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WELCOME TO THE MAZDA CLUB |
phone/text: 773-769-7396 email: info@mazdaclub.com 
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Stories and articles from members to members.........That's what this page is all about. This is only a very small part of the stories that appear in each issue of the member magazine. There are also more articles, stories and photos in the Members Only area and on the club blog at blog.mazdaclub.com.
(newest articles first)
ON THE TRACK WITH THE MAZDA SPEED 3 After reading numerous road tests, and test driving a Mazdaspeed 3, I decided that this was the perfect vehicle for me. It took several weeks, to locate the right car. I purchased a GP 5-door w/o a navigation system. My Garmin Street Pilot 2830 works fine, and much easier to program.
The car was driven home from the dealer, the tires were filled with Nitrogen, then off to Gingerman Raceway (South Haven, Michigan). the next day for it’s first ‘track day’. It had 330 miles on the odometer when I arrived at Gingerman. Needless to say, I did not ‘push’ the new car hard the first day. It was immediately apparent that this little beast was more than I expected.
Since I am too old, tired, and lazy to carry ‘track tires’, I expect to run my street tires on the track. The Bridgestone RE-050 tires do fine. They have adequate grip, and you can do 4 wheel drifts without fear of being launched into the Armco. Plus they have great road feel, and decent tread life.
1992 B2600i
NEWEST MEMBER OF THE FAMILY
I have not autocrossed in years, and when I did, I have never placed (it was still fun though). This year, with the new Proteg‚ and all, I decided to take the plunge! I got some 205/50/15 Kumhos and mounted them on 15X6" steel Saturn wheels. A harness later, and some magnets, I was ready to go.
I bought my '81 RX-7 with 58,000 miles. I love to drive it so
much that I put 62,000 miles on it in one year! The engine went out so I put in
a new one.
I worked for Mazda for
some 14 years as Regional Service Manager, along with Parts and Sales from time
to time. Being a self proclaimed
auto parts geek, this was a great job to
have. The years in this position helped me form my knowledge of vehicles and
especially Mazdas. I also visited the Mazda factory
in 1970 and dealt with the factory on a one to one basis. I have a vast number
of books regarding the history of Mazda and the Companies who helped their
development. I was also trained as a qualified Rotary Engine Expert by Toyo
Kogyo (new Mazda Motors). I also have a vast knowledge of the Mazda product up
to 1978 when I rejoined the General Motors Corporation of South Africa who
worked for some 12 years prior to joining Mazda. 1967 Mazda Luce This car
was my company car at Illings Mazda South Africa. After its duration of
service
in the company it came up to be sold and I bought it for my private use and have
kept it all the years and have bought it to the U.S.A. The 1970 Mazda 1300 Coupe I got to know this car in 1972 when its owner a Dutchman who was employed by Royal Inter Ocean Shipping Lines brought the car to South Africa. He was based in Tokyo in 1970 and bought the car new from a Mazda dealer in that city.
When he was relocated to
South Africa he brought the car with him, and that is when I tried to buy the
car, but he was not parting with it. I tried again on various occasions and then
put the car out of my mind, In 1977 I was reading the Car Sales column in the
newspaper and saw a Mazda Coupe for sale. I called the number and found it to be
the car owned by the Dutchman who was now retiring and returning to Holland and
did not want to take the car back as it was not a left hand drive. I bought it
over the telephone and rushed to his home to collect it. I was very happy with
the deal.
Kurt Braun
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.JPG)
The ‘cold air’ and ‘exhaust’ kits were ordered, but not installed when I took
delivery. Both were installed later, and are well worth the money. .JPG)
Switch off the TSC, and it is a ‘hoot’. Press it hard into a turn and it will
under steer , but a small lift-throttle and it rotates beautifully. Shift @ 6000
rpm, and it pulls like a train. The brakes worked great on short tracks. More on
that later. I had the oil changed to Castrol synthetic by the dealer at 1000
miles. The cold air, exhaust, were also installed. .JPG)
Having done four track days (2 at Gingerman, and 2 at Autobahn Country Club), I
was looking forward to the ACNA event at Road America. RA is a 4.2 mile track
and has 3 long straight aways. The MS 3 had no problem hitting a buck 30 on each
straight, and eating most all of the stock A-4’s through the twisties. However,
after 15 minutes on the track the front brakes started to get spongy. I had to
pace myself for at least one lap to let them cool. I have a Brembo Brake Kit on
order from Street Unit Performance Inc.. .JPG)
The Mazda Speed 3 is a bargain at $25K. Wicked fast, and very ‘stealth’ compared
to the EVO or STI. Okay, it is not AWD, and the brakes are not the best, but it
comes fully equipped, and with a Mazda warranty. There is over 5 feet of length
In the back with the seats folded, and after market upgrades are available at a
reasonable cost. If you can find one, buy it..........you won’t be disappointed.
