Here’s how the Mazda 323 was more than just a Great Little Car
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In this episode I provide the history of the Mazda 323, which started out in America in 1977 as the GLC ("Great Little Car"), and was based on the Familia that had been sold in Japan since 1963. Ford was part of the development of the 323 by 1980, and by 1985, the GLC name was dropped and used the 323 name as it was in Europe. Ford also used the 323 as the basis of the Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer between 1991 and 2003. In 1989, the sedan version of the 323 became the Protege in the U.S. where it remained until its cancellation in 2003, being replaced by the Mazda 3.
I love the way they tried to differentiate it from the rotary engined models, by stating 'piston engined'. Just in case a potential buyer thought they were getting something too radical.
Phil Paxton - Exactly what jumped out to me as well. Those old of us to remember know what that was all about. I've owned a Tribute, 626, 2 MPV's, and 2 Mazda 5's. I currently have a 2007 Mazda 3 in my stable so i'm a Mazda fan.
And me over here trying to put a rotary in my 88 323 gtx.
I saw that 🙂
You meant "something too radial".
Well, to be fair, they wanted something reliable!
My mom had a Protoge5 after her Dodge Colt died, it's a nostalgic car for me when I was a kid. Was super practical and was fun to drive
My first car was a Protege5 5 speed. Loved it but sold it before the rust started.
I had a Protege5 for a while and loved that car. Not the best on gas and could have used a 6th gear but it was really fun to drive and super practical. Ive been looking for one that isnt rotted out like mine turned out to be after a life in the New England salty winters
My bare bones, manual 1989 323 is the most fondly remembered car I have ever owned. It was the first car I bought on my own when I was fresh out of college. I moved to a new city with everything I owned in the back and became an adult. This video brought back some fond memories. Thank you!
I loved my '89 323 too!
I bought brand new in 2001 a Mazda Protege, had it until 2007 and then got a 2007 Mazda 3, and have had nothing but Mazda’s ever since, a total of 3 Mazda 3’s, a CX5 and now a CX30, Literally the best cars I’ve ever owned.
They're reliability shot through the roof.Ford pulling out left Mazda be in control of their own products.Not bad for such a small company.They deserve the highest respect.That was no small feat.
i absolutely love the protégés. i have one and it’s the most reliable and well cared for car ive ever owned. i’d sooner sell my sportier cars in favour of the reliability my mazda offers. i would enjoy a protegé 5 for my next car since i love wagons and my protegé. luckily mine is rust free!
I still have a 1981 GLC Sport 5 Speed that was a hand me down from my dad. I love that car. Learned to drive manual on it, and it made me into the car nut I am today.
I owned 2 Mazadspeed Proteges, (a yellow my daily driver and orange one, as a project car) but after 3 engine and 3 turbo replacements on my daily I decided to fix it up for the last time and sell it, along with my orange one. Those 2.0 engines weren't meant to be boosted as they had a bad oil pickup, that's why you don't see many of the Mazdaspeeds on road anymore, and they were rare to begin with. Also the rust always eats at the quarters, even with the 1st gen Mazda 3. But I do have fond memories, as those cars are what I learned to wrench on. Great episode!
You are on point about the Protégés rust issue. 5 years ago, a co-worker had a red Protégés wagon. The car very reliable but the rust on the rear quarter panels were bad.
Can we please get something on Cadillac Fleetwoods!? They were discontinued after 1996 and they were popular GM cars that vanished..
At one point in 94 Cadillac had a Sedan DeVille (front drive) and the The Fleetwood Broughham (rear drive) with the exact same body design language with different sizes. Cadillac was lost during this period. They didn't know if to market to youth or the elderly. I'll repeat that, 2 car lines on different platforms with the exact same design language. They finally had to ax both of them and regroup because it was going horrible for them by the late 90's
Oh yes the troubled rotary engine. Expensive apex seal replacements, high fuel consumption and dirty exhaust. There was a reason they never caught on. I recall the Millenia, their failed attempt to have a luxury division to compete with Volkswagen's Audi and Toyota's Lexus and others, perhaps....
