Mazda 323 1.8

This car is my latest little project. Being a regular visiter to my local scrapyard ( I love the place ! ), full of tasty and sometimes very tidy examples of peoples " spent " vehicles, due to either crash damage, or just plain simple uneconomic repair costs, the latter are where the real bargains ( for me, and my line of work ) lay. I'd spotted the Mazda, tucked in a corner of the yard, while getting some trim bits for a job, some 2 weeks before I bought it. The shape of the car stuck in my mind, so I enquired about the story of why it was there, answer , " the bloke drove it here one day ... more

I got my 323F 1.8 Automatic a year ago thinking I would get a sporty looking car but with a knackered and slow engine, but instead I got an endless fun car that performs just like its very first day. Reliabilty has always been a "must" in all my cars and so far I have had no trouble whatsoever. Parts are fairly easy to get, servicing costs are average (depending on where you get it done) and both handling and performance are astonishing. Unfortunately, the only black spot I have to mention is its fuel consumption. It might just be that being an automatic, mine just drinks petrol, but I have ... more

A very reliable and moderately economical hatch back. The 323 has a transverse mounted 1800cc fuel injected 4cyl engine, turning a 5 speed manual gearbox that drives the front wheels. A car this size with a 1.8i engine really should go an awful lot better, but the upside of this low state of tune is that this engine will go on forever. The car has disk brakes all round with an anti lock and traction control system that is, unusually now, able to be turned off. It stops very well without any dramatic screeching or skids. The handbrake acts on the rear wheels. The suspension set up is on the ... more

We have had the 323 for some time, and have found it to be reliable, comfortable, and very sporty. Fuel consumption is good but like all cars, if you thrash it in low gears the consumption drops. It is a wolfe in sheeps clothing - it can be as sedate as any ordinary hatchback quite happy with the usual urban crawl, but press that pedal and the wolfe wakes up instantly, showing remarkable acceleration with good highend torque. There is ample space inside for a family but the back seats are a little small if transporting three six foot rugby players - but that doesnt happen too often. The boot ... more