The almighty link: http://leedeth.wordpress.com/mx-3/

It runs like a Civic, but it doesn't look like a Civic!

It may be slow, but it can corner at 0.89g.

Two of my favourite descriptors.

My dad paid for it and the insurance, and I pay for gas and am supposed to pay for repairs, but $650 for the front brakes which really wasn't my fault would take a huge chunk out of my savings. I would literally have to work 81.25 hours at $8/hour to pay for that!

I used to want a 240SX, but those are in high demand so the price is almost double, and my dad didn't want to get one because of that. I didn't consider two-seaters because my dad wanted me to get a four-seater. Now I have my eye on a Toyota MR2 Mk1 Supercharged for the second car which I'll never let go of.

That's all I can think of for now. Cheers!

- 1992 Mazda MX-3 RS, B6-ME, 1095kg/2414lb, 0.89g skidpad


List of threads created relating to the MX-3

MX-3 grips the road TOO well
Exhaust pipe
My car just got keyed bad
I think I just drifted
Parking lot drifting
A day trip on BC Highway 14 (to Port Renfrew)
Rear seat delete + headlight polishing

I dont know what you need to repair on your brakes but I just completed front brake work on my civic.. Hawks HPS pads and Brembo blanks rotors and all that for less than $350... No need for labor since I didnt bring ti to a shop

I haven't done a write-up about it yet, but basically a clip that was supposed to hold in a bolt that holds the calipers was not installed. So it fell off or something, and dug into the rotors. This all conveniently happened while my dad was driving it to the repair shop. So he decided to get it fixed. The rotors needed to be replaced as well because there wasn't enough left to get resurfaced.

It would've been far better if we did the repairs ourselves, since then we would also save on parts, doing only the stuff that was damaged. The shop had to do both sides for "safety".

EDIT: Moved pics down a few posts for easier editing of the first post.

Lookin' good Leedeth! That little MX-3 is in pretty decent condition considering it's age.

Any way you can remove that "Metro" next to the badge?

Yup. Dad says some glue thinner or something will get it off.

As if license plate advertising frames aren't bad enough, they have to glue stuff to your car....

lol jk. nice MX3, good to see my probe's little brother on here. i love how close your gas and brake pedals are. awesome for HTing[/img]

no need for glue thinner.. that stuff wrecks havoc on paint... hair dryer and a piece of fishing line is all you need.

Ok the car went and came back from the shop. My dad took it to the shop.... They said the pipe was really soft, so dad agreed to replace it...without telling me. Essentially I just got a brand spanking new OEM cat-back exhaust system.

Dad took it in, asked to check for acceleration, but didn't ask about the vacuum system. So no word about that.

To add to the complications...they didn't replace the downpipe. They just welded the hole. So I'm gonna have to get it taken in again later.

I just lost out on a potential aftermarket cat-back opportunity.

But I guess that's fine, since I'll hopefully be selling this car in the winter, and aftermarket parts lower the resale value.

I took it out for a spin the day before repairs, power was horrendous. It loses speed on semi-steep uphill, and barely maintains speed on moderate hills. It just progressively got louder the more I drove it. The hiss rivals the engine sound in-car, I can't imagine how loud it is outside the car under load. Sometimes I get strange looks from pedestrians. I got some pics, and a video which I'll get uploaded soon.

Anyhow. The car is great now. All power is back and maybe even a bit more than before the damage, revs also drop a bit slower than before damage, and the exhaust note sounds nice. It feels like a new car after driving it around with almost no power.

I keep telling him that I want to get the MR2 because it's the only one I'll keep forever, and because of that, repairs won't be wasted on a car that I won't keep. Bah. Next car I get I'll most likely have to shovel over my own cash for.



September 13, 07 238,714

Summary:
-Basically got a new OEM cat-back system
-They welded the hole in the downpipe flanges

Took to Victoria Automatic Transmission for maintenance (total $425.45 including taxes).

Description: Check and advise on exhaust leak. Check exhaust - check converter for flow - ok. Needs exhaust pipe, connector pipe, and muffler. Also suggest to replace exhaust pipe, connector, and muffler.

-Shop supplies ($3.76)
-Labour ($62.67)
-2 Gasket ($12.00)
-Exhaust pipe with resonator ($122.88)
-Connector pipe ($26.11)
-Muffler ($146.44)
-1 7/8 clamp ($2.64)

Note: Rear struts leaking, plus boot on left side broken. Oil pan gasket leaking - customer advised.

I have a bunch more pics of the MX-3 in this thread: A day trip on BC Highway 14 (to Port Renfrew)

looks nice. i'd personally try to keep that for as long as i could keep it running as long as it doesn't become a money pit. even with an mr2 it'd be nice to have that as a second car. i echo the thoughts on the exhaust replacement making the car like new. i had mine replaced and the car went from obnoxiously noisy to absolutely silent and all the other quiet and smooth qualities were noticed again rather than it feeling like the car was old and falling apart.

not bad.
that mazda's got some sexy curves...

Oh ya, that's exactly what I'm going to do. I've actually slowly let go of the idea of getting an MR2 right now, since already $1700 in repairs have been sunk into it. And getting another car to replace it now would be a waste of money.

This is exactly why I wanted to get the car I wanted in the first place, because now I'm stuck with this one.

So I've focused my efforts on getting an off-roader, something else I want to get into. Combo that and the MR2 (eventually) would be great. But for now I have to settle with the MX-3. Though it's actually quite a good little car.

mod that thing already. its light, it wont take much to get it to move.

and if your oil pan is still leaking, thats what RTV is for. take the oil pan off next time you change the oil, scrape the gasket crap off the block and the pan gasket surfaces. put down a continuous bead of RTV, and bolt it back up. works perfect

RTV rocks my face off. I sealed my headlights with it. Easy to use, dried quickly, but not too quick, and was easy to trim and clean up after i was done.

Wait, you want me to replace the gasket with RTV? Umm...I don't think that's such a good idea.