By EWAN KENNEDY
6 November 2006

One of the favourites with used-car buyers, the Mazda 323 is designed and built to a high standard. It has a good reputation for reliability so its resale values are consistently high. As a real bonus, the Mazda 323 is a favourite with retired people, if you can find one of those you are likely to find it has always been driven sensibly and serviced according to the book.

Capable of being used as a small family car, though better suited to those with pre-teen children, the Mazda 323 also appealed to young buyers looking for stylish but functional transport during the period when it jumped upmarket.

The Mazda 323 went upmarket between 1994 and 1998, even sporting the option of a six-cylinder engine at one stage. The experiment didn’t work and the 323 went back to its original market place as a sensible small-medium car.

Not only did the upmarket attempt not work, it cost the company a lot of money, eventually resulting in Mazda being taken over by Ford. It’s still controlled by the American company, but is allowed a fair degree of autonomy and is working in the traditional Mazda manner.

Easy to drive, the Mazda 323 handles well and provides good comfort on most roads. Only on poor quality bush roads does it sometimes let you down, the short-travel suspension not being happy at times.

Ride comfort is pretty good in normal circumstances, improving with each new model. Noise and vibration as well suppressed and on smooth roads the Mazda 323 often feels and sounds as though it’s from a class larger than it actually is.

Most Mazda 323 engines are four-cylinder units with sizes of 1.6 and 1.8 litres, the 1.6 being by far the most common. The lovely little V6 1.8-litre unit gave the 323 an exceptionally refined feel. Interestingly, though, the V6 doesn't always have as much performance as the 1.8-litre four, the latter being set up in the European fashion with a strong emphasis on the top end of the rev range.

Gearbox options are five-speed manual and either three or four-speed automatic transmission. The three-speed auto was only used on the lower cost models and only until 1996, when it was updated to a four-speed.

The 323 is fairly easy to work on, with a tidy underbonnet layout and a reasonable amount of space. As is often the way with Japanese cars it’s best to remove the complete engine/transmission assembly when doing anything more than the more basic of repair work.

Amateur mechanics should only attempt work that doesn’t affect the safety of the car, and we recommend they have a workshop manual at hand before starting the servicing and/or repairs.

The Mazda dealer network spreads to most country towns of any size in Australia. Spare parts are generally readily available, though some less-common bits for the oldest models are starting to become scarce.

Ford’s Laser shared many components with the Mazda 323, though not the six-cylinder engine, offering a further source for spare parts.

Insurance premiums are generally moderate with all the big companies and we don't know of any of the major insurers that differentiate on price between the four and six-cylinder engines.

Mazda 323 was replaced by the Mazda3 in January 2004, the latter car being a solid continuation of its honourable ancestor and selling in huge numbers every month. This may assist the 323’s resale value beyond its already good figures.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Rust is unusual in the Mazda 323s of this era, though it was a problem in older ones. To be on the safe side check the lower areas of the car’s body, around the front and rear windscreens and the fuel filler cap.

Sun-damaged paint, usually at its worst on the horizontal surfaces, can be the result of a car that has spent all its life in the open air.

Engines that have done a lot of hard work may smoke from the exhaust under hard acceleration. Let it idle for about a minute before carrying out this test.

Check the engine’s cam-drive belt has been replaced according to the servicing schedule. Failure to do so can cause expensive engine damage.

Manual gearboxes should be light and simple in their operation. Any reluctance to go into a lower gear should be treated with suspicion.

Listen and feel for an automatic transmission that is either reluctant to change, too eager to change or which is harsh when it does shift gears.

Drive the car with the steering on full lock in one direction then the other and listen for clicking sounds from the front-axle universal joints.

The interior trim is finished to a high standard and generally stands up well. However, pay particular attention to the condition of the dashpad if the car is getting on in years.

CAR BUYING TIP
Mazda and Ford cars shared many components at some stages of their careers. It’s worth shopping for the best price between the two marques.

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