It's an 05. I couldn't believe the miles....previous ownser must have been one heck of a vacuum cleaner salesman.

2 q's:

Is this too many miles on a mazda motor?

How much would you pay? KBB trade in is between 7 and 7.5k, which seems high to me, but if I can get it for 7k mayble I'll bite, unless you guys all think that's a bonehead move.

THanks!

 

Fifty thousand miles a year? I think you should let this one go.

 

That would be dangerous ground imo too, but you never know? Are there any service records? Have you gotten an online review of the car and it's history? (CarFax)
You don't say what model/trim/options the car is, but either way chances is are it's about half (or more) worn out. If it's a sedan then it was probablybetween $15-17k when new. A HB was around $20-22k (+/-) and still is.
If finances are a problem and you only expect to keep the car a few years, it might be OK, but I'd make the mileage, and any other weara STRONG point of negotiations IIWU.
Like Bill Shatner says in the Priceline commercials, "Go lower," and if they refuse, walk away... walk away fast.

 

If they are "road" miles and the car has been serviced religiously (preferably with synthetics) it might be worth buying it if you only plan to keep it two or three years. If it's a manual trans and the clutch is original, count on replacing it soon. If it's an automatic and there is no service history on it, take Virgin 1's advice and walk away fast.

 

very fast...

 

if they are highway miles and it has been religiously maintained, it might be a good idea. the main thing there is that you can't ever really know what portion are highway and what portion are city. i know people that have put 50k a year on their cars and the have lasted to 300k. i know people who have put 10k a year on their cars and they have had to rebuild at 150k. it all matters on whether the car sat in traffic all of the time, went from light to light, or just wound it out on the highway for a long commute every day. service also matters quite a bit.

personally, i would get it just to drive to and from work. i do all of my own work though, so take that into consideration. i'm not going to be down for three days and out $1000 for tranny problems. i won't even be out that if the car threw a rod and i needed a new motor.

 

If I were you, I would NOT touch it......not worth it......
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Yes, M3s hold their value, and especially lately, with gas prices being high, everyone is in love with the 4 cylinder engine again.

But regardless of what KBB says,my 2cents is$7K is high. Even if it passes a mechanics evaluation, at 125K, this car is probably2/3of the way to the junk heap (optimistically), and the prime miles have been enjoyed by someone else.

Don't think about just the motor. The miles (and hours driven) areon thewhole car. Transmissions, electrical systems, air conditioning, suspension, all wear out, and if they break down in a major way, are expensive to rebuild. With my former Toyota, the engine was just fine at 170K, but the rest of the car (notably the electrical system) was the problem from 150K forward.