FOR SALE: 1984 Mazda 323 GT (BD)

[Mash]

Right folks I have made the decision that I can no longer justify keeping my 323. I would love to get this car mint but I have neither space, time, nor funds to do it justice.

 

 

I bought the car from Ratdat about 3 years ago with a view to using it as a rolling restoration project, driving it whilst improving it as I went along and then treating it to a full respray at a later stage. Sadly lack of space, time and funds mean I must reluctantly pass the car on to someone who will continue with the work and get this car as good as new again. I am an enthusiast of older Japanese cars and would like to see it go to a good home.

 

This generation of Mazda 323 is now quite rare in the UK with GT model even more so, surviving examples thought to be only around the half dozen mark. The BD was one of the first joint Mazda-Ford projects and was in production from 1981 until 1985. Dare I say it, but I believe this is a far better built car to the equivalent Escort Mk3! Powered by a 1.5 litre OHC engine with twin carburettors. It has a nice turn of speed and handles extremely well with slightly uprated suspension and anti-roll bars, wider-section tyres and has a lovely 5-speed gearbox. It is front wheel drive.

 

B368 LGW has covered approximately 68000 miles and is in pretty good condition with very little visible surface rust and an extremely solid structure. It is finished in its smart, original and slightly metallic black paintwork which polishes up well. There are a number of dents and scratches on the body which is why I had intended a repaint at some stage.

 

The interior is a little different to the more basic models with very 1980s sports seats, special steering wheel and more instrumentation. An electric sunroof is fitted which works well though the seal ought to be renewed. It does not leak however and is very dry. A CD player is in the car which will stay with it.

 

The alloy wheels whilst non-standard, are period 100+ ones which were fitted to some Nissans at this time and suit the car well. All four tyres fitted were new just after got the car and have done a low mileage since. A new battery was fitted last year and the car has had regular maintenance and oil changes.

There are some bad points of course and these should be noted as follows:

 

As mentioned, the body has some scratches and dents.

Some amount of surface rust on underside though it has had more underseal applied to the inner arches since the photos were taken – it is not structural corrosion.

Driver’s door has a dent about 6 inches long to its lower edge which is showing some rust.

Carburettors could do with cleaning and balancing properly.

Engine smokes under heavy acceleration and on setting off from a junction after standing for a while. This is probably due to leaking valve stem seals but I have not investigated in great depth.

Rear windscreen wiper works but is a little sluggish.

Boot lock does not operate using the key unfortunately but there is an internal release which works fine.

Suspension and steering perform well but would benefit from overhaul (that’s just me being thorough or picky though!)

 

Aside from this the car is a joy to drive and I use it whenever I can to keep it running. Apart from the smoke the engine sounds very sweet and isn’t particularly thirsty. It needs a bit of choke to keep it running when cold but settles down OK. Overhauling the carbs would improve this no end. Brakes work fine and were checked and overhauled where necessary during the recent MoT.

 

So all in all this is a nice light project for someone who wants a fun and practical retro car that’s a little bit different to the mainstream. The car has just been through its MoT test in February and is taxed until end of April 2012. Some spares and manuals are included in the sale including an exhaust system. The road tax is in the cheaper sub-1500cc band.

 

For more photos please click on this link:

http://s80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/1300mash/Mazda/

 

I'm sorry but I can't swap it for anything else, that would defeat the object hehe!! ;D

 

I'm looking for around £600 but open to offers and I'll leave it here about a fortnight before offering on eBay. I'm near Hull.

[retrogeezer]

That's really nice mash....if I had more room/money/you are miles away etc..

[loserone]

I've said it before, but that's really lovely. GLWS &c.

[KruJoe]

That does indeed polish up very well. Nicely presented Mash.

 

This range of 323 is very much closely related to the Ford Laser family rather than the Escorts we're more familiar with.

 

 

I hope this finds a happy home; it deserves to at that price.

[dollywobbler]

This is the epitome of Autoshite. Exceedingly rare, utterly overlooked yet probably a hell of a lot better than stuff worth much more. Thank the lord that the cars we love are so cheap! Hope this one stays in the family so to speak, though sadly it won't be coming to Wales.