So how many of these are left on the road anywhere? As a daily driver no less. Well here is one I am very familiar with.
The owner of this car just so happens to be the owner of the 76 Celica GT Liftback seen earlier. In this case, Lou, is the original owner of this car and it is quite the car in person. These exterior pictures were taken in 2019, then to the interior and engine in 2024. The story evolved over time and so I had to always update what I wrote.
Usually one will see the car like this from the ship among all the rest of us volunteers aboard the Hornet. The story behind how this car was purchased is a cool one and funny. Lou’s father was a fire inspector due to a disability preventing him from being a fireman. I didn’t ask what the actual disability was but when Lou told me his Dad was color blind I said that is a disability for a fireman. Anyway the town gave him this inspector job along with a stipend for a car. With that stipend Lou’s father would buy a new car every two years through the 50s to the 80s I assume. Dad also loved to haggle over the price of a car.
Being color blind Dad almost always bought red cars. That tells me that Dad was a deuteranope. Pretty fool proof except for one year which I believe would have been 1971. Dad was out to buy a new car, as usual, and came home with an AMC Javelin. Typical fire inspector car, right? All was Ok till he got home and Lou’s Mom saw it. Why did you buy a purple car? Dad came home with the color wild plum but it looked red to him.
So come 1982 Lou is looking for a new car at the age of 39. Something that got good gas mileage and wasn’t too expensive. Of course Dad had heard about that and Dad being Dad you can guess. One day his Dad suggests he go over to this dealership because he saw a car that might work. Lou did go and came back. Told his sister he looked at such and such and thought it was a good deal. They gave him a good price and he just might buy it. Sister says I hope so since what do you think Dad did all day yesterday? Well he did buy it and of course it was in the red spectrum.
Purchased from Capital Mazda in San Jose. The car is a 5 speed with 275,400 miles on it. Apparently it was a demo which may have also led to a good price. It has been repainted by Maaco no less. I looked it over and it was excellent work with a premium paint. Over the year Lou has replace the mirrors, mouldings, seat or seats, and door panel. Lou is a dye in the wool parts scavenger.
Consequently, hit the yards that still had the GLC hanging around just like he did with the Celica. He is also fabulous in obtaining warbird parts naturally. When I needed certain instruments to place in the radio station inside a TBM-3 Avenger he came up with them. In May I will haul him down to the machine shop so we can rebuild the hand pump on the Avenger to pressurize the hydraulic system.
Interior shots show a taste of herringbone in the seats and door panels. The speedometer shows 275,843 miles now. In the rear, behind the passenger seat, is a full size 13″ spare tire and Lou doesn’t care for the space saver spare.
A couple of shots on the detail of the car. Needless to say both Lou and I are pretty much fanatics on detail. Him on his cars and planes in the past. Me, on my cars the Hornet, and the Avenger.
This car is still a daily driver or at least until one day in September 2023. Lou told me the engine started to make noise. He drove to the one shop he uses and as he drove in the mechanic said nice rod knock. Then he said it was almost impossible to rebuild this engine due to lack of parts. Lack of parts you say! This to a fellow who finds parts for a 1945 Avenger. So Lou sets out to go looking and so do I. We eventually find out that we can locate parts like bearings, oil pump, fuel pump, and water pump. The trick is finding pistons. Can find standard but may need slightly oversize which has been tough.
Update from first learning on Jan. 27, 2024 that an engine with only 16,ooo miles was found in Japan. Engine has arrived and it is confirmed. The car is in the process of having it installed along with a new radiator as of Feb. 10th, 2024. Not cheap but for the cost one gets back a known performer against what one would pay today for a new car.
These pictures are of the new engine. Taken on March 8th. As you can see a very clean engine compartment. A new radiator was installed along with the engine as Lou noted a small leak from the bottom of the old one. Also included a picture that shows the original color of the car at the shock tower versus the newer color along the fender.
HOWEVER:
On Feb. 24, 2024 in talking with Lou on the flight deck he told me he wanted to bring the GLC up this Saturday to show me. I heard that sentence and asked but what happened? Well, on Thursday he went to pick the car up and talked to Well Fargo the day before to make sure they wouldn’t deny the large credit card charge. He pays on Thursday and Well denies. Oh, he is not happy. So he needs to pay by check but realizes he left it at home. Oh, he is not happy and drives home to get it. Pays for the car and takes it out for a test drive of 30 minutes back and forth over the freeway. Good, now let’s get gas.
