Hints and tips when buying 2nd hand 3mps

[Brembo]

Hi guys, Its my first post on this forum, hopefuly i'm in a right place. I have been in market for an mps for about few months now. Looking to buy a decent 2nd hand MAzda 3 Mps.

This is going to be my first turbo-powered car, so I'm very excited. Thing is that I'm a bit confused as to what to look for when byuing a 2nd hand. I would really appretiate any hints and tips, as well as general comments/suggestion.

Thanks in advance 8)

[AD07]

Service history, any possible warranty claims. Obviously general condition of the car, k's travelled , rego..etc.
How much are you looking to spend ??

[SarcasticOne]

Hi guys, Its my first post on this forum, hopefuly i'm in a right place. I have been in market for an mps for about few months now. Looking to buy a decent 2nd hand MAzda 3 Mps.

This is going to be my first turbo-powered car, so I'm very excited. Thing is that I'm a bit confused as to what to look for when byuing a 2nd hand. I would really appretiate any hints and tips, as well as general comments/suggestion.

Thanks in advance 8)

well, first Q is gen1 or gen 2? private or dealer?
the big things are the engine and gearbox (duh!) and the state of the car when you inspect it
if the thing looks immaculate, like no one has ever sat in the car, it's been taken care of, and the person obviously cares for their car
with the turbo, get him to idle the car for a couple of minutes, then give it a bootful in neutral, watch the exhaust, if a heap of white smoke comes out, with a god awful smell, dont go near it

my personal reccommendation is to get a stock car, cause then when you modify it, you know what's happening to it

for a list of problems that people have had, have a look at these threads: gen 2 and gen 1 =)

make sure you drive it both normally, and like you stole it, on your test drive so you can see if anything pops up with it
and a NRMA check never hurts =)

[Brembo]

I'm after a 1st Gen. Budget is around 27-28k top.

How much does NRMA mechanic costs? for him to come out and check the car..any ideas?

Thanks to everyone who replied so far

[SarcasticOne]

I'm after a 1st Gen. Budget is around 27-28k top.

How much does NRMA mechanic costs? for him to come out and check the car..any ideas?

Thanks to everyone who replied so far

Vehicle inspections - NRMA Motoring & Services
if you can get a 2008 model, i would recommend it!

[RedDjinn]

even if u know a lot about cars take someone who also knows about cars, test drive it hard for a spell get out check under the bonnet for oil smells, are the gears easy to go in at hgh and low rpm, hit bumps see if there are clunks, when stopped shake the steering wheel left right feel for clunks. ask a lot of questions!!!!!!!!

---------- Post added at 07:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:13 PM ----------

hey i wouldnt do the nrma guy... grab one of the guys here..lol.. pay them to come with u.. the senior members here know there mps's!!!!!!! if i was in sydney i would come for free lol

[Yeldarb]

2007 MAZDA 3 MPS SPORTS BK Series 2 Private Cars For Sale in NSW - carsales.com.au

Exciting few weeks ahead mate.

Definitely go un-modded, even if you know the buyer. There are enough good examples of great cars at that price owned by lady drivers (hey, it's in the add).

That said, the above car (only) has a modified intake and CX-9 20's which look great on any Mazda.

I'd definitely go for the MPS Sports. As an owner of a GenII Lux, it's very nice to have the Xenons and sound system. But you can upgrade a base model with a set of $200 HID's off Ebay.

And as it's a 2007 model, you might still have some warranty left. Make sure you go through the Forum and see what gitches people are having with the car and get them fixed before the warranty expires.

Either way, good luck on the hunting. This car was my first turbo too and this forum has been a wealth of info by some very enthusiastic...enthusiasts

It's the best fun shopping for a car. Very jealous!!

P.S. Do you sell Brembo's?

[Brembo]

Yeldarb

Yeah, i will most likely will buy a rock-stock car. The one on the carsales 07 model, has 50ks, i was hoping to get one with less than that, but that mazda looks coool with the rims ))) really nice.

and sorry and dont sell brembos ))) at least for now

[ZedN]

I'd agree with SarcasticOne and say that an '08 model would be good because you have that remaining 1 year of new car warranty. But not sure if you will find one within you're budget.

My only other suggestion to anyone buying a turbo car for the first time, make sure you can afford it... Any performance cars are expensive, so expect to be spending a lot of money... But saying that, gawd they are great

[SarcasticOne]

I'd agree with SarcasticOne and say that an '08 model would be good because you have that remaining 1 year of new car warranty. But not sure if you will find one within you're budget.

