thinking of buying a mk3 any pointers always been a mk2 owner

[alan_uk]

hi everyone im looking to buy a mk3 to add to the collection this 1 to be precise as its local my favourite colour and a good price if legit

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261196139475? ... 1423.l2649

any major pointers on what to look out for and anyone come to any conclusions from the pics and listing

thanks

[synXero]

Look out for heat damage to seats from hairdryer usage on the go.

Also beware of sharp, scissor-like objects in the footwells.

[alan_uk]

lmao

[tonigmr2]

LOL cheeky

Usual stuff on the bodywork, gaps etc. They can rust around the engine bay IIRC a friend had an issue with something like that, so I think I'd have a good look underneath.

Engine is the main thing though. Look for smoke (start it cold if possble), ask them about oil useage and whether the precats are taken out.

Other than that normal stuff, brakes, discs, condition of exhaust and interior are all things I'd poke around.

[alan_uk]

thanks for the heads up

thats made my mind up as the guy only lives 15 mins from me but asked continuously that i give him an hours notice when im going round

which sends alarm bells

[tonigmr2]

Well not necessarily, people can be busy!

Just ask him to have it cold when you go.

[greglebon]

yeh, the rear subframe under the engine is only coated in some really crappy thin paint, so it is prone to rusting.....the "achilles heel" of the mk3 chassis, I reckon..?

Shouldn't have any other rusty bits (yet! ).

Check the soft top: especially where the roof vinyl folds underneath when you put the roof down.
That part can, over time, wear through from the inside, due to the metal frame pushing/ rubbing against it: once you look at it you'll see what I mean......

Handbrake / rear calipers are just as bad as most MR2's: same old story...!

Noisy / failing EHPS (electro-hydraulic power steering) pump: usually due to worn brushes and a build up of milled-off copper dust causing internal shorting: can be expensive to replace....


and finally, the UJ on the steering column in the engine bay (there's one under the pedals inside, too) is probably going to be corroded: this will ultimately result in "sticky" steering, over time....

I'm just giving a heads up, thats all: just be aware.....

[Tsia]

Friend is looking to buy a MK3 so I'm going with her tomorrow to take a look. We shall see how it goes!

[BenF]

Some good pointers so far - the only thing I'd add is that if you liked the car today, it would be worth checking the pre-cat's condition - pull the o2 sensors ( you'll need an O2 sensor socket to do this ) and check the top of the Cat Matrix is intact.

[Tsia]

Some good pointers so far - the only thing I'd add is that if you liked the car today, it would be worth checking the pre-cat's condition - pull the o2 sensors ( you'll need an O2 sensor socket to do this ) and check the top of the Cat Matrix is intact.

Well, they ended up going to look at it without me and bought it on the spot

[BenF]

Some good pointers so far - the only thing I'd add is that if you liked the car today, it would be worth checking the pre-cat's condition - pull the o2 sensors ( you'll need an O2 sensor socket to do this ) and check the top of the Cat Matrix is intact.

Well, they ended up going to look at it without me and bought it on the spot

LoL!

[RST]

When I was looking for one I looked at:

If a UK car -sills
Headlights, yellowing
Condensation in rear light clusters (I always liked pre-facelift ones)
Faded rear centre brake light
The number I saw with rust at the top of the windscreen
Oil usage
Pre-cats, if anyone was daft enough to still have them, get rid ASAP
Re-engined cars, don't care what folk say, when they re-fit engines they seem to re-fit them with the pre-cats


...at the end of the day, compared to the other two marks, the mk3 was sold en masse, and most of them sold to the average joe. Half of what I saw must not have even been washed in the past year. Just another small car.

...Condition of the soft top. I was only ever having one with a hard top plus AC. On both the soft top had to be mint, and the AC had to be working. The number of cars I saw with CEL lights -one trader claimed more than half the cars on his forecourt had CEL's and not to worry

Tyres. I crashed my first MR-S when a deer jumped out. I was only doing less than 40 at the time but I was going so slow BECAUSE it had different tyres on each corner. Can't stress enough how much tyres are an intrinsic part of the car. My second one had 3 different tyres, I was having kittens all the way home, then got new wheels / tyres straight away. I found it such a twitchy car, the wrong tyres were potentially lethal.

[Ekona]

...at the end of the day, compared to the other two marks, the mk3 was sold en masse

You're kidding, right? I would be absolutely astounded if the mk3 sold more than the mk2, which is as common as muck.

[JohnnyC]

...at the end of the day, compared to the other two marks, the mk3 was sold en masse

You're kidding, right? I would be absolutely astounded if the mk3 sold more than the mk2, which is as common as muck.

I spent a short while working at a Toyota dealership, they couldn't shift the mk3 at all

[Ekona]

Exactly. By far the better car to drive, but too compromised when compared with the MX-5 with very little storage space and it was that bit more expensive.

It deserved to do better, but there's no doubt the looks of the mk2 were considered so superior that current owners wouldn't really have felt like trading up either.