Should I buy?

[Syruz]

In my search for an MX3 (7 months) I have come across some very interesting ones to say the least. I only find a few MX3s where I live, nobody drives them where I live for some reason.<P>My newest find...<BR>93 GS LE (owner claims its a GL, he says its a limited/special edition)<BR>V6<BR>5spd<BR>All Power<BR>Moonroof (probably sunroof)<BR>Leather<BR>Body has 113k miles<BR>New clutch at 103k, battery, tires<P>His old engine leaked oil and burned up. So he had a shop replace it with a 76k mile engine. Same as the original. This new engine has only been in the car for 100 miles. Ad said $4,100, but when I talked to him he said $3,700. He also said he didnt want to rip anyone off, so if the car had problems down the road he would pay for it or take it back (but what good is someones word?)<P>Does this sound like a good deal? Is it too early to tell if the engine will be strong? Should I make an offer? Oh, he said the car is a somewhat purplish color, does he mean Dark Blue Metallic?<P>113k miles on the suspension, will stuff need replaced? My plan is to take the car to college with me, and then after college I'll probably do a KL-ZE swap.<P>Thanks

[Smokin mx-3]

it sounds like he has the 1993 MX-3 v6 gs special edition this car has everything and was only made in 93 <BR>have you seen it?<BR>it should have the 25 anniversary on the side <BR>it sound like a good deal <BR>how is the paint?

[Syruz]

I haven't seen the car yet. All I know is what he told me over the phone yesterday.

[Syruz]

Oh, the timing belt was replaced on the new engine when it was put in the car.<P>Also he had a new exhaust put on. Most likely a stock replacement, but I'm not sure.<P>He has owned the car for 5 years. 2nd owner.<P>Has an AC that works.

[Syruz]

Right right right... I looked at pictures of a Special Edition. I could see why the owner said it was purplish, almost pink. I was hoping it was any color but red.

[Alt-Tab]

The only models of the MX-3 were the GS, RS, and SE. The SE (special edition) is basically a GS with a raspberry metallic paint job, 25th anniversary logo, and heated leather seats. There's no such thing as a GL or LE.<P>For more information, check out: <A HREF="http://www.mx-3.com/se/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.mx-3.com/se/</A>

[Esper]

He sounds kinda sketchy. he'll pay for replacements??? i doubt it, unless you live in eden or something. it sounds like he knows there's something wrong with it, but doesn't want to deal with it himself and just wants the car off his hands. he may easily skip town or just ignore you if you try and get him to fix it...like any used car, check it out, and TAKE IT TO A MECHANIC to see what's wrong with it. try and get this guy to fix it BEFORE you buy it, and be prepared to walk away. i almost got a GS from canada (i live in florida) that had some minor problems (including the KM speedo), and just waited on it, and then found a much nicer US version with much less miles that only needed a timing belt (and later a distributor) for the exact same price. I know you've been looking for 7 months, but you may need to wait longer. its your call though. good luck!<BR>

[Syruz]

Yeah, now that I think about it, the guy seemed like he was hiding something when I talked to him on the phone. Something in his voice and speech, I never thought much of it until now.<P>I'm really in no real hurry. I've waited 7 months so far, whats another month or so

[liquidleo]

Hey!!!! Whats wrong with the red ones!!! I have to say they look the best(when clean and shining). Oh yeah, keep looking, maybe you'll find a red one. HAHA

[andy]

The fact that he claims to have owned the car for 5 years and doesn't know the model of the car may indicate a questionable background. <BR> But if he is really this sincere than here are a couple more things to be aware of when<BR>buying a used mx-3. Has the distributor been replaced or upgraded yet? when they replaced the timing belt they should have replaced the water pump also. Has the valve <BR>cover (rocker cover,cam cover) been replaced yet? they tend to leak into the spark plug wells before reaching 70k miles. Check the cv<BR>joints and boots if they have not been done yet then they would be high on the list of things to go wrong with over 100k. Ask about the brakes. they should have been replaced at least once while he owned the car. <BR> Also ask to see maintenance records or receipts of the work done. If they have lots of excuses for not having any thing to show you than they're probably hiding something.<BR> Ask if the car was ever in any wrecks?<BR> I know theres more but that should get you going for now. <BR> Oh yeah one more thing you could have the car checked out by a mechanic.<BR>Andy 93 GS