Faults:

Head Blew after about 6 months of me thrashing the car, (being my first car, on my P plates) it overheated a couple of times, but it was worn when I got it. I had it fixed soon after (completely reconditioned) and haven't had a problem with it since, the temperature gage barely even moves!

The original Electric arial leaked water, and eventually seazed-up, but still worked fine as a standard arial, I just haven't gotten around to find a replacement.

The front exhaust pipe slowly leaked, until it blew off completely, (should have seen the look on the faces of the people on the side of the street when it happened!!) it was easily fixed myself for about $80, and is now as quiet as any other car I have been in.

The shock absorbers were worn when I bought it, handled EXTREMEMLY badly (over 90km/h was plain scary) I fixed these about 2 years later and made a huge difference, well worth the $110 each I paid for them.

The master clutch cylinder failed (while I was a pizza delivery boy) cost only $40 to fix, and once again, no problems.

The only other problem was the excessive fuel consumption and tuning problems (i think the last mechanic I went to wasn't doing his job properly), I'm having it tuned this week, should drive much better.

General Comments:

I paid only $1000 for my Mazda from my uncle, as my first car. He had some work done to it before he sold it, but I think 12 months of "P plater delivery boy driving" killed it pretty quickly. since then, I have been looking after it quite well, and has been the most comfortable cruiser I have driven.

The 5 speed manual is an absolutely awesome gear-box, and after driving my friend's 1982 626, I can see that paying the extra for the 929 was a great idea.

The seats look pretty much what you'd expect from a 20 year old daily-driver, but remain extremely comfortable, especially the back.

My model didn't have the optional power-steering, or electric windows, but has one of the nicest, cleanest basic interiors you could ask for in 1982, compared to the similar Gemini from the same era, it seems like a Mercedes!

The motor is gutless, the gearbox nice and smooth and the all-independent suspension handles perfectly.

In short, look after it, like a 20 year old car should, and there shouldn't be too many problems, just sit back and cruise...

Faults:

My main problem has been the engine "chugging" at high speed. This tended to happen under load going up hill. It felt as if the engine was being starved of fuel, however, pump, filter, points etc have all been checked and were okay. This intermittent fault was very annoying and comes and goes. Like any fault like this it is very hard for a mechanic to fix if it isn't an ongoing problem. Having said that, it only occurred when I have purchased fuel from a particular outlet, so maybe the engine is sensitive to additives or impurities.

A leaking sunroof. I was very apprehensive about this, as water tended to collect in the roof and then dribble into the cabin. I thought that the whole roof would need to be removed and the whole drainage system cleaned out. Luckily I took the car to a fantastic panel beater who blew compressed air down the drainage holes at the front for zero cost. Since then, the problem hasn't occurred.

Cruise control has been intermittent and depends on the mechanic who tunes the engine. Sometimes it works after a tune up, sometimes it doesn't!

The head gasket has been oozing coolant down the side of the engine block. I had a new gasket replaced to alleviate any future problems, however, a year later, it recurred. The mechanic who completed the job said that these gaskets were designed to do this, although I have my doubts! Be that as it may, it is still leaking coolant down the side of the engine block, but doesn't seem to be a problem otherwise.

Upholstery hasn't faired very well in the sun, especially the rear seat head rests. These are progressively self destructing.

General Comments:

I have really liked driving this car. It has been on a number of long range trips, and apart from the "chugging" that sometimes strikes, it's been fine.

The seats are fantastic, and I have never experienced any back ache from them (unlike a Saab which practically makes me incapacitated).

The electronics have held out very well. Power windows, central locking, air conditioning etc, all work as if the car was new, not 20 years old.

For A$4000 it was a bargain! The mechanics are easy to work on as the engine is a simple carby fed straight four, although seriously underpowered. Brakes, suspension and handling are top notch and probably doesn't need the power steering that it has got. It's been a great little runabout car for town trips as well as interstate travel.