new car - high kilometeres

[misfitsfiend]

i want to be the owner of my own MX, problem is .. ive never bought a car before, and dont know what to look for when buying it or driving... i basically dont want to be ripped off... also this car im looking into is very high in kms .. it has something like 300,000 kms on it .. does it really matter?

[2fazed]

I think the best thing for you to do is search and compare prices and features. Look online at AutoTrader, Yahoo autos, MSN autos, cars.com, etc. That should give you a hint to what the prices are going for, and you should get a feel on what that car is worth.

[misfitsfiend]

oh i already know what price range im looking at, and what features i want... its just i dont know what to look for in terms of the condition of the car.. .and i need to know if high kilometers on an engine really matters in regards to the performace of the car... i just want this thing to stay alive for a year or so .. so that i can save up enough money for an engine swap

[RoundTop]

Just be warned, around 300k is when engines start going.

You also want to check maintainance logs. The body should not have rust (or minimal). It should have had regular oil changes, timing belt replacement, valve cover gasket, brakes, etc.

If you find one with a dead engine which is a GS you can replace the engine easily with either another GS engine or a 2.5L engine for relatively cheap.

if you are looking at an RS, you can replace the 4cyl easily with another one (94+ had a DOHC one, 92/93 SOHC) or a BPT (turbo).

[Andrew_Pakula]

Unless the car is dirt cheap I wouldn't even bother with any car in general with 300k even if it has been maintained properly. After 300k the car just becomes a liability, if it isn't the engine going on you then it will be other stuff that will be worn our and failing. You shouldn't have any problem finding mx-3s with less milage. Aim for 200k or less.