1992 Mazda MX3 Eunos Equippe (Japanese Import 1.8i V6 Auto

Summary:

Blows my old Metro to shreds!

Faults:

Difficult to get parts for cheaply as very few breakers stock them second-hand.

Could not obtain new parcel shelf or Haynes Manual!

Sidelights wrong color (MOT failure)

Electric window switch broken.

Door Spoiler cracked.

Rear spoiler lacquer cracked.

Rear light cluster broken.

Paintwork needs retouching.

General Comments:

Bought as a bargain, now worth over 3 times what I paid for it. Only problem has been spares and the increased petrol costs.

Front seats comfortable, back seats legroom non existent.

Fun to drive and worth every penny.

View to rear restricted.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd October, 2002

1992 Mazda MX3 1.8 V6 petrol

Summary:

Sweet, small, sexy, sassy V6

Faults:

Only things that have gone wrong are spark plugs oiling up (new plugs and HT leads) and the water pump kept leaking.

General Comments:

The MX-3 is a extremely rapid and fun car to drive, the V6 engine is very strong and tweakable (aftermarket parts are hard to find) if you don't mind searching for parts or doing a bit of home maintenance (making a cold air induction kit).

It is also nice to have a car that is not recognised instantly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th December, 2000

1992 Mazda MX3 V6 1.8 V6 petrol

Summary:

A gorgeous looking motor, but with a price for maintaining it...

Faults:

Well,

HT leads (£120 for Magnecor leads instead of Mazda leads).

Exhaust backbox rusted.

RHS CV joint (£400).

Distributor (£400).

CV boots (£50 a time).

General Comments:

Wow. It's a great car, the V6 engine sounds absolutely gorgeous with a decent backbox and a proper air filter.

MPG is terrible. Don't believe any figures in the magazines -- you'll get around 20-25mpg on average!!

It's a car that loves to be driven though. Insurance is group 15, which is horrendous compared to other sports coupes in its class.

The seats are comfortable, but not for any long distances and the room in the back is obviously poor.

When looking for an MX-3 make sure you get a FSH, as parts are *very* expensive. Third party support for these cars is minimal.. don't expect to find a lot of add-on goodies to make your car stand out from the rest.. thankfully these cars seem pretty rare on the road compared to the Calibra/Puma/Megane coupes, so dare to be different!!!

The cars are cheap enough to buy in the UK, so it's probably best steering clear of imports and paying a premium on your insurance as well as having a hard time reselling....

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th September, 2000

6th Jun 2003, 12:19

Hmmm, I've owned my 1994 MX3 GS (1.8L V6) (US) since it's birthday, and have never fallen below 25MPG, even when in rough city driving... I average around 26MPG on a weekly basis, and if I drive any distance at all on the highway, that average jumps to near 30-ish. On cross-country (1000 miles all highway) trips, it averages between 32MPG and 33MPG. It sounds to me like something may be out of whack with the poster's model. Also, the engines on this car in particular do NOT like having their intake or exhaust systems altered... nearly any modification (as simple as a high-flow air breather/filter) will DROP horsepower. So modified intake parts and exhaust parts as this poster listed, very well could be the source of the low MPG... there is a very specifically tuned flow-volume that the engine is designed for (a split low and high end powerband range that are optimized with the systems)... altering that flow significantly throws things out of whack, especially the timing and computer systems. It might sound better, but it won't work better. The best solution for more power is a new engine (the 2.5L Japan spec V6 (KZ-ZE or something like that, don't have it in front of me), which gives it a monstrous gain, with only VERY slight modification required to fit in the bay (why they never sold it with that engine is beyond me, that'd be a monster value pocket rocket). Anyhow enough rambling from me.

Chris.

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