It was hard to resist. Just down the road from me, a very original '87 Mazda 323 1.3 5dr with a genuine 70k and full and I do mean full, not to mention almost entirely main dealer service history, plus nearly a years MOT and tax. It needs a proper clean and it has a couple of little rusty bits, but its very solid overall and it drives like new having had just about every service item done in the last few months.
This should tie me over for 3 months while I sell the Charade and take my time searching for a suitable replacement.
Oh and I paid £500 for it, but given the other thread I started the other day, £500 was a bargin compared to the dregs I was turning up on Ebay.
I didnt actually mean to buy it, it was just too good and the seller was top notch genuine enthusiast for these cars. A rarity I couldnt overlook. Hello overdraft!
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£500 for a 23-year-old car!!!
If you can borrow the cash; I've got this bridge I'd like to sell you......
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Well, Im trying to look at it as £500 for a car with a years tax and MOT and a full service history. Given that some people are asking that much for a car nearly as old but with no t&t, its a no brainer really. There just arent the bargins out there that there were about before scrappage.
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>> There just arent the bargins out there that there were about before scrappage.
Good point, Stu. The Governenment and Motor Trade have been quick to label scrappage as a rouring success, but slow to recognise that it had its downside.
Anyway, congratulations with the car. I've a hunch that you'll like it and keep it longer than you think....
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Remind us, Stu - is there anything wrong with the Charade or are you just ready for a change? Good luck with the Mazda - sounds as if it could be a good one.
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Nothing up with the Charade, I just fancy a change, its been two years, I could really do with something bigger on occasion now I have a house with DIY needs, plus the wife is talking baby for next year ( my car would suffice but its a good arguement for a new car with the wife ).
The Mazda is just a temporary fix so that I can take several months to find the ideal car rather than have to rush out and buy something due to the lack of a car. I needed to be able to release the equity in the Charade but still retain some reliable transport. I may end up keeping the Mazda longer than anticipated, its very sweet to drive, but in the end, I do want a long term car.
The current idea is still a Civic VTi Aerodeck, but theres not many without big miles on them about, so Im keeping an open mind incase something takes my fancy. Charade is up for sale now altho wont bother advertsing it here, cant see its anything this crowd would want :-)
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A few years ago when I needed a stopgap car I paid £450 for an ancient Honda Shuttle, with 100k miles on it. It had full history and was in excellent nick (apart from a couple of minor scabs), and had good tyres. Sounds pretty much like 'your' Mazda.
It was one of the best cars I ever owned, not just in terms of value, and I've felt ever since I was a fool to sell it.
So ignore the doubters, Stu. Why not be a bit different?
And in the great scheme of things, 500 iron men isn't a great deal. You can trip over that sort of bill for a service and a few bits easily enough these days. And it doesn't have a FAP, DMF, common fail, etc, etc...
Hope you find a lowish mileage VTi Aerodeck. I thought one might do for us as a practical hack but - like almost all Hondas you come across in France - the few I've seen have all had starship mileages.
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I wouldn't have paid a Monkey for that particular year of 323 guv'na, but as long as you're happy with it that's ok.
I take it its got one of those infernal contraptions called a Carburettor - with an auto choke :(
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...I wouldn't have paid a Monkey...
So what's it worth?
Must be at least 10 ponies, or 60 deep sea divers.
Or a little more - maybe a third of a bag of sand.
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Nice one ifih ... I had to think about it though :)
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Well, ive got it, its already been polished, the weather was perfect for it so I couldnt resist.
Paint is a bit faded but another few hours work and ill have a deep sheen on it. It really is very solid and the only real demerit is the rear valance which has some already treated rust where it meets the wheel arches on both sides, but its more of a tidy up job, something to keep me occupied :-)
Evidence of welding at the back end of both sills, but the finish is tidy enough.
One of the rear tyres is a bit old but praise be, the spare wheel has a nearly new Goodyear on it, so that will be popped on the car before I put it on the road to use ( its having space made for it in the garage atm ).
