Hi all!!

[duude]

Hi everyone!
New member here, been wanting a P5 for a long time, and now i am finally on a serious hunt for one....been kinda hovering around this forum for a while as a guest, but finally decided to join since i will be getting a P5 sometime soon and it seems like there is much valuable info here! so for starters, any advice you may have for looking at P5s, like common issues and problems to look for, would be appreciated....and here is the first one i will be looking at this weekend, only scary thing for me is it has 230K miles!

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/ctd/3151902247.html

 

[wallabe]

I say get and do a motor swap on it. Swap it back out with another FS-DE. Will cost you less money down the line.

Also welcome to the board officially!!!

 

[azuelke]

Welcome! As long as it was well maintained, I wouldn't worry too much about the mileage. If the motor does end up going out, a replacement shouldn't run more than $1000.

When looking at P5's, look for rust in the rockers, above the rear tires, and around the emblems on the hatch. Also, anything over 100,000 mi should have had the timing belt changed, along with the normal things. Make sure to check the air intake tubes for cracks... those seem to dry out and crack over time.

 

[slipkornvayne]

its worth it for that price but look it over with a fine tooth comb. just to make sure they arent trying to hide anything

 

[digitalslacker]

I think i see rust under the passenger side motor mount. Mine is rusting badly there...

 

[duude]

motor mount huh? i'll have to check that. it will be tough to find a clean one here in Minnesota, but i will try because i hate rust! i also would like one with a sunroof, but for the price i am willing to let that go! I know there was a recall for a problem with the butterfly screws but i am not sure if that included 2003 models.....anyone know?
Also, i am going to do a quick compression test when i take a look at the car....any one has specs on that? i may also do an oil pressure test if they'll let me.

 

[wallabe]

Can tell you now that recall won't get fixed. It was on certain models. You can visit the local mazda dealership and ask them to check the VIN for you to see if that car has it. That's why I told you to swap the motor out. It will save you a bunch of guess work in the further as these cars are excellent but some parts are crap ex. motor mounts and the factory Air Intake tube. Also at 200K+ miles I'm willing to bet that you will need to replace the clutch, motor mounts, small parts, and the timing belt. It all adds to the judgement call of being to swap and be done with it for xxx,xxx amount of miles or fix as you go.

 

[duude]

Went and looked at it today....sure enough it was rusted pretty bad right by the engine mount like slacker said, the metal was pretty soft. also i could tell they fixed some rust on the back left quarter. and if i could tell they did it, that means they did a crappy job! the clutch was on it's way out, and there was a bit of clunking from the suspension....so i opted not to get that one! the link bellow is for one i am thinking about looking at next....i do have to really think about it though because i ran a carfax on it and it was involved in a crash when it had 35K miles on it, and it had a salvage title which was later corrected.....also it has had 8 owners!!!! let me know what ya'll think....according to carfax this guy has owned it for only 6 months.
http://rmn.craigslist.org/cto/3144727305.html

 

[wallabe]

It has a sunroof.

My car was involved in a accident at yet it still runs good, use to. I got mine from an auction. The car had a power system problem and the sunroof and driver side passenger was left open. Water got in and damage most of the trim and seats. Replaced all that and did the work myself. Never took the time to find out what type of accident the car was but it has a sticker from a repair shop on the inside door next to the VIN.

No matter what you do you are not going to find that prefect gem in the sky. Some of these cars will or need some work done to them. If you are not in a hurry to buy one then toss this statement out.

also $4500 is pushing the limit of how much this car is worth from a private seller with the information you provided. I would seek $3500 and see what the seller says.

 

[tweety2300]

My mp3 was in a pretty bad wreck from everything I've seen that was repaired on it and the car fax is clean. And I have no structural issues.

The number of owners means nothing Ive had my 323 for 2 months and I'm already considering selling it.

It's a 10 year old car don't expect perfection

 

[duude]

My mp3 was in a pretty bad wreck from everything I've seen that was repaired on it and the car fax is clean. And I have no structural issues.

The number of owners means nothing Ive had my 323 for 2 months and I'm already considering selling it.

It's a 10 year old car don't expect perfection

I love 323s...i"ve had 4! 2 hatches and sedans! is your a manual? this is very interesting

 

[tweety2300]

Yep 5spd gtx just debating if I want to fix it or sell it come buy it lol

 

[duude]

is it modified in any way? i wish you were closer