I need the Gods of Grassroots to teach me the cool, uncool, great sucesses, miserable failures of the Mazda 323 hatch. I found one for cheap and am going to offer even cheaper on a 1991 323 hatch, gonna offer $400, should i do it?
The one in question... http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/1494370566.html
I don't see what's so special about them outside of the GTX,
There is nothing special about them but at $400 I suspect that he is looking for basic transportation.
Nothing says basic quite as well as a mazda 323. Not that the 323's are some how spectacular but rather the are completely basic.
It does say that it needs a new clutch. Plan some budget for that.
i just see it as a back-up daily driver to my Jetta as I could pick it up cheap and slap a clutch in it for cheap. I really want a GTX, but those are hard to find...
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/1509702581.html
Better car if possible for you.
No, no - those are great little cars, really! I used to own a GLC (the 323's predecessor), and they handle very well even though they aren't rockets in a straight line. Reliability is a strong point, too. Get it!
Shouldn't every bragging point about the Escort GT / Protege / etc cars apply to this as well, save for the engine? It's a B series so swaps abound, and since they're high mileage it's not like it wouldn't need new struts and related suspension freshening anyway.
Great cars. My '94 Protege DX was basically the same car but with rear doors, a trunk and .2 liters more displacement. Regularly got mid-30s or higher MPG and was a ball to drive.
pres589 wrote: Shouldn't every bragging point about the Escort GT / Protege / etc cars apply to this as well, save for the engine? It's a B series so swaps abound, and since they're high mileage it's not like it wouldn't need new struts and related suspension freshening anyway.
For the most part, yes.... but for me, the engine IS the main bragging point of the Escort GT in particular. The rest of the car is fun, don't get me wrong, but i just don't feel that the rest of the car is that remarkable when compared to a Neon/integra/celica/civic for example.
DukeOfUndersteer wrote: i just see it as a back-up daily driver to my Jetta as I could pick it up cheap and slap a clutch in it for cheap. I really want a GTX, but those are hard to find...
SVRex has one for sale.
For this one, I'd buy it, slap a clutch in it...maintain it, drive it and maybe even rally-x it...
ya, i remember him saying that it was, dont have a trailer to pick it up though... Hes got a Justy too doesnt he, my other favorite little hatch...
In reply to 93celicaGT2:
If it already needs a clutch, he's in a great position to get a BP from an EGT or whatever else is lying around, right? I mean, that swap should in theory be pretty straight forward, and he could probably find one with half the miles that are on the car in question.
Weren't you just talking about doing a KL-ZE swap into an EGT? He could do the same. Or how many other swaps? I've never owned a 323 but it always seemed like an excellent canvas to start work on for the right person.
pres589 wrote: In reply to 93celicaGT2: If it already needs a clutch, he's in a great position to get a BP from an EGT or whatever else is lying around, right? I mean, that swap should in theory be pretty straight forward, and he could probably find one with half the miles that are on the car in question. Weren't you just talking about doing a KL-ZE swap into an EGT? He could do the same. Or how many other swaps? I've never owned a 323 but it always seemed like an excellent canvas to start work on for the right person.
Absolutely!
BP FE3 F2T KLDE KLZE KL
Any of those will fit in there with fairly straightforward work, and people have already done the legwork.
Here's a nice little KLZE 323. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkFskOhVxNk
I'd buy it! Hell, I just bought a Protege LX that shares the same chassis.
I don't know what engine the 323 came with (B8 maybe?), but I was solidly and surprisingly impressed with the B8's performance when paired with the 5 speed on the Protege DXes I test drove over the past few weeks. I can see that car with that engine completely adequate for a little DD beater. Swaps can come later.
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/1471475659.html
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/1502339444.html
http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/1466152325.html <---this last guy is nuts!
In reply to Carson:
The BG 323 came with a mpfi sohc B6, a B8 or BP will bolt right up the the transmission in the 323 though. The older BF non-gtx 323s had a sohc B6 too but with a different intake manifold being the most obvious difference.
I had a '91 323 with the B6 and 5 speed as my first real commuter car. With a cone filter and muffler shop exhaust it sounded nice and was plenty adequate for the car.
I think the wheelbase on the 323 is around 4" shorter than the other BG chassis variants.
If I found one that wasn't rusty around here, I'd snatch it up in a heart beat and transfer everything from my ZX2 into it for a sweet M2 rallycross mochine.
