Hi All,

Having owned a '99 Xedos 6 2.0 V6 and a '00 Xedos 9 2.3 Supercharged Miller V6 in the past (which I still regret selling!), when I needed a second car I thought it was time to invest in another classic Mazda and I ended up with a Silver '98 323F Imola 1.5.

She has 155,000 miles and just two previous owners and she needed a few jobs done which so far includes;
Full service, Oil and Filters
New sump (old one rusted & perished)
New heater switch resistor (heater was only blowing on "4")
New Lambda Sensor (to be fitted)
Drop links, front and back (rear to be fitted)
New Discs and pads up front

Hopefully all of the above will mean it passes the NCT (NCT = Irish MOT).

My issue is there is much more to do.. It needs a front passenger wing (hit by a scooter and not repairable), the front windows are dropping when lowered and the glass is scratching, the drivers window sits proud from the frame when the door is closed, the electric aerial doesn't work and nor does the CD player. And then there's the rust.. quite a bit of it here and there. Most panels need some attention, some of them need more than some attention and I haven't even had a proper look underneath...Guessing there'll be rust aplenty underneath..

The question is, is it worth all the money and trouble?
I am now thinking maybe I should have spent more initially and tried to get a pre-loved 323F 2.0 V6 that's already been totally sorted, undersealed etc. etc. I'd want a stock car though. - If anyone is considering selling please keep me in mind!

In the meantime, I'll press ahead and get the rear drop links and Lambda sensor fitted, hopefully that results in a "pass" and gives me twelves months to consider upgrading to the V6!!

Photo's of the current patient to follow...

Conor T, Ireland