hi there;
excuse the long story but i used to own a vectra 2.0T and adored it, had 180bhp on the rollers and was great fun to drive (despite the FWD)

around 5months ago i part-ex'd it for a bmw e60 525d, i thought i would swap petrol power for the rumble of devil juice and get a combiantion of power and high mpg the plan was to re-map the beemer up to 225bhp from 177bhp! so off i went to a re-mapper. only to find out that the previous owner had it mapped and didnt inform the garage where i brought it!!!

needless to say i was dissappointed that i had already got all the power from the bmw!

dont get me wrong with 225bhp and a straight 6 its no slouch! not many things can keep up past the 3figure mark (on a track of course ) but its a different kind of fast, and frankly one i just cant seem to get on with. i wanted the e60 for so long and now i have one i am consistently dissappointed everytime i drive it

so i have come to the conclusion that i want rid

now my theory is that you should never go backwards in terms of power! so i need something with more than 230bhp but after the diesel i dont want killer running costs either (i know im asking the impossible)

my shortlist entails:

volvo S60R - 300bhp awd
Nissan 350Z - 280bhp rwd
vauxhall vectra vxr - 280bhp fwd
Mazda6 mps - 260bhp awd

i have pretty much ruled out the nissan over running costs and i dont like the idea of FWD after sampling RWD loveliness!

there is no uk forum support for the e60 either :( and there was plenty for the vectra and now i have discovered you lot!

CONVINCE ME A 6MPS IS THE SOLUTION!!


p.s you have a great lil community here considering only around 1000 mps around

Don't know anything about the Volvo but imagine they as rare as a 6MPS. As such you may have problems finding a good example of either. So it could be down to what you can get. There have been some members on here who have travelled serious distances to get the right car.
You will have gathered from this forum that the 6MPS is tuneable, usually USA bits, but there are issues you need to watch out for to avoid unexpected bills. I would say go for the 6MPS if you know the facts.

The trouble with a Volvo is... well, it's a Volvo

Watch the TopGear episode where Clarkson takes a 6MPS round a track. His words "I have driven £100k coupes that aren't as much fun as this". In that episode he also took the VXR round as well and hated it. Not a good car at all. Stupid amounts of understeer and a terrible chassis.

You join a much more elite club with the MPS No pipe and slippers needed with these

Have a watch for yourself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbvKv-Po ... 0F88D240B2

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2008 True Red Mazda 3 MPS Aero. 289Bhp, 324ft lbs. K&N Typhoon, Forge FMIC, Forge Recirc DV, Denso 22 Plugs, J Speed SSP, Yellowstuff Pads, CorkSport Rear Engine Mounts, Muffler removal x 3, Black badges front & rear, CF Ariel, Custom fitted Alpine EX-10, CP-e 3 gauge pod, Rally Armor mud flaps front and rear

Hi 36DD...sorry mind on other things....525d

Take a look at this site http://www.zeperfs.com/en/match1388-1064-1147-1391-2159.htm

which compares all those vehicles you've mentioned..it takes data from a host of British and European Car mags so gives you a good indication of where each car does well and not so well.

I've thrown in the 3MPS Mk1 for the purposes of comparison and as I've mentioned before whoever recorded 7.2 sec 0-62 must have been either in very sticky tar or by somebody who was fiddling with the radio when the data recorder shouted go and started the stopwatch!!

I don't know anything about each one's tunability...

4 wheel drive would be a very practical commodity given the weather we've had last couple of years.

Good luck with the hunt!

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Dolf
3MPS Mk I Aero in Sunlight Silver - some say anaemic looking but I say f**k you! B-)

Hello and What can i say this is my 16th car and is by far miles and miles the best car i have ever owned and every time i get in it makes me smile,get one you wont regret it,but only get one that has been looked after and they can prove it has.They do need tlc.

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Asuka Racing alloys 225/40/18 Kumho rubber.2.5in Power Flo cat back,BBR Hybrid Turbo,BBR Downpipe (200 cell cat) 3 port boost solenoid Upgrade TMIC, HPFP, Simota SRI & Tip, Forge re-circ dv. colder plugs. Front and Rear DBA slotted discs braided lines & Hawk Pads.H&R springs & B8 Bilstein shocks.Rolled archs, debadged.Corksport front strut brace.CP.E rear engine mount Barone stage 2 short shift plate & bushings & heavy shift knob.LED tinted rear light cluster.Oil temp Boost & oil pressure guages Tinted windows Carbon Fibre badges and interior

i'd suggest putting the mkI 3 mps on your list to test drive. you will not be disappointed. the volvo's are very thirsty models, and are getting on in years now too. the 350z is not as quick as you'd think. a friend of mine has one with a pipe on, and my standard 3 pulls away from it quite easily. whatever you get, its gonna be better than a DERV. bloody awful cars.

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Sure Aeros SRI Sure Sidewinder TIP and Sure Return. Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2's. NGK ILTR6A-8G Spark Plugs.

Mine's not on autotrader, but is for sale on here

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Hello and

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Useful threads and FAQ's (members only)

I annoyed a 350Z driver earlier this evening picking the Wife up.

He was doing his best to pull away during a spirited drive around some twisties and long straight bits. He didn't manage ....

They do sound awesome on full chat though!

Yeah - neither MPS sounds particularly good on full reheat. They go good though

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BMW 330D M Sport

you would be surprised what top gear did to that vectra to make it that awful!! they rang up vauxhall and asked if they could "remove all driver aids" vauxhall said "no that would make it handle badly" so top gear in all their wisdom decided to cheat and take the fuses out of the various elctronic aids and then slung it into corners at 90mph and filmed it.

however i do agree i really dont want to go back to fwd! its sssoooo nice when your "making progress" not to be understeering all over the shop

as for the upkeep that shouldnt be an issue, im quite keen with spanners and have even done plenty of work on the e60 despite its complex electrics however that said i am in no way thinking that all the wrok can be done at home, it will go to a main dealer for its services as i appreciate the complexity of these cars and they need the right tlc by someone who has knowledge of these motors far beyond me!

is there an independant mps or mazda specialist anywhere in the uk??

after soaking up many many many pages of info on here the common probs seem to be vvt actuator, cam-chain and diff mounts.

because of the severity of these issues im thinking of an aftermarket warranty to cover said items, is this a good idea or am i fussing over nothing??

on a different subject:

anybody want a 5series?? hahaha just playing

please no

Dude. These aren't common problems They're a few cars in a thousand innit

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BMW 330D M Sport

Is this true? Is that the general consensus that they're rare faults? I mean I appreciate that forums is always full of the negative that's just the nature of advice but if this is the case then I could save myself 300quid and not bother with a warranty!

So what are the common issues with a 6?
Are there any? I know mazda are reliable as granite rock (family had 2 6's in the past, old and new both were faultless just slow and rather dull) but I find it hard to believe that the mps6 has no common faults?
Anything specific to check when buying? (asides the obvious history and hpi ect ect ect)

They are the common faults, but they are few and far between.

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Hello &

Sounds like your making the right move...much more fun that the dirty fuel, but I'm sure your fuel bill will try and convince you otherwise!

Don't rush into anything and hope you get a fine example

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Trying to resist modifying my new Mazda 3 mk2 MPS! viewtopic.php?f=86&t=13680