1992 Mazda 929 review from North America

Fan belt squeaks momentarily upon ignition.

Sunroof only works occasionally.

The dual exhaust from this rotary engine is rather loud ("Did you take the muffler off"?). However, mine had generic post-factory exhaust when I bought it, and that contributes to the sound.

The six channel factory amplifier is powerful, but it punishes you for cranking it up too much. Many times now I've had it suddenly deafen me with feedback for a few minutes or even take a week off and then come back crystal clear.

Brake light fuse used to blow whenever I used the horn, but now the dash "Rear" light just goes on every time I brake.

Electronic climate control won't allow heat in the cabin. Heater core, etc., all check out fine though.

I owned an '89 929 previous to this one, so I can tell you that the longer you have one, the happier you will be with it. I picked the first one up for $3000 at 103,000 miles, and once in the subsequent 75,000 miles I had to have a 'major' tune-up to replace a spark plug wire.

The '92 was a dramatic style redesign in its year, but contrary to what people had warned me about, I'm finding it's the same old Mazda I hoped it would be. The 3.0 V6 is very fast (220 HP), the interior is roomy, stylish, and filled with cool gadgets like mic inputs for connecting your portable DVD, and a solar panel in the sunroof that can either charge the battery or power special fans mounted in the trunk to remove smoke and odors. The trunk also has a special compartment for mounting the amplifier and the 6-disc changer, plus room for improvements. The long, low stance and beautiful curves make you wonder why Mazda would stop production; only to replace it with the more spartan, underpowered Millenia.

The ride is smooth, and the handling is exceptional for such a substantial car. Actually, despite the wheelbase being 5 inches longer than its predecessor, it looks smaller until you pull up alongside a 'midsize' car. Its like driving a Lexus sedan and an RX-8 at the same time.

Of course, Mazdas don't have quite the shining reputation of quality some other Japanese manufacturers take for granted. Electronics issues plague the '92 as with most other Mazdas of the era (see above), and virtually guarantee that some nuisance or another will rear its ugly head by the time its ready for the next tune-up. I have also seen claims of poor parts integrity as far as the interior and frame justified (many creaks and moans driving on uneven surfaces, and the door panels are flimsy plastic inside). Nothing has arisen thus far that couldn't be fixed for a hundred bucks or so.

In my experience, however, these cars have unbeatable quality where it counts, and are an absolute joy to drive. Despite some minor issues that are inevitable with a first-year redesign, the 929 remains a solid long-term investment.