A little advice please

[Weedly]

After wayyy too much research and justification I have decided that I really NEED a MS3....my 03 Matrix XRS is long in the tooth and terribly underpowered. I have a chance to pick up a very well cared for 07 with no modifications, all the service records intact, for a reasonable price...as far as I can see compared to others sold here in Ontario, Canada. The thing is that it has 89,000 km on the odometer (55K miles for you Americans) I am pretty convinced that the majority of these km/miles are highway driven. However, is there anything I should be looking at considering the relative high mileage of such a high output, highly strung motor?
thanks

 

[mckraut]

Check to see if it smokes during idle.

 

[BillTheCat]

Check to see if it smokes during idle.

Other than that, I'd make sure those maintenance records show regular oil changes every 3-5k miles.

Might also be worth having a local shop do a compression & leak-down test on the cylinders. If you were shopping for a used Corolla, I wouldn't bother with that at only 55k miles, but with a finicky turbocharged engine, I'd consider dropping a little cash for that peace of mind before taking delivery.

 

[Weedly]

Thanks...I agree about the leakdown test...pretty cheap insurance in the long run. I'm no mechanic but I have a pretty good eye and a reasonably technical ability....is there anything I should look at in the engine bay that is a "dead giveaway" that the car has been modded? I read somewhere to look at the loom around the cables near the ECU to see if it has been cut to accept wires for boost control mods....anything like that?

Also, I presume that the engine should be hot when looking at the exhaust for smoke? If there is a turbo seal problem it should start smoking once the motor is up to speed right?

Hey...will there be any warranty left on the thing? I had better check with the Mazda Canada site...I presume the original was 3 year or 100,000 km comprehensive?

 

[pcpower]

how much are they asking for the car?

u can actually get an 09 MS3 for under invoice if you find a dealer with any in stock... might not be a significant price difference than what they're asking for the 07.

 

[Weedly]

Ok...a whole new scenario popped up. I went to a dealer to see about new 09's and they have a beauty 08 MS3, 15,000 km, all black with black leather interior (I thought you couldn't buy one with leather but here it is) and they are asking a under $24K! Keep in mind these are Canadian Dollars and cars are shockingly more expensive here than in the states....all you Canadian guys....good deal?

 

[Darth Vader]

Yep, I paid 24,500 + taxes for a very low mileage used '08 a few months back, in the Vancouver area, the most expensive place on Earth...or at least in Canada.

 

[derspi]

AFAIK, Canadian spec MS3s never came with leather interiors (full or half, like the US-spec). Is it a Canadian car or could it be from the US?

 

[Weedly]

Good question...how would I go about determining that? If it is an American car is there anything I should be concerned about? As I say, I would be buying it through a dealership so I presume all the warranty issues would have been dealt with, and recall stuff.

 

[derspi]

Well, the only issues would be minor differences like the gauge cluster and the absence of heated mirrors. The biggest issue is resale value, where the car originally came from and warranty. It's sorta like how BC drivers know better than to pick up a used car originally from Ontario (no offense) because of your harsh winters.

You can presume all you want but you're buying a used car so it's BUYER BEWARE. Once it's in your hands, it's now YOUR problem. At least you still have a warranty to fall on if and only if it's a Canadian spec vehicle. You could be SOL in terms of warranty coverage if it's from the US.

 

[Weedly]

Definitely a Canadian car and it better be...I own it now. I saw the bill of sale from a dealer in BC. It turns out that the interior is a custom job that the previous owner paid $3K for. It is pretty nice. In any case I get it on Monday and boy, am I stoked. I'm very happy with the deal I made and the car is incredible. As soon as I get it I will post some shots of the interior.
Thanks

 

[BillTheCat]

Congrats!

 

[leadf00t]

Definitely a Canadian car and it better be...I own it now. I saw the bill of sale from a dealer in BC. It turns out that the interior is a custom job that the previous owner paid $3K for. It is pretty nice. In any case I get it on Monday and boy, am I stoked. I'm very happy with the deal I made and the car is incredible. As soon as I get it I will post some shots of the interior.
Thanks

I would love to see some pics of the interior when you get it.

 

[Weedly]

Here are a couple shots of the interior. The door panels have leather inserts also.
What do you think...custom job or pulled from another car?

 

[Weedly]

Sorry...goofed on the attachment.

 

[8.5MS3]

wow he covered everything.....guess he wasnt a fan of the red accents in the interior

 

[MS3-510]

I'm not either and it's one of the reasons I stuck with the sport...I like the looks of the all black leather

 

[Weedly]

Ya thanks....I don't know if I have a preference one way or the other but I'm not complaining considering that I paid a price comparable for a stock car so I effectively got the custom interior for free!

 

[meicalnissyen]

Thanks...I agree about the leakdown test...pretty cheap insurance in the long run. I'm no mechanic but I have a pretty good eye and a reasonably technical ability....is there anything I should look at in the engine bay that is a "dead giveaway" that the car has been modded? I read somewhere to look at the loom around the cables near the ECU to see if it has been cut to accept wires for boost control mods....anything like that?

Also, I presume that the engine should be hot when looking at the exhaust for smoke? If there is a turbo seal problem it should start smoking once the motor is up to speed right?

Hey...will there be any warranty left on the thing? I had better check with the Mazda Canada site...I presume the original was 3 year or 100,000 km comprehensive?

It seems to smoke after long idle periods