanely tough engines, but I know Im going to do some compression tests before I buy and make sure its all in good shape.

-on good news Im getting really excited about this, I think I have a buyer on the speed, so im gonna be doing some more test driving this weekend. a few more evo's to call on, plus I wanna test a sti (just to do so, even tho Im sure i'll end up with an evo, I just like the way they look better and they are not boxer engines!!!) and probably an RX-8 too.

 

great thanks for the link. that helped alot.