1998 Mazda 626 from North America

Summary:

I am lucky that I bought it used

Faults:

The weather stripping on the drivers side door has gone, it now drips water when it rains.

The "check engine" light goes on and off, this probably has to do with the O2 sensor.

Needed new brake pads the day after I got it, was not too happy about that.

The fan belt began to tear apart a month after I got it, got it fixed, have not had a problem with it since then.

The paint is chipping away, mainly on the hood and the trunk.

General Comments:

This car picks up quick, and even though it has a V6 the mileage is still decent.

The car is spacious, especially from the backseat.

I am lucky that nothing "severe" has happened with the car, and I hope that it never does, at least till I get a new one.

I was considering having some body work done to it, paint/tinted windows/spoiler, etc etc etc.

I was wondering if anyone could give me any ideas if I should do this or not, thanks.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th June, 2005

28th Sep 2005, 04:26

Go ahead and supe it up! Although I bought mine from a dealership, if you take good care of this car like any other car, it will be fine. Remember, in everything Mazda makes, it has the soul of a sports car, look at the successor to the 626; the 6, it's a sports sedan.

Anyway, I had the DOHC 2.0 liter 4 cylinder 5 speed. I knew it had potential, so I began modifying it. It may not be very fast stock, but a couple of bolt-ons will have you dieing for more power. I had a Weapon R Hyper intake, Matrix Type X exhaust, Venom VCN 1000 nitrous system, Venom 400 performance control module, 5zigen copes wheels, wrapped in Yokohama Parada spec 2 tires, Eibach pro kit, lowering springs and tented windows.

Another thing you can do if you want, is to take your backseat and spare tire out to save some weight! It's very easy to take out; you just need a wrench or ratchet and socket. If you have the 6 cylinder, there are actually more performance parts available for that engine.

I just gave you an idea of how you can improve your 626, so do your research and get to it! There is nothing like driving a one off 626 that smokes Hondas.

1998 Mazda 626 LX from North America

Summary:

This car's reliability is very deceiving

Faults:

My transmission blew at 90,000 miles.

Also, when I go on trips longer than 3hrs, the O/D light goes on.

When the the air conditioning is turned on the car idols weirdly.

When I first start the car it sounds like there are rats in the engine.

General Comments:

I have only had this car for about 11 months now, if that, and I have been having so many problems with it.

I took my car to a mechanic and he said that the belts were fine, but that rat noise was still unexplainable.

How common are these problems with these particular types of cars?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd December, 2004

29th Dec 2004, 13:47

Can tell you a lot, but go to mazda626.net and get all the information you need..

29th Sep 2006, 14:48

I have a 98 mazda 626 4cyl w/automatic transmission. I've never had any trouble with the transmission as of yet at 114,000 miles.

I have had to replace the fan belt, brakes, and just recently the spark plugs. My car was idling rough with the a/c on, but when I changed the plugs, it seemed to help a lot... when I had my fan belt changed it kept making a loud squealing noise. Especially the first few miles of driving. Took it to 3 mechanics before they finally figured out that the fan belt needed to be tightened when the car was cold. It no longer makes a loud squealing noise. But I can still hear a rat like noise when the a/c is on. Doesn't affect anything though. So, I chalk it up as a quirk with these cars.

19th Jun 2008, 13:09

I bought mine used with 80K miles. I'm up to 158K and have had very few problems. I had to replace the CV axles, but that was it. All in all, it's been the best $4500 I ever spent on transportation. Great little car and fun to drive.