I bought this Mazda 323 Turbo awd from 1988 with 150hp. I paid 6500€ and I wanted to drive him daily but its really hard to get parts, the engine is good but it have much rust . I dont know what I should do
Posted by Top_Self7847@reddit | projectcar | View on Reddit | 46 comments
Mabue@reddit
Manche Teile der BG Serie (Nachfolger) passen hier auch. Sehr schickes Auto! Besuch r/Mazda323 wenn du Zeit hast :)
Syscrush@reddit
That is an awesome, special, low-volume car that was not designed or built to be in service for 40 years.
There are a few great things to do with this car, but daily driving it is not on that list.
graytotoro@reddit
That’s unfortunately the case with cars like these. I spent ages trying to find model-specific parts for my old Volvo.
Bobby_Bigwheels@reddit
Ha! Excellent comment. Even when the 323 were everywhere the parts were tricky to get. Wait till they find out that there are 3 different styles of calliper for the rear brakes.
_gotmoxie_@reddit
Parts from a ford escort can fit these too
Wne1980@reddit
The GTX was a homologation car for rally. It has some model specific parts that were hard to find 20 years ago
_gotmoxie_@reddit
One of my friends here in the states competed in a small time circuit with one of these. He would buy ford escort-cosworth parts from England and swap them on his 323, it was a pretty sweet platform.
AWildRaticate@reddit
Not if he paid in euros
Frotchrocket@reddit
You need to join the FB groups as there are not many owners on Reddit here. I recommend “Mazda 323 GTX,” “Mazda Familia/323 GTX/GTR/ GTAe & Ford Laser TX3,” and “AMAZD - Absolutely Mazda Dominated” at a minimum. There are global members, to include a parts guru right there in the EU who is someone you will want to become friends with. And if you weren’t already aware, you’re GTAe front bumper is very valuable. As a current owner of an ‘87 323 Turbo 4x4 (UK spec), feel free to reach out.
aaronsnothere@reddit
So I have been led to believe you can directly swap the Drivetrain into an RX7 for a rally build. Making this car a sacrificial unicorn in RX7 communities, contributing to its rarity. I have no advice for you but I quite like the car and hope you restore it.
Big-Energy-3363@reddit
You paid too much, sorry. It’s really not worth fixing rust on these unless you have the knowledge equipment and time to do it all yourself
scooterprint@reddit
MY BUDDY HAS ONE OF THESE! He just made his own suspension parts too! Let me see if I can dig up the pictures.
scooterprint@reddit
scooterprint@reddit
scooterprint@reddit
scooterprint@reddit
FalseRelease4@reddit
A lot of rust? Well the bodywork looks great so i guess you mean the underside, thankfully thats "easy" to repair in comparison to having to smooth out and paint exterior panels
evileagle@reddit
I’ve owned several of these over the years. Get ready for heartbreak. All of the BF chassis GTX got the small nose crank, which is prone to failure. The bodies are rusty. The drivetrain is weak. Parts are extremely scarce.
Good luck.
Bulky-Ad9761@reddit
I don’t know where you live, but these things are like hens teeth here. If you could afford it, get the rust sorted and look after it. They are appreciating (here in nz at least). If you cannot afford to get the rust done, then get rid of it as it will fall apart around you
Top_Self7847@reddit (OP)
I'm from Austria, and yes, the car is very rare here too. I'm a mechanic myself and can remove rust. But I'd be interested to know how reliable Mazda engines are. The car has run 98,000 km.
Buckleup19966@reddit
Grrrr. This thing looks great but I'm in the US.
evileagle@reddit
So buy one. We got the 323 GTX here. They’re just rare, rusty, and fragile.
immortalsteve@reddit
My Mazda 2.3L that comes in the newer 3s (323 became protege which became 3) has 261k km on it. I have neglected the shit out of it and it still just keep chugging along. I'd say if you can get that motor as close to rebuilt as possible and you're on your way to a good time.
bigdaddybodiddly@reddit
I have a mercury capri with the same turbo engine. Mine went 250K miles (~400K km) before it spontaneously opened a view window on the side of the block. (Only fwd though).
That is essentially the same 1.6l B6 in first gen miatas. They're super reliable as long as they get an occasional oil change and the timing belt done on time.
Gothicseagull@reddit
As another commenter said, the engine is the same design as was used in the Miata mx-5 from 1990-1998 with minor changes. Electronics, sensors, and water outlet may be different but I think that's about it.
With proper care and maintenance these little engines are nearly bulletproof. The mechanical side is relatively simple and easy to work on, though it looks more cramped here than in a Miata. 98,000 km is baby steps for these motors; 300,000 km or more is commonly seen where I am.
Top_Self7847@reddit (OP)
Thank's man I really appreciate your answer.
donald7773@reddit
There's a ton of 1.6 Miatas running around the US with well north of 300k miles
Gothicseagull@reddit
donald7773@reddit
Fuck the meme is even here
jesusrambo@reddit
If it’s the 1.6 from the Miata, there’s a common issue with crank wobble (google Miata short nose crank SNC wobble) but other than that, pretty robust motors
ParticularFar8574@reddit
Those things are very reliable. What people do is they take the engines and put them into a Ford festiva. I believe that's called a Mazda 121 where you're from.
Bulky-Ad9761@reddit
I’m no mechanic so couldn’t give you any technical info, only anecdotal. A number of my friends had these as teenagers and gave them hell - all the cars survived, so a testament to their build quality in my opinion
mynameisnickromel@reddit
My dream car. Lucky son of a bitch
Natedoggsk8@reddit
You bought a car that’s rusted?
croutonmemes@reddit
Isn’t that the Miata engine maybe there are shared part numbers you can use ?
BelongingsintheYard@reddit
Yep. My buddy needed a replacement engine and dropped a Miata mill in.
ParticularFar8574@reddit
Parts aren't that hard to find. As far as I'm concerned you spend way too much money on that car. However, spend the money to get the rust fixed and drive it.
TrashPandaPirate@reddit
The gtx/turbo model is rare and appreciating quickly, I missed an opportunity a few year back to buy one for 2 grand, someone bought its and withing a week it was reposted at 6k, it sold just a few weeks later.
ParticularFar8574@reddit
But was it super rusty?
TrashPandaPirate@reddit
No it was "clean" by new England standards, im sure it had rust, but from the pictures, It had held up seemingly well considering the seller saying it had spent the majority of its life in my area
LostFlatulence@reddit
Mazda 323 GTX it was rare when it came out.
Diogenes256@reddit
Those were one of the coolest cars on the road back then.
Busterlimes@reddit
What rust?
RunninOnMT@reddit
Oof. I remember reading an article in sport compact car about them road tripping to Utah to source transmission parts for one of these because they were so rare.
….that was about 25 years ago.
Successful-Yogurt512@reddit
Any mazda before Ford started having large influence on Mazda, and any mazda after Ford divested from Mazda, is pretty damn reliable. A majority of issues I've seen from Mazda is when Ford started throwing their engines in mazda's cars. As long as the engine was taken care of, it'll be reliable. But if you've got big rust issues, you may need to start learning how to weld. A skill I need to work on for all of my 90s nuggets in the US rust belt.
Juco_Dropout@reddit
Rat rod style. If you can prevent the rust from spreading of course- after that embrace it and enjoy your ride!