This is my 1992 B2600i Truck. It has currently 124,235 Miles and runs like a
champ. I bought it from an older individual who was a shadetree mechanic if you
will. I think it was one of the best deals of the century. I purchased it for
$3800 with 117,648 Miles. It was very clean, (and still is). I have owned it for
2 years. It has been very trouble free. I plan on driving it for another 15
years if I possibly can. The reason I got it is because my grandfather has a
1991 Nissan Compact Truck and it has been very trouble free as well, so I
thought since I am a student who is tight on cash why not buy something similar?
I also remembered that the GM's and Chrysler's in our family had not held up
well, so I was leaning well toward the import brands. I knew I wanted a truck
because that is what most teenage guys drive, so I was looking at the
classifieds and got my eyes caught on this, and the rest is history. When I saw
it for the first time I thought "Wow with these side graphics, cool chrome
wheels and beautiful maroon paint it looks like a Ferrari for those who can't
afford one. I drove it and dealt on it and here it is. 
I recently purchased a 1999 Mazda B3000. I was always a Ford person like my wife
Michele. But the more I looked at the Mazda B series trucks the better they
looked. We had great luck in the past with a Ford 1988 Ranger Pickup with
196,000 miles on it and my 1988 T-Bird Turbo with 142,000 miles on it and both
running strong. But this past year we were looking for newer vehicles. My wife
Michele bought a Ford Explorer and I was looking for a Ford Ranger. The more we
looked around the more frustrated we were with Ford dealer prices. We looked up
in Concord, NH at a large Ford dealer but they were way over book price. We left
that dealership and started heading back home, (this was our third week
looking). We passed a Mazda dealer and they had two trucks in the lot, a 2001
Ranger 4x2 and a 1999 Mazda B3000. The Ranger was high in mileage and was pretty
dull. The Mazda on the other hand didn't have a scratch or dent, nothing! It was
very well kept. Someone cared for their truck as I did for my vehicles. That was
nice to see for a change. Anyway, this truck only had 10,700 miles on the
clock... What a deal! Took it for a ride, what a ride, solid and comfortable,
Needless to say bought it on the spot. Now, I have the best of both worlds a
Ford and a Mazda... Couldn't ask for more...!
Here are few pictures of the newest member of the family. Enjoy!
For its
first venture into sport utility vehicles, Mazda deserves a real Tribute. My LX
— V6 provides our family with loads of enjoyment in a stylish package. The
exterior exudes a Euro — style flair. Hood, gri1le and headlights blend together
in a fusion similar to the Mercedes ML 5QO (albeit at much less cost). The 200
hp V—6 provides a kick during acceleration. When coupled with a firm sports car
— like suspension, the Tribute responds harmoniously to driver input.
All
of this performance is delivered in an SUV that maximizes space and comfort for
its passengers while simultaneously providing sufficient cargo space. With
standard features such as a retractable moon roof , an in-dash 6-CD changer,
tinted rear windows and a spacious storage console positioned between the driver
and passenger seats, the base price of the LX—V6 is an economical alternative to
other small SUV’s that would add these items to the overall sticker price. Our
Tribute’s towing package allows us to tow up to 3,500 pounds.
On
recent family vacations to Kentucky and Florida, our LX-V6 made travel on both
freeways and back roads a pleasure. Suitcases for our family of three stored
easily in the cargo area with room to spare for knick-knacks we picked up on the
way. And, most importantly for those of us on a travel budget, we averaged over
20 miles per gallon for the trips. Mazda, indeed, deserves a "tribute"
for its zoom-zoom SUV.
Here are some not so great (for me) shots, of racing in Alaska. Every year in
February we hold a race on the streets of downtown Anchorage during the Fur
Rondy winter festival. As you can see snow banks make effective barriers. My car
did at least continue on and finish the day’s races. Last year (2000) I won my
class in this RX-7 but it was not to be this year.
The Fur Rondy Grand Prix has a great mix of cars in various classes. This year
we had everything from Late Model stockers& Race Truck, Legends, Baby Grand’s,
Datsun 510, Porsche powered VW bugs to of course, my Mazda RX-7. At least I
still have my ‘88 RX-7 for this summers Race & Autocross season. Hopefully I
will be able to send some checker flag pictures of the new car soon.
