1999 Mazda 323 1.6 gasoline from Costa Rica

Summary:

I strongly recommend this car!

Faults:

Nothing wrong. After been running the car for 150000 KM I have no complains about it.

General Comments:

This car is quick, mostly after 3500RPM. Excellent trouble free engine.

In its class is faster than the other similar Japanese 1.6L cars. Good Mileage - 740KM/48Litres.

I agree that it "handles like it's on rails". Very good stability on curves, nonetheless being a family car.

Even though the steering and gear shifter is stiffer than my previous car, seats, interior space and design make it very comfortable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th January, 2005

1999 Mazda 323 Astina 1.6 fuel injected from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Comfortable, sporty, economical

Faults:

Reversing lights stuck on. Removed globes, and when later replaced, problem had corrected itself. (May have been water from over enthusiastic washing!)

Coil malfunction, causing engine to occasionally run rough and threaten to stall. Fixed under warranty.

Right hand front speaker died!

General Comments:

Very pleased with this car. Despite engine size it is sprightly enough and is great fun to drive in the city.

Country driving is an eye opener.. Having previously driven a Falcon I'm surprised with the comfort on long (500 to 700Km) trips. It copes well with passengers and luggage, and just returned 40mpg with 3 passengers at 120kph.

Very comfy drivers seat and position, though I'm 168cm!

Terrific sound.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th July, 2004

1999 Mazda 323 Protege 1.6 Litre Naturally aspirated from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

This is a fantastic freeway car, low on costs and initial price

Faults:

Only 2 small things have gone wrong.

Had the windows tinted, which resulted in the door trims being incorrectly refitted. This was refitted by myself after the dealers refusal!

The car has a small chip in the windscreen when I purchased it, which was fixed by the dealer under statutory warranty (by state law) - big hassle with dealer to fix.

General Comments:

This car has got to be the best car I've yet to own, in comparison to my '94 Mitsubishi lancer and an '85 Honda civic.

The thing that stood out first about this car to me was the fact that the thing drives like it is on rails! I drive regularly through Sydney and have found my Protege can go round corners at ridiculous speeds, (40KM/h for a () degree corner)

The second thing that did stand out was the lack of acceleration. It does move very well and has a lot of power. I drove with a full passenger load totaling just under 500kg (1/2 US ton) and noticed no change in hill climbs, but handling did of course drop off.

Luggage room is plenty enough, with enough room for 4-6 good sized sports bags, plus a sub-woofer.

Sub-woofer not needed due to a fantastic standard stereo, not tinny, but crystal clear sound.

I drive my car on the motor way every day to work, driving 120km/h average, over a distance of 120km. Comfort is a high priority for me, and this has been satisfied.

Drove to Brisbane with 2 passengers and the only problem I had was the seat feels very hard after 400km, but what car doesn't? - The 1.8L does have more plush seating.

Only 2 downsides to this car.

1) The window winders are in a very awkward position, but they don't bump against your knees when driving either.

2) The gearing has a very short 1st gear, meaning fast up to 20km/h and then 2nd gear has no juice in it.

I bought this car after high recommendation from my father, who owns the 1.8L and he was very right, no rattles at all, no niggles, just driving pleasure.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th October, 2002

1999 Mazda 323 GLX 1.8 petrol from Finland

Faults:

Everything has worked just fine, no problems.

General Comments:

Pretty good performance.

Good accessories compared to VW.

I really enjoy driving this car and there's no intention to change the car in the near future.

Nothing to say about the dealer, I bought this as used car and no service needed as far.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th January, 2002

1999 Mazda 323 F 1.8 GLX from Estonia

Summary:

A quick, cheap, stylish and reliable car

Faults:

The ventilator for the cabin started to 'whistle', so I had it fixed.

I've had 4 crashes, so quite a lot of the car's body panels have been replaced.

General Comments:

A great car for this money (I paid about 12.000 $ for it).

Lots of space, very comfortable ride, great performance from the 114-hp 1.8-litre engine, and stylish looks make it a well-rounded family car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st September, 2001

1999 Mazda 323 F GLX 1.8 from Israel

Summary:

Don't buy it, buy the VW Golf 1.8

Faults:

The plastic covers which are located on the front-floor area were broken after 12,000 km!

The steering wheel is very heavy, and the mirrors are too small!

The seats are uncomfortable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th December, 2000

31st Dec 2000, 04:53

A Mazda is 10 times more reliable than Volkswagen.

7th Jan 2001, 14:27

What do you mean 10, they're 1000 times more reliable than VW. Learned that from my experience with a VW Polo, Nissan Almera and a Mazda 323 1.5 (290.000 km)!!

15th Jan 2001, 05:45

How can you compare a Volkswagen with a Mazda? There's a big diffirence between these car builders. The motor of a Mazda for example: the 1.6 has a higher performance than a 1.6 from Volkswagen. The seats of a Volkswagen are a bit stiff, the seats of a Mazda feel good when you have to drive long distances.

And a lot of more.....

1999 Mazda 323 LXi 1.3 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Has the looks and delivers the goods

Faults:

Intermittent knocking noise when changing up through the gears. Despite 3 visits to the dealer the problem still exists.

Excessive wear on the front tyres. I was advised by the dealer that this is common with low profile tyres.

General Comments:

The new shape is not as sporty looking as its predecessor, but it still looks good on the road.

Surprisingly nippy for 1.3.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 24th September, 2000

22nd May 2001, 18:40

Slow acceleration, knocking in gear change, hard to get in reverse on incline, excessive front tire wear, generally not a good buy, but good basic Mr average car.