1984 Mazda 323 review from Australia and New Zealand
"An under-estimated little terror, whose economy is only surpassed by its reliability"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The front engine mount has cleanly snapped twice, but this is not due to the vehicles quality, rather, what it was trying to achieve at that moment in time.
Interior items such as the seats, and door trim have started to wear quite badly.
General comments?
Driven with the right skill, the manual version of the Mazda 323 can be a silent assassin, being able to surprise many with its acceleration off the line. Finding the red-line in the first 3 gears has helped this car to easy victory's over many Holden Commodores in the VB - VL series. This is not to claim the car is powerful, but rather very under-estimated on first glance. After all the extremes I have taken this engine to, it remains un-breakable.
Recommended reviews
| Cheap car, outstanding performance |
|
| I like the fact that the parts are interchangeable between the, Mazda and Laser models |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1984 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.5 four cyclinder Manual |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 3 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 175000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 190000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Mitsubishi Sigma |
| Date of Entry | 28th November, 2002 |