Im rather happy with it - atleast its not lilac!
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Check the age of that spare tyre, if its older than 6 years I would consider replacing it. A few people have been killed by using their "nearly new" spare tyres which turn out to be 15 years old and break up to pieces at 70mph.
Hopefully it will be something a bit different :) Would certainly make me smile if I saw it.
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When ive got it all polished up next week pics will follow, if I can figure out how, I havent used my photobucket for ages!
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R+S
Where did you get that factoid? Kept cool and out of daylight; tyres have nearly an unlimited lifespan.
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Im not sure where he picked that one up, but he isnt my first choice for car advice although I do love his enthusiasm :-) He should have a motoring blog really.
The NSR tyre on mine has some pretty cracked sidewalls, hence I said its a bit old, but the Goodyear in the boot looks like new.
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>> bit old but the Goodyear in the boot looks like new.
>>
Agreed, there's a 14 year old Dunlop in the MB's boot on an unused alloy, it sees the light of day about once a year for pressure check and it's as it left the factory.
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>> Where did you get that factoid? Kept cool and out of daylight; tyres have nearly
>> an unlimited lifespan.
Probably from somewhere like this: www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html#top
Scroll down to 'DOT Codes and the 6-year shelf life'.
I was chatting to the MOT tester on my last visit who told me the powers that be tried to make an age limit part of the test. Perhaps pressure from tyre manufacturers?
It certainly gave me more grip when I replaced my 10-15 year old tyres with new ones.
Edit. just read my own post: 'Perhaps pressure from tyre manufacturers?' No pun intended!
Last edited by: bathtub tom {p} on Mon 5 Apr 10 at 17:15
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"Perhaps pressure from tyre manufacturers?"
Always have inflated opinions of themselves IMO.
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...always have inflated opinions of themselves IMO...
But they know what goes around comes around.
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I once looked at a batch of cotton-reinforced L-Rover 80" Series 1 Dunlop cross-plies that the MOD had just released from it's store. [It had been c.50 years since they got rid of their last Series 1, so they obviously reckoned there was now little chance that they might need them.]
They were made in the mid-50s and were in "as new" condition as they had been stored inside a warehouse, spiral-wrapped in waxed paper. [Not the one that caught fire - obviously.]
Tyres that sit in the sun, under load and little used [like caravans] are the biggest problem - those may be scrap after only 3 years.
Last edited by: Screwloose on Mon 5 Apr 10 at 18:28
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>>....and the 6-year shelf life'.
>>
Just scrapped an approx seven year old Conti off a Yaris.
It was the last tyre still in use since the Yaris was bought S/H and has done 30K in our ownership. The tread wear was down towards the wear blocks but there was a small crack all the way around the wall. When the tyre was removed I tried flexing it and small cracks could be seen in the tread.
Much more relaxed now it has been replaced.
In this case the six year life looks to be a pretty accurate guide.
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Ref the Vti, I did the very same thing when I came out of the company car scheme, the engine is mental but very noisy. Make sure that you can live with the noise on motorway journeys. Drove me nuts after a while so I moved it on..... if ever a car needed a sixth gear.
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Drove a VTi for 4 years - 19.5mph/1000rpm in 5th is indeed low as Pezzer says.
Managed 32-34mpg average, maniiiiiiiiic engine.
If you do see one, make sure it's had it's rear suspension links done as they are usually dead after about 10 years.
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Thanks for the tip. Its what Im calling my starting point in my car search as I like what it offers, but I am still open minded about my eventual choice. I like the Rover 420 Tourer, but the M-Series engine is very fragile, hence I prefer the Honda version with their unit.
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Got underneath the car today and my goodness its solid as can be, I was really suprised, even at the back end where cars usually start going. Nearly new exhaust too. I was looking for leaks etc but its all dry as a bone.