Keeping on the Mazda theme, how about the 80 to 84 B series pickups? I haven't seen any since 1988 when in 87 I owned an 83 B2000 Sundowner with a/c and am/FM radio, and a jewel of a 5 speed manual transmission. Sadly none survived due to excessive rust and frame rot.
lol
The Mazda pickups were great. They were affordable and anyone I knew who had one loved them.
I had a 2002 Mazda Protégé5 with a 5 speed transmission, what a great and fun car.
My first car in dark blue.
Wow, talk about forgotten cars! Thanks for this episode, Id bet the GLC is the most forgotten 70's car second to maybe the early RX coupes and sedans.
My first car was my parents old 78 GLC in blue. I found out that 1st gen RX-7 suspension, brakes and rearend swapped in pretty easily. A 2.8L Chevy V-6 with TBI took care of the lack of power and that car was quite a terror for a good 10 years back in the 90's....cops hated me! The car finally rusted out but that V-6 lives on, in my Samurai rock crawler.
My first new car was a 1989 323 hatchback, I have fond memories of it. The owners manual also covered the turbo version, and I remember thinking how cool it would be to have the gtx turbo.
They're now attaining collector status
Ah, reading the manual - a lost art.
Another Mazda you should do a story on is the Millenia (US name). My dad had two of them but it was not a popular car. The noteworthy parts are that it was designed to launch Mazda’s failed luxury brand Amati (think Lexus, Infiniti, or Acura) and had a Miller-cycle engine.
My 98 Millenia was the base model, 2.5 V6. It needed more power, especially with the obligatory 4speed auto. The model S brought 210 supercharged hp, lots more fun no doubt.
@@terry-zi7eh I think my dad’s first one was an S. He really liked it. The second one didn’t excite him as much so it may of had the smaller engine
I recalled looking at what was known in Australia as the Eunos 800 or 800M in 1996 when my parents could not get their W210 E230 Mercedes as intended.gave them the reasons why not to buy German but they would have not have a bar of it.they went with a smaller C Class instead C200 W202 which was downright ugly.The alternative I would have suggested would have been a 1991 to 1993 929 second hand check for a good example with low km and features for less than either of the Mercs.
Thank you for making the 323 episode first! Focussing on the less glamorous, and so less remembered, models is what makes your channel stand out.
"If you don't know what a rotary engine is...."
Maybe this will help:
There's an automotive shop in the city I work in, they work exclusively on rotary engine cars.
Needless to say, their parking lot is always packed with stuff to be repaired. Nuff said. 😂
Rotary engines:
-less weight than a 4 cylinder
-power like a 6 cylinder
-gas mileage of an 8 cylinder
-the reliability of an MG
🤣😂🤣
@@vincedibona4687 lol
Mazda has come a long way. The new ones have a 5/5 reliability rating from consumer reports. That's better than Toyota or Honda.
How many Mazdas have 400k+ miles on them? 🤔
Not even in the same league with Honda and Toyota
@@georgspaju513 Agreed. Because they’re so much better than both of them. Mazda are a premium brand now, making Japanese BMWs for the masses.
Mazda is partnered with Toyota now, so Toyota's quality is hopefully starting to rub off on Mazda. Some are even built on the same assembly line.
@@vincedibona4687 Many. There are people still riding around with the original Skyactiv 3s from nearly a decade ago after the company told Ford to shove off. They're also one of the only makers who still employs a traditional 6 speed auto, no tragic CVTs in sight (for now).
84 Jeep Cherokee next. It launched the suv craze and set the design standard for the jeep brand to this day. Too bad it couldnt save amc.
Nice vid. Is it possible for the next Mazda to be the 929? A very interesting car
I had an 88 Tracer as my first car. It was a great car and I loved it. I seem to recall the engine said Mazda on it. The dash was identical to the 323 but the exterior was a bit more rounded. After that car, interestingly, I got a Protege.
My first car was also an 88 Tracer (4 door hatch in blue). Unfortunately the transmission went out in the 65K mile range. After a very expensive transmission rebuild the car was totaled within a year when someone t-boned me in the right rear corner. Coincidentally, I also owned a 94 Protege several years later.
