im thinking since i only hear problems conserning the transmission (actually most with auto) i might just trade in my car for the 5-speed, cuz with our "auto-stick" it makes our car really only 3gears in a race. Oh and sstlaure could you tell me where you found your bodykit?

 

It's the Mazda factory body kit for the 3i model. The color match was perfect. Painted by the factory.

Front lower fascia
Side extensions
(2) front door lower extensions
(2) rear door lower extensions
(2) rear fascia side skirts

 

ive seen those they look kind like a lip kit, but still nice, but its not fair that they have a lot more kits out for the 5-door version

 

i got an automatic for the main reason i moved about a year ago and got a new job and the traffic i sit in everyday was just killing me with my old honda civic and also i am not into racing cars anymore like i used too and i guess you can say i've grown out of the manual o basicaly wanted a nice looking car that had the nice lookin stock wheels and the sleek look and was reliable

 

i've had my atx for a few years now and love it still. my 25 mile drive takes me just over an hour and that's worth not having the mtx. i (like many americans) like to eat in the car as well, good or bad, this was a deciding factor.

but i also love speed. i swapped in valvebodies, so it shifts faster than i usually can now, so don't really worry about that anymore. i have had the car on 3 local tracks and it can hang with whatever is in my class. and with the added 150hp or so from the turbo, i don't worry about he atx holding me back at all.

 

Bought mine in auto with that sport shift(crap if you ask me) because i jumped into it too quickly. Also if i really looked at it and held my horses i think i would have gotten the power everything but with stick and still stick with the 2.0 simply because it's quicker revving

Tracker-dont do the swap, you'll come across leaks with hydraulic fluid, clutch fluid, and it really is a pain the a@$ to do the swap, just like bomb said, "nothing ever goes back perfectly" and who knows if you'll come across carputer problems with these new ones these days...jus do what Mr.Tea did swap valve bodies, tho i dont know wtf they are(is it in the tranny or the engine?)

 

The atx is perfect on the car, I wouldnt mind having the 5-speed, but my wife drives it sometimes and she cant drive stick, and i am going to teach her, so i got the best of both with this car. and Tracker, you are right, 4th gear is pretty much wasted on the car, it really should be a 5-speed in 2.0L car, but when you can go 118mph in 3rd gear, why complain, most cars can not do that, so that is a little advantage. My car has none of the power options in it either, just A/C, cd

 

How much did they cost, and what kind did you get

 

if you are talking about valvebodies, Lentech makes the setup i used, but for the 4speed. i think the newer ones are 5 speeds and i don't know their model #. You'll have to check out Lentech's site for pricing, i was the 1st to do it for the new mazda's so price is different.

 

thanx ill check it out when i have the time