Found this little gem, I know the mileage is high but I hear these cars are really reliable and it is a standard and in the body year I like. Am I going to regret picking this thing up?
cant post links. so here's the description
SPORTY AND VERY WELL MAINTAINED MAZDA 3 HATCHBACK !!! CARFAX CERTIFIED WITH NO ACCIDENT, NO DAMAGE HISTORY, PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE COMPLETED AND IT COMES WITH EXCELLENT TIRES.
SERVICE INCLUDES NEW CLUTCH KIT, PREMIUM NGK SPARK PLUGS, VALVE COVER GASKETS, SWAY BAR LINKS, SWAY BAR BUSHINGS, REAR MAIN SEAL, FRONT AND REAR CERAMIC BRAKE PADS, FILTERS AND FLUIDS REPLACED. IT LOOK'S AND RUN'S GREAT ! PLEASE CALL US FOR MORE INFORMATION.
no plans really, like that body style more than any... aside from the 2020s. only thing I'd do would be change the audio system, lower it and tint windows.
Update: went and looked at it today, and while it looked pretty good, it wasnt as nice as the pics indicated.
Issues off the bat were mainly cosmetic
rear 3rd brake light lens busted
every door handle was loose, even worse the passenger side was just super loose (like there's some return spring on it that was way worn down)
heavy scratches on the hood
headliner was pretty filthy
carpet had holes in it
split in dash (looks like it was designed to be that way, but due to age was curling)
some type of water damage in the radio display
Jinky steering wheel cover to hide how worn out the steering wheel was
shifter knob worn to where it's basically clear/white plastic
Not sure the door locks worked 100%
overall fit and finish was bad, like it's just been heavily used so everything creaked/rattled when touched
As far as engine
it seemed fine, but had a little random rough idle when sitting at a light, not constant but would every now and then would "hiccup"
wheel bearing or brakes squeaking when driving (brakes as would stop when applying the brakes).
pointed out some of the stuff to him, but most importantly mentioned the engine part to his response "yeah probably an engine mount" but didnt offer to fix it....
I told him "I liked the car but for all the issues I see that I'll have to repair/replace on top of the high mileage 4k was a bit too high." He sat there and stared at me and offered nothing less, so I simply handed him the keys and said "thanks, but I'm going to have to pass".
And I bounced.
I will also add that Ive found others sold by individuals that are 5yrs newer, have half the mileage that this one does and look well maintained for less money....but automatics. I'll keep looking till I find what I want.
Price is still too high, and it looks like the gearshift knob is missing. Either way, it doesn't hurt to check it out. The best time to talk down the price of a car (at a car dealer) is the end of the month. They get antsy about closing their books and improving sales.
Going to go check it out. if it all checks out ill probably scoop this one up. it apparently has adjustable coilover shocks as the guy told me he was going to adjust the height of it. so that's a plus for me. plus it looks to be in great shape... and honestly Im not seeing cars in nearly this good a shape for this price. I'll pay a little more for it to be in better condition.
Engine seemed solid, ran really smooth, few paint chips and dings which is to be expected. Headlights are hazy, rear wing will be replaced (not factory and it's a jinky plastic thing) One of the owners added Mazdaspeed front seats, which is nice, interior is light years ahead of the 1st one I looked at. Factory nav doesnt work, one wheel is plasti-dipped black others are painted/powder coated gray/ Missing shift knob........ Everything checked out though. Carfax shows no major damage drove it and the Adjustable coil overs are at the lowest setting so I was bouncing all over the place when trying to drive this thing shifts are smooth (from what I can tell.......I havent driven a stick in ages).
