1988 Mazda 323 Hatchback review from North America
"The best car ever made"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
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.
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| A great affordable car for anyone! |
| Quick and Fun 4 door, Lots of problems |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1988 |
| Year of manufacture | 1987 |
| First year of ownership | 1987 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6L non-turbo Manual |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 250000 miles |
| Previous car | Toyota Celica |
| Date of Entry | 6th December, 2008 |