The Ex-forum of several shiters 95 Mazda 323 coupé - for sale again!

[egg]

The Mazda was on a Boris, so hadn't been tested since April 2019. It had done 11,749 miles in that period. I did zero prep, and stuck it in which resulted in:

You can see how much prep I'd done with the bulb fail, whoops.

Anyway, that nearside CV boot has been troublesome many times - it had popped off last year, and on at least one other occasion as documented in thread, so this time it got a brand new one as it was very ripped (apparently the driveshaft was easy to remove - it gave no issues). So bumped up the total bill to £125. But it's done

What now? Don't know yet.

[egg]

Another update on the known survivors. Two more lost since May.

- N979 FLP - Blue 1.5 GLX Auto (mine) - Taxed and MOT'd until October 2021
- M37 ACV - Green 1.5 GLX - Taxed, and recently MOT'd on 16 September 2020
- M767 PAG - Green 1.5 GLX - scrapped
- M335 BLP - White 1.5 GLX - Taxed and MOT'd into Feb 2021
- N698 PFJ - Blue 1.3 - scrapped
- M287 DGO - Blue 1.5 GLX - SORN but MOT'd on a Boris for another 10 days
- N617 VBA - Blue 1.3 - SORN, but not MOT'd since 2011 (was for sale on eBay)

(J50634 in Jersey - white) - status unknown, no online system in Jersey

- N85 FKJ (Familia imported in 2000) - Taxed and MOT'd until December

[RobT]

Well that's a win.  Nigh on 12,000 miles in a year too.  What a great motor.

[egg]

So, I sold this today. To a fellow shiter of great repute. It went by transporter to keep it all Covid-contactless and painless!

Not going far, should be arriving very soon..

I'm going to say it might be the best car I ever had. Until the weekend it hadn't moved since before the clocks went back, it started first time and is ready to go.

The new owner may well continue to post on this thread.

[egg]

Just for completeness, I'll post up that other (manual) coupe I spotted on this thread.

As predicted by some of our sages, it is still for sale....

[Vantman]

Cheers Ben,it arrived very promptly and the transport man knew me from my J.Vant days! The Mazda is now on my drive for continued fettling and enjoyment.

[Vantman]

As my Saab is in the garage having a new alternator fitted,the Mazda got pressed into service today for the first time since i purchased it earlier in December. An essential journey was required so it started first time as one would expect and off i went to deliver the parts required for the Saab.

The lads at the garage were quite taken with the little Japanese car so arrangements were made to finally fit a new cambelt,tensioners and water pump to take the guesswork out of has it been changed or not! Next job will be to change the rear droplinks and roll bar bushes as it certainly clatters a bit at the moment.

It drives ok though,thanks to Mr egg  maintaining it well.

[egg]

15 minutes ago, Vantman said:

Next job will be to change the rear droplinks and roll bar bushes as it certainly clatters a bit at the moment.

Good to hear the update. Even Mrs Egg read your post!

Re: the rear end noise, I did confirm with the local exhaust place that it wasn't exhaust related. I also found it was worse the longer it had sat around - regular use seemed to quieten it down. The only other possibility is bushes at the wheel end of the axle but, again the exhaust guys thought the ARB bushes were mostly likely the culprits.

[Vantman]

The little Mazda has just been returned to me after much fettling by the boys at the garage,new cambelt and tensioners,new water pump, new rocker cover gasket and auxiluary belts.

The old belt was very slack due to a failing tensioner so i can now drive it without playing roulette and without the r/c gasket leaking. They also fitted new rear roll bar bushes and drop links so less rattling now. They also renewed the coolant and done a level check as well. I only had to pay labour as all parts except the water pump and coolant were very kindly supplied with the car when i purchased it from @egg. Obviously as it was at the garage there are no photo's!

[egg]

1 hour ago, Vantman said:

The old belt was very slack due to a failing tensioner so i can now drive it without playing roulette and without the r/c gasket leaking

That's great to hear. But sorry it was a ticking time bomb! That's given it another life extension for sure.

[Vantman]

On 15/01/2021 at 16:40, egg said:

That's great to hear. But sorry it was a ticking time bomb! That's given it another life extension for sure.

It's ok Ben,it's an older car and if they hadn't explained it to me i wouldn't have known it. Relaxed motoring ahead,when they delivered it back they were impressed how well it drove--and they drive all sorts of cars.

[Vantman]

Waiting for the snow to clear before venturing out------

 

[Vantman]

A  'not much to report' update--As i have sold my Saab 9-5 to Sims00 of this fine forum,the Mazda got the job of daily driver,approx 10 weeks and 1300 miles later i have had zero problems,just fuel,no oil or water used. A few dashes to and fro the M20 keeps the cobwebs out of it. Whilst parked at a farm shop i had an offer to buy it but that came to nothing as did the offer from a man who knocked my door and asked to buy it.

