We don’t know if this 1984 Mazda GLC LX “Golden Nugget” edition was a giveaway related to the Golden Nugget casino in Las Vegas or where that name came from. Maybe one of you will know the history of this model. The seller has this Mazda listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Salem, Oregon and the seller is asking basically nothing for this car: $2,900. For such a nice car in 2024 dollars, that’s a screaming bargain. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Yargbull for the tip!
Built in 1946, the Golden Nugget Casino in downtown Las Vegas (remember downtown Las Vegas?) is one of the oldest in town. Was this car a giveaway there in 1984? I can’t find any reference to a Golden Nugget edition anywhere but maybe one of you can track it down. There is a badge on the bottom of each front fender and the obvious gold theme inside and out is a clue that something special was going on. The wheels are way too big for 1984 so I’m guessing they were added at some point, but I like ’em. This car has 111,600 miles and I’d want to change the head gasket pronto if it were mine. My wife had a new 1988 323 that blew the head gasket twice and then was off to the junkyard after only 60,000 miles.
The Mazda GLC (Great Little Car) was known as the Mazda Familia in most other countries. We got the fourth-generation Familia, or GLC, here in North America from 1981 through 1985 in two-door and four-door body styles. At just over 13 feet long, they’re small cars and are fun to drive in an “It’s fun to drive slow cars fast” way. Here’s what the rear cargo compartment looks like, very nice. I believe the color is called Shine Gold.
If this was a Salem, Oregon car its whole life, it could explain the incredible condition of the body. I don’t see any rust anywhere. I do see that the hood appears to have been painted and it wasn’t an exact match. The interior looks great other than not seeing a manual transmission. But, this is a “luxury” edition. The striped velour seats are in amazing condition and the color and pattern are great. They’re shown in a Mazda brochure listed as a “GLC Luxury Interior” so they must not be part of a special Golden Nugget edition. Other than the hood being a slightly different shade, I don’t see a flaw in this $2,900 car.
The engine is Mazda’s E5-series, a 1.5-liter SOHC inline-four that was factory-rated at 69 horsepower and 82 lb-ft of torque. The optional Jatco F3A three-speed automatic transmission sends power to the front wheels and a five-speed manual would have been great here. The seller says it was a one-owner car until two years ago and it works great, and it’s not perfect but it’s close. It has a new Weber carb and nice work sneaking it under that factory air cleaner rather than using the chrome rectangular air cleaner! In today’s world, $2,900 is a four-wheel full brake job so this is a steal. Have any of you heard of the Golden Nugget edition?
I love this. I so wish it was t on the opposite coast. I bought a GLC new in 1982 (base model with manual trans), and to this day, it was the best car I ever had. (And that’s a long list includes a Charger, Corvette, RX7, and lots more.) It was a blast to drive and dependable as all get out. (Don’t know that one with an automatic would be near as fun, but it’s sure great to see one in such great condition.)
The gold was a standard colour; they were known as Mazda 323 here.
Derek, where is “over here” for you?
Over here there where know as the 323, and I laughed at the GLC, because they were great little cars (seriously is it badged as a GLC?). Also badged as the Ford Laser over here. The Ford version was more popular, and could be had as a turbo and AWD