@@brenspin I had a blue also! The car had almost 200k miles when it finally died on me. My Protege was a 95 or 96. Years later I had a Mazda3 which is the same 3 class car
Add me to the 88 Tracer as a first car club. Four door door in metallic blue with the three speed slushbox. Sadly, I had an oil leak and blew the engine on the way to school one morning.
@@jpmiller7922 Mine was 4 door also, with automatic. The club is growing! The only problem I remember having with mine is the alternator. We replaced it 3 times.
@@tekgamer33 In my experience, brakes seemed like a weak point because I had brake work done multiple times before the car ever reached 80K miles. It was really good in the snow probably because of skinnier, less sport-oriented tires unlike modern cars. I've had cars in the 2000s with AWD, traction control and winter tires that felt less capable than that 88 Tracer with ordinary passenger tires.
Your voice is perfect for these videos
Day 1 of asking him to make a Daihatsu episode
Just once I want the voice over to say "and we'll leave the light on for you"
Fun fact about first gen of GLC:
It was revived in Indonesia between 1990-1997 as Mazda MR90 (Mobil Rakyat 90/90's People car) later renamed Mazda Baby Boomer for the hatchback and Mazda Vantrend for the wagon version. The reason why it was revived because the GLC was intended to be a national car project and also low cost variant to the newer 323. Although it was never catch up the "national car" label due to Kia Sephia launched as Timor S151 to be the national car of Indonesia but it was failed due Asian Economic Crisis of 1998.
Chevy Astro. GMs failed minivan shot makes a new product segment by accident. The compact utility/compact camper van. The ford aerostar followed the same path.
The Astro enjoys popularity with same people who like LS swaps
Please an Episode on the Mitsubishi Diamante and Galant!
🙋🏻♂️Mazda 323F (1987,)
Mazda protege 5 😍, thanks by Mazda 323 episode,
More by Mazda 626 next episode
The "Just one Look" song in that 2nd Gen commercial really brings it back...
I had a 2002 Astina 323 that replaced a 1999 121 Metro from 2002-2006.these days I drive a 2008 3 Maxx Sport BK series 2.looked at one at a car warehouse after the car I had before it was written off by a truck and wasn't coming home so was sold.My Mazda interest personally dates back to when the get in be moved commercials featuring Martika's I feel the earth move song was part of it.
I have a Ford Laser SW 1.5 ( SOHC ) which is basically a Mazda 323 SW, the first model ( FWD ) ran from 1987 thru to 1997 largely unchanged, the sedans and hatch backs were up dated most years but the 323 SW and Laser SW remained much the same, minor changes, either 1.3 or 1.5, earlier 323,s were carby fed, think some were EFI.
Mine is a good reliable car very economical and still looks quite reasonable, not too dated.
i do not like the late model Mazda,s they are UGLY!!
The Mazda GLC was recreated in Indonesia in 1990 as a national car to compete the best selling car back then, Toyota Kijang. It was sold with the name MR90, stands for "Mobil Rakyat 1990" or "People Cars of 1990" and later the facelift version of MR90 named Baby Boomers. The wagon version of GLC also recreated with the new name, Vantrend
I would like the My Old Car future episode for Chrysler F-body triplets like Dodge Aspen/Plymouth Volare/Chrysler Cordoba.
Edit: Maybe after Mazda Future My Old Car epsiodes.
sooo cool the first car i remember my mum driving was a 323 Astina then my first car was a mazda lantis now i own a 1985 323 wagon with a 12a rotary swap this vid help me realize iv been a mazda guy since birth 😂
How about you skip the RX & get to the VW Jetta? My first two cars, an ‘86 & a ‘00. So yes I’m biased. We all are on this nostalgic channel.
I remember the GLC. It wasn't a great looking car but it did get great gas mileage. The current Mazda 3 should be known as the Mazda 323. Better name. The old 323 GTX will be very hard to find but worth having.
