MX-3

last time i tried to even get into an MX-3 was 1994. I was somewhat smaller then, and I banged my head HARD on the door sill. I hope you're fielding a team of midgets because an average-height male wearing a helmet is going to have a LOT of problems getting in/out.

(I was between 5'6-5'8; under 200lbs)

My wife bought a new MX-3 in 1995 and it was the worst car we've ever owned.  I actually tried to get Mazda to buy it back through the Lemon Law, so IMO, the MX-3 would make the perfect Lemons crapcan racer.  Like Serj said, it's small inside, so caging it might be a bit tricky.

It was a 1.6L auto.  It stalled all the time from the day it was new.  It would happen when cold and was usually in the middle of an intersection pulling away from a light.  It wouldn't restart for 15-30 seconds, so traffic usually backed-up behind my wife as she sat helplessly cranking it.  Several dealers and the regional service rep tried and tried to fix it with no luck.  Within the first six months, besides the stalling issue, the distributer crapped out, the exhaust manifold leaked, the door handles rubbed on the body and wore the paint off the door and the car developed numerous squeaks and rattles.  Within a year, the exhaust rotted off the car and the red paint faded badly as well.  We live in Michigan and the car was always garaged, so I really didn't get the terrible paint.

Everything other than the paint was covered under warranty and they never did figure out the stalling.  Mazda basically told me to shove it even though it stalled on the dealer and they agreed it was a dangerous problem.  I sold the car after two years for a huge loss, but I was thrilled to be done with it.

I hear the V6 parts are rare and expensive.

We've ran an MX-3 at Nelson Ledges & the Gingerman spring race.  It's the 92-93 1.6l SOHC, 5-speed.  Lost an alternator & 2 clutches at Nelson Ledges, wasted a LR strut at Gingerman.  We ran an ACT clutch at Gingerman & it went the whole weekend with no issues.  I'm considering swapping in the 1.6l DOHC from our '94 parts car, as the car is currently one of the slowest down the straightaway.  The 94-95 I4s and all of the V6s seem to need a distributor on a semi-regular basis.

I've been told that there was an MX-3 GS (v6) at the Flat Rock or Toledo race that was pretty quick until it blew up.

The idea that the cockpit is on the tight side is absolute bunk.... the only driver who was a tight fit was 6'+ and a full three bills.

I'm almost of the opinion that the MX-3, like half the Mazdas out there, is too good for Lemons...   I'd love to build something nasty, but just don't have the time or resources to do it right now.

Eric

Well, like most things Lemons, I now don't know if I should be thrilled or terrified.  Any idea on of what cars it shares parts with?

Sounds like what I need to do is make a couple of well thought out trips to the pull a part or drop a Chevy 350 into it.  Since I have marginal mechanical skills I think I will probably go with the pull a part option.

Hong Norr has had _great_ success with their 4-cylinder mx3.  They really know what they are doing.

Our team (Chariots on Fire), on the other hand, has had a major engine failure for our only two races (dropped a few valves the first race, we think bearings gave up second race).  Also our ignition coil in the distributor went out as well, so we'll likely be doing the infamous HEI mod and external coil for the next race.  We're running a 2.5L V6 from an mx6 (same block as the 1.8L V6).

Formula Un ran a 1.8L V6 in 2007.  They shattered a clutch and the motor seized.  From what I've gathered from reading mx-3.com someone sold them a lemon (literally), so it might not be representative of mx3s in general.  But from these datapoints, we've got 100% failure rate for the V6 and 100% success rate for the I4.

I think the mx3 has a lot of potential given that it has good gear ratios, a good stock suspension setup, and it's possible to get the car down to 2000lbs plus roll cage.

As for the roll cage and cockpit, there's plenty of room inside the car, but the car is short, which is why it's hard to get in and out (I have no problem but I'm 5'7" 100lbs).  None of the budget roll cage kits seem to fit so you'll have to go custom.

Lots of good info on mx-3.com, probetalk.com, mx6.com, and mazdas247.com if you are serious about it.

1.8L or 1.9L? Totally different engines. One is a Mazda BP, the other is some ford shitpile.