S.O.S. - 323F BG - a plea for help...

[neles]

Dear friends and all 323F owners out there...

this plea will probably sound retarded and most likely you will completely ignore it, but I decided to try nonetheless - to see if I can find people willing to make a small step to help a fellow 323F owner in a land far, far away.

If you would stay with me for just a few lines of text, I would appreciate it tremendously - my name is Nenad, I live in Bosnia (that little busted country in south-eastern Europe), and I am a passionate owner of a black 1990 Mazda 323F BG, 1.6i 88hp, with 227K kilometers under it's wheels, and the one I dubbed "Night in Motion" for it's overall coolness. I bough it in 2003. from a guy who thoroughly abused it, and ever since I hoped to bring it to a stock, decent, only lightly-tuned and awesome car - it was always supposed to be. However, through the years, I was coping to save enough cash work on it - but recently, the disaster struck - drunk driver with an "armored" Lada Niva 4x4 slammed into my drivers door/midsection on the paring lot - and fled. Witnesses didn't help much (besides the comfort) as no one saw a license plate number, and so the SOB that smashed my Mazda is loose.

I love my car. Before it I had a 1983 Mazda 323 sedan. I fell in love with 323F the second I laid my eyes on it. And I drove it for proudly for the past 5 years. That 323F took the beating of it's life, went where no other 323F went, drove over roads on which many 4x4's would suffer, started on battery so empty that you couldn't even light the dashboard instruments, avoided so many collisions and idiot drivers - it was just so - good, reliable, incredible. Sure, it's 18 years old, it has no electronics, it has no servo, no ABS...but it does have a soul, certainly. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not some freak with a fetish for a car, but if we are talking about a car, this 323F was simply indispensable. Travels, vacations, picnics, emergencies, pure, sheer relaxed driving, it took care of me and my family, my pets with no incident.

And now, it sits quietly in ruins. Because of some asswipe.

But there is hope...

Standards here are quite low, and thus our currency have a solid value. Lucliky, this was an industrial country - and a lot of people got really skilled in body repair, mechanics...and rather cheap. I could save my 323F. My Night in Motion. But I need YOU. All it takes is a mile or two out of your ride.

I send this plea out to the community of 323F owners and enthusiasts - if anyone can donate, no matter how small amount - it will be put to into recovery of one 323F hurt out there. But it is more important than just that - it will give me the boost to push forward. It will silence all the people who have been pressuring me and those like me to get rid of the "old heap". I really wish to prove them wrong, to show that Mazda 323F, no matter how battered, how old, degraded, can still stand its proud on its wheels.

The car needs full body-over. Straightening. Front and rear driver side doors. Sanitizing some rust, some corrosion, body patching. All this I could do with maximum of 420 UK pounds - the hole package with the doors - full body recovery, full metallic paint, full coat. Shock absorbers are damaged and leaking beyond repair and refill. Brand new x4 are around 200 UK pounds. My 13'' alloys got bent when the Niva pushed the 323F four meters into a sidewalk. I can get them straightened, repainted and recovered for 50 pounds. Interior got busted, every hard plastic cover burst from impact. God only knows how will I replace it. All in all, a lousy 1000 UK pounds can bring this 323F back on the road. Proud. Nothing to be ashamed of. But I can't afford it in a straight line.

Here is a secure online form, on a third-party server, provided by Active.com. There is no registration, there are no specific choices offered, there are no ads, no pop-ups and most importantly – it is not a scam. The form is all yours. You can stay anonymous if you wish, but I intend to make it up to all the potential donors. I don't know how yet, but I know I will think of something, something maybe symbolic, but a token of gratitude. The amount is purely up to you. If it is 1 pence, pound, euro, dollar, crown, yen…it still means a bunch.

Just click here, or type it into the address bar - http://www.active.com/donate/323f (http://www.active.com/donate/323f)- it is really that simple, I left it open for everybody and everything. Nothing to steer you into any direction than the one you wish to go. I also have a PayPal account, even thought I never liked that PayPal thingy - I guess if someone wants my email on PayPal is neles@blic.net. I'm not sure how it works but I guess it should be quite simple.

I thank everyone who bothered to stay with me and kept reading all the way. I appreciate it boys and girls. At least someone read it. It means a lot. Now, I'm off to work, and after work I'm again going to work - on the car. I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty. These forums brought a lot of light and help to me. At least I don't think so much about the moody digital clock anymore :)

Thank you people. Thank you a bunch.

I'm standing by for any and all questions, critics or suggestions :)

[RedLineResident]

heaps sorry to hear about the 323s run in with a 4x4 driver. those guys suck.

man your english is perfect. im pretty amazed by it actually.

where abouts in bosnia are you exactly?

