1983 Mazda 323 Deluxe review from Australia and New Zealand

There was a persistent coolant leak, that I could not find. Finally I traced it to the heater hoses. This is still a problem.

It is a bit Smokey when starting up, however I am assured that this is just the valve stem seals. They are replaceable so that is good.

Rear wheel cylinders were partially seized in the open position. Had them renewed.

Rear brake drums were scored, and the brake shoes were down to a minimal thickness. I have had these faults corrected.

It constantly blows oil out all over the gearbox, I found this to be the distributor oil seal.

The front suspension bolts for the lower control arm were loose. So loose that I could unscrew them by hand.

The air conditioner idler pulley nut loosened itself and came off while traveling at 80 kph. We heard a loud bang under the bonnet and saw something fly out under the back of the car, it was the idler pulley exiting the vehicle. I guess it decided to try its luck elsewhere.

Had the front windscreen replaced, it then leaked like there was no windscreen. After 3 call outs the installers decided to put in another screen. It still leaks a bit, but never leaked before.. *sigh*

Other than the above, I purchased the car for $400's. It was and still is a complete bargain. It drives well, and gets me where I need to go.

The interior is rather Spartan, and this is the longest I have ever been without a radio, I am become very frightened of all the noises it makes. ;)

I have fitted new wheel cylinders and at $10's a pop, you can't go wrong. I have also had the rear brakes serviced, so I am rather pleased and I have fitted new front pads.

The engine still has a lot of life left in it. I like to play with my cars, this one is no different.

I have added a set of extractors to it and I am getting a 2 1/2" system with a free flow muffler. I plan on fitting either a 28/32 weber or a 32/36 weber with the auto choke. I hate manual chokes. I am going to modify the cylinder head and the camshaft like I did with my Mini S.

The engine in it is fantastic and fairly strong. The car pulls through the gears reasonably well.

1st-30km

2nd-85 (I could have got 90)

3rd-110km (still wanted to go harder)

4th-? unknown

5th-? unknown.

This was with my standard exhaust before the extractors.

However it suffers badly from excessive body roll and bounce. When you corner you can feel the rear end shift across the road a tad. Hitting pot holes feels like your driving your wheels up through your suspension towers. Speed bumps make every thing not tied down fly up into the air even at low speeds.

Other than the above the car is a great little thing.

Plus parts are easy to get, being that you can use the equivalent from a laser of the same year model.