Sales guy was cool, allowed me to go over the whole care and start deducting from the price. Due to radio and headlights I had him knock off 500.00 (I was going to replace the factory radio regardless) he ordered a solid billet aluminum shift knob (one I had selected) and he gave me a 30 day warranty on major mechanical issues. So I have to drive this bouncy thing an hour and a half in traffic to get it home. realized when I checked AC, I didnt actually hit the AC button............ crap... no AC! right now not a biggy..... pull into my driveway, then figured Id go buy the headlight cleaning/ de hazing stuff...... go pick it up, pull in front of my house and I see tranny gear oil in my driveway...... FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAARRRRRRRKKKKKKK call him up. Guy said "take it and get it fixed, Ill pay for it" so now it's sitting at a shop to be looked at tomorrow to see what's the deal with the transmission fluid, and the AC..... I actually love this car though. would hate to have to take it back now...lol But Im sure if it's gonna cost the dealership place too much theyll probably just pick the car up and refund me my loot. While I was at the shop, there is a mutual acquaintance that works there and I asked that HE look at the car and give it a good once over for me which he will (he's a fellow Jeeper). The car could book it and ran great, i just hope the tranny thing is a simple-ish fix.... anything superficial I can take care of myself.
So quick updates... schrader valves need replaced for AC... and of course the recharge..... as for the leak its an axle seal leak. Guy's picking up the car and getting it all fixed as he doesnt want to pay the shop's fees.
Whelp.... oil gasket leak, rear trailing arm bushings....... all need to be replaced. Coilover setup is some cheap setup and I managed to raise them up about an inch or so but it needs a bit of work. Sadly Ive seemed to have formed a bond to this car and am not willing to return it. Luckily I am able to do all the work on the vehicle so that isnt a problem for me, just more money for parts..... sucks.
I posted a DIY for the rear trailing arm bushings. Get the special tool to do it. The job is really easy and I added a lot of pictures. PM me if you can't find the thread. Replacing that bushing made my car handle like new. Serious night & day stuff.
If you're redoing the suspension, replace the sway bar bushings, all linkages, ball joints, and also the insulators for the rear springs. They're simple to replace as all that's needed is to put the vehicle on stands, use a jack to lift the rear arms, disconnect the bolts, and slowly lower to alleviate the tension. Also, do the rear lateral arms. When it comes to struts, I get the entire assy rather than all of the individual parts.
People always poo-poo the little pieces; however, once they replaced the vehicle drives and tracks much batter.
If you're redoing the suspension, replace the sway bar bushings, all linkages, ball joints, and also the insulators for the rear springs. They're simple to replace as all that's needed is to put the vehicle on stands, use a jack to lift the rear arms, disconnect the bolts, and slowly lower to alleviate the tension. Also, do the rear lateral arms. When it comes to struts, I get the entire assy rather than all of the individual parts.
People always poo-poo the little pieces; however, once they replaced the vehicle drives and tracks much batter.
YAY and the cost keeps going up!!! lol
I'll look into the parts mentioned as the rear end will basically be in pieces since my plan is to replace suspension while replacing the trailing arm bushings.
Im going to lower the car but havent found a place that sells the whole strut assembly....... you know of a place that does?
Well this weekend was the time to get the suspension fixed.... got the Koni/eibach setup installed, replaced the front and rear sway bar links, but the bushings... were solid. so they stayed. Also the rear trailing arm bushings were good to go too...... it was just this crappy suspension that was making all that knocking.... what it was was they installed the springs/bracket upside down so the bracket was bare metal to the frame, and used the spring isolaters down at the base of the arms...... genius. Either way, car drives like a dream now!
I forgot to mention when going through the rear and to replace the spring isolators. Makes a big difference when replacing a cheap component that disintegrates over time.
To be honest, I am ok with that as Id rather have the car built how I want it built. Im picky in how I feel things should be so at least this way I have that control... PLUS it gives me something to do during this lock down!
Wish I knew what to look for. Too bad several of the members who performed swaps and wrote up a lot of the details haven't logged in for a while. I haven't been on as much because I've been WFH since mid-March and keep working 11-hour days. That's mostly due to a backlog of work, which should lighten up soon.
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