Crapwagon Outtake: 1992 Mazda MX-3 GS

Chris Tonn
by Chris Tonn

Today brings Round Two in the “Obscure Project Car That Probably Should Be a Parts Car” series this week. Commenter dwford mentioned the Mazda MX-3 in reply to Monday’s Isuzu, and it reminded me that I haven’t seen one for quite a while as they were prone to rust and rice-ification.

Leave it to Mazda to bring another oddball engine to market in a low-volume sports car. What other company would build and sell a 130 horsepower, 1.8-liter V-6, especially when a four-cylinder engine with similar power was readily available? I thank the iconoclast engineers in Hiroshima for greenlighting the unique “K8-DE” powerplant.

Today’s 1992 Mazda MX-3 GS is certainly a project that likely won’t return much in the way of value in the end. Its 200,000 miles of use is a big turnoff, though we’ll get to that in a bit. The interior needs to be gone through completely, and the door seals and sunroof need replacement for this to be a viable driver. Some time and money will need to be spent on the bodywork, as well. At least it seems replacement bumper covers have been fitted, though without painting. As is, this could be a good starting point for a LeMons racer.

However, I’d likely dump the baby V-6 in favor of a 2.5-liter version. The common MX-6/Ford Probe engine easily achieves 170 horsepower, but a 200 horsepower “KL-ZE” only sold in Japan is an attractive option that brings some wonderful sonic qualities.

I vaguely recall the magazines of the day comparing the MX-3 to the departed Honda CRX, and I can see it — to a point. The Mazda was heavier, though had a little bit more power. The strut suspension, however, was never quite as nice in the twisties as the Honda double A-arm. The extra power of the engine swap would fix that nicely.

I’m an automotive masochist, but even I wouldn’t buy this Mazda. The work involved would never pay off if I got bored with it. I’m sure there are KL-swapped cars out there for a song.

Chris Tonn
Chris Tonn

Some enthusiasts say they were born with gasoline in their veins. Chris Tonn, on the other hand, had rust flakes in his eyes nearly since birth. Living in salty Ohio and being hopelessly addicted to vintage British and Japanese steel will do that to you. His work has appeared in eBay Motors, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars, Reader's Digest, AutoGuide, Family Handyman, and Jalopnik. He is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, and he's currently looking for the safety glasses he just set down somewhere.

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  • Don1967 Don1967 on Dec 10, 2015

    Mazda chose to slap a "Precidia" badge on the MX-3 here in Canada, which pretty much ensured that only the most self-confident male would ever be caught dead in one. The little V6 was kinda pointless from a performance perspective - I mean the Nissan NX2000 ate it for breakfast - but it gave off a smooth snarl that was quite pleasing to the ear.

    • Drewlssix Drewlssix on Dec 13, 2015

      I suppose the point was primarily to create a small GT coupe rather than a hot hatch. A loaded out GS with leather and all luxury options always a pretty plush ride for something often compared to the CRX.

  • LesleyW LesleyW on Jan 30, 2016

    I own one of these. The main problem with most of them, is that they've been beat on by adolescent boys. If you're lucky enough to find a clean one, they're sweet little cars. For the most part, they're pretty reliable. The biggest issue with them is the distributor, a complicated piece containing ignitor, cam and crank sensors. They frequently crap out, and are difficult to diagnose for those not familiar with them. They're also worth $600 at the dealership – probably another reason you'd find them dumped "as is" in the want ads. For about $20 in parts, there's an "HEI" bypass to the ignition in the disty that solves the stalling/dying issue. The stock 1.6 was created as a smoother, more balanced alternative to the typical 4-bangers of the day. Sweet running engine, but unfortunately, underpowered. The 2.5L KLZE is a direct bolt-in, and the end result is a car that feels exactly as it should. I had it out to a couple of lapping days at Mosport and though it's a slow car, it's a great handler. Mine's currently undergoing a complete restoration - I'm up to my armpits in bead-blasting right now. The KLZE went in with no issues, I sourced an original, near-mint leather interior and the suspension will be going in next week.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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