Hi all,

I joined the club yesterday in nearly the stupidest way possible: by buying a 90k mile 2007 GT with 3 previous owners and no compression test. So we're off to an EXCELLENT start! I think this is where the younger generations would say "#YOLO" or something...

Luckily this is a third vehicle, and I'm already budgeting for a rebuild, but so far she runs and drives with no major issues. The maintenance records on the car are pretty good, and for being in the Northeast, she's in decent shape. I drove it 1 hour home without any stalling or major drama, and the only real concern so far is that it sometimes takes 2-3 seconds of cranking to catch, or takes two tries to start. Hot or cold, it doesn't matter.

One annoyance is that the car came with only a key, no fob/AKE card. The key does open the glovebox and trunk, so I don't believe it's a valet key, but a trip to a Mazda dealer will be in my future to get a new AKE card programmed. Does anyone know if there's any harm to driving around with the red Key light illuminated in the mean time? I just want to make sure it isn't going to limit me to X miles or something.

Thanks!

 

welcome! i had similar starting issues with mine. might wanna check the starter motor and battery first. good luck with your new ride!