My Winter Bomb

[Bubs360]

For any of you that know my van, there's a variety of factors that keep me from driving it in New England winters.

-No Heat
-Horrid suspension
-Vanagons rust faster than paint dries
-Wouldn't handle icy roads well at all.

Last year I picked up a Ford Taurus for $200 that solved this problem perfectly, needed a new tire so for $326 I had a car that lasted me the winter and got me a few thousand miles without problems, which I then sold for $500 the next spring. Well, that time is here again, which reminds me the benefits of working 6 days a week - I can afford this s**t without siphoning money from my parents.

This year I scanned through craigslist since October looking for something local that would do the job. Last night I came across a nice little car for sale at a rather sketchy dealership about 30 miles away. As I arrived the choice in cars didn't look to promising. Curbside, the lot was lined with "modified" Clvics, Preludes, Teggys, an Eclipse and a Z31 300ZX, all adorned with gaudy body kids and horrid stickers. Interiors were a Wal-Mart auto-department extravaganza of chintz and bling. My car wasn't much better. It wasn't plagued with a body kit but it had those horrid double wipers furnished in day-glo white, pink/purple/black flame racing seat covers, and a badly-placed angry eye sticker in the windshield. But, as the 15 year old lot employee reconnected the battery terminals and let me fire it up, it ran fantastic. No custom exhaust, luckily. Drives wonderful as well. Needs a front wheel bearing and the windshield has a crack, a little scruffy around the edges, but for the right price I would be more than happy to take it. They asked $500 on the ad but I managed to get them down to $300, which is what I took it home for.


It's a 1993 Mazda 323. Automatic (Unfortunately, but oh well), four cylinder 1.3 liter, should get between 30-40 miles per gallon. Front-wheel-drive, of course. Not in the greatest condition cosmetic-wise but the body is solid with no rust to speak of save a strange hole on the front right side of the hood. The interior is clean and the seats look exactly like the one my mom used to have (She owned a '93 in the same color only as a five speed w/ steel wheels) when I ripped off the ugly seat covers.
[The white balance on the rest of these pics is messed up, my apologies)


The ugly wipers remain for the time being.

Interior is in good shape save for lack of radio. 150,000 on the clock.

Nice alloy wheels, must've been a rare option because I see tons of these but never with any stock set but steel wheels.




Again, a bit aged but $300 for a good running car with little needed work is a good price to pay. Keeps my van safe and solid, and keeps me warm. (w00t)

[The_Finn]

those little 323s can be fun. Before i got the gtx i used to bomb around all winter long in parking lots with almost that exact car doing all kinds of retarded shit with ebrakes

[jayhawk]

Oh, wow. Talk about coincidence! I had a friend back in high school that had a 323 turbo (GTX I think?) and man that was a blast in the wintertime.

[The_Finn]

Originally Posted by jayhawk

Oh, wow. Talk about coincidence! I had a friend back in high school that had a 323 turbo (GTX I think?) and man that was a blast in the wintertime.

Hatchback turbo and AWD == GTX

Turbo and FWD == GT

[jayhawk]

It was front wheel drive.

[JipJopJones]

My friend's dad has a 323 that is a bit of a beater, but it's got a 5 speed so it's cool. My friend drives it 'cuz his dad has a new car, and we call it the Mazdad. It's pretty sweet, peppy little car!

[Demon_X]

nice find

what happened to the little 360?