1983 Mazda 323 Deluxe review from Australia and New Zealand
"Zippy, reliable, excellent first car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
A distributor module blew after a couple of weeks.
A tail light globe blew (nice warning light to tell you though!)
Various bits of trim coming off (normal after 20 years!)
General comments?
Extremely reliable car compared to what I was expecting. I've done a couple of medium length trips (1000ks) with no problems. It doesn't overheat, it doesn't make strange noises, changes gears very smoothly and reliably.
Accelerates very quickly if you drive it like a manual (hold it in first till 5000 rpm ~=60kph, second up to about 95kph). Otherwise it changes a bit early into third for my liking, and can be a bit sluggish in the 60-80kph range. VERY responsive in first.
Fuel economy is very good - 35 litres goes about 410 ks.
When I got it, an immobiliser and central locking had been installed, which is a nice touch. In general, very comfortable cloth seats, rear passengers don't complain about space, and for camping, the carrying capacity is brilliant.
Fortunately takes unleaded petrol without complaint - runs much better on premium though.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1983 |
| Year of manufacture | 1983 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.5 Single carb Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 156000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 166000 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 13th January, 2005 |