Used 1994 Mazda MX-3 w/82k Miles for sale in Buffalo, NY

3 Owners
Clean Title
No Accidents
82k miles
Front Wheel Drive
2-door Hatchback
1.6L DOHC 4 Cylinder Engine
5 Speed Manual
Air-Conditioning
Cruise Control
Power windows with auto-down for the driver
New Exhaust
New Brakes
New Control Arms
New Suspension
New Tires
Stereo works but needs new head unit
K-Sport Height-Adjustable Coil Overs
-.8 degrees camber
Enkei92s 15x8 +25
Continental ExtremeContact Sport Tires
Stock Alloys with General Arctic Altimax Tires
Selling my 1994 Mazda MX-3 (or MX3). This was the hot-hatch sibling to Mazda’s 1st generation MX-5 Miata, sharing the Miata’s 1.6L DOHC 4-cyl engine turned sideways, sending 106 horsepower and as many lb ft of Torque to the front wheels. It was Mazda’s answer to Honda’s CRX and Toyota’s Celica, seating four with a shockingly spacious rear hatch for its size, being about the same width, length, height, and weight as an NA Miata.

Much like the Miata, this MX-3 handles far better than it has any right to, feeling light, responsive, controlable, and chuckable. I know because I bought this car in the summer of 2020 to be my daily driver next to my NA Miata. I purchased it from the 2nd owner who bought it in 95, the year before he retired and bought his 2nd home in Florida. He saved the MX-3 for when he was in Elmira for the summers, so this one has (mostly) been spared from the rust that’s caused MX-3s to go nearly extinct.

And they are nearly extinct in 2022. These were never huge sellers in their time, and they were loved by tuners and racers in the early 2000s when they were dirt cheap, meaning a lot of these were either chopped up, blown up, or crashed.

Between the enthusiasts, rust issues common to 90s Mazdas, and the fact that these are at their core practical economy cars and plenty were just driven into the ground as commuters, these are hard to find in good condition and they rarely change hands.

This one is in particularly good condition. It was garaged for 25 years when I bought it and driven infrequently by a retiree, so the paint and interior looked practically new. Engine had 78k miles at the time and presented no issues at all, and has been as bullet proof and reliable as you’d expect a Miata engine with under 100k miles would be.

There are no cracks on the dash, exterior panels line up perfectly with only a handful of small dents and scrapes, no tears in the upholstery, the AC has always blown cold, and everything besides the radio currently work as they should. The stereo system was working fantastic and had a great sound for its age, but the removable stopped snapping back into place and then was either lost or stolen. Next owner can chose what sort of head unit set up they want to go with.

There was some deferred maintenance when I bought it, and some creeping rust on the rocker panels beneath the door hinges. The tires were old enough to vote, breaks were shot, suspension was sagging, and it had an exhaust leak. I had the exhaust done, control arms and bushings replaced, new pads and rotors up front and drums adjusted in the rear, and put new General Arctic Altimax winter tires on the OEM wheels, intending to keep this as my daily. Honestly it handled Buffalo winter well, clawing it’s way through poorly plowed city roads and starting up every time even in freezing weather, but when my sister moved from Pittsburgh to NYC and wanted to get rid of her Mazda the following summer, I jumped at the opportunity for a new daily, for a couple reasons.

First, despite having some rust treatment done for the rockers before the winter, one Buffalo winter noticeably accelerated the rot. I felt like it was to nice to rot out as a winter beater enduring abuse. Second, I installed K-Sport adjustable coilovers and added 15x8 Enkei92 wheels wrapped in Continental ExtremeContact Sport summer tires. This took the car into really insane levels of grip (seriously I have not been able to make this car lose traction since), this set up amplify Buffalo’s uneven roadways to a degree I didn’t want to experience on a daily basis. Also, keyless entry in the winter is one modern luxury I’ve decided is a must-have, which this car lacks.

Most recently, I had the rust cut out of the underside of the car and the affected panels replaced and repainted. I would probably continue jacking it up by the tow-hook in the rear and the front subframe when you needed to, but the rockers should be safe for at least another decade or so.

I had all of the work done professionally, and if you’re keeping track at home you could probably guess I have a fair bit into it. Hard to price these out because they don’t go up for sale often, so I’m basing my asking price off the 3 comps I’ve seen sold on Bring A Trailer and Cars and Bids. The Enkei92s and ExtremeContact Sport tires are included at $7k.

There’s not a lot of ways to have a sporty 90s car from Japan for under $10k that is likely to be the only one of its kind at Cars and Coffee these days. If you’re into Mazdas, light and fun economy cars, or just 90s JDM cars in general, this is a fantastic car to enjoy. Feel like the coolest kid in high school again with this well preserved 94 Mazda MX-3.
From the era of the RX-7, Toyota Supra, GTR, NSX, 300ZX, 3000GT, Del Sol, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Civic Si, GTI, Nissan Pulsar, and all the 90s JDM legends. Sold elsewhere as the Autozam AZ-3 and the Eunos 30X or Presso.