advice - maybe time to upgrade?
 

I currently have a 94 M edition 120k miles.. its getting enough electrical gremlins that its time to look newer. I am so far looking at the 2004 mazdaspeed or an NC maybe?

My current car has a t3 turbo est 250rwhp.. custom cooling, 550 injectors 15psi with a emanage ultimate. stage 2 clutch, big fuel pump, FM springs on tochico illumina shocks... the FM butterfly frame reinforcements.. torsen.. 97 transmission for improved syncros.. dual FM exhausts with 3" downpipe to 2.5 out the back and high flow cat. Amazing exhaust sound.

Its a lot of car.. and the interior has been really nice.. custom carpet etc..

The reason I listed all of the above details.. I am trying to find a car I can either swap SOME of the stuff to.. or sometime comparable/or better than what I have.. with fewer problems:)

Any thoughts? Advice? They most important aspect for me will be reliability.. I am just getting to busy to constantly chase down relay issues or waking up to find that I have to swap out a fuel pump before work... I love a weekend project.. but its a planned event - its the unplanned ones that are killing me:)

Thanks!!!

Jon

Well, with an NB you could swap some of your stuff over, and as it is a street car, and you like to have a nice interior, the NB interior is nicer than the NA. I will let others who know more chime in on whether it is better to get one with a VVT engine or not if you want to try to turbo later. I doubt the E-manage will work on the newer ones, but the turbo itself, plus your manifold, turbo, intercooler, injectors, springs, clutch, can all be swapped. You would need to of course probably do new intercooler piping, find a proper engine management solution for that year, maybe a new downpipe...

Anwyways, the NC is a great car, certainly offers some things for street driving that the NB does not, but you can't swap anything from your NA to it. I know of at least one guy with a 300 whp turbo NC that is street driven just fine, and I think that is on stock internals, so the potential is there, but that's an all new turbo kit. I couldn't bring myself to buy an NC for how much they go for... not that I would want an S2000 and their peaky motor, but I'd take one over an NC for the same money...

Solve the electricals. If you want to swap, you can go right through NBs with most of that.

But frankly if the electricals are the only reason, I would just do a really good re-wire job. If you want something new for the style or cache, then thats different. But wiring is a lot easier than swaping into a whole new car and learning all its nice little surprises.

That is a pretty good idea.. Its my main relay that seems to be the culprit.. keeps going out or ignition... only thing after market is my alarm.. the power windows burned out long ago and i replaced with manuals (so tired of cleaning the copper contacts on the switches anyway!!!)

Anyway I appreciate the advice!

Another big difference is going to be the way the car feels while driving.

I've yet to be in a NC while driving in anger, but just the trip around the block let me know that it's a heavier car. More refined, yes...but didn't feel near as tossable as a NB or NA.