1993 Mazda 323 ES 1.6L soch 8v

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

1993 Mazda 323 DX 4 cylinder

Summary:

Excellent bang for your buck!

Faults:

Replaced the exhaust system a couple of times.

Rear window washer pump has never worked.

General Comments:

Reliable/dependable

Peppy

Great gas mileage

Always starts

Roomy

I always make the comment, "Who needs a truck when you own a Mazda 323". I have been able to fit just about anything in this car. Very roomy!

Runs so well. I still fly back and forth to work on the highway, and usually at 120kms and up.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th July, 2003

1993 Mazda 323 1.6L SOHC

Summary:

A quick and dependable automobile for the price

Faults:

The radiator had a crack, so it was replaced.

Replaced seats due to extreme wear. Avoid the plastic seats.

Fuel filler neck had a leak.

Not very comfortable on trips over 250km.

General Comments:

Besides these few faults the car is great.

I give MAZDA credit for making a very reliable vehicle.

Very fuel efficient, I get 500km to a tank easily on the 40 liter tank.

I love 323 and hope it lasts me 3-4 years more.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th May, 2003

1993 Mazda 323 1.6 Gas

Summary:

A very solid, plain, and reliable car

Faults:

It needs many repairs, including:

-gas tank

-rear washer fluid pump

-wheel bearing

-window crank/glass tracks

-exhaust system

-radio

-mysterious front end 'clunk'

-speedometer cable grinds and squeals in the cold

-paint peeling and some rust spots showing.

General Comments:

I bought this car about 6 months ago from the same dealer who sold me my last car; and since that car was so reliable I didn't take this one to be checked out - big mistake! As outlined above this car needs many repairs.

I'm not sure if I am going to do all these repairs needed, or just get rid of the car when it quits. In the meantime, though, this car has been fabulously reliable - starts every time, no matter how cold, gets good mileage, doesn't use any oil, and in general just seems to take a lot of hard driving without any complaints.

It is the very base model, so it is not at all fancy or luxurious; but it is surprisingly quick and gutsy despite only having an 82 hp motor. It handles fairly well, except in the winter the rear end tends to slide out a lot (which can be fun, if you are so inclined!) It also is very solid and well-built: I was hit quite hard from behind twice in it, and there was no damage at all.

As I haven't done any of the repairs outlined above; it has cost me next to nothing to run so far - but if I start repairing it...!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st January, 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.

17th Dec 2005, 17:16

-speedometer cable grinds and squeals in the cold

I can testify to that!

When whirring, the speedometer on my 323 shows that I'm doing twice my actual speed. Once the interior warms up, the problem corrects itself. Strange...