Gassed up he pulls out of the station into the street with a red light and the car dies. It won’t start no matter what. He is about to block one lane of an intersection so motions to the guy next to him he will be going around the front of him. He does this by pushing the car himself. Good thing the car is small when you are 80. Now he waits 2 hours for the AAA to arrive. Oh, he is not happy at all. On Friday he let’s Wells have an ear full from him. Now he waits till Monday to hear what the issue is which is either fuel or ignition both of which were transferred over from the old engine.
There is the issue. The distributor. Of course we have the original and we have a stash. I have a stash for 11 cars and Lou has a stash for his cars. Lou also keeps an update to date log books on all the cars just like the log books for servicing Navy aircraft. I do the same.
I asked mileage and he pulls out this cars log book to tell me the in town and highway mileage. In case one is interested it can be around 25 mpg in town with 33-34 on the highway. Similar to my 626 which will get 34 mpg of all highway driving. One other piece of detail he told me and that is after getting the car back and driving for 400 miles he detected a slight vibration which needs to be corrected.
So it has been a long six months but the GLC is back on the road at the age of 42. Testament to the fact that if one takes serious care of their car one can keep it running in good condition and looking in good condition. This being what one could say was a throw away car much like the early 80’s Civic and B210.
I really want one of these when shopping for my first car but the dealer in Syracuse wouldn’t budge on price+ADM so I ended up buying a Dodge Colt with a twin stick. Nice enough first car but I really would have preferred the Mazda.
Thinking my current “rattle trap, ride” will be following in this cars wake. lol I’m second owner though, got it at “five years old”, with “12.5k” on the “odo”.
My 85 was the “LX” trim. Lots of nice little extras, like lights in the door keyhole and ignition. Mine had a different sort of air injection system. It didn’t have an air pump, the big valve assembly on the right side of the engine compartment, and much less plumbing. It had some sort of reed valve assembly on the side of the air cleaner, and only two hoses, going into the exhaust.
That car was the best bad gas detector I ever had. Mobil, before the merger with Exxon, was one of the worst. The car stumbled terribly when cold, and a coating of brown goo rapidly built up inside the carb. On my way out to my aunt’s house one day, I filled up at an Amoco station. Transformation. Engine ran clean and strong, even when cold.
Automotive journos always praise Honda shifters. I had two late 90s Civics and found 5th and reverse to be consistently difficult to engage. The Mazda was brilliant. Hit every gear, every time, with no argument.
85 was before the days of stainless steel exhaust systems. I wore Midas out replacing mufflers. Their forever warranty only covers the muffler, but about 3/4s of the entire exhaust on a GLC is in unit with the muffler, so a hole anywhere meant free replacement of most of the exhaust system.
The Mazda’s rust resistance was better than any 70s tin I ever had, but the car finally started to succumb to the Michigan salt bath by the mid 90s.
The LX replaced the Sport in either ’84 or 85, don’t remember. Same feature set.
The 323 LX inherited most of the same features, and had a very similar interior treatment with the armrests that wrap into the back seat and such. They only sold the LX hatchback in the US for one year (1986), though Canada got it throughout that generation and into the next. But my Mercury Tracer from 1989 was almost the same car and had most of the LX features included. They left off the till wheel and rear window wiper though. OTOH, the enlarged 1.6L engine had fuel injection and was flawless in the long time I owned it.
’80s Mazdas were so good.
I would say Mazdas up to 1992 were excellent. The redesign in 1993 still had the 2.0L four which was proven, The 2.5L V6 was new and well regarded. The Mazda five speed was excellent as always. The Ford CD4E automatic was not as excellent as the previous Japan built automatic.
You could say I am a Mazda whisperer. If I saw a 4th Gen 626, with a manual, I’d pick it up in an instant. However, no luck. If I could pick up a 5th Gen, with manual, I’d also get that in an instant. However, I have never seen a 5th Gen with the 5 speed. They all have the automatic, the few I have ever seen, and I won’t touch those. Same with GLC. The few around are autos and if manual they have also met the ricer crowd with the typical modifications.
What a nice and simple car. And look at the outward visibility!!! Not nearly as safe as today’s cars with all the huge pillars and many blind spots, but you have to appreciate the older cars where you had a fantastic 360 view. This comes from a time when Mazda made simple and basic cars instead of the over-priced things they have become today.
