hello! new and need some help

[NeptunE]

im new here

[snoogy17]

welcome to club protege! post some pics! you'll see that CP is like 1 big happy family lol..

[NeptunE]

well my problem is i am thinkin of buying an 89 tracer hatch back, im used to 3rd gen escorts and i was wondering if they are just as reliable?

[Turpro]

Can't answer your question on the 323. Look up a member "mazkid". He has a bf 323 and knows his mazdas .


Welcome to clubprotege

[MazKid]

Hah, yes I have one of if not the cleanest BF 323(non-turbo...people take care of the turbo ones but the N/As no one seems to care much) in the land.

The Tracer is basically a BF chassis 323. It comes in 3 varients, a 3 door hatch, a 5 door hatch, and a wagon. The Tracer has some advantages over the 323, mainly the interior. The Tracer's interior is nicer than the 323s in the US as they have better door panels, nicer seats, etc. The one big downside I see of the Tracer is that there are very few of them around, and I the only Tracer I've seen in the junkyard in a year or more was a wagon. 323s are easily found.

Reliability wise, these cars are great with the exception of the automatic transmission. Reverse went out in my car a number of years ago, then last year it decided that it didn't need to shift to 4th. We fixed this issue the best way possible, a 5 speed swap! My 323 has a tad less than 80K miles...no matter how much I bash on this car nothing breaks. It's actually quite peppy with the 5 speed.

As far as mods...interior-wise, seats that fit in a BG chassis car will fit in the BF. I'm using "Recaro style" '92-'93 MX-3 seats, they are THE BEST. They bolt right up to the 323 seat tracks except you do have to space up the inside of the seats...when I did my seats I used a spacing of 4 strut tower nuts to make the seats level, and for the bolts, KL V6 lower throttle body bolts, there are 2 per engine and you need 4. These seats are so comfortable and supportive it's rediculous. Plus, they are thinner than the stock 323 or Tracer seats, so you get more interior space. I'm waiting to find a 323 hatch and a MX-3 together in the junkyard so I can see if the back seat will work, I know it's a bit different but we'll see.

My car started life as a SE, which was the top of the line for an '88. Still, it came from the factory without a clock, no sound dampening under the hood/firewall, steel wheels, just bare bones really. My dad did just about every mod to bring it up to the level of a '86-'87 LX hatch, and when I started driving it(back in '03), I installed the gauge cluster with the tach, the '79 RX-7 steering wheel, and the RX-7 light wieght Enkei spare tire. Since buying the car this Feb, I've continued modifying it and making the car "mine". 323 GT-X grill, '98+ Mazda CD/Radio/bin under it, the 5 speed swap, MX-3 leather shift boot, Millenia leather parking brake boot with a '98+ 626 handle, K&N cone, and the MX-3 seats.

Eh that's a long post but if you have specific questions let me know, otherwise there is a more BF-oriented forum, www.Mazda323Performance.com , lots of info there.

[NeptunE]

well the car has been sitting for 4 years and has a broken timing belt, he wants $200 for it, what do you think? is it worth it or should i just find one thats running now?

[MazKid]

well the car has been sitting for 4 years and has a broken timing belt, he wants $200 for it, what do you think? is it worth it or should i just find one thats running now?

Does it have rust on it? That would be the main determinate. A broken timing belt is nothing as these are non-interference engines, or you could swap in a new B6 SOHC, a B6 DOHC, a B6 Turbo, a B8, a BP, or even a BPT. I love my 323, you can haul just about anything in it and it's super-economical(I'm getting 28-30mpg and I drive the wheels off the car, I can't help it it's just how I drive), and it's still fun to drive.

If you are looking for something else, I'd suggest the newer '90-'94 323 as there are more parts availible for them. One thing the new one doesn't have that the old one does is the flow-through vent system, the cowl on the old cars and the 2 outer dash vents allow for a hurricane of outside air to go through the car which is awsome if the A/C doesn't work, like my car(needs a compressor, that'll be next year), and if it's raining. When it's hot, I cruise with the vents open, windows down, and rear windows open. It's nice!