Guys I am all new to the board and I am trying to get some feedback on a car I am looking to get. Here is the link to the car but I will list what is posted on the autotrader.com
The guy orginally wanted 6700.00 for it but I have talked him down to 5500.00 on the car. I did not look up kbb on the car or either did it wrong because its showing the private party value at 5020.00. The car looks like its in EXCELLENT condition inside and out. It has 98k on it with sunroof,fog lights, leather, etc. He has all service done at the dealer ship 60k maintanence and 90k one. He does not know if the timing belt( chain ) has been replaced or the water pump. Is this a big thing since the car has 98k on it?

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...=en&cardist=30

Please help me out here, what all do I need to know about this car? Is it a good one or a lemon? I just bought a Mazda Mpv ES van loaded and I love it.
Thanks

 

technically, the timing belt is to be changed at 105k. if it has been serviced only at the dealer, they may have talked him into having the belt done at 60k. dunno about the 2.5, but on the 2.3, the motor is non interference. water pump should be done with the belt, only because the labor to do it is the same, and to be safe, i would change out everything in there, then figger the motor is good for another 105k.
the millenia has terrible resale value. if you buy it, you keep it, because if you try to sell it, you will take a bath. however, i think they are great cars. they are made in japan, and it shows. fit and finish are excellent. multi link suspension gives excellent ride and handling, and the car has great brakes. killer a/c, excellent sound system(to me it is, i lost a lot of hearing in vietnam. gunfire does that), heated seats(ours is 2.3 'S'), gorgeous leather. fuel economy is the same as the 626 we used to own, which was made here in the us, and the difference in quality was night and day.
on the con side, our 2.3's(we have 2 99 2.3's) BOTH have had both axles changed. both have needed coils(2.3 has a cop system, 2.5 only 1 coil, but it also has a distributor, which does cause problems), changing spark plugs on the 2.3 is not a fun job. on the 2.5 it is a piece of cake. however, the 2.3 has about 40 more hp, and way more torque. i wish the rear seat would fold down, you only get a ski hole. some cars have early failure of parts of the multi link suspension, and they can be expensive. there are no body side mouldings on the cars, and they will take a beating from door dings. almost all the parts have to come from the dealer, but there are a few dealers on the internet who give great discounts. i dont know of any mazda dealer who actually follows mazda of north america suggested list pricing for parts, they all bump list price quite a bit.
you should have the car looked at by a QUALIFIED shop to advise you of any possible mechanical problems. no one can really say if it is a good deal or not without really examining it.