What a fine machine it is !! @egg

[egg]

Great to hear. Let's see how the other known cars are doing....

- N979 FLP - Blue 1.5 GLX Auto - Taxed and MOT'd until October 2021
- M37 ACV - Green 1.5 GLX - Taxed, and MOT'd to 15 September 2021
- M335 BLP - White 1.5 GLX - Taxed and MOT'd into Feb 2022
- M287 DGO - Blue 1.5 GLX - SORN and no MOT since October 2020
- N617 VBA - Blue 1.3 - SORN, but not MOT'd since 2011
- M651 VJL (upthread) - still SORN, no MOT.

J50634 in Jersey - white - status unknown, no online system in Jersey @LightBulbFun - do you have access to Jersey registered cars using the tool?

- N85 FKJ (Familia imported in 2000) - Taxed and MOT'd until December 2021

[Vantman]

Now for sale---See 'FOR SALE' section.

[RichardK]

On 6/8/2021 at 10:12 PM, Vantman said:

Now for sale---See 'FOR SALE' section.

Now bought... just sorting out transporting myself to Kent

This is one of the best threads, which is one reason why I decided I could have a different kind of 323 to the ones I originally wanted to take the place of the XJ6...

[egg]

On 24/06/2021 at 23:12, RichardK said:

Now bought... just sorting out transporting myself to Kent

Great stuff, let us know when you've got it and would be great if the thread could keep going. I'll re-name it when required!

[RichardK]

Just now, egg said:

Great stuff, let us know when you've got it and would be great if the thread could keep going. I'll re-name it when required!

I will absolutely keep the thread going - I'm rather excited about it and would be off to collect it NAO if trains from Boston to Kent weren't such a pain. I have several options. Insurance is dirt cheap for it, too - once I have a plan it'll be insured right away. Have been looking at @Talbot's rear arch repair skills with more envious eyes than a Martian looking at earth's water (in part because my other 323 of the German persuasion could also use some tidying there if it's going to last long enough to justify a new clutch when that goes), and shopping for catalytic converters.

[egg]

yes the cat is original (I assume), but it's always flown through the emissions on the MOT, far better Co2 than my contemporary Mondeo. I believe I got all of the exhaust replaced from the cat back.

[RichardK]

7 minutes ago, egg said:

yes the cat is original (I assume), but it's always flown through the emissions on the MOT, far better Co2 than my contemporary Mondeo. I believe I got all of the exhaust replaced from the cat back.

If it keeps going it keeps going, but much as your kick off to the thread showed in forensic detail - old cars need spending. I am not afraid of that when I can do so.

The way I always see it is 'what would a lease car the same ability cost me - excluding deposit'. My 323i would cost about £350 a month for a comparable car, so what it cost needs to give me three months with relative lack of fuss. After that, I could theoretically put £350/month into a bank account (obviously I can't do that, but IF I could) then when something goes wrong or needs improving - what's in the account? A clutch goes two months after the 323i's cleared its probation? Aha, £700 in 'goodwill credit' - it gets a clutch (after an MOT to make sure there's enough MOT left to be worth spending on).

Likewise this 323 will be called £150/month. It has to do three months to be out of probation; after that, if it needs a thing, it gets it. Let's say someone can do a /proper/ job of the wheelarch for £450 - I'll wait three months then it'll get it done. Maybe it would cost less, I don't know - I just know I want it done the way I've seen @Andyrew or @Talbotdoing repairs, rather than what I expect I'd get if I took it to a bodyshop and asked them to sort it where they might quote £200 to chuck some fillter in and blow it over but tell me they're going to do a proper job.

All the work you put in and documented is why I've gone for it. That and it's totally adorable and has a tilt-slide sunroof, and I really do need an automatic sometimes 'cause of my smashed ankle - my next test car is manual and I am hoping for something Romanian after that so probably also manual!

[RichardK]

Collection plot plotted. Insurance checked - eSure WILL cover it, just didn't quote automatically on Meerkats - £8 to change from the XJ6 and the big excess disappears.

[egg]

fred title updated for new ownership

[RichardK]

Fred title now appropriate!

Mazda flew up the road absolutely brilliantly - I honestly have no idea how this wasn't snapped up instantly. Now it's subject to the pickiest, originality-obsessed (sometimes) bugger going. I have gone over it quickly, and...

