Possibly looking at a first-gen 3, things to look out for?

deej-one

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1994 Mercury Tracer
My 1994 Mercury Tracer is likely to be totaled after an accident, so I'm looking at Proteges/P5s to replace it but I've seen a few first-gen 3's as well. Things to look out for? How much is too much mileage?

Thanks!
 
Maintenance history is critically important when looking at vehicles over 5 years old. I would take a well-maintained car with 150,000 miles on its odometer, over a car with 90,000 miles and no maintenance history. You should conduct a phone interview, first. Ask when the following were replaced and at what intervals:
Engine oil and filter (every 5000 miles or so)
Engine air filter (every 10,000 - 12,000 miles)
Engine coolant (every 3-5 years)
Timing belt, if applicable (every 90,000 miles)
Spark plugs (every 60,000 miles)
Auto transmission fluid
Power steering fluid
Brake fluid/pads/rotors
Note: Find an owners manual (electronic copy) by running a search. Use this to determine when the items above are supposed to be changed. I do not have a first gen Mazda 3, so I just estimated the mileage shown above.
If the seller has no idea when these things have been changed, do not even look at the car. You often cannot tell if a car hasn't been regularly maintained by looking at it and taking it for a spin.
Good luck.
 
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