My only other suggestion to anyone buying a turbo car for the first time, make sure you can afford it... Any performance cars are expensive, so expect to be spending a lot of money... But saying that, gawd they are great

Yeldarb

Yeah, i will most likely will buy a rock-stock car. The one on the carsales 07 model, has 50ks, i was hoping to get one with less than that, but that mazda looks coool with the rims ))) really nice.

and sorry and dont sell brembos ))) at least for now

i think you'll struggle to get a 2008 for much under 30k, mine is a 2008 model, had 31,000km's on it, bought it 2 months ago and it was just over 36k including stamp duty+rego+CTP+comprehensive insurance
be careful with insurance, it's a real moment, moreso if you're under 25 (like me)
it has all come as a bit of a shock to me... it's about 4-5k more than i was expecting to pay for my car... it's these "hidden" costs that will blow your budget big time

[rogwick]

I have read the helpful comments above and thought I would make an addition. Really what the fellas have said are spot on! I am no expert but I have looked over a few second hands cars before and may/may not bring another perspective which is always handy to have more input from different guys. Most of the stuff below WILL BE repeated as mentioned above, sorry about that. When looking for a second hand (private sale car) Some of it is in dot points and single words

If possible - meet the owner...not the girlfriend, not the wife, the owner. You can tell a lot by a person. More often than not you can read them like a book. For eg I bought my car from a middle aged retired parametric. He seemed nice and calm and down to earth to talk to. If the owner is a big dude, smoker, rough as nuts and every second word is f*** and can't string a common sentence together, chances are he hasn't looked after the car very well. Sorry if that offends anyone but that just IMO

Visual Inpection This includes the general appearance of the vehicle in question. How's the paintwork? Are there front, rear, or side scratches. (This includes under the car and evidence to how fast they take speed bumps) also look for missing paint on the edges of the door. It suggests the open their door and hit things. Also look for over spray or freshly sprayed areas - this signifies some sort of repair on the vehicle. A visual inspection can also include belts, pulleys, oil, air filter, wiring (dodgy after market wiring) scratches indicating removal of parts. A common thing is stock cars come with a line of paint marked on the bolts as a quality assurance from the manufacturer. If there is no paint on common bolts (engine mount etc) the car has had some work done on it. Clean engine? Interior wear and tear? Coolant leaks? Rubber boots on the drive shaft broken? Grease/oil spray around the engine and underneath the vehicle? Check the tyre wear, have they done burnouts? Is the outside out the tyres worn suggesting fast driving and intense cornering?

Working order Do the wipers work? Squirters? The A/C work and the compressor is fine, getting cold air? The lighting including headlights, parks, tail lights, interior lights. The speakers have not been hammered and blown? Turn the volume up too. To a lesser extent check all the mirrors are ok. My drivers vanity mirror had been smashed somehow.

Engine and performance Initially start the engine, listen to it idling, feel free to question the seller at this point about mechanical work done, maintenance and anything you feel necessary. Does it idle rough? Can you hear excessive noise from the valves/tappers. Go to the exhaust, listen is it misfiring? It will seem to backfire a little on cold start that is normal. As sarcasticone mentioned give the accelerator a hit in neutral (if the seller does not mind) about 4-5,000RPM is fine. If white OR blue smoke comes out I would be very concerned. If black smoke comes out the exhaust that's actually a good sign. 1 - its normal and 2 they probably haven't given a good thrash in ages cause its all built up in the exhaust!

Take it for a drive After checking it over and you're happy, take the vehicle for a drive. See if the vehicle runs smoothly through the gears. If the seller permits, but your foot down (about 4-4,500 RPM) does it pull well? No noises under acceleration? Turn left to right and left to right, clicking noises? Suspension problems? Take a few driveways and/or speed bumps? Noises? Also, and this depends on how many kilometres (generally) How's the clutch? I usually change gears quickly and see if it bites under quick throttle. Another way is park the car, lift the hand brake and in 3rd gear release the clutch slowly. If the engine starts revving the clutch is slipping and not holding. If the car wants to go (pulling) or even stalls the clutch is engaging and thus, holding. Brakes (including handbrake) speed up and bit and plant the brakes a bit (not need to freak the seller out in the passenger seat and activate ABS!)

"Redbook" - Car Prices - Search Car Prices & Values Online - Red Book the value of the vehicle and see if its reasonable

Apologies this is getting long! If you're still reading, those are a few things I look out for. Some things are repeated but I wanted to cover most of what I do. Another thing is "yes" you are in the right place for questions and the guys on there are very helpful. Be sure to check through the forums and see what guys have to say about typical problems related to the MPS3. Can never hurt getting a mechanic out to have a look if you want. Log books are great but not essential. Some people do actually know how to service a car. Paying a mazda dealer half a grand do stuff up your car just for a stamp in a book that suggests its been looked after is the way I see it. Some mechanics actually screw up your car or don't actually check things.

I'm sure I've missed a few but hope that wasn't too much of boring read and even if a couple of points help you out!

[ZedN]

Or you could be a maniac like me and go and see the car, get told by the dealer it was already sold and go home disappointed only to get a call a week later with the dealer saying the other guys finance fell through and saying, "yes I will take it" over the phone and 4 days later you pay for it and for the for the first time that you sit in it you drive away [Stall it, but then drive away again]... I dont recommend that option though

[SarcasticOne]

[Stall it, but then drive away again]... I dont recommend that option though

haha, i did that as well!!!
and repeated the performance on the weekend after driving a hire truck for 6 hours straight, jumped in my MPS, and stalled it leaving the hire place, then again at the next 2 sets of lights...not my finest moments.... after about 10 minutes i was ok tho =)

here is a quick search for you:
08 MPS's most 30-34k
07 MPS's most 27-30k
06 MPS's most 25-29k

obviously lower km examples attract more $$$, and higher km attract lower $$$