Need advise on purchase

That's not bad if he has all of the paperwork. The biggest problems with these cars are rust, stuck brake rotors, and rough idle. Not many photos but I think that at least warrants a visit if you have a way of getting there.


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So I spoke with the guy, he's a mechanic at a hyundai dealership and he has two little kids, so supposedly keeps it mechanically in tip top shape. And sent some pics over. Which I'll have to figure out how to post on here.
 
Here are the photos.

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Looks really clean. I wouldn't worry too much about the mileage, I have over 170k now on original suspension and steering parts, aside from the outer tie rods.
 
You need to get on the ground and look under the vehicle for rust. Idk how much they salt the roads in St. Louis, but most southern p5s look clean to me. Look/Feel behind the rear wheel wells and the doors. Look for frame rust too. Rust is a reason to walk away. Feel for grooves in the rotors and listen for scraping when you drive next to a wall. Replacing calipers, rotors, and pads will run you $200-$250.


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Unlike other cars, the rear calipers use a screw mechanism to retract the piston. It's the same design used on the Miata. It's not always a problem, I just keep an eye on it.


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Interesting. If I end up buying it... in a weird way, I'm looking forward to having to do the brakes. I've never seen a design like that.
 
From what I can see it looks clean.

Looking at the pics I have these thoughts:

  1. Appearst to be an 02 and not an 03. The 02.5, 03 and 03.5 had turn signals in the front fenders. Also the wheels in the CL ad appear to be the 02 twist wheels.
  2. Have the mirrors and rear spoiler been painted / plasti-dipped? The mirrors are black and the spoiler appears to have peeling paint. Both are notorious for having the clear crack...I too have a classic red, so I have first hand experience.
  3. Back to the wheels. In the pics he sent, there are aftermarket wheels. Is this a winter tire package that comes with the car? If so, what shape are the tires in? And what shape are the OEM wheels and all-season / summer tires?
  4. There is an aftermarket exhaust. What brand (just curious)? Any other engine mods? No pics of the engine bay, so a CAI / SRI or maybe even a header?
  5. Aftermarket h/u. Looks clean on the outside but poke around and see if you can find out about the install? Most people do it right but others like to hack the stock wiring harness.
  6. Should you get more pics or go see it in person, check for rust in the trouble spots! These are the hood (front lip); PS strut tower (in the engine bay); A-pillars and roofline near the windshield; inside of doors (along the bottom edges); rear of rockers (check out the side skirts, are they nice and tight to the body or do they have some play; rear qtr panels (is the bumper sagging?); rear hatch around the emblems.

Given the list of maint. items done the price is pretty good with the mileage as long as there is no rust.

Good luck!
 
It looks to be in great shape. It will last many more years if it's as good mechanically as it looks.

As others have said you have to check for rust! These cars have a very severe rust problem. Ask him what undercoating and body work - if any - have been done. You have to look all underneath, under the hood, and feel in the fenders.

Ask him if it uses any oil (burns or leaks). Oil burning is common with this engine.
 
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This is great stuff. Thank you guys.CTt3P5, I'll ask about the sideveiws and the rear spoiler, my guess is the paint was/is pealing off. As for the fenders, that is weird. I would assume the bodies are the same, so you can take a no side marker fender and bolt it up to an 03 body? And, the wheels... I don't get it. They look the same to me in both pictures. I don't know if they're stock or not, i can see that they do have the Mazda center caps. Idunno.
 
Yes bodies are same and parts interchangeable. So if it is an 03 then I suspect an accident and 02 fenders were used as replacements. Just noticed it has the non flip cupholders too which were introduced on 02.5 refresh. They are easily swapped though. Cant tell but are their tweeters mounted in the sail panels of the front door? Another 02.5 standard feature but also something that can be swapped easily. Those arent P5 stock wheels. Either aftermarket with OEM center cap used or OEM Mazda from another model. Most Mazda 5 lugs fit the P5. I replaced my stock wheels with Tribute wheels and replaced those with 16" Miata wheels. For winter duty I have 14" 1993 Mitsubishi Eclpipse steelies.

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@CTt3P5 - the rims look like the stock 02 rims to me. Don't know what you're seeing that's making you think differently? Other things I'm seeing that makes it an 02 are the shift knob and the gauge cluster (white vs silver-ish white for the 03). The flip cupholder was probably swapped out with the open design. And as mentioned already, there aren't the side fender blinkers. Here are pics of the 02 vs 03 rim design:

02

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03

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Hey Hank...just took another look and I guess those could be 02 wheels in the pic he posted. Its the angle of the pic throwing me off. Hard for me to see the swirl but then again my eyes are older. lol

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He's going to send me a picture of the engine bay tomorrow and the VIN, I figure I can at least find the year out that way, plus with the VIN I could look up the history. Any of yall work at a dealership and want to pull a history check for me?
 
What I would do is call Mazda USA first and give them the VIN to confirm the year and ask for the history (recalls, repair, etc.) I've done that for the last 3 Mazdas I've purchased and they've been super nice about it. They typically can't provide a whole lot of detail, but it'll take you 5-10 mins. Then I would ask the owner where he had it serviced...if it was a Mazda dealer, ask which dealer and call and confirm service history and whatever recent things have been done. But it sounds like the owner did his own work so...
 
Good call on the Mazda USA idea. As for the dealership/maintenance idea, since the dude is a mechanic, I highly doubt he ever really takes any of his cars anywhere for work.
 
What's odd is that in the ad the owner *says* it's an '03. So why those fenders? I know when my '03 fender was crunched, it took the shop a while to find a fender with the turn signal holes. They ended up having to buy a more-expensive genuine Mazda part just to get the holes.


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