Looking at High Mile P5: Advice Please

[OsoiNA6]

Hi all!

I have been lurking here for awhile and just joined up.. I'm thinking of purchasing a P5 but the one that I have seen (and is in my budget) is a high mileage, 2 owner car. More like a one owner car that 2nd owner is looking to sell quickly (sounds fishy I know but read on pls)

It is an '02 with 172K on it, 5 spd. The first owner had it for 5 years, then it was purchased by his mechanic 6 months ago. First owner had a 100 mile daily commute so that's how it racked up 33K/year for those five years.

The mechanic who bought it from the original owner did some maintenance work to it and was planning to keep the car for his son but his plans changed and he is now selling it. All service records are available for the past 5+ years and I am told that major items (T-belt, clutch, wheel bearings, and some more items) have been done and recorded. Second owner is a Master Tech who works at Mazda.

I did the CarFax already and it came up clean, no issues at all and history was exactly as the seller (mechanic) told me.

I will likely drive it on Thursday, but I was hoping other than basic items (check for rust, noises, smoky exhaust, etc) you P5 guys might be able to give me a heads up about specific stuff to look for during a test drive. I will to be best of my ability check paint on bolts on bodywork, etc, and body gaps to see too if this vehicle was ever involved in an undocumented crash.

I read up on reliability of these cars and my research seems to be positive so far. Any people with high mileage (150K+) cars out there? How is your experience?

I'm looking for a solid and fun daily driver, so I will do required maintenance but don't wanna invest a lot of money. I'm not afraid of high mileage but I want some reassurance and advice from actual owners.

Your advice would be most appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Reitrof]

I have 157K on mine. Maintenance sounds similar to mine, Timing Belt, Clutch, Wheel bearings. Mine is still running strong with no issues. Burning very little oil, less than 1/4 qt for 5-6000 miles.

Brake calipers seem to be an issue on mine. replaced 3 of 4 so far. I know people on this board with same or better mileage on theirs. They seem to be reliable cars.

 

[bigdp5]

I have an '02 with 191,333 on it with no problems to report, I am the original owner as well. This car has been great. I am averaging just over 30 mpg for the miles stated. I have changed the timing belt once at 152,000mi. The clutch is still the original unit, as is most of the engine (aftermarket intake/exhaust). I would still be on the original battery had my wonderful wife not left the lights on while changing a flat tire at night. It uses no oil between oil changes (every 4-5,000mi). Basically, it has been routine maintenance for me. I drive 150+ miles/day, with an even mix of highway and city driving. I love this car, and have enjoyed every mile.

My guess for you is that if the previous two owners of the P5 are truthful in their representation of the car, and you can pick it up for a good price, you should have a great handling, economical daily-driver to pilot in the new year. Hope this helps.

 

[Demoniam]

What price are they asking for...just curious..

 

[mx-p5]

Check the Vehichles For Sale section here. They've got at least 2 MP3 Protege's for under $6000 with under 100K miles, unless you specifically want a p5. If so, Riken's selling his. Check it out

Tylor

 

[shane02pro5]

I'd be leary of something the mechanic bought for his son and "fixed what he could" and maybe realized something was not worth spending the money to fix. Early '02 models had tranny issues that were later revised. If it's a 5speed check if it grind gears into 2nd or 4th or pops out of gear! Also I'm sure they did a compression check on the engine. Ask for deatails on what they did!