1992 Mazda MX3 GS review from North America

Leaks from the sunroof.

Leaked from the gas tank/sending unit - replaced at 140,000 km.

New tires - watch out for this one when purchasing an used MX3, try to buy one with already new tires, as replacements can be costly (up to $130 CD).

In a span of 42,000 km, I have replaced the calipers, all four rotors twice, and all pads twice. Some may say that it is my driving habits, but I never push that car over 110 km/hr and drive highway 90% of the time.

The paint on the roof panel has begun to drastically chip off in the past couple of months.

The distributor failed at 145,000 km, and the cost for a rebuilt one was $400 not including installation.

The rear seats are ripping at all seams.

The power window on the drivers side has a glitch when it gets about half way up (slows down, sometimes stops dead).

The air conditioning, when running, takes a lot of power from the overall operation of the vehicle and the shifting becomes quite rough. (maybe the refrigerant needs to be topped up, any suggestions?)

The carpet has started to lift from the floor in places.

The spark plugs have been replaced due to oil getting inside.

The timing belt and water pump have both failed (difficult to replace).

The doors have a poor design, in which when raining the water all pours right into the car if the window is open.

I ordered a bra from the manufacturer, but it does not seem to fit properly.

The BIGGEST problem I am having with this car currently is that the car will not start whether it is warm or cold. The gas pedal must be held down for a couple of seconds while turning over. I have taken the car to the dealer three times now for this problem, as well as to a couple of mechanics. The dealership could find no readings and said that it could be any of a list of ten different possibilities (half of which are included in the list above!). I decided to go with a couple of their suggestions i.e. oxygen sensor, etc., none of which was successful. The mechanics that I took it to just turned me around and sent me back to the dealership. If anyone has any suggestions as to what may be the problem, please help!!!

Note: You may also jump to conclusions and say that I did not take care of my car, but a complete maintenance has been performed every 4000 km since the day I have owned this car. Trust me, I did not want to pay for all of these repairs!

Overall, I find that this is a great car to drive, just costly to keep up. I do not blame the manufacturer or any other person for these defects (except maybe the previous owner ;)!) This car has simply turned out to be a lemon!!

I just hope that whoever may own this car next not be burdened with the same amount of problems I had to deal with.