Faults:

Driver seat has started jiggling. other than this, it is perfectly reliable. BTW, there has been some tapping noise going on, specially heard while low revs, said by Mazda that this is normal for this engine. Power window button stucks and doesn't work often.

General Comments:

It is such a brilliant car really. I think 1.8 is really enough if you wanna optimise performance and fuel economy. But there has been one thing on my mind about the engine and wanna share with you. It would have been absolutely a bomb if they/Mazda had applied their miller cycle tech to this engine like in Xedos 9. Then we would get around 170 hp with the almost same fuel consumption, crazy hey:) I would be willing to pay a little bit extra for that. I agree with some reviews that the gear ratio between 4 and 5 is very close, there should have been broader gap so that we would be able to cruise at 2000rpm around 100 km/h... Other than this, the car is flawless to me and sounds evergreen,like the 1.gen mx5. Style is timeless for this coupe as much more new other brands' coupes look rubbish beside eunos 30x. They simply don't have his refinement.

Faults:

I have had for one month only. Nothing has gone wrong except repairs that had to be done.

Heater fan motor replacement - 298.00cad plus 2 hours installation.

Fuel indicator level broken - had to replace, 280.00 tx and work time included.

Catalytic converter replaced.

General Comments:

Numero uno.

This car is a little devil. Extremely pleasant to drive, and the engine is very quick for a 4 cylinder.

Comfortable for me (6 foot 2). However, my head could use a bit more support

Most professionals have told me that this car is indestructible, and that I can expect to keep it a good five years or maybe more. I will give a new paint job based on these comments.

Quiet interior, even at 100kph.

The air conditioning is real cold.

Faults:

The computer died due to a leaking windshield.

The passenger side seat belt will not extend.

General Comments:

I purchased the Mx3 with a bad trans and a broken windshield. After fixing those things, I found that the computer had died due to water leaking in from the windshield onto the computer.

Now the car runs like a top. Aside from routine maintenance, I haven't done anything to it, aside from fixing it up.

+'s:

Quick, handles well, fantastic gas mileage, easy to work on, fairly inexpensive parts, very fun to drive, comfortable (and I'm a big guy 6 feet 5 and 300 lbs), best seats I've ever sat in, great platform for performance mods, and stereo setup.

-'s:

Small back seat, very prone to corrosion, rear hatch seal surfaces must be kept clean (they leak very easily), taillights difficult to remove.

Compared to my last car, a 1986 VW GTI, I'd say that the GTI accelerated better, the Mx3 is faster and more comfortable. Of the two, I prefer the Mx3.

Don't buy a pre 94 Mx3 with the 4 cyl. The 94 and up have 20 more hp.

Faults:

I had a wiring problem where the car wouldn't work at all the engine wouldn't start, but I got it fixed, for $300.00.

General Comments:

I love the design of the Car, its modern still after 12 years, and still has potential.