There's sod-all for me to do really. It needs the arch sorting, and a sidelight was playing up but it's working now. I'm going to adjust the boot lock as the tailgate rattles a lot (there's no adjustment on the rubber buffers), and I went on Amazon and got one Kilen boot gas strut for £6.50 (normally £40) - as well as a spare Moroe rear spring for a similar figure. Slim pickings for the 323 on there, though, and I suspect I'll be waiting a while or paying a lot to replace the second boot strut.

Plan for the arch is to get a repair panel, wait until the car gets to MOT and passes it in October, then hand car & cash to someone I can trust to do a good job/make sure anything behind the arch is good/fix it to last another 25 years with due care, rather than just delay the overall entropy of the car.

Mechanically it seems spot-on apart from the shifts being a little abrupt - with 88K on the clock a fluid change should be absolutely safe, but I will check the adjustment of whatever this gearbox uses to control relationship to throttle (bowden cable? Vacuum? Who knows). Absolutely no flares, problems selecting or any other issues and overdrive/lock up is working as it should. No clonks or rattles, either - it's a very refined little thing.

Headlights need a good going over. The search is on for NOS as I find once the plastics are properly yellow you're fighting a losing battle, don't hold out much hope.

The Sony headunit sounds great and works well, and it's pretty apt for the age of car (it's got USB though so clearly too new); the buttons are really badly placed and designed for where it is in the car, so it's going to be replaced... not with an original head unit, oh no - we have double-DIN here, and the world of modern tech is your oyster when you have a space like that. So it'll be getting an Apple CarPlay compatible head unit - debating the many cheap chinese Android offerings but I'll see what I can scare up. That'll give it navaigation, Spotify and all manner of modern nice things, plus hands-free calling.

Chances are I could put the Sony in the BMW (where it's closer to eyeline so you can see the tiny controls) and sell the BMW's 'Definitely a BMW business CD player and not a Rover one with the logo T-Cut off' CD player for enough to buy a Kenwood DNX double-DIN thing.

Driver's seat seems more strong & stable than a Tory election campaign from a few years ago, and everything is wonderfully clean and presentable with very little wear.

It's having a day off as I'll tax it tomorrow. Then it's got a lot of work to do - I'm without a work car for a couple of weeks and I want to visit people!

[RichardK]

On 12/9/2020 at 9:59 AM, egg said:

Just for completeness, I'll post up that other (manual) coupe I spotted on this thread.

As predicted by some of our sages, it is still for sale....

It's being broken for parts on eBay at the moment - headlights reasonably priced, IMO, but only one of them looks worth the time. I suspect the cost of the tailgate, if still available, would be daft though.

[egg]

9 minutes ago, RichardK said:

It's being broken for parts on eBay at the moment - headlights reasonably priced, IMO, but only one of them looks worth the time. I suspect the cost of the tailgate, if still available, would be daft though.

That's sad. There are a lot more on the continent, but no good for LHD headlights! Nice write up above. The box can shift a bit awkwardly I'd agree, but to be honest compared to the 2011 Hyundai i10 we have, it's not so different! Lock-up is good though. 

[RichardK]

7 minutes ago, egg said:

That's sad. There are a lot more on the continent, but no good for LHD headlights! Nice write up above. The box can shift a bit awkwardly I'd agree, but to be honest compared to the 2011 Hyundai i10 we have, it's not so different! Lock-up is good though. 

I'm comparing to my Seras and MX-5 auto from the past - but it's by no means bad, I just think I may be able to make it a bit smoother. Definitely not a source of worry or need to put a lot of mental effort in, just a thing I can improve.

Feels a lot like a better Sera to drive (more sophisticated chassis) - less power, but better geometry. I reckon the 1.8s would have been a lot of fun.

I may buy those lights off the white one so I can rotate cleaned units around, but it looks like a bumper-off job to swap them. I will find out.

[egg]

19 minutes ago, RichardK said:

I reckon the 1.8s would have been a lot of fun.

yes, the 1.8 manual is on my 'I'd love to import if I had the money, Brexit wasn't causing issues and there's a bit of a health issue right now' list. Right behind the Renault 16 TX.

[RichardK]

Adding a racing stripe

Perfect

Not really - I had a dashcam to test and it has a rear-facing camera:

It will need cables hiding but works.

And there is no longer any rattle from the back after adjusting the tailgate latch. Gearbox is smoother when cold, too!

[egg]

Good stuff, wish I'd adjusted the latch! Yes, Mrs Egg did suggest I'd put a rear camera in, as visibility is quite 'interesting' back there in certain situations.

[RichardK]

Future plans: The arch.

A feel around the back suggests that the inner arch is solid as a very solid thing and also pretty clean - which suggests repair sooner rather than later would be wise.

There are repair sections for a whole arch - not cheap. Better than metal being shaped, or pattern for less-careful bodyshops?