I'm looking to pick up a 93 mazda protege 1.8ltr due to taking on a new job with a 50 mile one way trip. I plan on looking at it this weekend as it's 75 miles away. The good thing is the lady told me it only has 44,000 miles on it. She told me she hardly drove it and took the metro bus to work and back. I ask her for sure if she meant 144,000 miles and she was adement about it only having 44,000. I can't tell if its a DX or LX model by the pictures and the lady who is selling it told me she didn't know. In addition how would one tell if it's a DOHC vs. SOHC. If I do pick it up I want to add new plugs, plug wires, and air filter. Or does it matter ?

Thanks in advance

 

The 1.8L is DOHC. It has 2 humps for the cam shafts with a valley in between. The plugs and wires would run inside the valley. You can find an image of the engine with google.

You can verify the mileage by looking for some clues. This car may still have the original tires on it. The rubber pads on the pedals should show hardly any wear. The same goes for the door handles and the seat belts.
I would change the timing belt because of its age rather than mileage. I would keep close tabs on anything rubber because of the age. Including the brake hoses.
Speaking about the brakes: I would immediately replace the break fluid.
Changing plugs and wires is not a bad idea. If it runs right you are not forced to do that.
More importantly: change the engine coolant and pressure test the cooling system.

I would lubricate any cables. in particular the throttle cable, the hood and lid release cables. I also would lubricate the door hinges etc.
If it has a manual trans-axle I would lubricate the clutch cable, unless it has a hydraulic clutch, then I 'd replace the fluid.
Just make everything run smooth. The original lubricants are either gone or have dried up.

Best of luck with the purchase. The 1.8 was a much praised engine in it's days and it was the base for the Miata engine.