1992 Mazda MX3 1.6L 4-cylinder SOHC from North America

Summary:

Perfect reliability, great for students!

Faults:

Simple stuff!

The alternator belt snapped on a frigid day in the winter. But it only cost $20 to fix.

One of the spark plugs blew out (literally) once while I was on the highway. My fault though because that should have been done during general maintenance and I put it off - they were all old and needed replacing. Still was cheap to fix (about $50 for all plugs and wires replaced)

Driver side CV-joint replaced at 170k, it was wearing out and also part of maintenance.

Battery died once. The Canadian Tire warranty recharged it for free.

The start was finicky for a while, turns out the connection to the battery was a little oxidized. Rubbed it off and then it started fine.

Some exterior rust is beginning to show.

Breaks need to be done soon.

General Comments:

This is indestructible. Excellent on gas and cheap to maintain (with almost no issues, regular oil changes and inspections is all that's needed)

Handles like a dream, turns sharp corners like a pro. Very sporty design and suspension. One downside is that its pretty slow, but that's what you get for the 4-cylinder automatic. The V6 is much quicker.

Very stylish and excellent interior. I often drive long distances and the seats are extremely comfortable. The backseats are small so not really comfy if you need more than one passenger.

I've been in two accidents with this thing and it still runs like new. Mostly exterior damage (had to replace bumpers, headlight and fender) This car is very sturdy and reliable.

One recommendation: get winter tires if you need to drive in snow! This car is very light and will easily slide on snow and ice with anything less than winter tires. I learned my lesson the hard way during my first winter (accident #1)...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd June, 2005

1992 Mazda MX3 GS 1.8L from North America

Summary:

Great Sporty Car

Faults:

Transmission had to be replaced immeadiately. That cost about $1,600.

General Comments:

Great Sporty Car. About to get a body kit and paint it. Rims go on this weekend. Front seats are very comfortable and stylish. Good on gas if I do not step on it all the time. :) I will put a new engine in it about 6 months. This is going to be my project. Hopefully everything turns out OK. But, car is very quick. And being a girl, it is also a head turner.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th May, 2005

1992 Mazda MX3 GS 1.8L 24 Valve V6 from North America

Summary:

Fast and Furious!!!

Faults:

My Valve cover gaskets went at 140,000 km.

General Comments:

This car is seriously quick and handles like it's on rails.

However it fogs up rather easy in bad weather. the room in the car is prefect for me.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th January, 2005

21st May 2006, 19:07

Just picked up my first MX3 today, a V6, and I love the sound it makes. Just hope it live up to its reputation of being a great car.

1992 Mazda MX3 1.6 Litre 4 Valve from North America

Summary:

Just plain excellent

Faults:

Only things that have gone wrong are the computer needed to be reset because it was idling hard and the brakes have sqeeled a few times.

General Comments:

The car has been great since I purchased it. I know I have not had it for long, but it has proven to be beyond my expectations. I never expected a 12 years old car to still run perfectly smoothly and accelerate quickly, but this car continues to do so. The car is quick, sleek and sporty and handles very well. I can make turns at 80 km/h and not feel like I am on the verge of flipping over. I am so glad my cousin talked me out of buying the Sunfire I was looking at and instead talked me into taking this MX3. This car has proven to be everything I was looking for. I have to hand it to Mazda. They sure designed one very good car in the MX3.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th December, 2004

22nd Dec 2004, 10:03

With such glowing praise, one has to wonder why Mazda discontinued this model after just a couple of years.

And you are talking about the 4-cyl, not even the V6 version!

23rd Dec 2004, 11:34

From what I understand there were 2 main reasons. The first being financial reasons. Mazda was experiencing a major cash crunch in the mid 90's just before Ford bought them out which forced them to cut the number of models they were making. The second was the MX3 was never a big seller competing against other models such as the Honda Civic. It really is a shame they do not make them anymore because they really are very reliable cars.

16th Aug 2008, 01:16

My 1992 MX3 was up until 6 months ago the best car I've owned so far. BUT in the last six months the brake lines went, the alternator went, the tranny went, the fuel pump died, and the radiator went.

I had routine maintenance done on it every month before that, and it just keeps crapping out on me now, and it only has 191000 on it, which from what I know about these cars is not a lot. But it is one of my favorite cars, and I plan to fix till it runs smoothly again.

6th Feb 2010, 22:16

I am the happy owner for 6 years of a 1992 MX-3 Precidia, 5-speed. It has 258,000 kilometers on it now. When I bought it, it had only 150,000 km, and had a crunched fender. Since then, I have had the body refinished in its original colour teal blue, and made numerous repairs, but nothing out of the ordinary for a car of this age and daily use. This car actually saved my life when a couple of years back I fell asleep on the Interstate in Florida around 3 am, the car spun around and landed in a soggy median. The police said that judging from the skid marks, anything else would have rolled! I have heard of complaints about lack of cargo space - well, if the rear seat is lowered, I can put my full-size fully-assembled bicycle in it and close the hatch. The car looks sharp & gets admiring glances from the kids at the high school. Rad!