An overlooked and forgotten luxury gem.

"Vertec" (downshift) 11/04/2015 at 21:28 • Filed to: Mazda 929 Luxury classic Japanese

1

8

I recently acquired this 1993 Mazda 929. I never see these on the road anymore but I’ve always thought they were a sadly overlooked luxury offering from a great styling era for Mazda.

The styling is cohesive and understated with classy rounded lines on every panel. This has allowed it to age gracefully with only the wheels and subtle two tone body cladding looking a bit dated. The large greenhouse appears even bigger with the small blacked out B-pillar and frameless windows.

Under the hood is a 3.0 liter variable intake V-6 rated at 205 horsepower. This doesn’t provide many straight line thrills in such a large car but it feels more than adequate in daily driving. The engine is front-midship mounted and the fuel tank over the rear axle to keep the handling surprisingly neutral and responsive when pushed. Steering feedback is better than you’d expect suggesting Mazda focused on driving fun even a luxury liner. The only things putting a damper on the fun are the slow steering ratio, soft suspension, and large flat leather seats that leave you bracing against the door on corners. The only transmission is a four speed automatic that really needs another gear on the freeway. It does have an easy to use “hold” feature to keep it in one gear on hills. She’s no sport sedan but still rewarding enough to drive.

Inside is a comfortable place with wide and soft heated leather front seats that are power adjustable. The understated round lines continue on the dash with numerous vents that are a bit oddly arranged. The car came with steering wheel mounted radio buttons and an automatic climate control system with a well thought out control computer.

Gauges are simple and clean with a classy matte silver bezel and polished indexes around the dials. Other nice details include a cute miniature sun-visor that folds down to block light above the rear-view mirror and an elegant looking analog clock.

With all this attention to detail there are a few things that are oddly overlooked. There is no tilt function on the steering column, no glovebox, and no cup-holders. The trunk is surprisingly small for such a large car with the fuel tank and stereo equipment preventing a pass-through. These are minor complaints about an otherwise beautiful and forgotten gem from Mazda’s brilliant past. I love the car and already have a road trip planned.

Just look at that clock!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Vertec 11/04/2015 at 23:31

2

I’ve always loved the styling of the 929, but I didn’t think there was such thing as a clean one anymore. That’s a real gem you’ve got there.

Vertec > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 11/04/2015 at 23:33

2

Yeah, it only has 81,000 miles on it and aside from a few little trim pieces here and there it is in damn good shape. The AC still works as well as the heated seats. I love the car even more than I thought I would and can’t wait for a road trip.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Vertec 11/04/2015 at 23:35

1

Jeez, that’s low mileage for a car that old. I’ll bet it was a steal, too.

No idea why they skipped the glovebox and cupholders, though.

Vertec > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 11/04/2015 at 23:45

3

I actually got the car for free. One family (well-off in-Laws) owned it since new and didn’t want it but wanted it to go to a loving home. That was about as lucky as I can realistically hope to get. I can’t believe how much interest there has been in the car, I even got a note on the windshield asking to buy it.

shop-teacher > Vertec 11/04/2015 at 23:51

1

Wow, that takes me back! A friend of mine inherited one of these when we went off to college. Can confirm, it is a good road trip car!

His was way high mileage, and at one point the transmission shit the bed in the middle of nowhere. It dropped 4th and then 3rd gears, and he had to limp it to the only building around to call for help ... a roadside porno shop.

Vertec > shop-teacher 11/05/2015 at 00:19

0

Let’s hope my road trip to Las Vegas doesn’t end up the same, the roadside porno shop is a likely possibility. At 81,000 miles I’m guessing it should have a lot of life left.

shop-teacher > Vertec 11/05/2015 at 00:21

1

I think his was more like 180k at the time, so hopefully you’ll be good to go.

FMSims > Vertec 11/05/2015 at 09:25

1

I drove one in High School (Mom’s hand-me-down) for a while. Great Car! You’re right about those flat leather seats. Sliding all over the place on corners. Mine developed an intake manifold issue where I would need take it to a shop and they would clean it for me about once a year for $20. It was that or have some part replaced (can’t remember what part now). Ran great doing that until I traded it in on a ‘01 Acura CL Type S ( another Amazing car!).