Here’s a car that’s already extinct before you factor in the extreme outlier on the feature list: a rear-wheel drive 1988 Mazda 929. These are often overshadowed by Toyota’s Cressida of the same era, but here’s where this one kicks it up a notch on the obscurity meter: it’s a factory-build 5-speed manual transmission car, paired to the 3.0L V6 powerplant found in the 929 and MPV, among other models. Who needs an E-Class or a 5-Series with this one for sale here on eBay and an opening bid of just $2,400?
Looking quite slick on some aftermarket 5-point alloy wheels, this 929 benefits from a low-mileage replacement engine from an MPV and a new-in-the-crate factory manual transmission. I’d like to know more details about why the motor and transmission needed to be replaced, but at least the seller has kept it OEM and preserved the high levels of obscurity present. The body looks good and no rust appears visible in trouble spots like the wheel arches; the factory mudflaps are good look for a low-slung sedan like this.
The 5-speed manual transmission was shared with the RX-7 of the same era, though the seller notes some differences in gearing. While this car originally came with leather, the seller claims those seats were tired cosmetically and a cloth interior has been swapped in. If it were mine, I’d absolutely restored the leather buckets and keep this 929 the executive saloon it was meant to be. The number of examples ordered with the six-cylinder and 5-speed has to be in the tens, maybe the 100s. The interior looks quite tidy and the aftermarket Momo steering wheel is tolerable, especially considering how ugly factory steering wheels were in these cars.
The replacement engine was supposedly almost new, with less than 500 miles on it. This makes me wonder if the swap was done many years ago when MPVs were still found in mall parking lots. Some enlightenment is needed to understand why the 929 got freshened up the way that it did, but at least it has many miles of highway motoring left given the freshness of the mechanical bits. There’s over 200,000 miles on the odometer, so while the body may be tired, the drivetrain is not. There is a salvage title listed, so some more questions will have to be answered before we slap a “Buy” sticker on this anomaly of a 929.
Couple of points, Jeff: that’s a V6 under the hood; I don’t remember Mazda ever building an inline-six. Second, the eBay ad says the car has a salvage title. That dials my interest back to just slightly below “nil.”
Thanks Ray – fixed. I had the 535 and 300E on the brain when I wrote the first graph.
I used to share that opinion, but after driving a salvage title (due to theft) E36 M3 for five years – and having it be the best car I’ve ever owned – it phases me less and less, unless there’s obvious signs of a significant impact.
Plus our over-zealous insurance industry unfairly totals older cars for minor dings and dents all the time….
Also note that an “estate” is a fancy word in most of the world for a station wagon. So restoring the buckets to leather isn’t going to turn the car into a wagon :)
Absolutely correct Jeff. My son has a 2006 BMW 320TDI Station wagon and he bumped a car in front and broke the right headlight. His insurance company wanted to scrap the car but he took the payout of $1800, kept the car and fitted a new headlight, and 30,000 miles later he is still running it.
The salvage title is more of a buyer repellent than an indicator of the condition of the car.
If you decide to buy a car with a salvage title, you had better have a place to keep it forever.
Ken, why didn’t he just fix the car himself and not get the salvage title?
Argh, saloon vs. estate, can’t keep my fancy British nomenclature straight. Thanks mcvaugh!
Oh, oh, don’t let Scotty see this. I hear he’s very vulnerable right now. Never saw this model. Sure looks like a nice car. Always thought Mazda was the best of all the Asian cars. If it was just a nicer color than boring old gray, sheesh.
Ha, I know, I’m always vulnerable even when the checkbook is more rubber than paper these days. I have to agree that I have never seen a 929 with a manual transmission, a very cool find!
Neighbour had one in Ottawa many years ago. Nice car. I have never seen one with 5 speed before this. I would drive this car, but not with that steering wheel.
My first car was a 1982 mazda 929 for the european market, it had a 5 speed and a small 4 cyl. 98 hp
The most important unanswered question is OSCILLATING VENTS?
Doesn’t look like it. We had a 1989 MX6 with the feature. I think our 1995 626 had it too. ( Oscillating Vents )
My dad’s 929 had them, so I reckon this would as well. Dad’s went over 200k on the original everything; he really only gave it up due to terminal body rust, thanks to northern Wisconsin winter salt, but was still running fine at the time.
The “swing” vents, as they labelled them, were standard. My 929 was one of my favorite cars. It was Pewter with dark burgundy velooooor. Back when I owned it I actually saw one for sale with a stick, but it was light blue – yechh no thanks.
Yes, I own a 88 manual, crazy rare. Oscillating vents.
As a former Mazda salesperson I’d say this car has the swing vents and they were used on MX6 and 626 cars also. The 5 speed was available on SOHC 18 valve V6 cars but not the DOHC S model. The 5 speed also available on 2.6 liter 4 cyl. MPV vans. I used to be able to rattle off what colors and tires came on things. Neat find there.
We just sold the wifes 96 626 to a college kid. She bought it of an old lady who couldnt drive anymore so it was i great condition. I made her sell it because it rode like crap, but i suspect they all did.
those vents were gimmicky but worked like an old fan and the only thing i will remember from that car.
The 929s are almost impossible to find these days. And they are, as many others have pointed out, pretty damn cool cars for the era. This one, with the manual trans, is a super rare model. Collect-ability? Ehhh, in the eyes of the beholder. Me personally, I’d love to have a 929 with a stick to bang around in on the weekends. I don’t think we will see another one of these come up for sale for quite awhile.
I have owned several Mazda 626’s. Two four door sedans, a coupe and a lift back in S.Africa and they all had swivel vents as far as I remember, and they were all great cars.
I remember when this car first hit the US market. I remember wondering *”why the hell did Mazda wait so long to offer an upscale model for the US market?”*
early “executive car”, no?
wasn’t the regatta out then?
lill wolwo, mini coop now?
I drove these when they were new, and I drove Mercedes Benz E Classes and BMW 5 series back then as well.
These cars are not as good in many, many ways as the Germans. Ride,handling, steering precision, (generally, any suspension dynamics), seat comfort, styling originality, aerodynamics, crashability, rustproofing, NVH. And the same comment, IMHO, applies to the Toyota and Nissan competitors, though the build and assembly quality was quite good. But the next generation of all of these Japanese cars did approach European dynamic and structural standards. The Honda Legend was first, then the first Lexus LS. Japanese cars improved hugely.
And, of course, they were always better at this time than the American competitors. The US had to wait for the Lincoln LS and Cadillac Catera for Euro dynamics- still without the build quality., for that we had to wait for the CTS.
Anyone driving the HD 929 model which came next has a very comparable car, though Mazda lost it’s way again with the HE facelift. Since that time, I’ve stuck to my W124s but the HD 929s always appealed, as do any Mazdas after the first MX5.
Hi Miguel. In answer to your question of over two years ago, he could replace the headlight but couldn’t do the necessary paintwork that was scratched on the hood and fender. The insurance company paid him out but didn’t total the car. He still has it and it has now done over 240,000 Miles and he drives it like he stole it at all times! It’s a 2 litre tdi automatic.