Buying a P5 What 2 Look 4?

[u10072]

Hello All,
Well in the morning I am finally making the leap-- I am buying a for P5 for $3400. Its got 112k, a 5 sp, polished wheels, a moon-roof and is a non-smoker. One caveot is that it needs an O2 sensor. I am a pretty darn mechanical guy so replacing an O2 sensor isn't much of a stretch. The tires will need replacing in about 10k and I am going to do a "tune-up" on it to replace some parts that are needed.

My question is basically what should I be looking for on this car that I need to be worried about and what will I need to replace provided there hasn't already had a bunch of documented work- ie. the timing belt, a/c, pulleys-- anything you veteran P5 wrenches can make me aware of I would love to know.

Thanks for all the help,
Matt

 

[RMW Guy]

Rust around the rear wheelwells is pretty common. Siezed brake calipers are as well.

I've only had mine for a couple of months and found these items to be problems.

BTW-The car is a blast to drive!! It's not fast but it handles really well for a family truckster.

 

[Flash5]

rust for sure but thats only in your in the northern states

 

[HKPRO5]

Also the hatch area.

Check the motor mounts also.

 

[ganzhimself]

Was going to chime in, definitely check the motor mounts, the electrical system, look for rust in the wheel wells, where the side skirts meet the body, the hood, and the seams on the doors. Mazda did a terrible job with the seams on the doors, all 4 on my 03 that I just traded in were rusting from at least one spot on the door seams. If there is visible rust near the side skirts, inspect closer, as it can be way worse than it appears. At 112k if the timing belt hasn't been changed, it should at the very least be inspected. It's not going to destroy your engine if you happen to let it go, but it will be a costly repair if it fails on you when you're driving. If there are no service records, flush all fluids and change the spark plugs. That's really about all I can think of. The P5 is a pretty solid car engine and transmission wise, so you shouldn't have too many problems if it wasn't beat to piss.

 

[chaztor]

Besides rust on the (rear) quaterpanel area mentioned already my P5 has had three front wheel bearings go. Two driver side. BTW if have 75k on the ODO.

oh and grease the rear wiper arm where it goes through the window and the ball joints on the rear hutch struts. They are not deal breakers but can be surprisingly expensive to replace.