97 323 astina adv./dis-adv.

[piapia]

i'm currently looking for a 2nd hand car for my sis and we came across the mazda astina 323 hatch version

would like to know what do we have to lookout for such as common problems with the engine and body etc..etc...

whats the advantage / dis-advantage of this car either and any other comments of what you think, please post them up....

all replies appreciated...

thanks....

by the way, whats the power output like (kw - 1.8 / v6 version) ??

[mutek]

i just bought myself one of these -- i got a 97' Astina Hatch (2L V6)

if u cant get 6 cyl or dont want to at least get the 1.8L 4cylinder

mine had 75,000kms on it and im having no probs at all

beaut car -- just get a RACQ full mechanical check before you buy it so the other guy aint doing a whizzer on ya and u should be good to go

in terms of long term probs i dont know - ill leave that up to the more experienced astina ppl to comment ...

cya

[mrpayner]

For Technical information on the BA Astina, visit the Tech Corner part of the AstinaGT website.. You'll find power and torque ratings..

Advantages
- Dead Sexy
- Excellent Power rated against cars of that era, still good by todays newer cars and standards
- Easy to whack a BP-T motor in if it's not enough power!
- Low seating position
- Even lower seating when lowered!

Dis-Advantages
- One isn't in your garage yet.. :P

Like any car you'd need to get a full roadworthy/RACQ/RACV/NRMA mechanical check with suitable certification.. The rest is up to you and your own personal judgement.. If you like the car, who gives a fig what anyone else thinks..

Hope it's not too hard a decision for you to make.. Oh.. and welcome to the forums BTW.. I hope, along with the rest of us, that you are able to gain some useful knowledge from other members..

Cheers
Adam

[Nate]

Excellent Power rated against cars of that era

most importantly is the power to weight ...... if you aint haulin a lot of weight a little bit of poewr goes a llllllloooooooonnnnnnnngggggggggg way

[pr1mo]

go for a series 1 or 2 BA astina as they are overall more classy packages than the series 3 which has a less user friendly black interior and a few other bits and pieces that series 1 and 2 didnt have

on the 1.8 (which i highly recomend) the series 1 has a bigger drivetrain than the series 2 and 3

cheers mike

[mutek]

hey primo (sorry to slightly hihack thread) but how do u tell which series you are looking at ...

mines 1997 model -- which series is that ?

[Rupewrecht]

Look at the VIN numbr on the firewall

it'll start with JMOBA11PX... where the X is the series number

an easy way to tell a S1/2 from an S3 is to have a look at the door mirrors/door pockets - the S3 has mirrors with a horizontal groove hear the top, and the S3 door pockets are big holes while the S1/S2 has pockets with lids

cheers Dan

[Cosmo Dude]

The front door trims tell it all, the first series (as Rupewrecht said) had the pockets with lids and courtesy lights. Second series had the same pockets but the courtesy lights were replaced by plastic blanking plates.

[Rupewrecht]

ah yes forgot about that!

[mrpayner]

interesting.. that would mean that I have a series 2.. good to know [maybe] :?

AP

[ABC]

I think one of the important things is how its been serviced and how many k's its done. The V6's need to have had regular oil changes or everything degrades quickly and both versions need the timing belt changed at the 100,000K service.

If you're buying one at 95,000K's just be aware that the 100,000k service is a big one ($600-$800).

Other things I've noticed are front wheel bearings on the V6 - changed on two cars here around 130,000k. Other than that, they're a top notch little car - and you're not going to get many bad reviews from this lot anyway :wink:

Happy huntin' and be sure to show us when you get one!