One of the older engineers when I worked at Peterbilt, a well-regarded senior guy who had worked on a lot of significant projects, bought a GLC hatchback just before I left in 1982. It replaced a rear wheel drive X Body hatch, not a Nova or Phoenix but I can’t remember if it was an Apollo or an Omega. Anyway, the GLC seemed like quite a change but I remember he really liked it. As I recall, he cut a hole in the new car and installed his own pop-up sunroof.
Is it just me, but does that close up of the headlamp and turn signal give off heavy Omnirizon vibes? Even more if you’re familiar with the European Horizon
As I recall, the advertising at the time stated the GLC was a “Great Little Car”.
Clever, indeed.
I’m just now realizing that the air cleaner on these was inspired by the Rising Sun flag.
Ah, spark plug wires. Brings back old memories.
We had a 1985 four door, the first of what was a long (and continuing presence) of Mazda’s in our family. It wasn’t the quietest, but it always started, always got fantastic gas mileage and was roomy to boot. It had good handling for the time, better than the comparable Corolla or Civic in my experience. Since then we’ve had two more Proteges (the GLC’s successor), a Mazda 3, a 626, a Tribute and two CX-5’s. I understand why Lou preferred to repair the car he had versus taking a chance on something else. Wise man!
I love it that this car is still on the road, with much intention and determination.
I owned one of those, mine was a stationcar, still one of the best cars I ever owned, and I could see myself driving it again now. Great little cars for sure.
Mazda was establishing itself as a bit more “European” than the other Japanese auto makers in the late 70’s, early 70’s with the RX7, 626 and this particular GLC which replaced the frumpy RWD predecessor. I was in the market for a new car when this model was introduced in 1981. It had up to date angular styling so popular and the sport had full instrumentation, an RX7 steering wheel and a beautiful interior highlighted by really stylish rear panels, with herringbone fabric curving into the rear seats. The biggest issue was the lackluster 68hp engine. I ended up buying a year older Scirocco…..no regrets.
I am also colour blind and although I never bought a purple car I did have a blue running jacket that turned out to be purple. I found out I was colour blind when I was somewhere around 8 or 10 and in art class I painted a boy with green hair.
The most obvious effects are not being able to tell when a steak is cooked or tell a ripe banana from a green on. I also don’t see sunburn.
What is more subtle is that red is not a bright colour to me, so I have to look for stop signs. I also have trouble with colour coded line graphs.
I have only owned one red car, but two orange ones.
These were indeed as described on the (US) tin, great, little and, of course, cars. Sold here as Mazda 323’s, and, in much larger numbers, as Ford Lasers, the only area that they weren’t Euro-equaling was ride (and in fact, the local-made and minor developed Lasers even had that pretty good anyway). The price made a Golf look silly: the reliability made it look sillier again.
However, I’m amazed to see a 275K mile one. I swear that even the best-loved were all dead by 150K miles, at most. That too-long-lasting Mazda thing of smoky rings did them in, besides which, they were bodily creaky from day one. Surely it must like piloting a loosely-associated collection of panels by 275K?
Anyway, all power to the old fellow for keeping it going, whatever color he thinks it is. If nothing else, it makes for a nice road enthusiast sighting in a world of grey angries.
My bother and I bought one after the Mustang was totaled. The down payment was the insurance settlement. We didn’t bother looking at the ugly Nissans, Discovered that the Honda Civic dealers thought they were selling God’s gift to roadkind, and Toyota didn’t have a car like this one. I already had a new Escort, so we were pretty amazed at how much better the Mazda was over the Ford. Our buddy had a Toyota Tercel and it just wasn’t in the same league as the Mazda.
This car was perfect. The space efficiency was a marvel, the quality was better than the competition, and the design was flawless.
He ended up driving it nonstop for years and it was an unbreakable little car.
We had a new 1989 Tracer wagon. It was really a nice car, and was full of options.
The only issue was the three speed automatic. I’ve never figured out the whole thing, but I believe Ford built those automatics. Anyway, it was a lease and the trans kept slipping. By the two mark, doing 55mph showed almost 4000 rpm.
While Mercury refused to fix it, and the Mazda service center told me they weren’t allowed to work on it, I called the leasing company. After explaining the circumstances
the leasing agent took it back for a small fee like $600?
Really liked it otherwise