Hi

I'm looking for a good, late V6 model 323F and would appreciate any good advice you boys might have to offer.

I've got up to £2.5k to spend and will be looking for a full service history (pref full Mazda history) and low miles. Hopefully the cambelt will have been changed as per Mazda service sheet.

I'm happy with all the obvious stuff (internal/exterior condition, checking all electrics works etc) but are there any V6-specific points I should check for?

Any slight drops in performance at certain revs that I should expect, for example? One car I test-drove a fews days ago had this problem although I realise this is probably down to a lack of frequent servicing - its S/H was patchy after all.

Anything I should know about before parting with my cash??

For that money I would go for the Special Edition ZXi with cream leather interior.

Check cambelt serviced roughly every 55k miles
I'd check the exhaust mounts too

I'm sure more people on this friendly site will tell you more

There is a green ZXI SE on Ebay at the moment with full cream leather interior - buy it now is only £1,500

As mentioned check for cambelt
Make sure you hear the engine starting from cold, usually get a ticking but it should go after a bit
Check the brakes - there not the cheapest to replace
Also check for tyre wear as they are not the cheapest to replace either.
driver seat Bolster - this usually rips or wears fairly easy.

Theres probably loads more lol I will add when I think of any

Excellent guys thanks. The Green SE you mention is the one I'm after I think.

Check the aircon is nice and cold
Check the Arial (sp?) as they are prone to damage

There is a green SE v6 on Autotrader at the moment in Luton.

We had a look at it last weekend thinking that it was going to be a top quality car.

Had 69000 on the clock, but I'm sure its been wound back.
Drivers seat was very worn, steering wheel and gearknob were smooth.

Juddered a lot while braking.

Service history book looked brand new and looked like all stamps were done at same time.

We walked away obviously...
All those years watching Deals On Wheels paid off.....

Good thinking, the juddering may have been caused by the car being stood for a while but it's much better to be safe than sorry!

Listen out for creaking CV joints from 60k, they're most noticeable with full lock on at low speeds.
Electric arials prone to damage/sticking. Central locking can be sticky on some cars. Tappets rattle on start up on most, but it's nothing to worry about and can be sorted with a flush.
Check it 1. Has Aircon (button on dash doesn't mean it has) 2. Air-con works.
Check the oil, the V6 does use a bit, so easy for careless owner to let it run low - the light only comes on waaaaay below empty mark.
Any rust shows first where the rear arches join the bumper. Rocker covers can have slight leaks - easy & cheap enough to replace.

On the test drive expect it to be fairly sluggish below 3000rpm then kick like a mule at 4000. Obviously proof of cambelt change is desirable.

This looks a beauty

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MAZDA-ZXI-V6-24v_W0QQitemZ4626930919QQcategoryZ18211QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Good luck!

lol its right near me to shame i cant afford it. not sure on the colour though

Yeah, I looked at an SE one when I bought my silver one, but not a massive fan of the green and didn't like the cream leather/black dash contrast much. Plus the silver one had 19k on the clock

The most important thing to look after is if exhaust is black and covered with oil if it is run away from it.... if you can drive it to the max speed to se where it runs out of power. If you can't... do compressions test.

Ticking is typical for this engine and it shouldn’t tick more than 5-10 seconds after start. Look after rust on the doors and try to get it on the lift see if driveshafts are ok OR take an sharp turn under power to se if it’s behaving strange.

If the back brake callipers are new or changed it has run more than dealer states. Turn the engine off and jiggle the steering wheel hard and hear for knok knok sounds.

And when you push it max... power should kick in at 3500 Rpm (not later) you should definitively feel it. If it doesn’t and it ticks at start valves are finished.

think thats it hope it helps going back to work

Thanks everyone loads of advice here.

I had seen both the SE's mentioned on ebay - the one in Scotland looked like a good un but he ignored my emails so maybe he already sold it.

As for the one in Luton - glad I didn't go down to have a look.

I went to look at that too, got home and done a AA car data check, it has outstanding finance on it and the DVLA had it registered in 2001 at 52,000 miles, ok not proof of it being clocked, but 17,000 miles in 5 years with a smooth steering wheel... hmmmmmm....