Beauty or the Beast

:wave: I want to ask everyone here for your input. These 2 cars are both under 20k and i feel they are worth every penny. The Nissan Se-R Spec V is a monster comparied to the Mazda MP3. But the Mazda MP3 looks like a million Bux.
Heres a quick look at both cars specs wise:
The Se-R Spec V has a 2.5-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine producing 175 hp & 180 lb-ft of torque

The MP3 has a 2.0-liter DOHC 16-valve I-4 engine producing 140 hp & 142 lb-ft of torque

Both car's have their custom toys, both limited edition and hard to find. I though i wanted the Se-R but the interior for the MP3 is hella better and so is the exterior. The MP3 is weaker by alot in comparison but fall '02 a Garrett T25 turbocharger system for the MP3 will make its way to the US, producing 170 hp & 155 lb-ft of torque (targeted). Still not Se-R power but better. No ideal how much the turbo version is gona cost yet. Check the links to get a better read of both cars, the Se-R is just the nissanusa web site.



Nissan Se-R Spec V
http://www.nissandriven.com/vehicles/ModelHomePage/0,9438,21551,00.html
http://www.nissandriven.com/m/cma/i/3se/3ser_gal_med08.jpghttp://www.nissandriven.com/m/cma/i/3se/3ser_gal_med10.jpg
http://www.nissandriven.com/m/cma/i/3se/3ser_gal_med08.jpg


Mazda MP3
http://www.protegetech.com/mazdaspeedprotege.htm
http://www.protegetech.com/mspeed34.jpghttp://www.protegetech.com/msinterior.jpg
http://www.protegetech.com/mssteer.jpg

Well I think they both look ugly.
Its just a matter of which is the uglyiest.

The Nissan has a slitly more serious look to it, the Mazda looks to much like they just found some nice looking bits of plastic and stuck them on the out side, then stuck some bigger wheels under the guards.

Then theres the clearly huge performance differnce, do you want to go fast and look ok doing it, or do you want to go slow and still only look ok doing it?

If you want to buy a cheap small car only for the performance image then I think there must be better choices avblialbe in the US. (if not then you guys really are getting screwed)

And do you get the hatch version of the MP3? we get a Famila/323 hatch down here with a 2.0l 140hp engine and ugly body kit badged as an SP20.

Well the MP3 is just a suped up??? Protegé. i dont consider 10hp a big bump up but some thing is something. the hatch 323 your talking about i dont think we get here but the MP3 is a different car so ohh well. What we do get is the Protegé 5, thats a hatch 5 door. maby your talking about that car only 2.0L and 130hp though not the 140 you stated.

The way i see it these 2 cars are pritty much all we do get. I wanted the Se-R for the longest time, and never though anything else would catch my eye. Then i saw this fixed up SE over the week end and he had a R34 front kit with the most nasty paint job in the whole world. just made me want to kick the shit outa the owner. And i also saw the MP3 for the first time in person on sunday in San Diego and i gota say loved everything about it. If anyone else has any input please let me know thankx for the reply though.

:wave: hallo ppl... come on, even if you dont care bout the car's, look at the nice pictures and vote at least thankx

:D :D :sun: :flash:

i perfer the bulldog look of hte SE-R. even though i think the MP3 corners better then the SE-R. but i would still pick the SE-R over the MP3, cause i'm a Nissan man and i'm biase. soooo there i said it.

humm i have to agree that the Se-R does look alot more serious, and can chew you a new anus, but i do not like the interior at all... And the weaker MP3 realy has nothing wrong with it at all from what i can see.

Come on people help a guy out i just want everyones opinion, gona buy a car soon and have to pick one. i need alot of input on this very important to me. First brand smakin new ride ya knows, and im paying all by myself cant have second doubts you know... thankx all

:D :D :sun: :flash:

I like the looks of both and the MP3 can definitely handle since it pulled 68.6 mph in the 600ft slalom...for those who dont know...that's an amazing number topping other opponents like the ZO6, most current Ferrari's and most current BMW...only car listed in the back of R/T that it did not beat was a Porsche GT2 I think.

If it is just based on looks...then I have to say Spec V.

Both cars suck. The Nissan is typical of all Nissan cars: cheap made, low quality car with a performance drivetrain.

The Mazda is just a gimmick car, nothing really special about the car itself. Wow!!! It has a factory MP3 player, lets spend 18k on that one! :bloated:

You'd be better off with a sure bet... A HONDA!!!:

Humm LiuBei, i agree with u on the gimmic mazda. Im considering the Se-R again... but if my my finnacial situation turns out the way i want it to im thinking about just goin all the way and getting a real car . a real car like the AUDI A4 Quattro 1.8T... about 5 grand more and hella more fun i guess..

!!!!!!!!!!!:eek: :eek: !!!!!!!

:D :D :sun: :flash:

hmmmmm if you consider the SE-R a gimmick and it spanked the ugly new honda civic Si? then what does that make the civic? a ugly car that got beaten by a gimmick car that has poor quality? i have more respect for honda's lately but still i woudln't exactly dog out another company anymore just becuase i'm biased. i got over that phase already.

Originally posted by TatII
hmmmmm if you consider the SE-R a gimmick and it spanked the ugly new honda civic Si? then what does that make the civic? a ugly car that got beaten by a gimmick car that has poor quality? i have more respect for honda's lately but still i woudln't exactly dog out another company anymore just becuase i'm biased. i got over that phase already.

Fool, did I not imply that the Nissan was a performance oriented car? You can read that MT article and it will critique the Nissan on its low quality. I do believe that they praised the Honda all around, although yes I may not have been as fast as the Nissan. I give a damn about the new Si's, compare that Sentra to a RSX performancewise for all I care. This guy wanted some opinions and I gave him mine, AMEN.

touchy, aren't ya?

you can't compare it to the rsx, as it isn't really the same price range... but it would be close, even there...

why not wait for a lancer evo 7?

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: so just how much should we be expecting for the lancer EVO anyways?? as much as the RSX i guess. But anyone know when thats supose to come out anyway... was it 2003 or this year??:confused: :confused:

the evo 7 is coming out along side with the STi at the end of this year. expect to the price to get around 40K.

Very close pick for me. I love the way both of them look. But the SER has a HUGE advantage in performance so I go with SER

The MP3 is ugly to me. I say the Se-R beats it in pretty much all ways you look at it.

I think the MP3 is beautiful, and the SE-R is brutish.

http://images.forbes.com/images/2001/09/03/test_open_400x259.jpg

Although I know the SE-R is faster, I'll take an MP3 anyday, just cause it handles like a mazda.

BTW, Whereas honda is certainly the king of reliability, their performance division cant match Nissan's so I wouldnt try to compare them.

Yeh the only thinkg id take the mazda for is handleing but everything else goes to nissan.

The Nissan looks more serious and cohesive. I also prefer the interior and I think it feels more mature and agressive than the Mazda. I don't know about the handling or power of the cars as neither are available in England.

Have you seen the interior? It's geared straight towards boy-racers. As far as I know, the interior only comes in "cold lava" color, or something like that.

Yes it does, and that interior is very nice i think. Lots of people like it.

i'd get the SE-R like nothing against a MP3

as far as the RSX, i think it's comparable, especially speedwise
a RSX-S is a lil better, but u have to spend about 5K more for a little better car

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: sorry dont care bout the RSX, just the 2 on my poll. Faster by a lil bit don't cut it, put it in the same price and Spec V blow it away... period!!!

:D :D :sun: :flash:

AMEN to that se-r wolfpack