Mazda 323 Fastback (1994 - 1998) 1.5 GXi 5d (1998/S) Owner Review
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Summary
What does this car say about you?
In retrospect, that I'm operating on a budget. I don't think it's a common first car.
What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?
They had little opinion that I could see. They were thrilled I had a car for the first time - the car itself didn't much matter.
Would you buy this car again and why?
No - I think I've moved on and I'm more of a coupe man now. I considered buying another one after my second car failed its MOT, though.
What are you likely to buy next?
Mazda RX-8; Toyota Celica; BMW 3 or 8 series.
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Buying experience
Type of dealer you bought from?
Didn't buy from a dealer
Did you buy this car new?
No
What price did you pay?
£600
When did you buy the car?
May 2012
Did you get a good deal and why?
I probably could have pushed it a bit more, but you learn that with time. I certainly wasn't swindled.
Is there any special reason why you bought this car?
It was my first car, so not really. I did know I wanted to avoid anything too boring, and you don't see too many of these around these days - I had found the Corsa I learned in very basic and dull.
What was the dealer like?
Young, and professed to like the car more than its replacement (a VW Lupo). He had obviously driven the car a good deal.
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Driving it
What's it like to drive?
It had a clutch that was set particularly high so stalled frequently, and it was therefore easy to gun the engine more than necessary to compensate. However, out of low gear it was a good drive.
What's it like to park?
Its rear lip did cut down on visibility, but it's not a big car and was never hard to park.
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Living with it
Have you had any problems with the car?
It failed its first MOT, but only on its CV boots/driveshaft gaiters. A protective piece of plastic fell off the car much later, once I had sold it to my girlfriend, and the radio antenna began to malfunction. In general, it was very reliable and mechanically it was always very solid.
What's most practical about your car?
It had five seats without the car itself being too big.
Favourite gadget, option or accessory?
It was a very basic spec. I was new to driving, so every feature was my favourite.