[bourbon]

hey bud, sorry to hear all of that...but im just speaking for myself here and wanna let you know...i havnt seen your name around on here before and can see youve only done 14posts...but to me i just couldnt really trust you...i mean you could be anyone...and so could i...but yeah...just my opinion...hope you get the car fixed soon...you might be better off sticking to a forums in the europe where you have been posting frequently...

[neles]

RedLineResident - awesome username ;) Thanks a lot for your reply people, it doesn't really matter that no one is jumping in, I didn't expect this idea to work anyway, but I had to try.

As for my english, would you believe me if I told you I never studied it? I actually studied french, but I suck terribly at it :) Never got hold of it. On the other hand, bunch of retarded movies initially seeded roots of english language in my head (I'll be back and such ;)) when I was a kid I guess, and over time I was working a lot with computers (hence, mainly english) and then with a lot of foreigners. Had to work somewhere, and my first boss was american, so it's just all conversation, really. Trying to figure things up from the context. British was a bit different, people talk a bit faster, so I had a jolly tough time talking to the brits :) But I worked it out now. And don't tell anyone - when I write something as quickly as I do now - I sometimes pull the text through a spell checker, to be on the safe side, because of possible typos :)

I'm from the city Banja Luka, it's in the Serbian entity - Bosnia is now split into two main parts, the Federation and the Serbian entity - Sarajevo (I guess you might of heard about it) is the, per se *capital* of Federation part, and Banja Luka is capital of Serbian part. No borders there, I don't even think there is a line on the paper anymore. Of course, it's split heavily, you know, all the national and religious issues, things we all just can't get over, it seems. That will hold us back crawling after the rest of Europe for ages. What can we do?

As for bourbon - I appreciate your feedback - I like to see that you are paranoid - something like me :) You can't trust anyone there days, that is a fact - but you don't have to worry about me - you don't need to trust me, that's just fine - I wonder would I - but then again, I'm not asking for a dinner & date, or a kidney - I just hoped to bring my idea to you people - nothing else. I didn't really posted a lot anywhere - I was browsing for answers mostly - and just occasionally asking for help. So I'm not very well knows anywhere - really...and unfortunately :( But thanks a lot nonetheless - talking to someone is kind of comforting :)

Have fun people, hope to hear from you again - no matter what it might be - I'll be around. And oh, yes, I got some photos of my car I took in 2005 (I have some newer, now when it is all busted up, but I didn't upload them yet), if anyone is interested - http://web13.superb.net/neles/nim

That's it people - good luck and have fun. I know I'll gonna need it :)

Cheerio.

[bourbon]

hey bud, you can talk more often and since youve had a BG for 5 years now im sure youd know the ins and outs of them...ive only had mine for coming upto 4 years now and i havnt learnt everythin yet :p plus its always good to hear other peoples perspectives specially from the other side of the world...

[neles]

Hey bourbon ;) Nice to hear from you again :)

There is a lot to be said about the BG - but, then again, I can talk only about mine - and not that anyone cares really - around here, the 323F's are rare - and I mean rare. Volkswagen used to make Golf MK1's and MK2's here before the war, prior to 1990, so people are generaly inclined toward german cars - VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, even the russian ones, Tavria, Lada, Moskvich (we bought brand new Moskvich Aleko 2141 ;))) It's like driving a tank :) Litteraly. Anyway - everyone knows that japanese cars are way better, in every sense - but only just know with 3's and 6's Mazda got more interesting to the locals. Don't know why.

My 323F is the bottom of the line - it's LX variant, no sunroof, no ABS, no power steering, basicaly - the body and an engine :) But a really good engine at that - its 1.6 fuel injected engine is so efficient, that I couldn't hoped for more. I always loved the way it looked - it's not a sports car - more like, it's a family car - but with a twist. It's smooth, it's quite fast for it's 88hp engine (0-60mph in some 8 seconds) - though, the fuel here sucks - it's dirty, full of water - so I opted for a dramatical choice - last year, I installed LPG - gas - the performance didn't virtually suffer any degratadion, and the consumption is about 12l per 100km. Petrol was about 8-10l per 100km - depends how wild you want to be. But if you take that, in US dollars, petrol is $1.55 per liter, and LPG is $0.48 per liter - three times cheaper. Not to mention that it's *green*.

Damn, I'm *talking* too much. If there is anything you particulary want to know, I like to talk about it. Or anything else for that matter, so feel free to ask.

Just one more thing - suspension - it sufferes alot on these roads. I guess japs made 323F for it's sleek surfaces, and not pothole-infested ditches like our roads. That's the only big problem here. Shock-absorbers, tires, wheels in general, springs...huh, maintenance is a b*itch.

Cheers ;)

[zappy65]

$1.55 US HOLLYSH!T...and i thought we had it bad.....well if there are any questions on panel beating or mechanical knowledge the answers are all free...

