1986 Mazda 323 XG review from Australia and New Zealand
"Great first car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Someone inadvertently retarded the timing so it did not run very well until we got the problem solved.
Interior had a few rips.
Leaked a lot of oil, probably the gasket, but we never got round to fixing it.
General comments?
I got it as my first car, liked it as a novelty for a few months, but then got very bored.
It had almost no power even from a 1.5l, and struggled around hills.
However it handled very well, I threw it around corners and it only misbehaved when pushed way too far (left foot braking on a downhill corner with very bad camber makes you spin out quite easily!!). Handled better than my new Nissan Bluebird SSS, and that has aftermarket racing suspension!
Exterior was in good condition except had been rear ended sometime during its life.
If you want a cheap, easy to drive car that won't break down this is for you, but you will get bored quite quickly.
Recommended reviews
| Great people mover, but not much else |
|
| Cheap car, outstanding performance |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1986 |
| Year of manufacture | 1986 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.5 petrol Manual |
| Performance marks | 3 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 195000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 200000 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 29th November, 2005 |