Mazda 323 GTX

[Foosinho]

OK, I think I'm going to run down one of these for a rally car. AWD, turbo, and a two door hatchback to boot.

Anybody have any experience with this car? A cheap beater to sell?

http://sturtevant.com/reed/323pics/allen1.jpg

[Fah Que]

4 cylinder 1.6 liter. no thanks. the engine is good for a lawnmower but not for a car.

I heard it's very buggy from people who owned it. That's why it didnt' take long for them to come out with Protoge to replace it.

[Foosinho]

Originally posted by Fah Que
4 cylinder 1.6 liter. no thanks. the engine is good for a lawnmower but not for a car.

I dunno - that car is tiny. My 1.8 liter Audi moves pretty good, and has to weigh twice what that thing does, especially when the Mazda is race prepped. Don't forget it's a turbo. And AWD!

I heard it's very buggy from people who owned it. That's why it didnt' take long for them to come out with Protoge to replace it.

I've heard of a few interesting problems - including cam-shaft breakage, and the fact that you have to remove the hubs to service the brakes! But my understanding is that low sales doomed it. It was a production version of a homologated rally car. Plus, I believe a lot of early Miata parts are easily usable.

I figure I could probably get an '88 model for $2k or so. Maybe I could find a rally-prepped model for $5k. Now to come up with the money...

[Alex_1]

I think it is the same as the Protege - it was the same when I lived in England at least. They called it still the 323. But it was nicer than the Protege in the US, although the engine was more of a toilet in the UK.

In your eyes though. I don't really see the interest. If I could ge an older rally, I might sentimentally look back at a Cosworth Sierra. Turbo and all

[Foosinho]

Originally posted by Alex_1
In your eyes though. I don't really see the interest. If I could ge an older rally, I might sentimentally look back at a Cosworth Sierra. Turbo and all

Well, the 323 is a hatch (lightweight), got AWD, and turbo. That's a tunable off-road rocket combination there. And I think I could find one for a reasonable price.

Cosworth Sierra? Finding one of those stateside would be difficult at best. (Aside: I think it'd be _sweet_ if Ford cranked out a AWD Cosworth Focus.)

I am open to other suggestions. I'm just trying to find an affordable, AWD, lightweight, turbo car for autocross/rallycross, and eventually (as soon as I can afford to prep it and enter a limited schedule) special-stage rallies. My A4 is just too heavy (and underpowered for the weight) to really be competitive. My first autocross 10 days ago landed me smack dab in the middle of the adjusted times (and near the bottom of the raw times). I'll never make all that time up in the A4.

Of course, the A4 is also my daily driver, so there is no ripping out the seats, trim, CD-changer, etc etc.

If money were no object, I'd get a WRX, or Ur-Quattro, or tricked-out Lancer Evo. But, it is...

[Alex_1]

I think you can probably modify the focus to get it the way that you want - they're making the S version anyway. I was angry though - Mercury was going to make an SVT version of the Cougar that probably would have been really sweet but, oh well.

They did release the Cosworth Sierras in the US though - but that was over 13 years ago. It was the Merkur XR4ti. IT was pretty much what happens if you mix an Escort with a Mercedes. Ford, but with German engineering: Merkurbahn or something like that. It was pretty ahead of it's time when it came out in the 80's - mine actually still runs... sort of. :p But the Turbo is shot - it needs a severe mechanical and electrical overhaul that just might not be so practical anymore.

[Foosinho]

Originally posted by Alex_1
I think you can probably modify the focus to get it the way that you want - they're making the S version anyway.

I think a Focus would make a great rally car. My biggest concern would be retrofitting an AWD drivetrain. The stock engine in the SVT version isn't so bad.

Finding a cheaper used one would be a bit of a problem tho.

My A4 is the first AWD vehicle I've ever owned, and I loved it in low-grip situations this past winter. I was kicking the tail out all over the place. I'm not sure I'd be as confident in the car if it were just FWD.

Of course, I've got my first rallycross in just over 2 weeks. That'll give me a better feel for AWD in the dirt.

[Mad_Bishop]

If you're serious about turning a sport compact into a rallly, you could do what I'm in the process of doing, find a 87-91 civic wagon (AWD, same size engine as the mazda). They' easier to find, more parts are available, and probably a lot cheaper. I dragged mine out of a buddy's salvage yard for $200. All it needed were new heads, which I had planned on replacing anyway. The great news is that just about any d series or b series heads are bolt on, and you can end up with a very fast, easily turbo'd engine cheap. And as will all civics/crxs (*my scca car is a '91 crx) they're easy as hell to work on.