Ford couldn't make a small car worth anything until they teamed up with Mazda
Yep. My brother's 1988 Nissan Sentra was significantly more refined than my 1987 Escort and a friend's 1986 Ford EXP. That being said, his Nissan liked to spit out spark plugs and both Fords cracked cylinder heads with less than 90k miles
This era of Japanese compacts from 1975-1985 or so was so exciting, yet boring simultaneously.
These comments are hilarious. If Mazdas were/are so great, where are all the old ones? Why only a 3% market share in the USA?
Pff. Pfffffffff…
Ah yes, another episode of Boring car, boring car, boring car, boring car
Interesting car - but that never made it to the US
Boring car, boring car, boring car, boring car
Interesting car - but that also never made it to the US
I remember the 87 Mercury Tracer, much better than the Lynx it replaced. Used as one of our drivers ed cars, along with a 626 and Buick centuries and LeSabres. Everyone preferred the Tracer, quite a fun car.
1999 Mazda Protége in North America, 323 in Europe, rebadged as Ford Lynx in the Philippines, Ford Laser in Taiwan.
I like the way the ad folks used "Spanish Flea" by Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass as the jingle's tune.
I had a mercury tracer with the 1.8 by ford and it was trunk. Imo the Mazda powered versions of the escort gt and tracer were better cars. I still think Ford moving away from Mazda was one of their worst decisions, but thats ancient history. Mazda small car program definitely has been better Ford's.
God I can remember in the mid 1980's my aunt Claire having one of the hatch back and it was the first time I drove and unfortunately it had a manual transmission and I couldn't get it out of the driveway in reverse LoL. Now being 49 years old here in Hamilton Ontario Canada and a stroke and cardiac arrest survivor and use a cane for balance when I'm outside walking I not allowed to drive again
I test drove a 323 GTX, it was wild! I believe it was intercooled as well.
I got bid out by another buyer while I dithered. Dang.
You know what was a really overlooked car? The Mitsubishi Diamante!
My 1st car was the 6th generation 323 in 1988. I've had mazdas ever since. I now drive a 2021 CX5 Grand touring reserve. They're one of the most reliable yet affordable cars around.
Sounds like you’ve been through quite a few of them. Meanwhile, I am still driving my 1998 4Runner with 200k+ on it, no rust, and the paint looks new. No little problems, like power window switches going out, and the only thing I have done to the engine was replace the oil pan gasket. I’ll stick to that, and expect to get at least another 200k out of her.
@@vincedibona4687 Maybe he just likes upgrading to a new car?
@@vincedibona4687 I usually change/upgrade cars every 4 or 5 years as my grandfather and mom has done before.
1980’s the made a four wheel drive 323! Maybe called gtx
My family's first ever new car was a Kia K-303, which was licensed from Mazda, I think 1000 or 1300. K-303 had 1.3L engine and 4-speed manual.
I was a little kid, so didn't know much about anything, let alone cars, but it'd be so cool if I could have a K-303 as a collector's car.
As an adult, I did own a Protege5 at one point. It was noisy, uncomfortable, but had character, and I could fit a lot of stuff into it.
Mazda 818 or 808 I think
Do Mazdaspeed next for a Mazda episode.
Own mazda protege 2000 rust free when I sold it next to impossible to fine all of have rust to far gone to be saved
This was the first new car I ever owned, popped a freeze plug at six months, which fried the head. Car went 90,000 miles before finally blowing up, not as good as the competitor, the Toyota Corolla
Thank you thank you thank you! We had a '77 GLC 3 door and it WAS great! It literally had the sweetest sounding engine I've ever heard. It had heaps of room, even in the back and you felt special just driving it. Frigging loved that thing!
My dad had a glc that the front bumper fell off of, he used it to prop up the broken drivers seat. Please do a video on the Ford Ranger.
Can we get an episode on the Continental brand and Lincoln Continentals? Because some people dont understand the difference when the tree splits continental into 3 cars, mark series coupe, sedan continental, and continental town car
Can you do the Ford Bronco’s history? That will be hot with the new one coming out. 🙏
I remember when Mazda, Nissan(Datsun), Subaru and Isuzu were all good little vehicles that ran forever. I wouldn't own any of them made after the 80's or maybe the 90's depending on the vehicle. I had an 84 Subaru GL wagon with the flat 4, front wheel drive manual transmission. It was awesome. But I wouldn't own a new one.
