Learn me on the Mazda MX3 please

I saw a Mazda MX3 on the road today- I had totally forgotten about them. Read up on them on Wikipedia and they sound interesting.

So how are they in the real world? Pros, cons, opinions are all welcome...

They are pretty much based on the Protégé with some suspension differences and under 2400 lbs.

They're one of the best handling fwd cars ever. The 4 cylinder is easier to work on but painfully slow. The v6 makes awesome noises and is peppy but harder to work on. (Not impossible by any means.)

Great brakes on the v6.

Interiors are well laid out, hatch is large. Very comfy.

4 cylinder models are an easy swap to the 1.8 dohc BP motor. V6 direct swaps to the 2.5 vy and yields a surprisingly quick car.

Not a ton of aftermarket but enough.

Very reliable cars.

I had a '94 in creek blue mica. Sold it after a year and a half when we had another kid on the way and needed something with 4 doors.

Very interesting!

I tried to find info on the 2.5 vy engine you mentioned but didn't find any. I was mainly looking here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MX-3_engine_swap_chart.gif

Swank Force One wrote: They're one of the best handling fwd cars ever. The 4 cylinder is easier to work on but painfully slow. The v6 makes awesome noises and is peppy but harder to work on. (Not impossible by any means.) Great brakes on the v6. Interiors are well laid out, hatch is large. Very comfy. 4 cylinder models are an easy swap to the 1.8 dohc BP motor. V6 direct swaps to the 2.5 vy and yields a surprisingly quick car. Not a ton of aftermarket but enough. Very reliable cars.

I've had 2 (My 2.2 Turbo Swap Challenge Car LEFT & a JDM KLZE 2.5 V-6 swapped DD). As Ben said, the V-6's sound like a pornstar banging Gods. I sold the green &white carton a friend of Bens. I love mine!!!

In reply to paranoid_android74:

Sorry... that was supposed to be v6. The KL motors drop in.

Is that one of those color changing paint jobs on the left? That is a sharp ride!

I might have to make some garage space sooner than I thought...

dansxr2 wrote: I've had 2 (My 2.2 Turbo Swap Challenge Car LEFT & a JDM KLZE 2.5 V-6 swapped DD). As Ben said, the V-6's sound like a pornstar banging Gods. I sold the green &white carton a friend of Bens. I love mine!!!

No problem- I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

I bet that engine would make for a fun drive indeed!

Swank Force One wrote: In reply to paranoid_android74: Sorry... that was supposed to be v6. The KL motors drop in.

It ran really well, and loved to rev!. The 2.2 Turbo car I drive it to work. Yes the paint is irridescent (Green, Blue, Purple). Love it or hate it, it gets LOTS looks.... Just what it was Intended to do

I honestly think a 2.5-swapped mx3 is one of the most underappreciated awesome FWD cars.

But stock, neither engine is anything to write home about. Still good cars, but a swap takes them from good to awesome.

In reply to Vigo: The underappreciated performers are usually what I'm attracted to

So let's say I find an MX3 with a blown engine and an automoatic trans. How hard is it to change it to a manual trans?

Are you tired of me asking questions yet

I WILL find a V6 MX3 one day along with a wrecked 626 and will combine the 2 to make one awesome car! I only have time/space/$ for 1 project now, my 280z, so this idea will have to wait. But man I love how these little MX3s look with just a few mods!

What's the best budget suspension options?

Reliable, cheap, and based on one of the most underappreciated and common FWD platforms out there. (The same basic platform is under every early 90's Protege, every 90's-and-later Escort and ZX2, some Kia Sephias, and the second gen MX-5 and Probe.) Not a whole lot of aftermarket to be had, but a some very inventive people adapting other parts and showing their work on the internet. They're kinda thin on the ground, but they're usually dirt cheap when you do find one.

paranoid_android74 wrote: In reply to Vigo: The underappreciated performers are usually what I'm attracted to So let's say I find an MX3 with a blown engine and an automoatic trans. How hard is it to change it to a manual trans? Are you tired of me asking questions yet

Pretty easy to swap to a manual trans. You'll need MX3 pedal, slave and master cylinder, and either an MX3 or Probe trans if you want to keep OEM ratios. (MX6 has longer final drive.)

That's for V6.

4 cylinder is the same, might be able to use a 323 trans, but i'm not 100% sure.

Either way, the chassis is same manual vs. auto so it's largely a bolt in affair.

sethmeister4 wrote: I WILL find a V6 MX3 one day along with a wrecked 626 and will combine the 2 to make one awesome car! I only have time/space/$ for 1 project now, my 280z, so this idea will have to wait. But man I love how these little MX3s look with just a few mods! What's the best budget suspension options?

Best budget suspension these days is probably KSport coilovers. Alternatively, people have figured out how to adapt 2nd gen MX6/Probe struts, but once you pay for struts worth a damn, may as well go with KSports.

Or... i believe Koni Reds are still available, so you can revalve if necessary and slap on some ground controls.

Maybe I should stop asking questions- not feeling the same love as usual for the Midget in my garage...

But this is great info- bolt in I can handle.

I did do a brief search for aftermarket parts, but didn't look at coil overs.

Swank Force One wrote:

paranoid_android74 wrote: In reply to Vigo: The underappreciated performers are usually what I'm attracted to So let's say I find an MX3 with a blown engine and an automoatic trans. How hard is it to change it to a manual trans? Are you tired of me asking questions yet

Pretty easy to swap to a manual trans. You'll need MX3 pedal, slave and master cylinder, and either an MX3 or Probe trans if you want to keep OEM ratios. (MX6 has longer final drive.) That's for V6. 4 cylinder is the same, might be able to use a 323 trans, but i'm not 100% sure. Either way, the chassis is same manual vs. auto so it's largely a bolt in affair.

psteav wrote: Reliable, cheap, and based on one of the most underappreciated and common FWD platforms out there. (The same basic platform is under every early 90's Protege, every 90's-and-later Escort and ZX2, some Kia Sephias, and the second gen MX-6 and Probe.) Not a whole lot of aftermarket to be had, but a some very inventive people adapting other parts and showing their work on the internet. They're kinda thin on the ground, but they're usually dirt cheap when you do find one.

Fixed to avoid potential confusions

Though it doesn't really have a whole lot in common with the Probe/MX6s beyond potential drivetrain donors. Completely different chassis.

Saw this 2 days ago & had to take a pic...

Four MX-3 listed on the local craigslist. All under $2k. None with the itty bitty V6, one with an auto. All with some rust.

We run a pair of BP swapped MX3s in LeChump and have nothing but praise for these cars. Mine in particular has seen just a touch over 13,000 strictly track miles in the past three years. They are indeed super reliable and a heck of a lot of fun to drive.

In reply to T.J.:

There are a few around here too. One is a V6 automatic with a blown engine for $800.

Anyone want to by a 79 Midget project?

So what's better, a 4cyl car with a BP Protege swap, or a v6 car with a 2.5 swap? What's more fun to drive? I'm assuming the 2.5 is way faster as is, am I right? What handles better?

The 2.5 is way faster. Handling is probably largely a toss up, though the BP car would probably weigh less since you'd be working with a base car to start with.

I'd rather drive a 2.5. I'd rather own a BP.