In reply to 92celicaGT2:
Do the FE3 and F2T bolt right in like the rest of those swaps? I thought they were pretty much completely different in terms of mounts/axles/etc. And don't forget the B6T and BPT
A 323 with an F2T would be a very surprising little car. Wonder if these cars have the torque steer issues that the F2T 626 I had did, I guess you'd need a decent amount of torque to find out... That said, a B6T swap from a Capri XR2 would probably be easier to deal with. Then again, gas mileage may actually be better with the F2T.
But this just all proves my point, you can put plenty of motor in a 323 and you've basically got a short wheelbase Protege on your hands, the thing should be a GRM enthusiast's dream.
If anything, I would recommend swapping out those damn electric seatbelts for some manual belts..!
I'm guessing you'd be swapping the transmission along with the engine if you went with an F-series engine.
They're pretty nice little cars, if you tastes run to the simple. I like 'em. Honest and fun because of it. I do have a few factory manuals littering my garage if anyone wants one - drop me a line.
The GTX is a different beast. It's a bit more of an exotic with a few weak spots and some parts availability problems - but it's a true homologation special.
Keith: Any thoughts on which trans would be stronger, the one in the 323 or the one out of a 626 with an F motor? I had problems with my 626 in this area and it's the number one thing that scares me away from owning one of these cars again.
cghstang wrote: In reply to Carson: The BG 323 came with a mpfi sohc B6, a B8 or BP will bolt right up the the transmission in the 323 though. The older BF non-gtx 323s had a sohc B6 too but with a different intake manifold being the most obvious difference. I had a '91 323 with the B6 and 5 speed as my first real commuter car. With a cone filter and muffler shop exhaust it sounded nice and was plenty adequate for the car. I think the wheelbase on the 323 is around 4" shorter than the other BG chassis variants. If I found one that wasn't rusty around here, I'd snatch it up in a heart beat and transfer everything from my ZX2 into it for a sweet M2 rallycross mochine. In reply to 92celicaGT2: Do the FE3 and F2T bolt right in like the rest of those swaps? I thought they were pretty much completely different in terms of mounts/axles/etc. And don't forget the B6T and BPT
They pretty much bolt right in... with some lego-playing ala Honda. Hodgepodge of axles, mounts, transmission, blah blah blah. It can be done using almost all OEM Mazda Parts. There's a couple guys on ClubProtege that have done the FE3 swap.
Most don't even think about the F2T swap because they don't feel like dying immediately. I couldn't imagine my motor in something like a 323. I just pooped a little at my computer thinking about it. It's horrifying in my heavier, bigger MX6.
dxman92 wrote: If anything, I would recommend swapping out those damn electric seatbelts for some manual belts..!
Gotta get those parts from Canada.
Keith wrote: I'm guessing you'd be swapping the transmission along with the engine if you went with an F-series engine.
You don't HAVE to... the G-series transmission will bolt up, as a matter of fact, the MX6 LX with the n/a F2 uses a g-series trans.
The G-series should hold up to an n/a FE3, but i wouldn't suggest pairing it with an F2T, or a boosted FE3. Hell, for that matter, the g-series has a bit of a hard time holding up to a boosted BP. It's not a great transmission. BUT: TheRielDeal has successfully completed a Toyota E153 transmission swap on his BPT, which opens up a world of possibilities for BG chassis owners. If you had to name one completely bulletproof and insanely overbuilt FWD transmission, the E153 would be the one.
pres589 wrote: Keith: Any thoughts on which trans would be stronger, the one in the 323 or the one out of a 626 with an F motor? I had problems with my 626 in this area and it's the number one thing that scares me away from owning one of these cars again.
The 626 had either a G-series like the 323, or an H-series in the boosted application.
The H-series is a pretty robust unit if you drive with any sense. 
Mine is holding up to well over double stock power with no problems, and it's got 172k miles on it. For that matter, the stock clutch is holding as well.
Yeah, I should have done my research before asking, instead of after.
I never had a clutch problem, they don't wear, I just break transmissions apparently. I did do some reading on swaps and it seems like this is a bolt in with the right planning and sourcing of bits. Looking through other forums makes me appreciate this one, with the clarity of answers given and useful information.
I seriously need to get my life back into order and start on a project instead of just talking about them...
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