Howdy,

Was looking at a nice 2004 Mazda 3 hatchback, nice 5 speed manual with everything I was looking for...except no air conditioning. I assume "anything is possible" applies here, but seriously...anyone know if it can be done?

 

Yes it can be done. Not easy as it will involve removal of the entire dashboard, stripping the front of the car and alot of 2nd hand parts.

Unless its an absolute bargain, its not worth the hassle.

 

A least a few thousand dollars, like 2,000 - 3,000.
I couldn't find anything on line yesterday except for this on ebay and not too keen on these: Air Conditioner 12V - Get great deals for Air Conditioner 12V on eBay!
OR: Portable 12V Air Conditioner --Cheap and easy!
Hope you like to make many trips to the corner store to buy bags of ice!

 

Haha..fair enough. They actually suggested maybe they could find something to install for me included in the price, as I told them this was a true deal-breaker. Unfortunate, as the car is awesome and I haven't found any others similar. But needs to have A/C.

Wondered if it was worth me trying to get a price drop and attempting on my own.

 

Contact some air con shops and ask them for advice.

 

Glad you appreciate the humor, as not all responses are serious, but this one is a very cheap alternative --- couldn't resist.

Good idea. The more places you phone the more you learn. Get a few quotes. This is not cheap! Grim Reaper is a Mazda mechanic and he always gives good advice. I doubt you will find anything in a junkyard as they will be too old. You should ask the place you're going to deal with on whether or not it will be new or used. If used, how much used.

 

Thanks for the help. I did find someone locally that had a parts car with everything...but decided to find something else instead. So I ended up with an 06 Mazda 3i Touring. With A/C