Wow! That's no banger, it's immaculate! It's been loved I reckon. Nice one Stu.
JH
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Some other significant cars in my life :-)
photobucket.com/stunorthants
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if its the 1300 they have a grommet sealing the water pipe into the water pump ensure this isnt leaking
i ran one of these for a while it was a good economical reliable car
mazda 323 i think it was called
check for corrosion in the front floor pans too :-)
looks very nice
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Thanks for the tip BB, I will check it out. No rust at all underneath, floorpans are original, ive been under there with a torch and mirror ( I know its abit anal but there you go ).
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I see it has the Hella aftermarket spotlight kit.
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Funny but my dads '89 323 1500 had those spotlights fitted aswell. The only two 323s ive ever seen with them!
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hella used to do after fit kits for cars in this era
maybe these are hella add ons?
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they are - see my post above.
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There arent any Hella markings on them at all, only word that looks like a name is OBEN.
Im pretty sure that these were an official Mazda accessory although would need a period brochure to confirm it. Ill have a look in the handbook as it may have instructions for accessories.
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...I see it has the Hella aftermarket spotlight kit...
Hope it's been wired in properly with relays, so you get nice, bright lights.
The car looks well.
Assuming the mechanicals are in decent order, it should give plenty of reliable service.
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should be, the entire kit came with grille, wire loom, relays, lamps. I remember seeing them in the Hella catalogue when I was looking for one for a maestro.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 9 Apr 10 at 18:30
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>> I remember seeing
>> them in the Hella catalogue when I was looking for one for a maestro.
>>
That's brave of you.
Admitting to both driving AND customising a Mastro ;-)
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>>Assuming the mechanicals are in decent order, it should give plenty of reliable service.<<
In the last month its had a service, new plugs, leads and coil. The exhaust is last year, full system too. It also has full Mazda history until last year and I have a stack of bills going back until '99, plus a stamped up service book for its full 23 years. Couldnt ask for much more really.
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The jamjar looks a cracker rather than a banger stew - a blinder as we say :)
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That's no banger, it's a good honest motor. I hope it gives good service.
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Im wondering if I should keep it a while and wait for used car prices to drop as they seem huge atm compared to two years ago and unless anything shows up in daily use, it seems like the kind of car that will pass another MOT rather than having limped through its last.
Im not sure as its not really the kind of car that I would choose ( only bought it to keep me on the road cheaply between purchases and it was local ). Its going into use in two weeks time so ill decide when I have a picture of it everyday - ie whether I want to live with it longer term.
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Nice motor Stu and fairly simple, i've always liked earlier Japanese cars.
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Looks sound Stu. Might be worth trying to run with it for a while.
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Fri 9 Apr 10 at 21:14
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Oh its very simple. Manual sunroof, manual windows, manual locking, manual mirrors, no PAS, no ABS, no cambelt either.
It is quite comfy though and the boot is a decent size - it still has the full original toolkit and unused jack in there aswell!
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is it a 13 or a 15?
i remember that at the time it was recommended that the 15 wouldnt run unleaded
shows if yours is a 15 what baloney that was
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>> It is quite comfy though and the boot is a decent size - it still
>> has the full original toolkit and unused jack in there aswell!
I reckon some of the best motors came from that era, compact cars almost Tardis like for room compared to much bigger equivalents today that have no more room inside.
Full size spare wheel too or i'll eat me old hat.
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BB, its a 1.3 but my dads 1.5 was only to run on UL so maybe it was just the earlier models that couldnt.
Oh it sure does have a full size spare :-)
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Woudl you be tempted to make it concourse?
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Not really, I like cars Im not afraid to use.
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I'd run it for a bit Stu. What's to lose ? If it's not quite big enough for work, put a towbar on it it. Put any money you save as a result towards whatever you fancy next. If it was me anyway.
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Agree with the general view above. Nice car - personally I like the look of it better than the semi-sporty 323 that came after it. The longer it can keep going (i.e. before needing an uneconomic repair) the more you can save towards something newer in the medium term.
Almost a classic - certainly not a banger.
