1994 Mazda 323 Familia B6 review from Australia and New Zealand

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.

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.