Want another mx-3, help!

[mazdafamiliamx3]

So i was looking around and seeing how clean everyone elses mx-3s are was wondering if you guys found them clean with minimal exterior damage or had to get it that way. Ive been looking in the tri state area and all if not most are in terrible condition. should i just be patient and hope? lol

[Ryan]

yeah thats pretty much the tactic, unless you have skill or money.

[ice_mann]

Patience is the key young grasshopper... The right one that you won't be able to pass up will come available.

[mazdafamiliamx3]

its just ridiculous, i search craigslist often and nothing... shoot ill take a clean shell and then some people price it out of what im willing to pay for a car not in demand... people around here already over price 240sx's.

[Nd4SpdSe]

You're trying to find a MINT car that is 15 years old at it's youngest, that's alot of time and age. People know if their car is mint and rust free, and they'll charge for it. You either pay to get a mint one, or you get a rotting away one for cheap. If you're going to find a cheap & mint one, you'll be looking for a long time...

[mazdafamiliamx3]

You're trying to find a MINT car that is 15 years old at it's youngest, that's alot of time and age. People know if their car is mint and rust free, and they'll charge for it. You either pay to get a mint one, or you get a rotting away one for cheap. If you're going to find a cheap & mint one, you'll be looking for a long time...

i hear where ya coming from but if you were to see the condition of some of the cars ive seen you would understand my frustration lol.

[Nd4SpdSe]

Oh i know, there's hadly any nice ones out there. When I was shopping for a replacement, one old man had one, original owner, it was a 94 I believe, in excellent shape (but still had a few odd small holes in the underbody/frame that would need to be fixed, but they were small and easy fixes. I was just being super-super-picky since I had lost mine to rust, but he was also asking $3500 for it. Imagine, I got my Mx-3, at 10 years old for $4200 with 108'000kms on it, and I'd be looking at 15 year old Mx-3 with 250'000kms on it (mind you it was going to be swapped to a built-ZE) for $1000 less. I saw this summer, (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend, I stopped to get bolts to mount the front plate holder to my Rx-8 I had gotten the day before, and that car was still forsale, parked at the corner or the mall as I had first seen it years ago. It's been fors ale for 2-3 years now. But after that, I realised hwo hard it was going to be to find a new perfect Mx-3, but also how much money in total I was going to have to spend to get an Mx-3 back on the road, and logically abandonned to move onto something else.

[MrMazda92]

You're trying to find a MINT car that is 15 years old at it's youngest, that's alot of time and age. People know if their car is mint and rust free, and they'll charge for it. You either pay to get a mint one, or you get a rotting away one for cheap. If you're going to find a cheap & mint one, you'll be looking for a long time...

I went a different route than most people... I scored.

I went for a car that ran PERFECTLY, but had cosmetic issues. Key marks, dents/dings, and faded paint.

The kicker, Not a spot of rust on the entire car. In the year I've had it, I've torn almost everything off her, and the ONLY rust I've found was under my DS power window seal. Body work and a DIY paint job are in order after I finish the engine. =)

[Nd4SpdSe]

Needle in a haystack

[MrMazda92]

Needle in a haystack

True, but there's not a spot of rust in the usual suspect areas, nor anywhere else I've seen. I've cleaned the underbody repeatedly and found none there, aside from the exhaust itself. The entire carpet and interior from the seats back has been removed repeatedly as well, there simply isn't any rust anywhere to be found. The spot in the DS door is about 3/4" by 2.5", and it is surface only so far as I can tell, if it's deeper I'll go for a new door.

Oregon seems to be pretty good about rust anyways, no salt on the roads helps too of course. I honestly wouldn't live somewhere where they salt the roads... Avoid it like the plague.