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I guess the attraction of the £125 a year tax is there and it may do 45 mpg in my hands if Im careful. Its been so well cared for, I suspect it may well have another 5 years in it atleast, although ill get bored long before that!
It would be nice to have the money from the sale of the Charade sitting in the bank for a while :-)
Only problem is, the longer it sits there, the harder it would be to part with it!
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>>>>sitting in the bank
At current rates that just what it will do.
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...Tardis like...
Yes, at the expense of side impact beams.
...nice and simple...
No airbags, either.
I'm not safety obsessed by any means, but I do wonder how this car would come off in a collision with today's heavier, faster vehicles.
I'd be happy enough to use it as a run about, but wouldn't want to mix it nose-to-tail at 80mph on the motorway.
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>>> at the expense of side impact beams.
>>> No airbags
Very good point ifih (if you don't mind me saying so) and its put me off older cars *for life*
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Its all very well these things, but you cant live life with what-ifs. Walking by a 40 mph road is pretty dangerous really, but people dont think about it much. A tyre could blow out on a car and either hit you in your 80's tin can or mow you down as you walk along the path. Thats just life.
It doesnt stop people walking 4ft from a speeding car and therefore wont stop me driving an old one.
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How often have you needed side impact beams and airbags though? They may appear to be a must-have now but for years we struggled along without them.
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...but for years we struggled along without them...
As we did without seatbelts, with toughened glass, with car interiors full of sharp edges.
The wheel is still round, but stuff like this has come on leaps and bounds in a relatively short space of time.
It's all about reducing risk, so I would rather drive a more modern car.
On t'other hand, as I said earlier, I'd be happy enough to use an older car as a run about/stopgap.
Last edited by: ifithelps on Sat 10 Apr 10 at 09:34
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>> How often have you needed side impact beams and airbags though?
Only once. Pretty glad I had them. If you dont have them you will never know what you missed.
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People go on about 4X4s, but these days even cars like my CC3 are big and heavy.
I wouldn't want to be clouted by any modern car if I was sat in a D-reg hatchback.
The motoring landscape has changed.
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Or is it, and I offer this only by way of conversation not criticism, that we, or some of us anyway, have been browbeaten into worrying more about things than we used to ?
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Its a bit like insurance I suppose - you don't need it until you need it.
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Thank goodness, was thinking of selling the non curtain airbag MB and buy a full size ex US army Hummer.
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>> Or is it and I offer this only by way of conversation not criticism that
>> we or some of us anyway have been browbeaten into worrying more about things than
>> we used to ?
No, not really. Just that some of us have looked into the face of a bus radiator grille at 40 mph.
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Prob a good idea to stop driving the wrong way down bus lanes then ;-)
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Got to add my voice to those who are urging you to keep this car for a while, stu.
It looks far to good to keep for a few months then throw away (I'll admit that some professional skill has gone in to the presentation, though) :-)
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I havent cleaned it yet - thats how it arrived. It needs a compound really to get a really deep shine.
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It needs a compound really to get a really deep shine.
>
>>>>>>do it in the street and to heck with the neighbours
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Id like to compund the neighbours child who just flattened my little box hedge. I planted it to discourage them from going on my front lawn, not as a target!
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get some razor wire in it
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...Id like to compund the neighbours child who just flattened my little box hedge...
Criminal damage to your property.
Don't suppose the little wretch's parents would do anything if you spoke to them.
Mind, you've now got a nice, cheap car which you could always ram through their front wall. :)
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Criminal damage, below the age of criminal responsibility, ie, untouchable by the law. Good ole civilised society! I dont even know where they live, let alone who their parents are.
Im not gonna damage Monty Mazda, I even put a can of petrol in him today, his value must have doubled :)
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>> get some razor wire in it AND wire it into the mains. No fuse mind.
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...Criminal damage, below the age of criminal responsibility, ie, untouchable by the law...
In practical terms yes, although no one has the right to damage your property.
If the little swine pushes a lit petrol-soaked rag through your letterbox and kills you all, the law would have something to say.
