Spicy Orange

[AutoXer]

I'm considering purchasing a 2003 MSP, but I'm a little hesitant about the orange colour. I've seen the pics, and I've read a few comments on this forum about actually seeing the colour in person.

What I want to know is: have any of you seen the colour in person and not liked it? Have any of you been pleasantly surprised by the colour?

Sorry if a specific thread like this already exists...

[Grimace]

Count me in the category of "pleasantly surprised." Usually I like my cars a little more "stealth" than a bright orange MS Protege, but it is a very nice colour.

[slug420]

I think protege01mp3 has seen it in person and didn't like it. he frequents the mp3 part of the board more so you can find him there and send him a PM probably if u wanna know more...

[Dexter]

Originally posted by slug420
I think protege01mp3 has seen it in person and didn't like it. he frequents the mp3 part of the board more so you can find him there and send him a PM probably if u wanna know more...

protege01mp3 seems to dislike anything mazdaspeed protege related, including the people who are interested in it...

[krillin]

i've seen the orange speed and it is pretty nice. a lot nicer than i thought it would look. i saw it on the showroom floor, but ppl say it looks even better in the sunlight. i'd still get the black because the orange doesn't do it for me. that's my own preference. the orange IS nice tho.

[AutoXer]

Yeah, unfortunately up here in the Great White North we can't get the black. It's orange or waiting for the 2003.5.

But I don't care for the new spoiler, lack of fog lights, or the exhaust tip on the 2003.5. AND I don't even know which of the two colours will be available in Canada...grey or yellow?

I'd rather have an orange car than a yellow car, that's for sure.

[Sir Nuke]

AutoXer, Welcome to our happy little corner of the net, and to our Club. There are TWO BIG fridge'S in the corner with anything you can think of in them...help yourself...of course only take what you can LEGALLY have. (stash)

make yourself at home on one of the big fluffy couches, kick your shoes off, put your feet up on one of the tables, yes we are allowed to do that, mom don't care....and take it easy.

oh...btw....every once in a while a food fight breaks out...so you may not want to wear nice clothes here.

Welcome!! (stash)

As for the Orange...I have seen it a few times in person....at first I wasn't wild about it as I was expecting it to be a monochromatic paint...and it fact its a MICA, or metalic paint......after seeing it a few more times I have come to actually like the color...in the right light it appears to have a light pearl finish to it. bottom line...I like it.

[AutoXer]

Thanks for the welcome, Sir Nuke. And the opinion, as well.

I'm really dying to see this colour in person, but my dealer says they won't have a car in until mid-january...

[arkitek]

I was very very apprehensive about an orange car at the beginning. But decided to take a chance on it as I don't like the 2003.5 looks.

Saw it in person last week and liked it a lot. But it will draw attention, like it or not. At least it doesn't look like a loud flashy "hot doggin'" orange. More like a very light, serene, pleasing orange. Kinda hard to describe...

[slug420]

my dealer says he expects his in the first week of october.

wait a sec.....i better give him a call...

[AutoXer]

Originally posted by arkitek
I was very very apprehensive about an orange car at the beginning. But decided to take a chance on it as I don't like the 2003.5 looks.
<snip>

Yeah, I'm also not really diggin' the restyled 2003.5. I think the spoiler looks like a staple, and what's up with no fog lights? The front bumper looks dumb without them. And I prefer the 2003 exhaust tip, as well.

I'm having trouble deciding whether to wait for it anyway, because I do like the dark silver colour. But, I can't even know for sure that we'll be getting the silver in Canada... :(

Is the metallic flecking in the paint quite noticeable in person? Does it look very rich? (not cash)

"spicy" is an interesting adjective to use, if the colour is actually quite pale.

[arkitek]

Originally posted by AutoXer

I'm having trouble deciding whether to wait for it anyway, because I do like the dark silver colour. But, I can't even know for sure that we'll be getting the silver in Canada... :(

Is the metallic flecking in the paint quite noticeable in person? Does it look very rich? (not cash)

"spicy" is an interesting adjective to use, if the colour is actually quite pale.

Mazda Canada did confirm both titanium grey and yellow.

The paint job looks very rich and deep with what seems like layers and layers of lacquer. Touch-ups will be hard to do for sure.

It is pale under overcast conditions but dark also at night as I'm told. And under sunny condition, man oh man, it starts gleaming with golden flakes but not overly done though. Very therapeutic to look at.

[AutoXer]

Mmm, therapeutic...
It sounds like a very nice colour.

MazdaCanada confirmed both colours? That's good to know, thanks. Have they given any idea of a release date for the 2003.5? I would like to get my new car before the 2003 autox season, which starts in late April, weather depending.

I'm guessing the answer is 'no,' considering the 2003's haven't even all been released yet, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

[dpmmsp]

:cool: If you would even consider an orange car than this is the car. You have to see it in sunlight. The "mica" reflects gold and it looks like a very expensive paint job. When it gets darker out, the colour darkens and loses any "dayglo" characteristics, and looks like a nice deep orange. Everyone who knew I was getting the car said the exact same thing when they first saw it ... that they wondered about an orange car, but on seeing it they thought the colour was great and suited the car.

[DooMer_MP3]

For me, the orange would be something that was awesome at first, but would wear off really quick, and I'd probably get sick of it. I'd definitely take black over orange, but that just my worthless opinion.

Chris

[JasonH]

Black is a bitch to keep clean.

[Devil-MSP]

for my understanding, if the person likes yellow car, or sharp color that everyone will look at, then orange will fit your needs for sure. And yes, the orange do looks better in sunlight, I still remember the orange doesn't look that good to me in the autoshow I been to.

