SaskPro

Also look for the next Gen MSP to be in the same 227 HP range as the next SVT Focus. I can't see many people complaining about that kind of power in a little Protege

MP5s Make Ready

blue ledz, lol that pic is purdy funny. kinda looks like the karate kid dressed in a flame suit doing his little swan kick LOL.

Bomber

One problem of having too much HP in a front wheel drive is when you accelerate where does the car tilt?Back onto the rear wheels.
I saw a video of a SHO that was on the drag strip, I can't remember what HP he had, but he had to install ultra stiff springs(or something like that) in the back to keep the front wheels on the road when he hit the gas.

If Mazda could keep close with the cometition I think they would do very well.

zeus

I quit my bitchin and threw down on an RX-8. Mazda isn't going to build anything that'll show up their new flagship. Plain and simple. I do hope the R handles as well though.

If you haven't done so already you need to check Mazda's web and the X-men R.

akaveli

25k for a good RWD car. OH well no!! All you can do is, buy a nissan 240sx(used) for around 1500 - 2500. Do the sr20 engine swap which could run you bwt 3k to 7k depending on which engine and package you get. Then continue to build your car up. I've read about 240sx hittin low 11s and high 10s. I mean you don't have to believe me. Do the research.

kc5zom

Yeah, because Mazda is in business to lose money on every product they sell. It's a strategy used by many great companies, Enron comes to mind. If they are losing money on every one of these then someone in accounting needs to have his *** kicked, because it never should have been built.

I will clarify my statement with the words "new car" not old Nissan. I'm talking more something along the lines of a 3 series (and no Altezzas, once I cross to a RWD car its German all the way!). Or maybe a Mustang if Ford gets the next redesign right.

akaveli

well u ain't say new car in your statement

Fulminatus

Hmm... I still don't think they make money on the hardware. Silicon is still expensive.
They make some money on the accessories, but their main source of income is the licenses publishers pay to sell games for that console.
That is a better example of how they are sacrificing losing money on one product to increase profitability on other sources of income.

carguycw

Amen.

Jap car manufacturers have done this for YEARS. For instance, Honda loses money (rumored to be well into the thousands of dollars) on every S2000 they sell, due to the fact that it shares almost nothing with any other car they make. Same with the Insight, the Toyota Prius, and the Toyota MR2 Spyder. The point of these cars, to use a marketing cliche, is to build up the brand. They generate publicity and get people into the showrooms to buy their more bread-and-butter models. Actually, on the same note, it's an open secret that GM has lost money on the Corvette almost every year it's been in production, and it's been in production for 50 years!

About the MSP losing money... it makes sense. Mazda did a LOT of R&D for the MSP, paid the money to emissions-certify it (which costs a six figure sum), and is producing a bunch of parts exclusively for it. Mazda cannot spread the invesment around because many of the components aren't shared with any other model, and the production of the Protege ends this year, so they can't be shared with future cars. The MSP has "money loser" written all over it. However, it's already bought Mazda more positive publicity than any performance car they've built since the release of the 99 Miata.

funkdaddysmack

Mazda should try and recoup some of their losses from the MSP by selling the turbo kits and warrentying them. Granted, the BEGI kit is probably a better kit, but it's not covered under warrenty

akaveli

so all in all would a MSP be with buying?

funkdaddysmack

Yes, it's a deal for $20k

Maxx Mazda

It's not a deal! That's 20K US... That's about $27,000 CAD... I bought my P5 for $22,000. That's 5 grand for accessories, and for that much, I could make a car that is not only faster (both in the straights and the twisties) but a car that looks better too!

alcoholiday

no way man. but you're welcome to try.

edit: US$20,500 (MSRP) = CAN$31,500

canadian MSRP is CAN$27000. exchange rates are wonderful.

jlanger

for those that are thinking the SRT 4 is a better car, it may be better hp wise but it still has all the annoying quirks of a neon. the base pro is a really good car, the base neon is pos. The SRT 4 I sat in at NAIAS had a plastic shift ****, nothing like a big ball of plastic (it felt like a ping pong ball) to inspire confidence in shifting. Dodge may have gotten the motor right but the complete package is what I'm looking for. I'll take a smaller hp number for a better handling and more refined car ie SVTF and MSP. Both seem to be great cars with the pluses and minuses, both also share the same HP numbers. I hope this was only coincidence but am a little scared for the MS6 vs whatever Ford eventually replaces the SVT contour with.