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>>If the little swine pushes a lit petrol-soaked rag through your letterbox and kills you all, the law would have something to say<<
Yea, something like 'lets give the kid a lollipop and write a letter of complaint to their parents, that will make a statement'.
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...Yea, something like 'lets give the kid a lollipop and write a letter...
Now, now.
Thompson and Venables were locked up for a few years, if not for as long as many people would have liked.
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I know, but we are moving towards lollipops for a punch-up now.
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Put pyracantha in. Looks nice and the thorns are wicked.
JH
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...Put pyracantha in...
Not a bad idea, I have one in grotty soil in a shaded position which won't stop growing.
The unruly little swine wouldn't kick one of those over once it was established.
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And if somone 'accidentally' breaks a few glass bottles around them..............?
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I was going to suggest pyracanthus too. A vicious bush, deter anything, wicked thorns.
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Great looking find. Best of luck with it.
Not to deride the Mazda in any way but it just goes to show that any car will last with the proper care and maintenance.
These were the kind of cars my friends and I used to seek out when we first started driving. The 'little old lady' owned MkI Fiesta or miniMetro.
It's amazing the amount of 60s and 70s mint 'run of the mill' cars you can still find on sites like carandclassic.
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Well this is true, its not had any major works done on it at all. Its literally just had a service every year an little bits and bobs, but the actual meat and bones of the car, ie body, engine and 'box are sound and dont seem to have deteriorated much. It was often said of jap cars of this period that the body would fail long before the running gear, so the key was always looking after the bodywork.
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Ive been working on the old banger today. I have given it a full mop and compound which has brought back a mirror finish almost, I was quite suprised - the paint is remarkable quality I have to say, much better than some newer cars I have to deal with.
I also managed to get an almost exact match for the paint colour in Halfords with a can of Fiat Red Orange which is so close that you wouldnt know - I was winging it when I chose this at the shop as I didnt have a sample with me. Lucky strike! Ive got some touching up to do and as a repair to the front wing using completely the wrong colour needs tidying up and painting in a closer colour match.
Hoping to have the Charade sold in the next few days so I can get the Maz on the road and iron out any niggles as there are nearly always a few on cars this age, but we shall see.
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There's a company near me that'll do a near as damnit perfect match on paint. I would've thought they weren't unique as the previous town I lived in had an identical facility. I presume you don't live a million miles from me?
www.body-shop-warehouse.co.uk/
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Not sure where you live m8 :-)
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...I presume you don't live a million miles from me?...
I don't suppose anyone does. or perhaps they do.
Is there life on Mars? We should be told.
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as my paint man used to say to me
we dont do 8 year old paint our paint is new so we cant guarantee a perfect match
i always remember this and acknowledge it so stunorthants29 was clever enough to do a a match with his eyes and a different colour,not many people can do this,thankfully i can too
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Well ive clocked up 350 miles in it now, so Im getting to know the old girl a bit better.
The hesitation problem is getting better and the Redex seems to be having some effect too, so hopefully its a combination of lack of use and some crap in the system that is making its way through - regular use should iron this out Im hoping.
Its certainly different to drive to a modern car although not so far removed as you may think.
Main difference is obviously unassisted steering. The only time you notice is at very low speeds though and the trade off is you get really decent steering at speed with plenty of feel that is hard to engineer into a pas unit.
The ride is very good indeed and its actually pretty quiet at 65. Its not fast, but it rolls along nicely and is quite a revvy engine that is smooth at the top end rather than the sometimes thrashy nature of newer engines ive experienced.
Seats are comfy enough with 3 way adjustment plus lumber adj too.
Economy, despite its less than perfect running has come in at 43 mpg which really isnt too bad at all and that includes alot of slower running in town and back lanes - I was expecting closer to 35 mpg based on the first tank but use seems to have helped alot.
Im still not going to keep it long term, but I have to say, it is still an OK way of getting about and to get a throughly useable car for £500 at todays inflated used prices seems rather good to me.
Its the sort of car that could easily have gone for scrappage despite having many thousands of miles left in it. Im glad Im getting to tidy it up a bit and pass it on, hopefully to someone who will see the good in it aswell.
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Piccies of my new banger :) - Tooslow
