dum question but i know nothing about cars and unfortunately dont have a great man to give me the wise macho info i need..

I'm looking at buying a 1991 mazda familiar, the buyer says the "cambelt and waterpump have just been done"...Sooo..does that mean that there was something majorly wrong with the car? or is that a good thing and another good reason to buy it? Pleeease help me someone ASAP??

 

No, not at all, but does the seller have a receipt for the work or parts at least? Are there any service records from the past?

Why would you want to buy a nearly 20 yr old car you know nothing about in the first place? It really doesn't sound like such a good idea to me. There will be other problems with it that can cost you a lot more in the long run.

 

the mileage is a factor here also. if he has service records that prove he is just doing it in scheduled maintenance, it is probably a more responsible owner. timing belt service is recommended as follows; inspect at 30k miles (around 50k kilometers) and replace at 60k miles (closer to 95k kilometers). most people, as virgin said, will replace the water pump at the same time because it is partially behind the timing cover.

 

Would a '91 have an interference engine, Wes? I believe it does but am not sure.

 

i am not 100% on the familia, but i believe it had the BP motor even then. BP is a big debate on interference or not, but i believe that it's a non-interference.

 

I have actually helped my daugther's ex-boyfriend replace a water pump on his Mazda 626. Of all the water pumps I have changed in my life (about 15-20), this was the worst. The water pump was actually behind the timing gear assembly and since the car was front wheel drive you had to remove the motor mount in front of the timing gear cover. That is probably why they replaced the timing gear and water pump at the same time.

I don't recommend buying the car, simply because of bad engineering!!!

 

the owner said the TB and WP have been done. does car run ok? thats all that matters. it is required maintenance on almost all OHC motors. yes, a belt may have broke in the past and therefore the car could not be driven so the owner fixed the belt. or maybe he did it before the belt broke. either way, the car does run ok now? right? if it does, you are good to go.

 

look at the big picture , it's a TWENTY YEAR OLD car, regardless of which the cambelt and water pump have been replaced. The question is, is the car worth the price you'll pay for the car and how much money you got to spend on the car. It's twenty years old, what is the mieage on the car, and do you know the history of the car. everything else on the car is 20 years old. In my opinion, that's a lot of years. Does the price reflect what you are buying? Don't mean to scare you but this can be a money pit.......... or not , the only way to find out can be risky (sp).Get advise from someone you trust and knows something about cars. good luck

 

The OP is out of the house. She has not been back since beginning this thread, so I think the issue is a dead one.