Repair-It

I have a conundrum. I want to make my Mazda3 better. I know this has come up, but I am just having a hard time giving up on it.

It shares the chassis with the AWD Volvo S40. So I would think AWD would be possible, not easy, but possible.

The Mazda CX-7 is AWD and has a 2.3 Turbo, which I think is the same block as the 2.0...
It seems like there would be options.

It sucks, the car is in really good shape, but only worth like $6500 to $7000, so it isn't like I can sell it and just buy something awesome for that money. Plus, it would be cool to have it as a sleeper, and do it all with junkyard parts.

What kind of mileage does that car even get anyway?

I haven't checked in a long time because I don't really care, but I am pretty sure it was around 24 to 25 MPG the way I drive it. It will get 28 to 30+ easy if you drive normally.

I think the Speed3 gets low to mid 20s, but it is FWD only. I am just not excited about selling my 3 for a Speed3 FWD with 250 HP for an extra $7500.

It is funny because the internet hates this discussion. Usually if anybody asks "How do I make a Mazda3 fast?" the automatic response is, "You don't you $^@#Q%&*@&, you sell it and buy something else. I guess I have a hard time believing that with so many components shared across the different cars and SUVs/Crossovers that it isn't possible.

The Speed3 is also only a hatch which I have zero interest in.