You won’t catch me assigning mythical values to mundane cars simply because of a low odometer reading…but this next MX-5 looks to be in that sweet spot between “great condition, low miles” and “low miles, can’t roll the 4th digit on the odo.” I wouldn’t recommend speculating with used/modern classics, but this is where my […]
This is a first-year Ford Probe GT, which means peak Ford/Mazda collaboration from the era when Ford briefly considered replacing the Mustang with a front-drive turbo hatchback. America responded by saying: absolutely not, but the Probe itself was still pretty interesting. Underneath, the first-gen Probe shared major DNA with the Mazda MX-6/626 platform, so it […]
This was never sold new in America., so today’s next feature has real Cars & Coffee confusion value without being flashy. You could get a Mazda 6 wagon over here in the USA, but not with a 2.0 liter 141 horsepower turbo diesel and 6-speed manual box. The chassis is the first-generation GG/GY Mazda6, which […]
The next car started life was a 1994 Mazda Miata, but the normal front-engine roadster layout has been thrown out in favor of a mid-mounted 2004 Yamaha RX-1 snowmobile engine. With a 1000cc Yamaha 4-cylinder motorcycle engine mounted in the passenger seat, this thing brings more chaos to your daily drive than a van full […]
The Mazda 323 sedan isn’t a performance formula that you see often…and I’m way more familiar with the 323GTX hatchback with all-wheel-drive. I had to research to see if this was a factory option or a custom build — and apparently, you could get the Mazda Familia/323GT in the USA with 4-doors, a DOHC TURBO […]
This 1988 Mazda 323 GTX is what happens when Mazda builds a rally homologation special and then lets it loose in a Tennessee yard with four Hella lights and a Megasquirt homebuilt DIY ECU. It comes with Factory AWD, turbo, manual, big intercooler, HKS whoosh noises, and just enough broken 1980s electronics to keep the […]
Before the minivan became a front wheel drive appliance, the Mazda MPV took a different path with a rear wheel drive layout, truck-based underpinnings, and available 4WD, positioning it closer to a compact van crossed with an SUV than a traditional family hauler. Built through the early 1990s with a 3.0 liter V6 and simple […]
The Ford Festiva was about as simple as transportation gets, a lightweight, Mazda-engineered hatchback built for maximum efficiency and minimum cost. With a 5-speed manual and barely any excess complexity, cars like the Festiva have a reputation for outlasting expectations and serving as cheap, reliable daily drivers long after most of their peers are gone. […]
When Ford introduced the front wheel drive Escort in 1981, it marked a major shift for the company toward smaller, more efficient cars designed to compete with imports. One of the more unusual variants was the diesel model, powered by a Mazda sourced 2.0 liter RF four cylinder that prioritized fuel economy and durability over […]
The Mazda 323 sits at the root of Mazda’s late-80s fun-car renaissance, a global economy car that quietly did the hard work before the Miata and hot Mazdas earned the headlines, and in SE trim it offered a lighter, more engaging alternative to the era’s disposable commuters. Underneath, this generation shares substantial DNA with the […]