Hi all

I've just joined the group as a potential owner and have a few
questions.

First of all a bit of background.

I have wanted an MX-3 since the 90s but never felt it was an option
for various reasons - financial, practical - family & kids come first
& all that. Now I think it might be time to indulge myself. I've had
several, well 4, Honda Civics (N-Y reg 3 door - not the recent Focus
clone) which I've been happy with not least from a comfort point of
view. Someone kindly wrote off my last one a few weeks ago and I
started thinking about the MX-3 again. I test drove one and liked it.
It's comfortable enough but it lacked air con which I'm used to now
after 10 years. I do a lot of miles and thought the MX-3 would be
thirsty on petrol as well as being much more expensive to insure -
group 13/15 vs. 4 for the Honda.

However, I read somewhere on the web that fuel economy is good for
the MX-3 and when I did an online insurance quote it came out as £390
for a 2000 Honda vs. £370 for a 1998 MX-3. So now I am considering
the Mazda again. My options are:

1. Stick to the Civic which is easier to come by & easier to get with
air con, may be cheaper to run & more reliable being a bit newer

2. Get an Mx-3 as late a model as possible and fulfil my ambition at
last before they become even harder to find

3. Get the Honda now and after I move house in the summer, depending
on my finances which are in a state of flux, get an older MX-3 as
well for fun/occasional use, not necessarily with air con.

If anyone can offer any advice and specific answers to the following
questions I'll be grateful.

a. Was air con standard on any models - did it only come on the 1.8
or was it optional on all? How easy is it to find - I can find very
few that have it - and is it still likely to work after 9 or 10 years?

b. How economical are they to run? If I have it as my main car I'll
be doing mainly motoroway driving but not hammering it.

c. How reliable are they? Are there any known faults to look out for?

d. I've seen references to them in caribbean blue. I thought they
only came in red, white, black, silver & green as standard, can
anyone tell me what shade of blue this is? I did a quick search
online but couldn't find any pictures.

Thanks to anyone who reads this & offers any advice

Ian