Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  What a piece of junk - 1998 Mazda 626
  By Jami - October 23 - 2:30 pm

  I bought my 1998 Mazda 626LX before I knew what a piece of crap it really is. These cars have the worst transmissions around. It was replaced once and rebuilt once already since I have had it and it is going out again! Mazda needs to do a recall! I found out that the transmission put into the 94-2002 was not good and has a habit of going out not just once but several times. This needs to be fixed.

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  Solid ten years of transportation - 1998 Mazda 626
  By Mark - October 8 - 3:43 am

  Looking to buy a new (used) car and mentally struggling to part with "old reliable"--think Ill gift to the kids for transportation and expect they can get at least another five years out of the old gal. Bought as year-old used and have had no troubles--simply changed the oil every 4-5K miles and was careful to change transmission fluid every 60K (as recommended by my non-dealer mechanic). Otherwise all predictable and expected general maintenance. Mazda is a winner in my book.

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  Commuting 626 - 1998 Mazda 626
  By Vikefan - October 2 - 10:00 am

  Needed a car to commute 35 miles one way, wanted something stylish and good on gas. Toyotas and Hondas are so much more expensive, whereas Mazda is often the forgotten step brother! I bought it with 43K miles on it and at 65K the Alternator went out took it to the shop nearby. 24 hours later, the EFI valve went out,...suspicous,...And it was something I couldnt do myself , because Mazada would not release that part to the public yet. Anyway, it is a great commuter and decent sound system. Shouldve gotten the 6 cyl instead of the 4 cyl, not enough snort. My wife has a hard time seeing out the back, other than that very happy with it.

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  Great Car - 1999 Mazda 626
  By Ruth - September 18 - 10:50 am

  Adequate Room. Love the oscillating vents...love the electric roof. Extremely reliable...never a moments problem.

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  Mazda lemon - 1999 Mazda 626
  By BadgerXX3 - September 9 - 10:00 am

  Since the date of purchase this car was in the shop. Built on a sunny Friday afternoon. Problems with the Climate control system and a noisy back end. Transmission repair due to excessive vibration. Drive belts were also an issue. Left me stranded twice, I would not recommend the 626.

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  Mazda 626 2002 (4 Cyl. 5M) - 2002 Mazda 626
  By e44 - September 6 - 4:33 pm

  I have absolutely no problems with this car. I follow the maintenance schedule faithfully. I have read reviews that say the manual transmission is no good. I find it shifts like a dream. My car has +100 000 miles on it and it runs perfectly. The clutch has absolutely no wear on it. If you maintain these cars they will be dependable and very economical. I would advise staying away from the automatic transmission. This is a Ford product. The car is fun to drive, has responsive steering and connects the driver well to the road.

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  buyer beware - 1999 Mazda 626
  By Dave - August 4 - 6:23 pm

  After owning this car for almost 2 years, our 626 has been a decent vehicle for my wife until now. Suddenly the transmission has gone out and had to be replaced. The tranny shop told us that they see a LOT of these Ford transmissions and said most dont make it to 100k miles. I have a Honda and a Mitsubishi that both have over 165k and have had no problems whatsoever. No late model car should have transmission problems this soon (our 626 has about 105k on it). I am now finding that this is fairly common with the 626, so keep that in mind if you are considering buying one. If you do still buy one, go for the V6.

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  Runs Well - 1998 Mazda 626
  By Sixers rule - July 9 - 10:00 am

  Had this vehicle for over a year now and have had no major problems. Drives smoothly, and after reading all the commnets am happy i got the manual transmission. Could use a little more power though.

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  I love my car - 1999 Mazda 626
  By krissy - June 27 - 2:00 am

  I love my car. I had a 95 626 and traded it in for a 99. I could not find a vehicle that I liked as much as this one for the price.

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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.