323 ....is it really expensive to maintain? tell me

[axe]

guys im thinking about buying a 323 but a lot of my friends tell me parts hard to get and they are expensive....and foriegn used parts scarce...and it does burn gas....

ok tell me the truth...hope they are positive...cause ah sell meh wingroad allready (lol)

[hong kong phooey]

from my experience
no problems with the 323
got a 95 (foreign abused)and 98(local new) model and except for the basic oil change and tires the only problem i had was the distributer went in both and the waterpump went in both
sourced distributer easily foreign abused
and new water pump
else no other problem
in the 95 model i had to change the shocks and evaporator(sourced foreign abused)
but those cars are realy good
compared to the nissan (b15 and almera)they do burn more gas. but nothing to talk about
I find they are a better car , to me it more sturdy in the road.
i think in the only car that is better is the corolla

the 95 model is going on 13 years old and not a rust spot on it and the car has not been washed in the 7 years i had it

[awesomeandre]

Good cars

Suspension far better than some nissan cars, and as hong kong said body really is strong

[axe]

ok doesnt sound so bad...but parts prices? , compared to b15 etc?
eg. air flow sensor, front shocks, ...?

[cobo]

Fronts shocks are about 325 KYB got mines from Steve's in Couva. From my experience the velocity joints in my 323 wagon tend to go rell fast. Otherwise good car no problems relly.

[red bwoy]

i got ah 2001 rs wid tiptronic an so far no problems wid parts got all de sensors at southern sales kyb gas shocks by jurawan in diego all four an de bamboo does have body parts i jus neva had to buy but got suspension parts there as well car is sweeeeet

[axe]

ok thks

[Dorikin Performance]

i have a 2002 model 323 local never had any problems just had 2 change normal tings oil, disc pads other than thata absolutely nothing... i get great gas mileage out of it

[wagon r]

my wife 323 hatch (cause it's really not wagon) gets 600km to a tank that cost $110 to fill on average.


...and hers is a FU 323 '01

[triniboi49]

good cars.
no setta ahh front end work like nissan
parts vailable

[acesinghit]

Why TF people saying it does burn gas? that car so damn popular im sure we must know a few ppl well with 1 or perhaps 2.....jus get some sensible reviews please bcause the 2 i know with the roro 323 protege GLX with the 1.6 engine both get at least 500kms per tank. Just do your servicing at the recommended intervals! Its a light car and obviously it will burn more than a NZE Corolla because it has VVT-i...worse yet for a Civic with a 1.5 SOHC VTEC. They are more stable than all the compacts of that generation and it has a kick arse suspension, rock solid for its type compared to the ones in a Corolla, Civic and especially them Nissan vehicles. (i know, I have one). Change your transmission fluid every 20,000kms or talk to a AT specialist.

[acesinghit]

my wife 323 hatch (cause it's really not wagon) gets 600km to a tank that cost $110 to fill on average.


...and hers is a FU 323 '01

u gone whey over the top there dude.......the 2 323's i spoke of both had their EFI systems flushed and serviced. Does your wifey drive the 1.5 DOHC 16V SV-T model? Cause only VVT can give u fuel economy like that! If not tell me what u do..

[wagon r]

will check.....but i eh lyin.....even checked it by the odo a couple of times ....


when i was living in d'go, it was cheaper to drive than travel....

[wagonrunner]

wagon r, may be right,
even the local 1.6 DOHC PBC series we have gives 450km+ per tank ($120 premium), tend to never run it so low the fuel light comes on.

[De Bench]

Buy a Corolla, yuh cyar go wrong

[De Bench]

[quote="wagon r"]my wife 323 hatch (cause it's really not wagon) gets 600km to a tank that cost $110 to fill on average.


...and hers is a FU 323 '01 [/quote]

G, yuh ever drive dat car over 60kms ?

[awesomeandre]

^^

[wagon r]

i have a pic to post for you guys.....gas guage is on half and the trip odo is on 300km....but i have to get it first from her.....and the car hasn't been services since last sept. and it is with a/c use.....

[acesinghit]

^^^ exact engine code of your wifey's car please.....thanks, gonna try and look for one of those my wingroad qg15de just gave me 350kms on a full tank and no a/c.....since it not working right now...wtf?

[hong kong phooey]

wagon r
you doh have to prove anything although the figure sounds a little to good
there is a lot of things that can improve your fuel economy and one of the biggest thing is how you drive.
if she does not pull of hard and keep her engine revs down and keep it below 60 km/hour well it might be possible
when does she drive the car ?is it only when there is no traffic
do you put a fuel treatment each time you fill up ?
it is generally flat roads she drive on
does she drive on the highwayor is the car only used to go to the supermarket andd back
what size engine does the car have ?
is it manual or auto

[wagon r]

auto, she drives harder than me, she does use the a/c, work to home is central to south and back, the car did make usual grocery runs, the odd fuel treatment and engine is 1.6 that comes standard in the BJ.

...and there were moments where i drove and used the tranny....if yuh understand what i'm saying.

[wagon r]

as promised...