[AutoXer]

Originally posted by DooMer_MP3
For me, the orange would be something that was awesome at first, but would wear off really quick, and I'd probably get sick of it. I'd definitely take black over orange, but that just my worthless opinion.

Chris
That is a concern I have, but it is impossible to predict that kind of thing. I can't see into the future...

It would be nice if black were an option for me, but it's orange or wait for the 2003.5.

[Grimace]

arkitek - Are you sure that Mazda Canada confirmed yellow and titanium? When I was talking to Avante I specifically asked them whether or not they knew if Canada was getting any 2003.5's, and their response was:

"I am not sure about the other Mazdaspeed as Mazda does not tell us untill they have confirmed. If they do bring these cars to Canada we will definently get some."

My main concern is skipping on the orange to wait for the titanium, then the titanium never coming, and I missed out on a great opportunity to get an orange!
I definately don't want a yellow car. The orange is a great colour, but it will be a cop magnet, no doubt about it. That is the only thing holding me back from getting the orange MSP. Like most of you guys, I don't like the body kit on the 2003.5 car. But if I knew 100% for sure that it was coming to Canada, I would consider holding off to get the stealthier colour, and spend a few extra dollars changing the spoiler and adding fog lights. I would also be more financially comfortable buying a car later next year than right now.

So could someone please tell me 100% one way or the other if the Titanium will make it to the Great White North?

[AutoXer]

Grimace, you and I are on the same page. A bit of an interesting quandary, eh?

One difference, though. I'm not concerned about the orange being a cop magnet, although I'm sure there's some truth to that. I keep it on the track, so I'm just concerned about simply liking the colour. This will be my first NEW car, and I want to get exactly what I want, no compromises. (other than financial, that is)

[Grimace]

I don't speed either AutoXer. But I have been pulled over and harassed because of my current bright red car several times in my hometown while visiting parents. (Really small, kind of a backwoods place.)
Maybe I just won't drive the Mazdaspeed there. :)

[arkitek]

Grimace,

My info is based on my phone call with Mazda Canada and my readings of some of the Canadian write-ups on the MSP.

750 cars are alot to be painted 1 colour again only.

So us Canadians will probably get 2 colours for the 2003.5.

Ti Grey and Yellow.

Why? Based on my power of deductions below: =]

Ti Grey - Yes! Seen pix, MS version of Miata is coming in this colour also as we've seen pix.
Yellow - Yes! Classic (sorta) colour that really suits the MSP.
MP3 Blue - Not! Now available for stock Proteges.
Mica Black - Not! Odd to have a 2003 and 2003.5 the same colour (even though we don't get them for 2003)

[Newf]

Colors were confirmed at a MAzda Meet/Conference of all Mazda managers, head salesman, owners in Halifax about two weeks ago. Canada is supposed to be getting a mixture of yellow/gray. How many of each, don't know.

Personal opinion: I wouldn't be surprised if Canada only gets one color again, and it'll probably be yellow. Why, because we didn't get it yet, and I don't want it. then again, gray is their new color, and they might want to use the MSP to help advertise it more....just guessing there.

[Grimace]

Hmmm, so that doesn't help my situation. I really don't want yellow. Orange I really like, but the titanium colour is nice too, and attracts less attention. But then Canada could get screwed again (and I would lay a $1000 bet that we will only get one colour) with the 2003.5 and only get yellow.
Big risk to take to pass up on a 2003 Orange, then be disappointed down the road with the body kit + getting stuck with yellow.
I'm edging closer to just saying "the hell with my bank account" and getting the orange.

[DooMer_MP3]

Originally posted by JasonH
Black is a bitch to keep clean.

Ahh... Very true my friend, very true :). But when clean, it looks badass!

Chris

[AutoXer]

Gotta love dealerships:

I went down to a big Mazda dealer in town yesterday, to ask some questions about the MSP and the 2003.5 model.

"Do you guys know yet when the 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Protege's are coming in?"

"2003.5?"

"Yeah. The updated model with new bumpers, spoiler, two new colours-"

"-There's another model? Where'd you see that?"

"Mazda revealed it at SEMA a short while back. I've seen pics on the net."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"...well...we haven't heard anything about any new models."

I suppose it's not as bad as when I was looking at the Nissan Spec-V. That salesman knew NOTHING about the car, other than that it had 17" rims and a 2.4L engine...

I bet most of us on this forum know more about the MSP's than many of the people selling them, and that's pretty sad. How hard was it for us to learn about the car? A few minutes on the net every once and a while?

It should be mandatory for car salespeople to join at least one message forum related to their products.

I don't understand the ineptitude. If I were a car salesman I would be ashamed if every car enthusiast that came to my dealership knew more about the car's I'm selling.

I'm a furniture salesman, and if I ever encounter a customer who knows more about my product than me, I help them as best I can and when they leave I learn as soon as possible whatever I was lacking. That way it won't happen again.

And you know what? After several years on and off, it hardly EVER happens anymore. It's a simple, cumulative process and I'm pissed off that these salesman don't do it.

All right, I'm done. Sorry for the rant.

Disclaimer: Notice I didn't say ALL salespeople, just many. I don't want to be accused of making gross generalizations here. :)

[jroof]

Agreed. 100%. I call my dealer and ask him questions that I already know the answers too. He never answers them correctly and then when I tell him the correct answer, he changes his story. He makes me nervous. I don't understand how you can not your product. I went to a Benz dealer with my Father a couple months ago and we were asking her about the E55. My dad was asking her questions, I was giving him the answers while she was paging through the brochure.