2009 Mazda3s Grand Touring for sale

2009 Mazda 3s Grand Touring
Black Mica Metallic Hatchback, with black leather interior
93000 miles, one owner

Stock Equipment:
2.3L 4-cylinder in-line engine – more on this later
5-speed Manual transmission
17 x 6.5” aluminum 5-spoke wheels, 114mm x 5 bolt pattern
Continental ExtremeContact DWS Tires, 205/50ZR17, approx 25000 miles
Power locks & windows, power sunroof
Heated seats, power driver’s seat
6-disc CD player with MP3 input, Bose premium sound
Remote locks & trunk release
Auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass
Front driver & passenger airbags, side curtain airbags
Traction control, Stability Control, 4-wheel disc ABS
Split fold-down rear seat, and cargo bay liner

17 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats, 31 cubic feet with seats folded

Add-ons and Upgrades:
Konig Feather 17 x 7.5” aluminum wheels, gold, 114mm x 5 bolt pattern - INCLUDED
Hankook Ventus RS-3 tires, 225/45ZR17, approx 3 hours track time, some in rain - about 75% tread remaining
Racing Beat Sway Bars– Front 28.5-mm & Rear 27-mm Sway Bars and Urethane Bushings
Racing Beat Front Swaybar Bar Endlinks
Racing Beat Front & Rear Springs, approx 0.5” lowering - done for handling, NOT looks... and it worked.
Koni Sport (“Koni Yellow”) Adjustable Front & Rear Shocks
Stainless Steel Brake Lines
K&N Typhoon (Model 69-6010TS) Cold Air Intake
Custom steel Front Strut Tower Brace
One new set of Carbotech brake pads, XP10 for the front, XP8 for the rear, still in the box
CG-Lock Seat Belt Locks, Driver and Passenger

The Good News:
This started out as a strictly commutermobile, then a friend talked me into autocross. Which was a blast, and I added the springs and swaybars and picked up a used set of wheels. Then I went to a time trial at Motorsport Ranch, which was even better… and led to a few more bits and pieces. Two years later, what I ended up with was one hell of a fun track car with really grippy tires, a great suspension setup, and just enough power to be respectable. My best Eagles Canyon lap time (in very inexperienced hands) was a 2:24. And the front wheel drive made it REALLY entertaining on rainy days at Porsche Club DEs. Passing a novice in a 911 GT3RS is just plain fun.

It was also still really damn comfortable for a road trip or commute, at 32-33 mpg! I could get EVERYTHING in it for a track day, including spare tires, tools, compressor, cooler, etc, and still have room for a passenger. My wife and I could also get an entire weekend’s worth of camping gear into it, or plenty of luggage for a road trip. It was an absolute blast in Texas Hill Country or on NW Arkansas mountain highways.

The bad news:
In June, at a track day at Eagles Canyon, I spun a bearing and then threw a rod. Then the engine bled to death while catching fire. No one got hurt, the crash truck got there fast and there's absolutely no external hint at damage, but there's a lot of melted plastic in the engine bay. I had it towed straight to a shop. . . repair estimate about $5000 for a new engine, a new wire harness, various plastic bits and pieces, and installation labor.

I truly loved this car. It never gave me a hint of a complaint and it did every crazy thing I asked it to do, right up until I pushed it just a bit too far. If I didn't have a new baby and one other project car already, I'd try to do an engine swap myself. But it just isn't in the cards and after eight months looking at it in my driveway, it's time to move on.

I'm hoping there's someone out there who thinks "Hey, some sort of track-car/weekend-tourer hybrid, that I could also use for a commute, or give to my kid, is exactly what I need." This car is already set up as a great track car or for ripping around mountain roads. And if you want something that will let you mash the accelerator and blow the doors off a Civic... well that's up to you, there's a lot of pretty outstanding engine swap ideas.

How I arrived at the price: The average value at Edmunds/KBB/NADA is around $10k, minus $5k or so for the engine replacement, that brings it to $5000. The add-ons and upgrades, the extra wheels/tires, and the extra brake pads, were about $3k new, which ought to cover the "unknown" from taking on an engine swap. Then I subtracted another $1000 because... I posted it on Craigslist, someone was going to ask anyway.

Pictures are here: http://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/cto/4346185652.html

PM me or shoot me a text... 817-five-two-eight-7198.