1998 Mazda 626 GLX 2.0 from Qatar

Summary:

The Mazda 626 is so underrated

Faults:

The automatic transmission was broken, since I fell in hole in the street, and it was at night and I couldn't avoid falling in it.

Regular maintenance like:

- Oil change.

- Brake pad.

- Spare plugs.

- New tyres.

Other than that, the car is such a reliable car.

General Comments:

The car's speed performance was OK, and it's faster than a Lancer and Corolla in terms of acceleration, while the handling is like heaven.

My Mazda 626 was built in Japan, so I never had real issues with this car.

The fuel economy is awesome, and the seats are so comfortable too.

I love Mazda, but the car's spare parts are expensive compared to other Japanese car companies like Toyota and Nissan.

I sold the car last year, but I must admit that the Mazda 626 is such a reliable and well built car.

THANKS MAZDA.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th May, 2013

1998 Mazda 626 Classic Wagon 1.9 from Nigeria

Summary:

Trust the manual trans, good family car, large trunk, great gas mileage

Faults:

Bad rear suspension, driver's chair height-adjuster stuck. Others are cosmetic issues.

Smoking engine... but after a 1500 km round trip the smoking stopped.

General Comments:

Got this beautiful 626 classic wagon after extensive research. Sure, the 626 is not the best in its class, however it seems to be the only good choice I have considering its price tag.

Generally, the features are generous; ABS, TCS, 4 air bags (2 front and 2 side curtains), fog lights, adjustable rear seat - to create more luggage room, and the ride is high. The acceleration is good, but I noticed it's quite lazy with the A/C on.

The smoking engine is a generic problem with this model. I changed the valve seal, but it smoked even more. But the technician assured me that it only needed a long distance trip before the smoking would stop. So I made a 1500km with 5 adults, a baby, and luggage packed up to the roof.

The car performed excellently. It made a top speed of 180kph. I spent less on fuel. I think the car did about 32 MPG.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 8th June, 2012

29th Jun 2012, 10:41

I'm BACK.

So far I've covered more km, and I'm beginning to fall in love with Mazda.

The car is definitely stable with ABS and TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM well in place. If you need to stop - JUST STEP ON THE BRAKE - IT'LL STOP, NO MATTER THE TERRAIN. The feedback is very good.

I was rear-ended a week ago in a hold up (speed below 30 kph) by a Toyota, which drove away with just a cracked head light while I had broken bumper and twisted rear chassis; the damage was substantial. I was shocked to discover that no REINFORCEMENT was installed in the bumper (just the plastic covering only). It was fixed with the equivalent of 100 USD to mend (bodywork and paint). I'll need to get bumper reinforcement for this car somehow.

The engine still runs seamlessly, and fuel economy is A+ - extremely good. The A/C was fixed and works OK. Couldn't get the rear brake pad for the car here in ILORIN - need to order from LAGOS.

ALL THE SAME, THIS CAR IS GREAT TO DRIVE.

In reply to 29th Jun 2012, 10:41

8th Apr 2017, 17:27

Update on my 1998 Mazda 626 classic Wagon.

Odometer: 194 990km (5 years of ownership).

What had gone wrong?

Routine maintenance stuff:

Tires, brake pads, A/C needs gas (January 2017).

Others: drive shafts, lower arms, linkages, rear stabilizer broke... (roads are generally bad, I expected it). In spite of all the problems, it never left me stranded, not even once.

The only major challenge that showed up was an intermittent loss of power. The car stalls whenever acceleration goes beyond 1500 RPM or when it reaches operating temp. I am a DIY person, I went online for help, none of the suggestions worked. And no one could diagnose what the problem was.

I changed fuel pumps, pump relay, spark plugs, etc. Nothing worked. What finally solved the problem was very simple.

I installed an FPR (Fuel Pressure Regulator), a high pressure fuel pump, and a crankshaft position sensor, all from local salvage market. And it did the magic. I couldn't tell what actually went wrong, I just know I changed them all as a last resort and it resolved the stalling problem.

I hope to drive it for another 5 years.