Mazda MX-3s

[TominMO]

Do we like them?

I've been doing a little research on them for a new car to get, now that I have tricked ThisVelologist into buying my Aspire. Probably won't buy another car until next year though, so I have plenty of time for the right one to come along. I also have my ex's '09 Kia Rondo with 65K miles, which I may possibly sell next year.

1992 - 93: B6-ME 1.6L, SOHC 16-valve, 88 HP; valve cover looks like the B8 one
1994 - 98: B6D 1.6L, 106 HP
1992 - 98: K8-DE 1.8L, 130 HP
F tranny on 4-cylinders, G tranny on the V6

I'm only interested in the B6D car, with 5-speed of course. I know MX3s are about 2400 - 2600 lbs, so I'm thinking B6D with turbo. But how do they handle? Not as well as Festys, I'm sure.

MX-3 Wiki page.

[Advancedynamix]

I like the way they look. I've never driven one, but I always keep an eye out for them. I'd like to find an early one to do a B6T or bpt swap in because it would be very easy.

[FestYboy]

Turbo K8? Throw some forged internals and better valves/springs and have a 12k rpm monster...

Just a thought.

[F3BZ]

i joined MX-3.com awhile back. mostly to check out their engine tips and FS stuff. they don't seem as active as ff.com but a lot of archive posts to read. the red/black color scheme hurts my eyes though.

[TominMO]

i joined MX-3.com awhile back. mostly to check out their engine tips and FS stuff. they don't seem as active as ff.com but a lot of archive posts to read. the red/black color scheme hurts my eyes though.

Yeah, I went there too. That is a really bad color combination for reading. Also noted the lack of activity, and when using SearchTempest, found fewer cars than either Festys or Aspires, nationwide.

[Icedawg]

I owned an 1994 MX-3 with the V6 from 1996 to 2014, when it went to the crusher with too much rust to be allowed to stay on the streets. I was very sad to see it go. It was a great car. In stock form it certainly out handles a stock Festiva. Once modified it depends on what you do to it. It is a much stronger chassis than the Festiva, and would have been a better choice for me to turn into an ice racer I think, since the Festi parts keep breaking under the stress. In race form the 4 cylinder can be brought down to 2200 lb, but in stock form it is up around 2500 to 2600. For a street car that strength improvement is less important, while the weight is something of a disadvantage. I planned to make it an ice racer when I retired the Festi, but the rust killed that idea.

The 4 cylinder would be a great car to put a turbo in, and would give a lot more power than the stock V6, plus weigh a few hundred pounds less. And putting a turbo in will be a lot like putting one in a Festi or a Miata, so the knowledge base is there.

There used to be some aftermarket products for the car, but that has almost all gone away now. And the cars were reasonably common in Canada but fairly rare in the US, so they are harder to develop and repair at this stage of their history, compared to the many Festiva's sold. And as you mention, the black and red color scheme web site is not very active any more, plus a lot of the threads peter out and do not deliver the full set of information or final result, in contrast to this site.

I thought a lot about where to go after a Festi or the MX-3, and concluded an early 2000's Focus would make a pretty interesting car to mod and turbo. Only after you gave up of Festi's of course.

[radi8u]

Very timely posting. I've been kicking myself all week for missing out on a 1994 MX-3 with the 1.8 v6 that was on CL here locally. 53K with no rust or wrecks, pictures looked great. Too late by an hour, dang it!

[william]

^wow these never pop up around here with the v6 even the 4cyl is pretty rare. Sorry you missed out.

[Greywolf]

I picked up a 1994 with a 1600 and an auto-trans last year, purely because I couldn't turn it down for $150.
I haven't even checked it out yet, but it seemed to me that boat-tail rear and overall clean aero shape would make it a nice touring car for the interstate.

PS: It looks like MX-3.com shut down in 2007