TireSmoke.org

It needs some work but is pretty complete. It has a S50 swapped i6 in it with a 5 speed. The s50 is out of a mid 90's m3. It also has upgraded rear gears and posi from what I.m told. We will see. The original i4 would have put the car out of my price range.

It will be more fun with the six in it anyway. Should be a blast and a real unique piece! Good find.

-BP

S50? How is that different than the M50?

These are great cars for the road course.

MostMint wrote:S50? How is that different than the M50?

https://drive-my.com/en/tech/item/1965- ... glory.html

Basement Paul wrote:It will be more fun with the six in it anyway. Should be a blast and a real unique piece! Good find.

-BP

I got on it (in the subdivision) yesterday after a quick wash and it's pretty fast. The LSD (limited slip diff in BMW speak) works too, car was getting sideways.

You must have some very tolerant neighbors!! If I did that in my subdivision, there would be a mob with torches and pitch forks descending on my house.

Sideways is FUN!! Enjoy!!

Maverick wrote:You must have some very tolerant neighbors!! If I did that in my subdivision, there would be a mob with torches and pitch forks descending on my house.

Sideways is FUN!! Enjoy!!

Some of my neighbours already hate me so we are fine. It was only for a short distance. But is cool hitting the rev limiter.

ttamrettus wrote:

MostMint wrote:S50? How is that different than the M50?

https://drive-my.com/en/tech/item/1965- ... glory.html

Thanks. Having first hand experience with the M20 and M50 I was curious

Updated my list (page 5) with number 45. Called a Cleveland Mazda dealer this morning and asked what hatchback 3's they had in stock with the 2.5L and manual transmission. They had a red and a gray. I bought the red...on the phone...from Australia. I have never even driven a Mazda3. I might be crazy, but all these years of test driving cars and reading car magazines out to be worth something to me.

That's a cool looking car. I'm assuming that there's a hatchback model and a sedan and
that you got the hatchback. I'm also assuming that it is a 6 speed. ??? Also, I checked your
list and you owned a 77 Toronado, not a 76. There's a difference. The 77 Toronado had the
highest horsepower 403 made. RARE!

GM

Fixed the Toro for you.

Yeah, the Mazda is available as a sedan, but living overseas has made hatchbacks seem normal to me. The Mazda3 has been one of the best selling cars in Australia and most of them here are hatchbacks (opposite of the US mix). I can't walk a city block without seeing a couple of them. The transmission is a six speed. I struggle with the way the car looks, but it only seems hideous from a couple of angles. I really can't find many cars on the road today that strike me as aesthetically pleasing, but I am now more interested in the experience from the driver's seat. I like the interior of this car and it is reportedly a lot of fun to drive, although not exactly a tire smoker. I think it falls into that hp realm where it is almost enough power for normal life (185), but not beyond the engineer's ability to keep torque steer from irritating the crap out of me. Front drive has come a long way since I swore I would never get another one over twenty years ago. It should also get good mileage, high 30's on the highway (although I think it is only rated at 33). I am actually excited about this little car. I doubt that I will be disappointed.

I was under the impression that the 185hp 2.5 was not hooked to the manual transmission (at least here in the US). I'm thinking the stick cars were only 2.0, which I think was 155hp (from memory). Maybe that changed for 2017 models, but I know I read it somewhere.
When I worked at the Mazda dealer, the 3 was more fun that it should have been for a smaller car, and it seems like the new ones are very similar again since Mazda is Mazda again.

-BP

Most of the manufacturers that still offer a manual only offer it in either the base model or the sportiest model. Ford Focus is an example of that. You can't get a nice Focus with a manual. You can only get a plastic Focus or an RS with a manual, no titanium. Mazda has been sorting out their line and I don't know what they offered in past years, but this year's line is pretty straightforward and they do offer a manual all the way up to the fully loaded Grand Touring. I got a Touring 2.5, so more of a mid-level. The Touring with the 2.0 is the only model that I know of that isn't offered with a manual this year. The manuals keep moving closer to extinction, but Mazda recognizes that there is still a market there. Volkswagen reportedly offers manuals, but good luck finding one without jumping to a GTI. The good news is that a manual these days has become a theft deterrent.

Check this out:

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ss ... ect_c.html

-BP

My list has been updated. Last weekend I acquired a 2015 Toyota Corolla S. I'll post a thread in the projects section with specifics.