Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Granny tranny - 2001 Mazda 626
  By sucker - January 29 - 3:30 am

  Needed rebuilt tranny at 65k. Needed another rebuild 20k later. Trunk leak created by factory defect - leaked water into spare tire well which would soak insulation and cause mildew. Starting to rust around rear tire well. 8k in maintenance and repair costs since I bought it used with 38k mi.

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  QUALITY - 2001 Mazda 626
  By pdrwc - December 12 - 10:00 am

  the overall quality of this car is great,i have been an automotive technician for fifteen years and this car rates with the more expensive models from other manufacturers.

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  Falling Apart - 2001 Mazda 626
  By Peddler281 - November 29 - 5:23 am

  Thank goodness for extended warranties! At 35000, but over the 3 years, the rack and pinion was replaced. At 38000 the transmission was replaced. Air conditioner has been making a noise for the past 18 months, but not broken so not repairable under the warranty. Struts are shot even though driving only on good paved roads. Planning on selling as soon as possible.

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  Zoom-Zoom-Zoom - 2001 Mazda 626
  By pcannon - June 25 - 10:00 am

  Second Mazda 626 LX V6. Gets 21 mpg on average. Elegant style and acceptable craftsmanship so far. Added simulated wood grain trim really makes car look classy. Very nimble for sedan hard to believe! Fun to drive, great for midlifers and above! A very happy Mazda Owner. Only complain so far is paint around fog lamp plastic bezzel peeled off when I power washed car to get bugs off in coin operated power bay at 3500 miles. Dealer agreed to fix after consulting with regional service manager.

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  Not a winter car - 2001 Mazda 626
  By Richard - April 18 - 7:40 am

  This is my 2nd 626. Its been a reliable car and gets exceptional fuel economy. It has no frills, but gets me where I have to be... except in the snow. Like my first (1998) 626, it slides all over the place in snow. Ive tried several different tires, including snows and theres no drastic improvement. I fear driving on snow-covered roads! The only cumbersome maintenance issue is having to replace a pair of bushings in the rear suspension every 20k-25k. You know when theyre worn; the noise is deafening.Ive got 105k on the car and really havent had to put a lot into it. I plan to run it as long as I can up to 200k.

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  Less than reliable - 2001 Mazda 626
  By Drewp - February 22 - 6:16 am

  This car might have been better as a 5 speed manual. I personally would never build a 4 cylinder car with an automatic transmission. It was underpowered and noisy from the beginning. At about 59,000 miles I needed a major tune up and now it has a broken boot and front drive axle and the car has only little more than 70,000. The handling in any weather conditions is sleepy at best. It may be a front drive car but it should be able to control its back end a bit better.

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  Zombie car that I love. - 2001 Mazda 626
  By hassef - July 2 - 9:17 pm

  Owned this car for 11 years. I purchased car used as a dealer demo with 7K on it. At first thought I had a lemon, door trim peeled off, radio broke, O2 sensor went and a sway bar linkage broke, thankfully all under warranty. Now in its 12th year the car has given up the ghost and is a rolling zombie that refuses to die! This year had to replace the CV boot and axle (my fault regular maintenance would have spotted cracked boot and saved me $), the oil pan rusted out, front struts gone, check engine light is on, exhaust almost rusted out and engine leaking oil from a gasket. Saying all this I still loved it. Has out lived all my other cars and cost the least in maintenance.

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  Good Family Car - 2001 Mazda 626
  By Mike - July 27 - 11:23 pm

  Ive been fortunate enough not to have the various problems listed by other owners on this site. Any car (even the allegedly bulletproof Camrys and Accords) can have issues. My 626 is reliable, handles well, and has been a good car for the money. I would seriously consider another Mazda product in the future. It has all of the features of the competition for less. Plus, you dont see one at every stop light (such as the aforementioned Camrys and Accords). I cant vouch for everyone that left the plant, but mine has been great.

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  No more Mazda - 2001 Mazda 626
  By twalston - April 22 - 4:16 pm

  In one year, I have needed an expensive tune-up and then the transmission went out at 85K miles. Gas mileage not very good for a four cylinder engine. Right tail lamp developed leak when it rains and had to be replaced.

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  Dont buy kee max - 2001 Mazda 626
  By nokeemax - November 2 - 7:53 am

  I bought this car from kee max several years ago, the engine blew before I made it home (less than 15 miles). Kee max buys cars from auction and puts them directly on their lot. After spending approx $2500 on a new engine, this car keeps going and going. It now has over 144,000 miles and still going strong.