This guide provides a walkthrough on how the player should start Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition. The player begins their career in San Diego, California.
Starting Out[]
Upon starting the game, the player will be introduced to Oscar about the game, and he will give you $22,000 to buy your first car. Buy one of the cars listed below.
Of the choices below, the Dodge Neon SRT-4 is the best choice due to it's stats. The car costs $21,450 to purchase. The player will be left with $550, and can upgrade the Exhaust to Level 1.
Initial rivals[]
You will begin in a race at Rites of Passage against the following opponents. These three will be your first few racers to face during the Career.
To progress through the storyline, you only need to beat Vanessa and one of Bishop or Carlos, though it is recommended to beat all three, as you can get invited to the first three clubs, as well as a tournament that rewards a vehicle to start you in the club races, or can be sold later on to cover higher class vehicles' purchase costs.
Vanessa (first run)[]
This chick's a member of the Unbeatable Street Racers (Tuner car club). She drives a pink Mitsubishi Eclipse GT-S. Once you beat her, the Unbeatable Street Racers will invite you, and the City Tournament opens where the Lexus IS300, one of the best Class D vehicles in the game will be awarded to whoever wins the tournament. Her first race will be in PCH Sprint.
Carlos[]
This fool drives a green 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and he's a member of the American Royalty Car Club (Muscle Cars). Once you beat him, you get invited to the said club, and the Stage Tournament opens, where a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air is offered to the tournament's winner.
If you beat Bishop and Vanessa beforehand, he will become purely optional to progress through the storyline, allowing him to wait out til after the U.S. Championship Series, which will boost payouts for his second and third races, though it is highly recommended to race him so the player can attempt the Stage Tournament right away.
Bishop[]
This guy represents the Luxury Rollers Car Club (Luxury Sedans), and drives a white Lexus GS430. Once you beat him, the Luxury Rollers Car Club will invite you, as well as the Balboa Park Tournament opening up for you to win a DUBbed out Chrysler 300C to get you a car for the club races.
The Dodge Neon SRT-4 or Lexus IS300 is recommended for this race, although if Carlos and Vanessa were beaten beforehand, you can optionally leave this racer until you have finished the U.S. Championship Series, but the player should race him to be able to do the Balboa Park Tournament and win the Chrysler 300C, which can fetch a very high value if sold due to being a DUB Edition.
Initial Tournaments[]
In order to unlock Vanessa's rematch, aside from having defeated Phil, one of the three tournaments listed below have to be won along with having defeated Phil,
City Tournament[]
After defeating Vanessa, you will be invited to the Unbeatable Street Racers, and the City Tournament is organized, Win and you will receive the following vehicle that is offered as a starter vehicle for the aforementioned club.
The Lexus IS 300, as one of the fastest Class D vehicles in the game, is highly recommended to be won and used. Fully upgraded, the IS300 can carry players through the later part of Atlanta, when level 2 performance parts for Class C vehicles are unlocked. It is also recommended to do the Unbeatable Street Racers club races right away, as in the early portion of the club races, opponents will likely drive the Class D Tuners, and the player will earn the Zone special ability for Tuners, which will help them throughout most of the game.
Stage Tournament[]
A four-race tournament, with three easy and short layouts, and every race is named Stage (number), followed by a Final Stage that combines the layout of the initial three races into one. Win and you will earn the following vehicle, offered as a starter muscle car for the American Royalty Car Club races.
Owing to it's high value of $37,000, which is the average cost of Class C Muscle Cars, and with the American Royalty races likely to spawn Class B Muscle Cars as opponents, even during the early-game and with the Bel Air being sub-par to the two starting Class D muscle cars, as well as the 1968 Chevrolet Corvette (C3) being almost equal performance-wise to the purchasable Class B muscle cars, it is highly recommended to sell the Bel Air as soon as it is won, fetching $29,600 upon sale, and leave the American Royalty Car Club races until after having completed the U.S. Championship Series.
Balboa Park Tournament[]
A tournament opens in Balboa Park, where a DUBbed out Chrysler 300C awaits the winner. This prize was set up to start players in the Luxury Rollers Car Club.
However, it isn't recommended to do these club races right away as the final prize, the Mercedes-Benz CL 55 AMG has very little use in the main career mode, the payouts will be much lower than when doing the club races late in the game, and a later tournament offers a much better prize, the Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG (also in a DUB Edition state) that can be used to clear the club races easily with much higher payouts. Owing to being a DUB Edition, the 300C has a total value of $60,145 ($32,995 base value, plus $27,150 for DUB Edition parts) (allowing it to be sold for $48,600) in order to save the cash for the Detroit portion of the game, making it a good vehicle to be sold.
Second Round of Racers[]
These two racers will be the second wave of opponents to face during the San Diego Career. Do not proceed until you have defeated the first three racers, and won the tournaments that opened upon defeating them.
Phil[]
Oscar says that this vato is loco, and that he rides a Hotmatch Cuevito, a Chopper. Once you beat him, you will win the Cuevito from him and the Chopper of America Bike Club will invite you.
Be careful as this vehicle is a two-wheeled motorcycle, despite it's acceleration, one hard crash will knock the rider off the bike, taking 5 seconds to recover from each crash, plus the Nitrous capacity being equal to the D Class cars, which makes this bike start without any, and only having up to two nitrous when maxed. Also, it carries a value of $65,000, so sell it for $52,000 when you win it, allowing the player to be able to afford vehicles and upgrades needed for the Detroit portion of game.
Also, due to the recommendation to sell it instead, save the Chopper of America Bike Club races until you have become the U.S. Champion, which allows you to blitz the club races with any of the Class B Choppers and having significantly higher payouts, and with the Hotmatch Skully being only at par with the other Class B Choppers.
Still recommended to use a Class D Tuner, and after the 11th hookman race (meaning his second race if all three previous racers were beaten, or the first race of Vanessa’s rematch), Class C vehicles will be unlocked.
Class C vehicles[]
During this portion of the game, you will unlock the following Class C vehicles for purchase.
The best options are either the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, Nissan 350Z or Toyota Supra, which are Tuners. There is also one Class C Tuner, the Lotus Elise. Unlike the aforementioned three, the Elise lacks bodykit customization options, making it a pseudo-exotic.
Vanessa (second encounter)[]
Vanessa knew you taught her a lesson the last time, and now she wants another match against you. This time, she has riced out her Eclipse to get revenge on you.
Despite winning the Hotmatch Cuevito from Phil, it is highly recommended to either remain in your SRT-4 or IS300 with level 1 upgrades. You will unlock level 2 upgrades shortly for Class D vehicles, which allows the IS 300 or SRT-4 to hit it's maximum potential and allow it to keep up with the later challengers, or buy one of the three Japanese Class C Tuners, when you can install level 1 upgrades on them.
Now, head off to Atlanta, either by exiting back to the menus and reselecting the city or driving straight to the City Movers and the walkthrough continues there.