Faults:

New O2 sensors.

Refurbished radiator and new hoses.

New rear brake system (under-body rust deteriorated drums). ~$700.

New gas tank (old one rusted out)

New Exhaust system and muffler.

Rear hatch seal problems. Replaced gasket with used one, and situation improved.

Lots of under-body rust, rust inside struts, under seats etc.

New front wheel bearings (~$400). Loud whrrrr sound started after rough drive through mud, bearing seals were shot.

Oil burning from engine. Engine ran solid, and passed emissions testing, but barely.

General Comments:

The test of a car is not how it works new. And not even necessarily how well it works after 10 years of meticulous care. The test of a car is how well it runs after 10 years of abuse.

After buying it I discovered my car had quite a history.. it was in a hard front end collision, and was rebuilt. The under-body was badly rusted due to being driven on salty roads. Despite all the abuse it had taken, the car ran very solid and jumped to life every time I touched the key. If the car had not been so rusty on the underside, I think I would have seen hardly any problems at all.

This car was the base model, with no side moldings, no rear wiper, no power steering etc. This is really an asset on older cars, as there is very little that can go wrong. The interior was spacious and comfy in the back for either people or lots of boxes.

The car was sold to a family member who promptly let it run out of oil. No comment. I think I could have seen 300,000 on this engine otherwise. The transmission never gave me a reason to think about it, and it just did as it was supposed to without incident.

The automatic version is quite gutless, but I have seen Manual transmission vehicles zip around quite nicely. Don't expect zip from the auto, but there is room in this car for a sports-car driver in the std.

I highly reccomend the Mazda 323 to anybody looking for a cheap hatchback with cheap and seldom repairs. There are lots of econo-boxes out there, but few of them can boast the reliablity of an import engine, and so many simple systems that simply work. I bought a car with a Mazda V6 in it based on this engine's reliability.

Faults:

Waterpump leaking when purchased.

Replaced timing belt and idler pulley unnecessarily.

Replaced alternator belt and power steering belt.

Replaced all rad hoses and thermostat and rad cap.

Seems to be a oil leak somewhere on the valve cover or the head gasket which runs onto the exhaust. Not too bad, but more of an annoyance. Can some one help me to learn the origins of this oil leak... Is it a common problem on this engine design. Thank you.

Also is the alternator overheating. Seems to be running hot. Comments?

General Comments:

Only have owned the car for about a month. I have done all the repairs myself which were fairly easy and straight forward. Price of parts was reasonable compared to other vehicles I have owned.

I bought the car for my girlfriend. My main concern is for reliability, and it seems to be fitting the bill so far.

ml2581@hotmail.com

Faults:

Rear brake calipers need replacing, always leaking. Although I've been told this is common.

Alternator has been overhauled twice.

Steel cooling pipe sprung a leak due to corrison.

Plastic sill that runs down side of windscreen became brittle and broke off.

Replaced clutch once and in the process of replacing it again, but with a semi button this time.

General Comments:

Great fun in this car!

Most things that have gone wrong are general wear and tear.

Seats are comfy and sporty looking.

Handles well.

Is surprisingly fast for a 1.8 turbo car.

This car is my baby, I love it to bits.