Faults:

The car caught on fire, twice! my fault. CV joints on both sides just went out, but they were cheap to fix.

Air intake manifold rubber boot went out. one of my gears don't work.

General Comments:

Most people laugh when I rev up my engine, but then they cry when a 1989 beats them by a mile in a race. I love my car so much I even went out and bought a 1990 Mazda 626 because they are a lot alike.

Faults:

My slave cylinder went out at 168,471 miles.

My alternator belt came off at 176,846 miles.

General Comments:

My Mazda isn't like any other one out there. We have come to call it the Baja Mazda. Surprisingly enough, it handles really well in the mud because of its weight and the front wheel drive. I have pulled many of trucks out with this car.

As far as mods go, a new CD player was the first thing to go in, along with some MTX 12s powered by a 1,000 watt Pioneer amp.

The next thing was a 300W power inverter placed neatly in the dash under the new CD player.

Then I custom fabbed a light bar out of angle iron, and bolted it on where the sun roof closes. On top of the light bar, I have four 100W KC lights to light up the trail.

Now no off road vehicle needs to go without a CB radio; that was the next to go in, along with a 4 foot whip.

Faults:

It had been sitting for a year before I received the car so it had major lock-up issues. After the first few interstate runs, the engine just opened right up and I haven't been able to keep it down since!

A few hoses leaked. Cheaply replaced.

Exhaust manifold gasket leaked.

General Comments:

With the original engine, transmission and clutch, and almost 200,000 miles, I am still able to go out racing in this car every weekend.

I love it because it is the best sleeper in the city! Everyone hates getting beat by a 200,000 mile, 1989 MAZDA!!

It is very comfortable inside and takes bumps in the road like it is nobody's business!

The body style is excellent for racing and I plan on building a customized body kit for the car.

Faults:

Aside from regular maintenance (oil, filters, plugs, tires, windshield, timing belt, etc)...

The muffler went after 3 years. The dealer replaced the muffler and after 12 years is still going strong.

I can't remember, but the transmission oil had to be replaced or flushed or something after about 4 years (under warranty).

CV boots needed replaced after 13 years.

Driver's side carpeted floor mat wore out after 10 years.

A/C got a hole in it and needed patching up after 11 years, but it has worked flawlessly ever since.

Exhaust pipes needed repairing after 12 years.

The gas tank drain plug (yep, it has one) needed replacing after 14 years.

Air intake hose got a hole in it and needed replacing after 14 years.

The vinyl part of the seats needed minor repairing after 15 years, but the fabric is still in excellent condition.

I fully expect to have to replace the head gasket in the next few years, along with the timing belt. I also need new hubcaps as the original ones are just too scratched up (my only regret is not getting alloys).

General Comments:

This car still drives like it did when I drove it off the lot 15 years ago. It is the most comfortable car I've ever sat in. There is more room in the back seat than most coupes. There is also no rust anywhere. This would make a great used car bargain. If you follow the recommended maintenance schedule, the car will live a very long time.