What was the first Subaru called? They looked like this Mazda 323. I remember being in the navy in Pacific and I recall seeing in English language magazines Ads for the Mazda Familia. The slogan was “Make her yours.” I was in the navy during the Vietnam War and my ship would sometimes go to Sasebo Japan for R and R.
@@glennso47 FF-1
I got a brand new 323 in 1986 and it began my love affair with Mazda. I have owned lots of diverse cars and brands, but often my fleet contains one Mazda. They're fun to drive and punch way above their weight. Even now we have a 2018 CX5 that's really been great for my wife - she doesn't even miss her Lexus.
I was dead set on getting a mazda3 hatchback when it was new but I cheaped out, kept driving beaters and put the $ towards a house later on. No regrets. New cars were just too expensive when youre in your 20s in the early 2000s.
Im glad you did the 323 first instead of the rx-8 or rx-7. These crusty little Nuggets are very entertaining to watch and there are a half billion videos on the rotray mazdas
Please make a video on the Dodge/Plymouth Arrow.
Loved my Mercury Tracer, simple fun car, looked great, nice soft ride. Miss it still today.
My grandma had the 5th gen hatch in brown (I used to call it duke) and she also had the 2 door Hyundai Excel that she got from a police auction that had bullet holes in the doors
I bought an 89 protégé for the first year of new Gen. Great car, if only Mazda could have solved those rust issues back then, many of those cars would still be on the road today. I still see the Mazda 3 first Gen out there but rust has taken over.
Dad used to own a 1984 3 door Mazda 323. An absolute champ. Simply won't die. Too bad he sold it in 2006.
Now GLC is trademarked be y Mercedes Benz.
Laser was also sold in Australia, way more popular than the Meteor
Back in the 80's I worked for a guy who I think was very well off.... and he drove an old 323 hatchback. At the time I was very pro-American car and I asked him why, and he explained he had his (very) nice car at home in the garage, but why would he pile miles on it just to drive back and forth to work? The Mazda was reliable, frugal, and would last for many, many years.
Around 2001 (or so) I bought a Protege and it was eye-opening how great it was. Silver with a black interior, 5-speed and sunroof. It was gorgeous, great interior, and felt SO good to drive. It changed my opinion of Japanese cars, and to this day I regret getting rid of it.
Great video, thanks for the memories!
The Best ever
Had 3 of them in the late 80s and the 90s
Wish I had one today ❤
The Japanese often had it right in the 80’s and 90’s but have mostly lost their way since. Most any comparable Hyundai or Kia will embarrass anything in the same class from Mazda these days. Hey Mazda what do you have that can beat a Veloster N or Kia Stinger around a race track at a similar price? The answer is nothing. Mazda has lost their former mojo and arguably lost their way mostly living off of SUVs that are also inferior to the competition.
LOL
My 2008 Mazda 3 has been the best car I’ve ever had . This spring I will pass it on to my daughter to drive. It is indeed a great little car.
I may have to get another 😎.
Got caught doing the “duty” by a cop in a 3 door hatchback GLC in 85. Never forget that. 😜
That’s what she said…
When you do Rx-7 , The 79 version had a manual choke, points and a thermal reactor. It chewed thru points in 2 to 4k miles, back fire machine. Also cover the 85 Rx-7 GSLSE, 13B engine in 1st gen body, loved that car. It had throttle body warping and oil cooler splitting. The 2nd gear synchro was stiff when cold, Amsoil synthetic gear oil made it minimal.
7:14 That poor driver having to escape death a second time 😂😂
How is your comment not more popular though.
Lol that driver wasn't catching a break, just the bushes instead.
Great video, I had a 323 GTX model with 4 wheel drive and a tiny turbo for a winter car a couple years back!
That’s a rare and valuable car now. It would win at Radwood.
Ford actually did use both the Laser and Meteor marques for the rebadged 323 in Australia, the Laser name was used for the hatchback while the Meteor was used for the sedan version, however both were present in Australia. You can actually see this as the image used at 5:24 to depict a Laser has New South Wales state plates on it.