Runs unevenly on autochoke, but soon smooths out. I only mention that because my dads later 1.5 323 ran smoothly from cold.
If this car is going to be all suprisingly good, Im going to have to conclude its a tricky car and is playing with my mind :-)
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My Mum had one of those (Mazda 323 mk1s) she bought it in 1978ish, and drove it for 10 years then gave it to me!
Mind you... you should have seen the car she had before the Mazda!!!
picnic on the downs anyone?
www.toymods.org.au/~rod/Crowns/60-70%20Series/MS6x%20Wagons/Brochure%20Early%20001.jpg
theres room for everyone:
www.toymods.org.au/~rod/Crowns/60-70%20Series/MS6x%20Wagons/Brochure%20Late%20002.jpg
That Toyota was truly something else, she had two in succession, must have got the first one in about 1974, then changed it when power steering became standard fit. They were as rare as rocking horse merde even then, and I simply don't remember when I last saw one.
Guy
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Was there a 'Lazy' V6 in there Guy?
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Those Crowns were a 2.6 straight 6 as far as I remember but I could be wrong on the cylinder layout. Tried to get the old chap to look at a new estate when I was a kid in the 70s... such a fascinating tank of a car. He wasn't keen on an obscure Japanese motor back then so instead he worked his way through estate versions of Triumph 2000, 2.5PI, Volvo 145E, Granada 3lt and so on.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Thu 22 Apr 10 at 20:53
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you are right it was a straight 6. I loved it as a kid, had great fun in the back pulling faces at people following us, and on the rare occasions we saw another one, lots of waving and headlight flashing would occur.
At same time my dad had a Triumph TC2000 estate and then a Passat mk 1 estate, I don't remember the Ttriumph much, he wasn't around much, but the Passat mk 1 was seen as very cool.
My mum did the lions share of school runs, and weekends away etc etc, so the big Toyota was a big part of my life for years.
I never knew quite what to make of the styling! ever seen anything like it before or since.
G
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I love those old Crowns - real style about them (probably drove terribly though, but that's not the point, is it)
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I was severly drawn to those big old crowns. I think it was a form of perversion, no-one should be attracted to something that badly styled. I think I am cured now.
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bringing it back to where we started, my mum eventually replaced the big Toyota Crown with a Mazda 323.
one of these (but hers was 5 door hatch back)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mazda_323_Notchback.jpg
I've got a book here called "my dad had one of those"... full of boys toys like Triumph Stags, Lotus Cortinas, Capris, Citroen DS, Land Rovers, ... maybe I should start a "my mum had one of those" list which could no doubt have the following (at least these are what i remember by friends mums driving on the shool run)
Mini
Maxi
Wolesley verision of Mini
Austin 1300
2CV
Renault 4
Hillman Imp
Hillman Hunter
Mini Metro (early ones)
Rover 2000
My Mum had a Toyota Crown Custom 2600... or did I already mention that :-), though to be fair she bought the toyota after most of my memories of the above, when at that time I think she was driving a Cortina esate (mk II)
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Hillman Imp? Singer Chamois for my Mum if you don't mind. Sniff.
;-)
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of course I forgot the VW Beetle, there were a few of those, along with some strange Citroens that looked like stretch 2CVs. the dads used to show up from time to time (mine included) and I do indeed remember Triumph Stags, TC 2000s, Jag MkX, Jag XJ6, when was the first Range Rover? I am sure I remember a couple of those? also citroen DSs, Volvo 240 estates, which had this strange feature... a dashboard light and a beeper if you didn't put on your seatbelt!
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only time i saw toyota custom crowns was in the block and the bumpers had enough rust on them to slit your legs open at 50 paces
did i also mention the recirculating ball steering set up?
anyone who drives these old jap imports will well remember that once theyve done a few then driving a mk1 transit on a motorway while constantly correcting the steering wheel would only be seen as some masochistic pleasure
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Umm, guys,, I think I just bought a car. Oops - Screwloose
