Used Mazda 323, shopping guide, specifications, price, advantages and disadvantages

About twenty years ago, the peak period of our country’s automobile industry was. In those years, we saw world-class cars from reputable brands on the production lines of domestic automakers, and there was no news of their unnamed Chinese cars at space prices. One of the most famous cars assembled in Iran in those years was the Mazda 323. A harmless, high-quality, quiet car that many owners are still reluctant to sell. This Japanese sedan, although a little older, is still a significant choice in the used car market. In the following, we will examine this car in full.

Introduction of Mazda 323

Mazda 323, whose original name was Familia, is one of the oldest Mazda products. This car was first introduced in 1963 and was produced in different versions such as coupe, station wagon and even van. In fact, the van we know in Iran as the Mazda 1000 was the second-generation pickup version of the Familia. Then from the fourth generation, Mazda introduced this car in some export markets such as Europe under the name of 323; But the car we saw in Iran was the ninth or last generation 323, which was introduced in 1998. This generation was produced in two versions, sedan and hatchback, of which only the sedan version came to Iran. Almost at the same time with the start of the global supply of the ninth generation 323, Bahman Group also started its production in Iran in 1379. Of course, the eighth generation 323 had experienced a limited presence in our country’s market as an import, but the ninth generation introduced itself much more seriously and boldly in the market.

At first, the 323 was an almost unrivaled car in our country’s car market, but soon the head of a powerful competitor named Citroen Xantia was found, and a short time later, the Peugeot Pars ELX arrived. However, the Mazda sedan still had its customers and was welcomed thanks to its high quality, good performance and well-known Japanese brand. This car was marketed in the early 80’s with a price of about 22 million tomans, which was exactly the same price as Xantia, but it was about five million tomans more expensive than Pars ELX. 323 was facelifted by Mazda in 2001 and Bahman Group took the facelifted version to the production line without delay in 2003. Production of 323 in our country continued until 2007 and then gave way to the new Mazda 3 model. Interestingly, the ninth generation 323 is still in production in China without much change.

Exterior design of Mazda 323

Although the 323 looked quite modern for its time, the 2001 Facelift made things much better. In this facelift, the main changes were made in the front part and 323 was equipped with new lights, bumper and windshield, but the rear view remained intact. The new form of windshield and headlights made the 323 look much more modern and better than before, as well as initiating Mazda’s new design language, an evolved version of which can still be seen in the company’s current products. For this reason, even though more than twenty years have passed since the design of this car, it still looks modern and eye-catching and has a lot to say about so-called newer cars like the Soren, which shows the durability of Mazda designs. Gives.

Interior design of Mazda 323

The 323 also has a great interior design for a car from the early 2000s, which can even embarrass many new domestic cars. Also, since older cars like Peugeot 206 are still being produced in our country without any changes, and new designs like the inside of Peugeot Pars do not have much to say, especially in terms of quality, the slightly old view of the dashboard, steering wheel and 323 amp screen can not be He had a problem. Also, the quality of the material here is acceptable considering the price of the car, and at least it is better than the new domestic cars. As a compact sedan, the Mazda 323 provides a good interior space for the occupants, and its large 415-liter trunk will fully meet the needs of families. At the same time, the good design and ergonomics of the seats also reduce fatigue over long distances.

Mazda 323 powertrain, gearbox and fuel consumption

Although the 323 was offered in the world market with various engines that had a power of up to 130 hp in the 2-liter version, Bahman Group chose a 1.6-liter engine with only 106 hp and 145 Nm of torque to be offered in Iran. has it. Although these numbers, which are exactly the same level as the Peugeot TU5 engine, seem to be enough for a weight of nearly 1.1 tons 323, but if the 1.8-liter Mazda engine with 114 horsepower is offered in our country, it could have a great positive effect on the 323 engine. Of course, the same engine accelerates the car from zero to 100 km / h in 11.6 seconds, which is still faster than many domestic cars, but more power in a car of this class and price could be better. 323 was initially offered in our country with a five-speed manual gearbox, but in 2004, Bahman Group also offered an automatic version with a four-speed gearbox. The automatic version, however, was no different in propulsion than the manual version. 323 with manual transmission consumes 7.5 liters of gasoline per hundred kilometers, which is an acceptable figure even by today’s standards.

Driving and riding Mazda 323

The Mazda 323 is as enjoyable to drive as it is, thanks to the good coordination of the drivetrain and gearbox in both manual and automatic versions. The manual transmission performs well with short gear ratios, and the automatic transmission shifts gears in a timely manner. The handling and stability of the car are good and the ride quality is acceptable, but when passing over the roughness of the road, the rear suspension makes a relatively loud noise that can be annoying for the rear passengers. Contrary to expectations, the rear 323 has no disc brakes and uses bowl models, but the car brakes perform well and provide high stopping power, which gives the driver a sense of confidence, especially in the ABS and EBD models.

Mazda 323 equipment

The Mazda 323, in the style of 2000’s economy cars, is not very busy in terms of equipment, and its most important safety and comfort features are only in the hydraulic steering, manual air conditioning, four-door power windows, front fog lamps, six-speaker cassette audio system. , An airbag and five-way manual adjustment of the front seats are summarized. Of course, later Bahman Group presented the so-called full version of this car with the letters Type 3 and Type 5, which were equipped with more equipment, including electric folding side mirrors with heater and sunroof. The only difference between the two types was in the gearbox, which was in the manual type 3 and in the type 5 automatic, and they were not different in terms of equipment. Bahman Group also presented Type 4 for this car, which was in fact the same Type 5 automatic that only did not have a sunroof.

Advantages and disadvantages of Mazda 323

As you may have noticed from the above, the advantages of the Mazda 323 far outweigh its disadvantages. High build quality, beautiful exterior design that still looks modern and eye-catching, pleasing ride and handling, powertrain and gearbox coordination, low power dissipation, powerful brakes, high technical durability, comfortable seats and low fuel consumption are all points The strength of this sedan is the Japanese, which has made it an attractive option in the used car market. However, no car is perfect, and the noise of the rear suspension, limited equipment and relatively low propulsion power are some of the 323 disadvantages. Also, like all cars assembled by private automakers years ago, the scarcity and high cost of spare parts is another problem with this compact Mazda sedan.

Price of Mazda 323 used

Mazda 323, due to its good name and popularity among the people, has maintained its value well and is currently not cheap, so that the price of its lowest models, 1380, with a range of nearly 300,000 kilometers, starts from about 150 million tomans. In newer models such as the 1385 or 1386 model with a range of about 250,000 km, this figure has increased significantly and reaches about 250 million tomans, while the price of the automatic version in the early models such as 1383 starts from the same figure and in the cleanest and highest models It reaches about 320 million tomans. This means that a clean 323 automatic model, model 1385, is priced at the same level as the Peugeot Pars, with zero kilometers, with the XU7 engine, which shows the preservation of the extraordinary value of the Mazda sedan.

Conclusion

In total, Mazda 323 is a quality, beautiful and lovable car that can tempt those who are looking for a suitable used car with 200 to 300 million Tomans. Of course, it should be noted that the 323 is finally a car with at least fifteen years of age, which will most likely need to be replaced and serviced, and due to the scarcity and high price of spare parts, it may cost the buyer a lot, but if this No problem, Mazda 323 can be an ideal option to buy.

Positive points

• High build quality
• Convenient exterior design
• Optimal riding and handling
• High durability
• Drive and gearbox coordination
• Powerful brakes
• Comfortable chairs

negative points

• Rare and expensive spare parts
• Rear suspension noise
• Limited equipment, especially in basic types
• Relatively low propulsive power

Technical specifications of Mazda 323