anyone know the lifespan of a mazda mx3?

kokosurf · Post by **kokosurf** » July 4th, 2007, 4:23 am

I'm really really interested in buying a 1993 mazda 4 cylinder precidia, but...it has 220k kms on it...and i'm not sure if that means it's nearing the end of its healthy lifespan? or would i be better off buying a newer vehicle? it's a real stunner; body is in fabulous shape, and i'm considering having a mechanic check it out b/c i hear something rattling when i take turns/sharp corners...but am still a bit wearing b/c of the mileage on it...is it worth it? any opinions would really help; i'm a fairly uninformed girl who is learning a lot about mx3s through the shopping process...it is a manual transmission...i hear they are expensive to get fixed...and am wondering if i should just look at newer models?
thanks!

bawolvesfan · Post by **bawolvesfan** » July 4th, 2007, 5:27 am

i paid 1000 for mine with 87k miles on it and in the past year have managed to spend almost 2 grand in repairs... if i were u id pick something else... but ill probably get eaten alive for saying that on an mx3 forum

kokosurf · Post by **kokosurf** » July 4th, 2007, 5:31 am

it would definitely be my choice of car if i were a mechanic; i am not looking to dis the car, but i do have a huge student loan, so if it is in the realm of needing a lot of repairing...expensive repairs...then i won't go this way...but i LOVE the car; i just want to make sure I can afford it.
thanks for the feedback; still thinking about it but want to consider everything that i may be up against...
ps i'm in canada and they are asking $3800; only lady-driven by two women...and in immaculate shape physically...not sure about the engine etc...still in the process of finding all that out; think it may be a special edition model...

mazda_mx3r · Post by **mazda_mx3r** » July 4th, 2007, 10:19 am

well i paid $ 350.00 for mines a few months ago had 245,000 miles on it and it just hit over 260,000 a few days ago..still runs like a champ!!

projectmx · Post by **projectmx** » July 4th, 2007, 10:27 am

I bought my first one back in 2003 it had been in a front end accident and not taken care of engine wise... but after i cleaned it up and fixed the front end she drove great it got rear ended twice so i'm just parting it now but i had no trouble with the engine and just went out and started it last week for the first time in over 3 months and it started great and ran fine. the majority of the people here have had good experiences with the car

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » July 4th, 2007, 11:19 am

What it comes down to is how well the car was maintained. When I bought my RS a bit over 2.5 years ago.. it had a burnt valve and needed head work. It had 120k miles on it. Now if the previous owners had done regular oil changes.. it would have gone a LOT further before needing head work. Since having the head rebuilt.. I have put 30k miles on it with only 1 minor breakdown (the distributor went out.. common issue) Cost me $100 to fix because of this site. One of the other members here had a spare distributor on his shelf and sold it to me cheap. Otherwise a remanufactured distributor would cost a lot more from a parts store or a new one from mazda. The point is that often you can find a part you need right here in the for sale forum.

I guess what I am getting at is there are more than a few things to consider when looking at any used car.. how well it was maintained.. and how much will it cost to maintain. Having a mechanic check the car is a good idea. Get a compression test of the engine done.. while not all inclusive.. it will reveal any major valve train or compression ring issues. Have him check the suspension and axles.. that clicking your describing could be a CV joint going bad. Cheap to do yourself... will cost you a couple hundred at a shop most likely.

One last point I will make about the MX-3. The online community here at MX-3.com is really pretty exceptional. There are more than a few folks around here that know their stuff and there is a online shop manual linked off the main home page. So if you are a do it yourself kinda guy.. this site has all the resources needed to maintain your MX-3 indefinitely. BTW.. these cars are a LOT cheaper to maintain than a honda or acura. If you do decide to buy.. post pics and welcome aboard

Oh yeah.. get to know the search function.. it will be your best friend if you do have an issue to diagnose down the road

Tunes67

kokosurf · Post by **kokosurf** » July 4th, 2007, 2:05 pm

hi - i'm not a do it yourself guy...b/c i know nothing about cars mechanically; wouldn't mind learning...i am also a "girl"...but that just means i wasn't brought up around fixing cars as much as most guys are:) anyway, thanks SO much for the advice!!!! i'm surprised to learn that a mx3 would be cheaper to maintain than a honda or acura; why is that? are hondas really expensive to keep up? i have a chevy sprint right now, and it's the cheapest car ever! mind you, i have driven the life out of it, and its kilometers are almost at 300k...and pretty much at the end of its life...so mazda mx3 is my next car of choice...or i was going to go with a honda civic if it doesn't check out well.
thanks again for the advice; if i do buy the car, i will post pictures coz she's a stunner!

Lori

10secSim · Post by **10secSim** » July 4th, 2007, 5:05 pm

Hey I bought mine about 2 years ago for 2400$ with 160K km. it's a 95 DOHC and the 93 has a SOHC engine with 80 some hp. for 3800$ you'd be getting ripped off pretty bad.

mr1in6billion · Post by **mr1in6billion** » July 4th, 2007, 5:20 pm

I bought my 95 for $2500, straight body, absolutely no tears or stains on the interior, and only 60K miles on the engine. 3800 is way too much, even in Canadian bucks.

Also it isn't a special edition since it's a 4 cyl.

kokosurf · Post by **kokosurf** » July 4th, 2007, 5:58 pm

i'm thinking the price is high b/c it has a new paint job, new fat tires and great...what do you call it? gosh i can't remember...forgive the ignorance, but they are nicer than hubcaps...forget the name...anyway...i think that is the reason for the price...ps i just saw a precidia parked and saw the mileage on it was 345,000kms...do you think that they typically will run that long?
here's a picture:

http://vancouver.craigslist.org/car/342692898.html

projectmx · Post by **projectmx** » July 5th, 2007, 8:45 am

according to edmunds you should offer about 1500 - 2000 Canadian for the car

kelly blue book rates it really higher all the way up to about 3280 Canadian

if you can talk the person down I would print out the endmunds and / or kelly blue book and take it to show the person that they are asking too much

kokosurf · Post by **kokosurf** » July 6th, 2007, 1:47 am

thanks guys!!!
i ended up passing on the car -needed some stuff and took too long to get to/back from the mechanic...but i still love mx3s!!! anyway, i appreciate all your feedback and wish you all the best:)

Shawna · Post by **Shawna** » March 19th, 2008, 9:26 am

"anyone know the lifespan of a mazda mx3?"

Me driving it or you driving it? LOL

umcamara · Post by **umcamara** » March 19th, 2008, 6:23 pm

12.8437 years... Depending on if it has power door-locks or not.

sk8erdude802 · Post by **sk8erdude802** » March 19th, 2008, 6:30 pm

If its clicking

kokosurf wrote:...i'm considering having a mechanic check it out b/c i hear something rattling when i take turns/sharp corners...

That sounds like a bad CV joint. There like 100 bucks plus paying someone to change them out...It can get as high as 300 bucks to replace if you cant do it yourself. Didnt anyone else read this and think to mention that?

Steve-O

MX-3.com

anyone know the lifespan of a mazda mx3?

anyone know the lifespan of a mazda mx3?

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Re: anyone know the lifespan of a mazda mx3?

Re: anyone know the lifespan of a mazda mx3?