Mazda 121 DW (1996-2002)

Reliable and versatile – My 2001 manual 1.3 is no powerhouse but the gearbox makes it enjoyable to drive. After 15yrs and 200,000 km it has had virtually no repairs other than scheduled servicing. Recently replaced the CV joint boots and brake master cylinder but it is still on the original exhaust system and clutch. It gets 40 mpg around town and 50 on the highway at… Read more

standard unleaded prices. You would not believe what I have been able to carry in it. Sure, it is no luxury motor and the seats could be more comfortable on a long trip, but you cannot argue with its incredible reliability. No oil leaks and everything (except the clutch is now getting soft) still works like new. If they still made them new, I'd be buying one. Got 80,000 km out of my first set of (rather skinny) tyres. Japanese build quality combined with tried and proven design wins out.

So reliable and excellent fuel consumption – Extremely reliable and great on fuel. Great turning circle and super easy to park. Like all small cars it is not good if you need lots of leg room. Surprisingly though, we’ve managed to fit a lot in it while moving house (even bookshelves), and have managed to take it on camping trips with all our gear. Out of all the cars our family has owned this one has served us the best.  Show details

Horror – Bought a 1997 Mazda 121 for my first car. Here I am on my l's, driving it and all of a sudden it catches fire under the bonnet. Over 2 grand down the drain. After that experience, never buying Mazda again.

Fantastic! – I'm twelve years of age, and this is my third car as of yet. I recently purchased Mavis (the name given to her by her previous owner) from a friend, so far I've had no troubles and find it extremely to maneuver in tight situations with limited room to move. The 1.3l manual engine has held it's speed surprisingly well at highway speeds and… Read more

generates enough power the get up some of those bigger hills that my local area consists of.

I love how the rear seats can slide back and fourth, depending on whether you want more rear luggage room or generous legroom when carrying passengers. The turning circle fantastic, being able to get around sharp corners in one turn that neither of my previous cars have. Brakes and gearshift are smooth.

The only con would have to be how difficult the car is to shift into reverse and first gear, however this may be only an individual characteristic that the car has developed in its fifteen year lifetime but other than that, changing gears is smooth.

Overall: Fantastic. Turning circle, rear seats, comfortable, smooth gearshift, reliable.

My padock basher – I'm 13 years old this is a review of the Mazda. It's a good car, hasn't missed a beat can, do hand brakes easy and has a lot of go to. It tows big logs back to the fire, it goes great and it has been punished by me and my family. It had a fight with an Toyota Camry in a tug of war but both got bogged and the trusty Hilux towed them both out with no problem. starting problem

Excellent – I have just sold my Mazda 121 after having it for 10 years. It was my first car. It was sill going strong and has been a really great reliable car. I was sad to see it go! My only reason for selling it was to fill my need for a ute to be able to go camping. If you keep the mainanence up to date on the Mazda 121 then I am confident it will… Read more

last a very long time I'm sure. -Great small car

-Zips into car parks with ease

-Very fuel efficient

-Very spacious for a small car because it's a hatch back (I have fit treadmils, furniture and all sorts of large items in the back of my 121 when I put the back seats down. It surprises everyone!

-Very cheap to run, incl services, changing tyres, insuring, the works.

-Has great visibility all around, so reversing, giving way to oncomimg traffic is alway a breeze.

OK – I like the car and the fact that you can park it easily in almost any space, it has a nice neat turning circle and is easy on the fuel. Plenty of space inside but the back seat configuration needs a lot of figuring out before you can drop them down to open up the hatch for large items. Which is a shame as it is very useful but really needs to be… Read more

reconfigured. The engine is not powerful enough to have the conditioning running for long as it takes the power away. Mine is an automatic which is really good to drive. compact easy to drive and park and has plenty of space inside. Not a petrol guzzler The trouble it takes to put the back seats down to have more space in the hatchback, you need the book of instructions each time it is just so complicated. The engine is a bit too small for operating the air conditioner, as soon as you start using it the car looses power.