1993 Mazda 323 ES 1.6L soch 8v from North America
Summary:
Reliable, basic, comfy, economical zoomer!
Faults:
When I bought it the a/c compressor was dead, $200 for a re-manufactured and a condenser and I got 45 F degree a/c.
The car stalled when right turns were taken, the first time that I put gas on it the tank cap was missing, so it had water and debris in the tank, I opened the plug, cleaned the tank, changed the fuel filter and the problem was fixed.
General Comments:
The best $400 dollars that I've spent in my entire life!...I got it for that price with new CV joints, new paint job, new tires, dead a/c compressor and the stalling problem...$750 dollars later I had the perfect little commuter, with lots of new parts and most of the regular maintenance in order.
I was surprised of how peppy it is, it looks really nice for its age, the new paint is still glossy, the interior is almost new, comfortable in the front, the rear seat looks a bit cramped though.
If you bend the seats over there is enough luggage space my girlfriend stuff, my camping gear and our body-boards or I can fit two mountain bike inside if I bend the rear seats over.
$12 dollars of gas fills this little thing up and takes you monday through monday.
It is really easy to work on, I replaced the timing belt, water pump, belts, camshaft seal, plugs, cables, PCV valve, etc... in just a couple of hours.
I would definitely recommend this particular model to everyone looking for basic, economical and reliable transportation.
At the beginning I was not sure because if it was what I was looking for, but it has being so faithful, loyal and useful to me that it grew on me and I am thinking of driving it until it dies.
Love my little 323 a.k.a "Eggie".
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 2nd December, 2003
19th Mar 2004, 09:11
Its the owner of the car... back for an update. It's a little over a year later, and the car just keeps humming along! Its gotten a bit rougher around the edges, and I have had to knuckle under and do some of the repairs outlined - mainly the exhaust system and both tie rods needed to be replaced for safety reasons.
Beyond that, the car still runs great - it just rolled 200,000 Kilometers (my original entry was done wrong, it was kilometers, not miles - Canadian car!) Still needs most of the repairs above, and a couple more - next urgent thing needed will be new plugs and wires, as it now has a lot of problems running in the damp!
In general though, it runs like a top - when it is dry out, it fires right up, no matter how cold, and will run all day without a hiccup. It uses a bit more oil than it used to, as well, but it doesn't burn it badly, so I just keep it topped up when needed. I can't afford to replace it, so I will probably do as few repairs a possible and see how long it will keep going! Definetly a reliable car.