Hi, I'm shopping for a 3G and found one that is very nice but I have a few concerns about it. From my short test drive, the car drives fine although the compression hasn't been tested yet and I didn't go with a boost gauge. The car has no maintenance records and when I checked with Mazda it seems the car had, among other things, a turbo and water pump replaced earlier in its life. The water pump really concerns me because it is likely that the car was overheated if the pump failed. Is there any way to tell for sure if the car has been overheated, and if it's healthy and reliable? The car has very low miles (35K) and it's not cheap (18K), so I'm reluctant to spend a lot of money on a 3G that I am not 100% sure of.

How concerned would you guys be about it? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

18k is too much. You can do a pressure/leakdown test on the coolant system and check for hydorcarbons in the coolant (not really something you can do on the spot). Also, take a look at the coolant overflow tank dipstick to see if it is blackish. If any of the above fail then offer the guy 10k, if they pass, offer him 14k.

Regards,
Frank

 

I would be most concerned about the lack of maintenance records. That speaks a hell of a lot about the car....

Post this in the West Regional forum. Maybe myself or someone else here in the Bay Area could take a look at it with you if you wanted.

Also, I don't know where you are in the Bay Area, but here's the best shops around:

Rick's Rotary Performance (Pleasanton) - 925-484-2324

C2 Automotive (Oakland)

Ivan (Sunnyvale)

BTW, if the rest of the car is in really good shape and the motor/turbos check out, a fair offer in this part of the country would be $15-17k. You can get FDs for a bit less elsewhere in the country.

 

Thanks for the info. The car is absolutely gorgeous and I thought 18 was a fair price, but even if the car checks OK, I'm sure there are plenty of major problems that could go undetected (?). The maintenance history (or lack thereof) is very unsettling. Any more input? Thanks!

 

You might also try Carfax.
If FD's are going for that much there I might have to make a trip when I sell mine!

Frank

 

I assume it's a 5-speed. If so, low mileage and from what you said it's pristine. Have it checked out by someone that knows FD's, like Flyrx7 said, run the carfax report.

Is the car worth $18k, maybe. Color, year, and model will affect what its worth. Red and MB cars were made in higher numbers and are not as rare as silver & white. 93's have the most issues with paint & interior trim defects. By late in the model year most of the issues were solved. By 94 most all of the early issues were fixed.

It sounds like a great car. Just have a good knowledgeable guy look at it. Good luck!

 

Are you looking at the black one in Scottsdale, Arizona?

 

Nope, nice guess though


Seriously, even if it checked out OK, wouldn't you guys still be worried about the failed water pump and that it might have been overheated in the past?

 

I think its still a pretty good buy....thats my opinion though. If it felt like it drives pretty strong, and you don't see any smoke on start up, chances are the o-ring will last long. And when it does start to smoke (due to o-ring failure), I know plenty of people that still got alot of miles out of it before it absolutely needed a rebuild. Copperweld and etc.....

 

usually when it overheats, its done. so if its fine now, i doubt it has overheated in the past. get a compression test, that would tell you enough.