[neles]

What can I say, as prices rise in US and worldwide generaly, local gas providers raise their prices - we could maybe live with that - but when the price drops - they DON'T drop their prices :) Even that is not the worst - the worst would probably be contaminated fuel - they add water to the fuel, to get better weight and sell it for more, and the fact that it messes up your engine, well, it's no ones problem :(

I must say those wheels of yours look really, really nice. And funny thing, my girlfriends 1990 Escort XR3 is dubbed "Defiantess" :)))

And thanks a bunch for the comment, glad to hear that somewhere people have better, cheaper fuel :)

:)

[MAztinA 323]

lol at burbon, i think ur legit neles


but 0-60mph in 8 secs out of a mazda 1.6L with dirty, watery fuel (or lpg if u had that) seems a little fast.. i get about 10.0 secs with my BP engine (1.8L DOHC)

good luck anyway! :P

[neles]

MAztinA, weeeeellll, maaaayyybeee it's a second +/- (more like +) but I have it on video somewhere and if I dig it up I'll be sure to post it :) (damn, I have to fabricate it now ;)))

Just kidding - well, I was never a ghostrider - was never really a speed freak, so, about a year and half ago my godfather and I sat on a straight strip, and the first try was something like 11 seconds - but I had a bad start, skidded a bit, and after a few times I hit it somewhere very close to 8, 9 secs. Of course, the phone stopwatch doesn't bare a lot of credibility, but I don't think I was too much off. It is fast.

The only thing that gives me pleasure is when an idiot in some beemer or golf starts to rev on the red light, and I take him on the start is the greatest pleasure I can get :) People are full of crap, they tune their diesels, play terrible folk music and they think they are so damn tough - honestly - I know that a 1995 525i can eat me for breakfast on the straight line - but on the start, I don't know how or why, but (even though I don't race) in all of the situations where I raced aa prick from light to light - I took them in instantly. Unlike them, I know how to start without burning rubber and getting most out of the torque in the start. That's why I would like to try a 1.8 GT or something more powerfull...that would be a thrill.

But my 323F 1.6i is *economical* if you can put it that way - it takes me where I need to be, it is starty enough to takeover others on the open road if need be, and it is stable enough for comfort. That's why I love it. It's best of all worlds :)

[bourbon]

my 1.8 dohc which is your guys GT version gets me about 600km out of a tank...and is modified internally... :D just gotta put in my aftermarket ecu and id be running what it should be :D

[neles]

ehm...someone complained that my donation form looks awfully shoddy - and I agree - but, even though I am a graphics and webdesigner the form provided by the active.com is designed that way, and changing background color will not bring to its credibility, I guess.

So, I was suggested to make a PayPal donation button, which I happily did. If it helps at all :( Hope you won't hate me...

I couldn't put button in the post - the HTML is nor allowed on this forum - so I put into the Night in Motion page on
http://web13.superb.net/neles/nim/index.html

[neles]

Ok, bourbon, now THAT sounds a bit exaggerated - 600KM on a tank for 1.8? Oookkk...well, I have 45l tank (I think...hmmm) and my autonomy at 9-10l per 100km is approx. 500km...but that's on 1.6?

Though, with LPG combined the autonomy is over 1000km - now, that's what I like the most :)))

[zappy65]

Bourbs isnt kidding, i get around 550-600km per tank with nice driving, as soon as i rev over 4000rpm for a considerable amount of the week it goes down though...the fuel sounds like it is much better here though...even the slightest bit of water in the fuel can kill our injectors, its happened heaps on Mazda 6's at work...Oh yeah i have a 1.8 to DOHC....

[RedLineResident]

There is a lot to be said about the BG - but, then again, I can talk only about mine - and not that anyone cares really - around here, the 323F's are rare - and I mean rare. Volkswagen used to make Golf MK1's and MK2's here before the war, prior to 1990, so people are generaly inclined toward german cars - VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, even the russian ones, Tavria, Lada, Moskvich (we bought brand new Moskvich Aleko 2141 )) It's like driving a tank Litteraly. Anyway - everyone knows that japanese cars are way better, in every sense - but only just know with 3's and 6's Mazda got more interesting to the locals. Don't know why.


I was about to say, i would've thought the astina would be virtually unheard of. I bet parts are tricky to come by.

A lightweight car with good response and nice suspension is all you need for Bosnian roads. The bumps, the twists and the unforgiving corners with no run offs are dangerous at the best of times, the last thing you need is a big heavy car that handles like a boat. Add show and ice and its a coctail for disaster. Given the conditions im not suprised you love the astina so much.

Thats the reason i like mine, its ok for speed but there is no rival to it when it comes to some twisties.

[Nate]

lada drivers beating your car up ... sure it wasnt a green lada samara :p ... nah serious sorry to hear your car is damaged... it sucks when you car gets crashed... especially when its an older one that is in good running condition but the repairs outway the value of the car

good luck with the fix

Nate