1992 Mazda 323 base review from North America
"If you can find one without a cracked engine block, it will probably treat you well"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Soon after I bought it, it developed a minor oil leak, which various mechanics seemed unable to find the source of. The leak grew until the crack in the engine block became noticeable, and then the crack killed the engine at 93,000 miles.
No other problems.
General comments?
I bought this car because my previous Mazda 323 (a 1989) was still going strong when I sold it at 150,000+ miles.
This one was funny, in that it seemed like it would be just as great, and started out with no problems.
Even after the crack in the engine block killed it, I can't remember it ever having any other mechanical problems.
It had great pick-up, and with the small size, it just zipped around everywhere and was easy to park and maneuver (despite manual steering, which made parallel parking a bit of an upper-body workout sometimes.)
My biggest complaint while I drove it was that the seats were incredibly uncomfortable and the vinyl got awfully hot in the summer.
Recommended reviews
| Very fun to drive |
|
| A reliable, economical, sensible mode of travel |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1992 |
| Year of manufacture | 1992 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6L 4 cylinder Manual |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 3 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 80000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 93000 miles |
| Previous car | Plymouth Horizon |
| Date of Entry | 2nd June, 2007 |