Mazda 323 (1998 - 2003) - 02/03 GXi diesel opinions

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Fri 18 Apr 2008 12:41
02/03 GXi diesel opinions - brunton_pasty
Anyone got any experience of the diesel version of the 323? I'm looking at buying a 2002/2003 car (one of the last ones).

Overall is the engine reliable? Is it chain or belt cam and what is the interval for changing? Anything else to look out for on these cars?

Thanks,
b_p

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 18/04/2008 at 13:25

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 18 Apr 2008 13:27
Mazda 323 GXi diesel opinions - Jonathan {p}
We ran one of these for a couple of years on a 2000W Lxi.
great reliability, no problems with it at all.
55mpg economy
diesel a bit agricultural and noisy.
engine is belted
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 18 Apr 2008 15:28
Mazda 323 GXi diesel opinions - LinuxGeek
I've got a 99 plate V reg 2.0 TD LXi. Its got 116k on the clock and apart from the general wear and tear and servicing never had to spend anything, its been as reliable as anything so far. So far never had starting problems the first thing in the morning. For town driving diesel could be a bit agricultural but on motorway its wicked and I constantly get around 55mpg. It pulls and feels a lot more smoother and quiet with the V-Power Shell diesel.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 19 Apr 2008 09:48
Mazda 323 GXi diesel opinions - Galad
I've a 2002 323TD GXI with 83k trouble-free miles to report. Still on original exhaust and I've only had to replace 1 sidelight, a numberplate light and, yesterday, a headlight bulb. Only one change of front brake pads to date and rear disks and pads were changed at 81k (just wear and tear). Sails through MOT every year.

Ride is hard though with 'sports' suspension and seats aren't very comfortable. Handles really well with no noticeable body roll. Everything still works as new and switchgear is solid. GXI comes with remote alarm but no CD. Comes Plenty of room for 3 passengers in the back at the expense of boot space. Grey trim and upholstery hard to keep clean.

I'm disappointed that rust is breaking out on both rear wheelarches (inside and out) and also behind the rear number plate; I've heard that other 323 owners have had similar problems. Belt is changed at 54k and dealer charged me £600 for this, including a major service. The dipstick has got to be one of the worst pieces of design - almost impossible to reinsert the dipstick at night.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Our honest used car pricing is a little bit different to all the others. You can get to our values through make or model - you don’t have to follow a prescribed route. Plus, it’s live, which means we can react to changes in the market quicker than any printed price guide.

Honest Used Car Prices

Real MPG enables you to register the fuel economy you are actually getting against your make and model of car, its engine and type of transmission.

Every time you enter an average consumption figure against your car, the overall average automatically adjusts to reflect it.

Real MPG