Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Disappointed in 626 transmission issues - 1999 Mazda 626
  By Disappointed 626er - June 16 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 626 new and had no problems until recently. I only have 42,000 miles on a 4 year car and the dealership says I have to pay for an external cooler for my transmission to "preserve" the transmission because it WILL go out early.

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  My Awesome 626. Love her to death. - 1999 Mazda 626
  By Javes - May 2 - 11:23 pm

  Alright, so I bought this great piece of engineering my sophomore year of high school. I am now a sophomore in college. I love this vehicle! Small but, "quick" 2 liter engine coupled with the five speed manual is great to drive. Dont buy an auto, LOL. No fun, at all (and unreliable), great interior, clean, with a decent sound system. (I remember, it was decent. Lost the cd player at about. 145,000 miles.) power antenna is great! People just dont take care of them (grease) and say that its mazdas fault. (sorry, its yours.) clutch is still going, at 165,000 miles! As the reliability reports says, the intake gasket does go, I replaced mine at 135,000. No major problems since.

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  Used and Abused but still rolling along - 1999 Mazda 626
  By BudMech - July 16 - 4:16 pm

  My dad bought me this car in February of 2010 for my sophomore year in high school. We knew it had problems but we got it for only $1,180 and 129,000 miles on the odometer. After having it inspected the next day I discovered that it was a hunk of junk basically. It still needs its drivers side steering control arm replaced,a new catalytic converter, a new muffler and eventually the transmission. The car is working its way down the shifter and is unstable in Park and Reverse gears. The minor stuff is the power antenna and drivers power door locking mechanism and discs and drums. He uses it to drive to work and it hasnt killed him yet so maybe it will give out before I "officially get it."

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  Excellent alternative to Accord/Camry - 1999 Mazda 626
  By paulbl - June 2 - 2:00 am

  Overall a vehicle that has exceeded my expectations. Very reliable, not a single problem, just routine maintenance. Excellent fuel economy with the 4cyl 5sp - 30-31 mpg in daily driving (in the horrible Seattle traffic), 36-38 on the hwy. Runs fine on regular unleaded and has adequate power for merging and passing. Great seats, more comfortable than the ones in my parents Passat! Great leg room front and rear, 4 six-footers fit fine in this car. Could have less road noise, changing the tires helped here (to Yokohama Avid Touring radials), as did adding noise reducing material behind the front doors. Overall highly recommended.

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  Good affordable car - 1999 Mazda 626
  By shannon - March 13 - 2:26 am

  I bought this car used in 2001. Had 35K miles on it. It now has 125K miles on it. Its a good car to get you from point A to B, and it looks nice if you keep it cleaned up. But its life span probably wont exceed far past 150K. I havent had a wreck, and Ive kept up the maintenance. At 100K, a/c vents started spewing plastic filter pieces (just annoying, swivel still works, but slowly). CV boots cracked, twice (clicking when turns). At 120K, the oil started leaking, engine began vibrating, a/c pulled too much power (engine vibrates when its on, computer timing is off). Lots of problems, but at 125K, what can you expect from this quality of car.

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  makingasale - 1999 Mazda 626
  By hays1ch - January 28 - 10:00 am

  overall not a bad vehicle but for me its to small, engine performance is really good,climbs mountains great,city driving could be better as far as milage, but highway milage is good.

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  Great Car to Own - 1999 Mazda 626
  By Tucker - November 17 - 7:13 am

  I have had no problems with this car since I bought it three and 1/2 years ago. Just regular maintenance. It has been a very reliable car. I bought the car used and have put 60,000 miles on it. It still drives very smooth and handles great on the road.

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  Fun to drive, plenty of power, reliable - 1999 Mazda 626
  By Chuck W - September 22 - 1:10 am

  I own a 1990 Miata which has been bulletproof and a blast to drive. When looking for a family car, the 626 seemed like a logical choice. Its a great highway cruiser, the handling is fantastic for a mid priced 4 door sedan, and its been reliable. The gas mileage could be a little better, but it is a v6. From the research Ive done and the posts on this site, it looks like the Mazda made v6 engine and tranny are the way to go.

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  I love it - 1999 Mazda 626
  By stanley stoykov - September 16 - 2:36 pm

  Very reliable. Still running strong after 147000 miles. Around 27 mpg city, hwy 32 mpg. Broken AC at 130000. With good maintenance, gonna last til 200000.

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  1999 Mazda 626 - 1999 Mazda 626
  By Lucas Magnum - January 12 - 2:00 am

  The vehicle has been nothing but reliable. The four cylinder automatic is adequate, but not fast. The cabin noise is more than it should be on rouch asphalt. The interior ergonomics and passenger comfort at excellent. The emergency handling is very good.