20th Jul 2004, 06:16
That's because they are different cars. The 626 in the UK is imported from Japan, and has excellent Japanese engines. In the US, they are made by Ford, and are merely rebadged, with a few styling changes.
11th Aug 2004, 14:14
I have a Mazda 626 from japan and it does well, driving is a fun. Not a problem at all. It is almost 70000 km.
11th Apr 2006, 23:22
Well...Driving the Mazda 626 is not fun it is scary. Your leaving point "A" and hoping to get to point "B". It is a piece of junk. I am so disappointed in it I am taking it in tomorrow to trade it in. I have already replaced the tranny twice and there are only 86K miles on mine...SUCKS...
23rd Apr 2007, 15:07
I bought a 1998 Mazda 626. What hurts so much it is my first car, I drove it for about 5 months when the transmission gave out on me. I was highly disappointed, and in the Bahamas our mechanics are not that skilled. I hope with service the new transmission last for a while. I will never invest in another Mazda.
29th Apr 2008, 19:09
I bought Mazda 626 Year 1998 at 99,000 miles. The transmission system had been replaced at 74,000miles. It broke down again at 138,000 miles and was rebuilt for $2300. It has been giving me problems since then with Overdrive light flashing and engine check light coming on. Now it is at 152,000miles and out of warranty, I am already thinking of another transmission system overhaul. It is a relatively expensive car to maintain. I have invested a lot of money on this car on brakes, starter, axle etc. The engine has worked well so far. The acceleration is slow. I will never buy a Ford made car again and would not recommend Ford cars to anyone either.
29th Jul 2009, 05:58
I bought my Mazda 626 1998 model at 119km and I am a bit of having problem with the transmission, but have not decided if to trade it in or replace another transmission.
The engine also is going dead; I am thinking of replacing it with a new engine, or better still find a buyer for it.
9th Jan 2010, 17:59
I have a 1998 Mazda 626 broke down 220 miles away from my home. It has now been 6 weeks and I am being told that the computer is broke and may not be fixable. Anyone out there with this problem?
There's only 130,000 miles on it and it is by far the best car I've ever owned until this happened anyway...
26th Mar 2010, 18:14
It's obvious from reading these comments that the automatic transmission is the main problem. I have 1998 626 with a 5 speed manual transmission that I bought new, and I now have 225,000 pretty trouble-free miles on it. I drive sensibly on the highway and get between 35-40 mpg. The car won't die.
22nd Dec 2003, 16:44
You are seriously unlucky of getting this car.
In the UK Mazdas are rated most reliable and I can back that up as my Mazda 626 has 180,000Miles and still runs like new. No problems whatsoever.
I've read reviews of mazdas in the usa and they don't look right compared to those of the UK.