Faults:

Don't think it's a bad car, but I have a bad one if you know what I mean!

1 week after purchase - new battery.

2 weeks after purchase - new discs and pads and handbrake cable + some welding (all of the above touching £500 repair bill).

4 weeks after purchase - driver's wing mirror fell off!!

2x new front tyres.

Big rattle and clunking noise now coming from off side front.

Believe it or not car came with a years MOT when I bought it. No kidding.

Oh and the CD player has stopped working!

General Comments:

The first car I've ever had. So many faults on in a short space of time

Think it's just been an unlucky car for me. I even crashed it just before Xmas, and it had to get a new bumper!

Faults:

Only had the car for a few months, but nothing yet.

General Comments:

Excellent V6 engine, sounds amazing as revs build.

Very good reliability reports, as with all Mazda's.

Great handling, not much body roll, but good ride comfort as well.

Faults:

Air-con failed at 110,000 miles - replacement is about a £1000 - so can be un-economic to replace.

ABS light sometimes comes on for no reason, then goes off after a couple of minutes.

In 5 years of ownership, these are the only faults (and they only cropped up in the last 3 months)

General Comments:

Wow.

That really us all you need to say. Imagine a go-cart with a V6 engine and a stereo. get in, put some good driving music on, find some country lanes - and have some fun.

It's my wife's car, but I borrow it on occasion to do an errand - via a challenging series of s-bends and a petrol station.

Reliable, and takes abuse well, but when things wear out it gets expensive. Worth the effort though.

Faults:

Only thing I've ever replaced is the front pads and disc's @112,00.

Other than that, it's quite sluggish at pulling away sometimes.

General Comments:

Have not lowered the car. Sticks to the corners, as the suspension is quite stiff as standard.

Great seats.

My dream car, love it to bits.

Faults:

3x anti-roll bar drop links.

Noisy water pump.

General Comments:

I have to say that this is probably the best looking shape of 323F they ever made. The 1994-1998 5-door looks better than most other hatchbacks on the road. One thing that Mazda did wrong here is giving the car such a high ride height and over sized wheel arches. I have just got my Intrigue lowered by 40mm and it now looks great in my opinion! Although the ride is not as good now it handles better and looks even sleeker. I wonder why Mazda set the suspension so high on these cars?

The Intrigue is a very good quality car. Mine has covered almost 100,000 miles and the seats, steering wheel and dash show no signs of wear!

Emerald green paint is rust free and is well suited to the car. If only I could find some leather seats!

1.5i is very good on fuel, on the motorway between 70-80mph 46mpgis always returned. It could be more responsive, but it's only a 1.5 with 90bhp, so it copes well for a heavy car. 114mph top speed is fine:.)

Unfortunately Mazda seem to have lowered the specification of the 1998 323F's compared to a friends 1995 1.5GLX model for example. Little things like the leather gear lever gaiter, door courtesy lights and lidded storage pockets, seat back map pocket, drivers side vanity mirror, illuminated cigarette lighter socket have all been dropped. Obviously towards the end of this model Mazda were trying to cost cut!

The special editions are the best looking as all, but the Figaro and Atlantis models have 15" alloys and a bodykit. Front fogs and lowered suspenion are a must if your bothered about looks! Watch out for the standard Air-con button- all cars have it however only cars from late 1997 actually have it as standard!

The only negative points I find about the car is as mentioned above:the high standard ride height, small arches, standard A/C button even if not fitted, limited colour choice, road noise on some services, firm ride, that they are no longer being made!

We also have a new Mazda 3 sport- the only other small family sized car that I think has been styled with some effort and flair that the company has ever produced.