I have a 1999 Protege and its still a great little car
Now I know where Mecedes got the name from!
I cannot explain how happy I am to see the 323 being celebrated! I have a late build '94 Mazda 323F (Astina) with the pop-up headlights and it's such an amazing forgotten gem.
the late '70s, my mother had a 3d Mazda 323 with a black roof, and she owned after her 1st Mazda many more. Today she drives still a Mazda from our local dealer. In 1987, I got my driver's license, and drover her nice Mazda 323 GLX 1500 3 door to school or to a festival in Belgium, was a great car for me, great memories about that car.
Can you do the Cadillac Deville
I ask that every week. 😀
I'd love to see one on the Mercury Capri!. I owned a 91, a 93 and a 94, which also used 323 Engine and transmissions.
I had a 91! LOVED that little convertible. Alas, children came along and even they wouldn't fit in that back seat.
@7:13 🙉Good God that could've been bad!
My Dad owned two Proteges and he absolutely loved them. They were peppy enough when coupled with the 5-speed manual tranny while getting excellent gas mileage. Very reliable, well-built cars.
We had an auto 1.6L and even then, it moved decently. Handled well too. Too bad it suffered from rust, which for some reason did not affect any of the bolt on panels (when I sold it in 2018 for $600, none of the door bottoms had any rust! - QP, sills, and floorboard were a different story).
I remember a kid rigt after graduating high school had a rotary RX-7 (I believe that was it) and he would always want to race me in my 5.0 Mustang whenever we randomly came across one another on the road. I always won but it was a lot closer than I thought it'd be. I remember his Mazda would rev for a super long time! Like he wouldn't shift until 8 or 9 grand or something! I guess that was the one advantage to the rotary motors. His may have been suped up more than just a stock motor because I remember it as pretty damn fast.
People nark on the quality and styling of the American vehicles of the "70s.....Just look at this hunk of 💩.....Doors out of line....Hood doesn't line up.....Hatch all cockeyed.....Nothing but junk.....But take us back to yesteryear....I want to see and smell this big pile!👏👏👏👏
Loved the two generations of 323F. In a sea of dreary Ford Escorts, Vauxhall Astras and VW Golf Mk2/3s they were like nothing else on UK roads at the time. A three door version of the '94 323F was available for short time before it was replaced by a more conventional three door 323 hatchback in' 97.
There was also a South African made version of the 1985-1989 Mazda 323 called the Sao Penza imported into the UK by a subsidiary of Mazda UK. One of my teachers at school had one. When imports ceased she had the badges changed from Sao Penza to Mazda 323. Natually as a car person I spotted it as I knew a 1991/92 registration license plate was too new for that generation 323! Only 1,000 cars sold between 1991 and 1993 with none currently taxed and MOT'd for use on UK roads according to the DVLA.
This was my first car. A 2000 Ford Bantam 1600i. It was a Mazda 323 in half ton pickup form with a 1.6 fuel injected petrol engine. I totaled it in 2004 and it was remarkably safe for the design. Much more so than the Golf Mk1 and Corolla hatch it took out with it.
You must be from...South Africa?
@@yoribe yes I am.
Remember the 323 in Denmark....you could even bye it as a 1l 45ps....going uphill, with a trailer .....no go .
I owned two GLC's of the first front wheel drive generation. Indestructible little machines...I drove one from Calgary to Flagstaff, no problem whatsoever!
My first Mazda was a 1991 Protege LX 5 speed (pictured, same color), I loved that car! It got me hooked on the brand because, I owned a silver 2004 Mazda3 5dr 5 speed, a silver 2005 Tribute Lx,
a gray 2007 Mazda6i sport 5 speed, a black 2013 Mazda CX-5 Sport 6 speed, and my current machine gray 2019 Mazda CX-5 GT! I probably should work for Mazda (or at least get a discount by now).
WHAT!! 43/34 mpg from that old car?? That’s the EV territory in 2021 and that old car already met?? Amazing!!!
It fascinates me how these 2003 Mazda "speed" cars had so little horsepower when my 2001 Pontiac Bonneville has 240 horsepower from the factory. And that wasn't a "sport first" type of car.
