Mazda 323 Fastback (1994-)
  • Economy

    Value

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Plenty of equipment as standard.

    Costs

    1 out of 5 1.0

    Pain to run. Expect 260 miles out of a tank of petrol. Uses a stupid amount of oil as well.

  • On the road

    Driving

    2 out of 5 2.0

    Uncomfortable, thin steering wheel, stiff gearbox.

    Performance

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Not exactly a fast off the mark, but ok when it's up to speed. A car with a 2.0 v6 24v engine shouldn't feel as slow as this does! Overrated and no faster than a 1.8 Vectra.

  • Living with it

    Reliability

    1 out of 5 1.0

    Used 1 litre of oil per 300 miles. One of the worst cars I've ever owned.

    Image

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Still very nice looking nowadays.

    Comfort

    1 out of 5 1.0

    Hard seats, very hard to see out of the windows when parking and overtaking. Frameless windows rattle like mad when on the motorway. Stiff suspension. Basically this is a really uncomfortable car for long commutes.

  • Security and Service

    Security

    2 out of 5 2.0

    Alarm and immobiliser broke on it!

    Service

    3 out of 5 3.0

    Prepare for a long wait when you require parts. Especially the twin exhaust!

  • Problems and Ownership

    Problems

    Engine

    Gasket went which is why I got rid of it. Car had been a pain since I bought it.

    Other

    I bought this because I was told Mazdas were reliable. Turned out to be one of the worst cars I'd ever owned.

    Ownership

    Did you buy the car new?

    Used

    Would you buy the same model again?

    No

    Did you buy from the same manufacturer again?

    No