1993 Mazda MX3 GS 1.8 V6

Summary:

Cops don't like it

Faults:

Replaced water pump at 90000.

Replaced timing belt at 88000.

Vales need adjusting.

The UV joint needs replacing.

The top of the rear seats are tearing in two places (so I striped the hell out of it)

Have beaten most honda's...

The clutch need replacing (can still beat most cars with a slipping clutch and vales ticking.

General Comments:

Pretty bad ass little car..

Cops don't like it, but most of the time they don't know what it is... mine was called in as a Honda civic 2000 model.. i think that cop had a little to much to drink...

Been pulled over many times... street raceing...looking like a drug car only when I put my 16 rota's on it...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th September, 2004

1993 Mazda MX3 RT 1.8 V6

Summary:

Envy of the Civic Nation

Faults:

Very minor paint chipping on the front bumper and hood area, likely caused by rock chips - so no fault of the cars'. I did have the dust cover fall off the driver-side front caliper, but that's about it.

General Comments:

Sweet little pocket rocket. This car is a stock V6 and has plenty of power which really starts to pull around 4500 RPM. The five speed transmission shifts effortlessly and 5th gear provides average fuel economy for a six cylinder. The look of the car is surprisingly up to date considering the year. Groups of civic owners rubberneck whenever I drive buy and I can see them ogle the V6 crest from my rear view mirror. Interior is well laid out. Front seats hug nicely through the turns and as stated, the rear is cramped. Overall, I can't expect anything more from what has now become my favorite car to drive. The MX3 is definitely an affordable sports car in keeping with today's models. If you can find one with a V6...BUY IT!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd May, 2004

1993 Mazda MX3 1.8L V6

Summary:

Good looking car, but not suitable for racing

Faults:

Auto transmission needs to be replaced after 97,000 miles.

Front axle broke down.

Gas-line clogged.

Small back seats (hey, it's a sports car).

Driver-train breaks down a lot.

Car bounces a lot off of bumps.

General Comments:

- Performance 8/10

MX3s control great and everything, except for the fact that 135hp and 130ft torque isn't good enough for racing a V6 these days, but the good thing about the MX3 engines is that they are one of the lightest V6 engines out there (1.8L) compared to other V6 engines that weigh around 3.0L to 4.6L.

The bad thing about MX3s (1991 to 1997) is that they have no aftermarket support at all. That's right, no turbos, no headers, no heads, no pistons, no nothing except for a 75 shot of NOS and a small 7hp intake. I did hear of some custom MX3 Turbos, but they're not worth it because they don't add much horsepower like they're suppose to, and they are expensive.

So pretty much, if you want to race a MX3, you better swap the engine for a better engine like an MX6 engine, which I think has aftermarket support, or a J-Spec 2.5L KLZE (or something like that) engine (see the www.mx-3.com forums for more details).

- Reliability 7/10

Do not buy an MX3 with an automatic transmission! The reason why is because when Mazda was making the automatic transmission for the MX3s, they didn't make them right, because most people have had their transmissions break down at around 100k miles, including me (after 97,860 miles). Since the 1993 MX3s are 11 year old cars, they will mess up a lot...

- Comfort 9/10

The front seats keep you comfortable and keep you in place, but the back seats are small, so don't plan on using the MX3 for cruising with friends or for a road trip of 4, unless you plan to switch seats every hour...

- Dealer Service 3/10

Pricey parts, and it looks to me that Mazda doesn't care for their MX3s.

- Running Costs 6/10

Some small repairs and some big repairs, like a new front axle and a new transmission. Hey, what do you expect from a 11 year old car?

- Looks 8/10

The back lights look great.

Car's body looks great.

Inside looks great.

And there are bodykits out there for it at www.mx-3.com; look around in the forums and find appearance. You can't miss it...

Spoiler at the back of the car look crappy for this MX3 year.

By the way, I got my MX3 at an auction for $2,500 American with about 65,000 miles!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd May, 2004

3rd Jun 2004, 16:19

1.8L is the displacement of the v6...not the weight..

10th Jun 2004, 09:48

He probably meant that the 1.8 liter engine weighs less than the larger displacement motors. I personally own 3 MX-3s; a 92 GS with the factory 1.8, and 2x 93 GS both with the 2.5 liter swap. My red 93 has a 2.5 from a 96 626, and my blue 93 has a 2.5 liter motor that was requisitioned (at an arm and a legs rate) the J spec only KL-ZE.

The J-spec motor is a die hard MXr's engine because of the cost of anything internal breaking (pistons, rods, bearings, camshafts, lash adjusters, valves, etc) requires going through engine importers or having custom parts made.

The standard easy way to make this car a little racer is to find an engine from a 93 & up Mazda 626,MX-6 or Ford Probe GT. There are a few other assorted items that you need from the donor car (mass air sensor, ECU, a small length of vacuum hose, the 1 way check valve for the master brake cylinder - little rubber hose), and someone who can read a shop manual and has replaced an engine before will have no problems doing this on a weekend (8-12 hours).

You HAVE to like these cars to want to race them, because custom, just like racing is a matter of money... how fast you wanna go? Check out www.mx-3.com, look in the forums, and you should be able to find just about all you want to know about these cars, and the engine swaps there. One of the first guys to do the swap does a lot of advanced racing parts development for MX-3s, and they do group buys on custom parts through US and Canadian suppliers.

29th Mar 2006, 19:45

Sorry, fellas. I race my MX3, and have done very, very well. If the course is twisty, this little car lays it down. It's not a drag car by any means, but can it handle. And as far as engine swaps, they have gotten much, much cheaper. Anything made for the Ford Probe GT/Mazda MX6 V6 engines will fit on the 1.8, the j-spec engines, usdm, whatever you have. Ground Control can make you a coilover kit with whatever spring rates you'd like. It's not easy, but there are options out there if you look.

6th May 2007, 20:08

I own a Mazda Mx-3 and I absolutely love it!! It has well over 100,000 miles and has never once broke down on me, knock on wood! It is the most dependable and best looking car for its age that I have ever seen, People ask me why I don't get a new car because my husband works in the coalmines, and we can afford it, but why when I have a kicken' ride allready?