Fun fact: The rear differential from the 323GTX was also used in the 1990-1993 MX-5 Miata, and the engine in those Miatas is the same 1.6L four, minus the turbocharger, as in the GTX.
Speaking of which.... although I know you focus more on cars from the 1970's and 1980's, how about an episode on the Miata?
My family had a 1983 wagon, '85 3 three door and '89 323 sedan. Then added a 1994 mercury Capri which is basically a twin cam 1989 convertible built by Ford of Australia. All but the Capri were replaced by a pair of 2002 protege 5 wagons. I inherited the Capri and bought one of the 2002s of by Dad and about to replace it with a CX 5...
Definitely a Mazda family, I guess.
I own a Mazda 626 Sedan in Prestige Silver Metallic colour, 1990 model ... bought brand new in Melbourne, Australia as a gift from my father for my 18th birthday. He paid $32,000 Australian dollars for it back then! It's now 32 years old, has done 500,000 kilometres !!!! (310,000 miles!) and l continue to drive it daily. Has never failed me. Unbelievable car. I cannot part with it. My first and so far, only car ...!! It still looks like new and has always been outside for its entire 32 years, so far.
People cant believe it!
Two weeks ago, l purchased the 2022 Mazda 3 Sedan in Sonic Silver Metallic. I am expected to take delivery of it at the end of July (imported from Japan).
I am keeping my 626 and will never part with it and intend to drive both cars.
I've got a Mazda Familia Sport20 4WD. It's the JDM Protege5 with the NA 2.0 upped in compression and with more aggressive cams, it makes about the same power as the turbocharged Mazdaspeed Protege, but it could also be optioned with 4WD.
9:25 In the Philippines, it’s called FORD LYNX, in Taiwan and Australia, it’s Ford Laser.
eh, stick with the dopey, goofy, homely cars that everyone has forgotten. They're far more interesting and "Crap car culture" is way cooler than sports car stuff- there's plenty of folks doing sports car content out there. If you're going to cover a Wankel engined car, Wankel it up right with the NSU Ro80, which is as defunct and oddball as you can get. So oddball it ruined the company. Just don't forget to mention the "how many fingers" signal Ro80 drivers would give to each other, indicating how many times they had their rotary engines rebuilt.
TH-cam reviews of the rx6 / rx7 are a dime a dozen ...i like how you review lesser known but still important vehicles. keep up the great work.
Had an 81 GLC. I thought it was kind of sluggish, but reliable. Next an 89 323. Best seats I've ever experienced. (Consumer Reports thought the seats were the best of any car in production!) Good handling, but I also thought it had an engine that didn't feel like it was putting out the 85 or so hp it was rated at. Then a 93 Protogé SE. It wasn't the car the 323 was. Seats weren't as good. Handling was worse and lots of body flex. Its 105 hp engine was also sluggish. (The LX's 120hp DOHC felt really good, though). In the nearly 18 years and 430K miles I drove these three cars I made ONE unscheduled trip to the shop for a thermostat that was replaced on the Protogé under warranty.
In spring 1979, my freshman year in high school, my dad and I joined my sister and her husband in their shopping for a new subcompact to replace their aging very yellow 69 Ford Custom 500 sedan. They had already purchased a new Ford Futura 2002 coupe the prior year. The first car my bro-in-law tested was a new 79 GLC. It was a 5 speed, but I don't think he was that impressed with it. I remember it was quite noisy. I probably would have bought one if I were old enough at that time, just the same. They also tried a leftover Cologne V6 CruiseOmatic 78 Ford Pinto Wagon at a Fort Worth Ford Dealer (Dub Shaw Ford, I think). They almost bought it, I believe, but I guess the deal fell through. A few days after our shopping with them, they decided on a base model 79 Toyota Corolla coupe, silver gray. I think air conditioning was the only option on that car. And, it was the standard 4 speed instead of 5. Funny thing, it had a hand choke in lieu of an automatic one. But the car took care of them for the next decade. Question: Were any of the Japanese makes still using breaker points in 1979?