Faults:

Those faults are due to dumb previous owner who had no idea about servicing car:

1. Cooling system break down (please read below)

And those faults are due to Mazda...

2. AC fan failure

3. AC air intake (inside/outside) switch failure.

General Comments:

Hi; I'm a student so I needed a reliable, economical car with low maintenance costs, and 323 Familia is exactly that.

General comments:

Engine struggles sometimes when overtaking over 100 km/h (60 miles / hour), but at lower speeds it is just a matter of having the right gear in... and listening to engine revs - this car does not have tacho :P.

Mechanically car is sound. I haven't had any major issues with it.

1. Shortly after I bought this car, fan pumping coolant has failed. Engine was not damaged. This was due to poor maintenance from previous user, and not due to a Mazda flaw or bad design.

2. OK... This one is basically design flaw. There is no filter between AC fan and outside intake, therefore dust that accumulates over time clogs the fan. Easy to fix though, take fan out and clean it out. I did it twice already :)

3. Ditto, Mazda's fault, easily fixed.

Inside of the car is brilliant. Nothing is loose, or falls apart, even after 14 years.

One complaint I would have is road and wind noise. But after some reading I found out that this is also due to tyres. Apparently particular model of Yokies I'm driving on is noisy, and I have been told I should drive on Michelin (... yeah, like I could afford one :P)

Thanks for reading.

Faults:

I have owned this car for over 1 year so I have driven this car in all 4 seasons in Canada (f/w/s/s) with

(w) inter as the worst season so I will discuss my experience for this reason:

A) With windchill temperatures below -20^C/0^F highway driving becomes a challenge as the windows, esp. at the back, become frost covered on the inside even with heater on maximum level. I try to rub it off at traffic breaks, but it just freezes over again! Arrggghhh!!

B) I had to keep a sweater, jacket and gloves on while driving at 100km/h or 60mph on the highway even with the heater on maximum.

General Comments:

Reliable: Despite the window frosting on the windows, I was impressed with how reliable this car was especially for its age (1994) and when I park outside daily at temperatures below -20^C/ 0^F. The car started up without ever stalling or required restarting.

Great MPG: I used this to commute to work 70km round trip Mon-Fri on the highway. With a full tank Monday morning, I usually refill it by Thursday evening or Friday afternoon so it lasts about a week of highway driving.

Faults:

Water leak from the rain through the front windshield.

Water leak from the rain through the left tail light into the wheel well where the spare tire lies.

The air-conditioner does not blow cold air. It's been about four or five years since this failure first occurred. Tried to have it repaired; too expensive.

Acceleration has decreased dramatically since I first bought the car in 1996.

The carpet was never secures under the floor molding since I first bought the car in 1994.

It should have had a warning beeper when head lights were left on after the engine was turned off to prevent draining the car battery.

General Comments:

Mazda 323 had been a fairly reliable car, especially during its first 8 years. Small and convenient for parking in tight spaces.

Fairly good gas economy with about 20 - 23 mpg in the city and 25-30 mpg on the highway.

The car's AM/FM radio worked well; but it only had a tape player.