Faults:

Within a few days of owning the car, I noticed that the car lurched whenever I turned on the air conditioner. I had made the horrible mistake of having an after-market air conditioner put into the car in order to save a few bucks. After several interactions with the vendor, they finally fixed it. Always get factory-installed equipment.

Another problem manifested itself within ~15k miles. The clutch seemed to be slipping. It turned out there was a defective seal that allowed transmission fluid to get on the clutch. It was covered under the warranty and didn't cost me a dime. By the way, I replaced my clutch after 250k miles.

General Comments:

This car is the ultimate nightmare for auto manufacturers; a well-made car that will last forever with only basic care. The biggest problem I have had is the interior falling apart due to the ravages of time. The driver's seat has already gone through one set of after-market seat covers. All exposed plastic parts have been affected to some level by ozone.

I have owned this car for 21 years and still use it as my primary commuting car. It gets ~32 mpg and still has a lot of pep, even though the engine has 250k miles on it. It's fun to drive. I can't say enough about this car. I just wish I had purchased two, (one hermetically sealed) so that I'd have a replacement for this one.

Faults:

Axles failed almost at once. Easy to fix, but cost as much as I paid for the car.

A couple weeks later a rear wheel bearing failed.

Last summer the ignition module failed, which was $300.

Just the other day the speedometer/odometer quit working. Don't know how much to fix this yet.

The gas gauge has been funky the whole time I've had it. It is accurate for about the first 1/3 of the tank, then it drops right to empty. I have no plans to fix this unless I cannot fix the odometer.

The struts are shot, the car dances all over the road when you hit a pothole. It is something you can live with, but it sure catches you off guard the first few times. I have no plans to fix this unless someone donates the parts.

General Comments:

All in all, I cannot fault this little car. I paid $125 for it from a tow yard, and have put 17,000 miles on it in 10 months. It gets 37-40 mpg consistently, and everything including the A/C works fine. The body is in good shape and the interior is like new. I wish it had a radio and this may be remedied soon. Since the last time it broke, it has been running well, with no disabling problems. It starts every day, and the wrecking yards are full of parts cars. It has become affectionately known as The Amazing Hundred And Twenty Five Dollar Car. I am really amazed at how well it runs with 215,000 miles on it. I fully intend to drive this car until it craps all over the road.

Faults:

Rear Wheel Bearings have gone bad several times.

New Starter.

New Thermostat.

New Timing belt.

New Driver side axle.

New Transmission at 165000.

Burns a little oil.

General Comments:

This car has been great. I bought it for 1,600 dollars in 2001. The only problem is a bad design on the rear wheel bearings. They have to be replaced at least once a year. But I have learned to do it myself and its not really a big deal anymore. But I wouldn't buy another 323 for this reason. As far as everything else this car is a tank. Everything still works on it including the A/C. Nothing has ever been done to the engine and it still runs like new even though its 18 years old with 192K miles on it. Its pretty amazing. I did replace the transmission at 165,000. It is astounding it lasted that long. It prob would have lasted longer if I was not driving the car so hard. I floored the gas pedal on the interstate and that's what did it in. The car is also really easy to work on. My 323 also has the best handling of any car I have ever driven. You can take very tight turns at high speeds and it also has a very tight turning radius. I also love this car in the winter. It handles great in the snow and I often cruse right buy SUVs that are stuck in the ditch in my little 323. I hope I never have to get rid of it. They definately don't make cars like this anymore.