hi guys, newbie here!!

[*JO*]

hi all

my names jo and im from the UK. i just wanted to ask a few questions to you experts about the mazda mx-3.

im currently looking to buy one (once ive saved a litle more lol). im thinking about getting the 1.8 V6, i think its about a 1993 ish plate.

can anyone give me any stats on it?? fuel consumtion?? what to look out for??

cheers for your help in advance

ps - soz if ive posted in the wrong section, im not familiar with these here parts yet!!

[ovendenk]

welcome abord. this should get you started on the specs for our car.

http://www.mx-3.com/brochure/

as for problems, any old car is gonna have problems. if you make sure to keep up on your servicings, you should be ok. other people might have a specific list of common problems with our cars. the non forum portion of this site has tons of info.

http://www.mx-3.com/index.cfm

good luck.

[*JO*]

cheers mate, nice one

[BADMX3]

where bout's in the uk you from?

[*JO*]

im from "sunny" oxford lol

[Thunderstorm]

Hi Jo!

Welcome to the board.
U say you are in the UK and looking to buy a 1993 MX-3 1.8 V6.
Cool aspirations - nice choice, but please be aware of the following facts.

p.s. If you know all these facts already, my utmost apologies for wasting your time.

It the UK, the MX-3 was on sale right up to 1998 as against 95/96 on the North American Continent.

Naturally, I would advise trying to lay your hands on a much later model IF you can stretch your price to it.
Of particularly good value are the 1996 / 1997 / 1998 year registered models. Of course, the later the better.

I base this on experience, but you may of course get lucky with a much earlier model if it has ben well taken care of.
Personally, I own a 1998 MX-3 1.6i DOHC (West London based), one of the very last made.
Had 33,000 miles on the clock and I paid a not inconsiderate £3,050 for it.
Yes, it's not as fast as the V6 engined beauties, but it has had virtually all the design faults sorted, and came with extra bits (e.g Disc brakes all round, nicely tinted factory windows that DO make a difference.....et al)

There are a lot of MX-3 V6s on the UK market, just check Autotrader UK online, or eBay. Incidentally, I got my "Blackbird" on eBay, first purchase from eBay ever, so don't let that scare you.

The V6 versions will need "specialist" maintenance if you really want trouble free motoring, so you may most likely have to visit a Mazda Dealer for servicing.

Make sure your eventual choice has a full service history, hasn't been "boy raced" to death, and generally doesn't have any niggling problems that you are sure can be sorted - assuming you want to buy at a discount then fix it.

I have had my MX-3 "Blackbird" for about 1 year - tomorrow makes it 1 year I won the bid - what a coincidence. Happiest day of my life.

Ironically, haven't been able to "Fly" the Blackbird for the past 10 days due to illness - my left leg went offline temporarily.

Anyhow Jo, goodluck with your search for the MX-3 of your dreams.
These are solid reliable cars with oodles of class when you purchase and maintain them correctly.




Thunderstorm

[PATDIESEL]

common issues include:
1. Faulty automatic seatbelts (prone to break) the manual seat blets are fine though
2. automatic seatbelts sensor will break and the "put your seatbelt on" beep will go off randomly
3. The V6 models tend to have a bit of ticking to the motor (it can be fixed, is not a real problem, can get anoying)
4. The automatic trannies have a bit of heat trouble in the USA, but that might not such an issue in the colder climate of England. A simple trans cooler will help.
5. Electric window switches tend to crap out, no fix other than buying a new one from Mazda, cost about 300.00 US (don't know what they cost in the UK)


My suggestion is to get a standard 5 speed V6, latest model year that you can. They have more power and are more fun in my opinion. The $ cylinder motors are supposed to last longer, but I know several people who have just under 200,000 miles on a V6 and it is still doing ok.

[bluemx3]

I just finalized the deal on a 93 MX3 and hope that I didn't get burned. I won't be picking it up until Saturday,but I noticed on an earlier post they mentioned something about a ticking noise from the engine of V6s and that it is not serious, but can be fixed. The first thing I noticed was a ticking noise from the top end of my newly purchased MX3 v6. How can I fixed that noise and if I don't will it get any louder. thanks

[jschrauwen]

I believe the ticking noise is attributed to a lack of oil flow the HLA's (lifters). Either replacing or I believe they can also be cleaned. I'll leave the more specifics to the ones that are more intuned. I'll echo others recommendations and suggest to shoot for as early model possible 1.8L V6. If the GS type model was available in the UK, go for that because it will include power mirrors (2), cruise control, power sunroof, 4 wheel disc brakes, power door locks and probably a few other that I can't remember. A unique find would be a 93 SE (Anniversary Edition). This is the same GS V6 model with a few more options to include leather seats. A rare find indeed, but not sure if it made it's way to the UK. If you do acquire a GS model and you get the urge to beef it up, there are a number of 2.5L engines that will bolt right up and give substantial power increases. But I guess, first things first, right?

FWIW, when I brought the ticking noise to the attention of a mazda shop in 95 for my 92 V6, I was told that there was a manufacture flaw in the valve cover bolts and washers. I was told that it allowed the VC to be torqued down too far and make slight contact with the valve train ... or so they said. Anyway, they fixed it at Mazda's expense.
Good luck on your search!!

*John*