[acesinghit]

^^^^.......exact half yes, thing cud pull 634kms on a full tank, thats better than any 1.5 vvt-i corolla i know

[dredman1]

The 1.6 BJ 323 is a really good car. Stiff body and FAR superior suspension to the b14, b15, corolla etc.
Gas milage decent too - wagon r's pic above is also a very common sight for me, and I drive my car with a/c on 99% of the time and in central to barataria rush hour traffic every morning and the same in the evening. However, the last 1/2 of the tank goes down quicker than the first half, so I end up getting about 500kms per tank (guess the gas tank is somewhat V-shaped). All this and I don't really "baby" the car - I drive fairly hard and make a lot of trips to the 6500 redline. Got the car RORO with 23000kms on it and approaching 95000 km now.
Only had 3 major problems (1) a failed ignition coil pack, and even this I found fairly reasonable and easily at Mathura's for about $450 (vs. $1200+ at Southern Sales); (2) a failed a/c fan blower motor. Had some difficulty finding a used one, so changed it with a FU blower fan from a toyota as it bolted right up. The a/c mech said the blower fan from a mitsu is a straight swap also, and both of these you can find all over the place; (3) a failed a/c compressor bearing (I did say I use the a/c 99% of the time ) . This WAS stress to find, but eventually got one brand new from Ryanair.
I changed the timing and accessory belts at 60000km, and the oil & filter religiously every 5000km; coolant and trans fluid once a year, occasional redline oil inj cleaner. Only other maintenance is disc pads and shoes. Majority of frequently replaced suspension parts (cradle arm bushings, ball joints etc) and engine mounts I also get at Mathuras. Southern Sales also have them, but as with all brands you pay more for the OEM qualiy stuff.
I'd highly recommend the car - it's lots of fun to drive, but as with any brand of car the amount of trouble the car gives you is inversely proportional to the amount of maintenance/attention you give it.

[TurboDrive]

^^^ Nice review.

[Strugglerzinc]

but as with any brand of car the amount of trouble the car gives you is inversely proportional to the amount of maintenance/attention you give it.

agreed

[acesinghit]

The 1.6 BJ 323 is a really good car. Stiff body and FAR superior suspension to the b14, b15, corolla etc.
Gas milage decent too - wagon r's pic above is also a very common sight for me, and I drive my car with a/c on 99% of the time and in central to barataria rush hour traffic every morning and the same in the evening. However, the last 1/2 of the tank goes down quicker than the first half, so I end up getting about 500kms per tank (guess the gas tank is somewhat V-shaped). All this and I don't really "baby" the car - I drive fairly hard and make a lot of trips to the 6500 redline. Got the car RORO with 23000kms on it and approaching 95000 km now.
Only had 3 major problems (1) a failed ignition coil pack, and even this I found fairly reasonable and easily at Mathura's for about $450 (vs. $1200+ at Southern Sales); (2) a failed a/c fan blower motor. Had some difficulty finding a used one, so changed it with a FU blower fan from a toyota as it bolted right up. The a/c mech said the blower fan from a mitsu is a straight swap also, and both of these you can find all over the place; (3) a failed a/c compressor bearing (I did say I use the a/c 99% of the time ) . This WAS stress to find, but eventually got one brand new from Ryanair.
I changed the timing and accessory belts at 60000km, and the oil & filter religiously every 5000km; coolant and trans fluid once a year, occasional redline oil inj cleaner. Only other maintenance is disc pads and shoes. Majority of frequently replaced suspension parts (cradle arm bushings, ball joints etc) and engine mounts I also get at Mathuras. Southern Sales also have them, but as with all brands you pay more for the OEM qualiy stuff.
I'd highly recommend the car - it's lots of fun to drive, but as with any brand of car the amount of trouble the car gives you is inversely proportional to the amount of maintenance/attention you give it.

well damn said..........i keep telling ppl, them corolla, b15, b14, wingroad y10 y11 y12, tiida, almera n16 and even the civic and lancer suspension want nothing with them mazda 323 BJ models.....a hyundai elantra suspension although not handling like a mazda, lancer or civic, it is one hard sunoverbitch.......them elantra come standard with war suspension and body parts xd 3rd gen model especially......oh the first gen ford focus has a beyotch of a suspension as well.......the graduates of this now is the new ford focus and mazda 3 which has the exact suspension from a volvo s40

[wagon r]

i could attest to the suspension....her car is a joy to drive as it's sports a fully independent system all around not a straight torsion beam in the rear like most other cars in the class to save costs.

for a small car, true value for money.

and i see she wasn't the only person to suffer the a/c bearing problem...but she got hers fixed by some place in south after jenny's....did a good job too....a/c in dat car does wuk...swear i would see snow one day..

[adzam]

Hoss, cant go wrong wid mazda....fuel cons. depends on how hard u drive. Parts easy to find and on d cheap. Drives real nice. Have a 2003 Protege GLX myself and lovin it...doh study d ppl wit d corolla and honda talk-dey jus jealous..

[horsepwrjunki]

wagon r, honestly.. what would u say it the worst part about that "hatch" .. lookinint one.. and heard lots of bad but i do like them so