1st Mar 2005, 21:51

I have a Mazda 626 as well. I have only had it for a year or so, but so far it has performed nearly flawlessly.

I have a Automatic transmission and I have had no problem with it so far. It shifts a little harder then other cars I've had, but that might be because I push my poor car to the limit every day. I'll be truthful with you and said I use those triple-digit numbers pretty often. I'm not a bad person; I just live miles from the nearest town and I am always late for something. I'm surprised that a car I paid so little for performs so well.

I can already see that some time in the future I will need to replace a CV join. It is starting to make a clicking noise when I turn my wheels. Also, I heard that it is not uncommon for there to be transmission problems with this car. I have taken steps like regular transmission check ups and fluid changes every 10 to 30 thousand miles to keep the wear and tear down to a minimum.

As my car nears the 150K mark, I have to say that this will be a hard car to let go of when the time comes. I hope that time never comes.

24th Jan 2007, 13:39

We have a 1994 Mazda 626 ES with the 2.5 L V6 and the manual 5-speed transmission. It has been a great car so far. Great engine and transmission combo. A lot of fun to drive. Very Quick. Mileage is only 24-25 in town and 27-29 on the highway. It is geared for power, not for cruising. The interior is starting to show some age. The cup holders are a joke. Other than replacing a water pump, it's still going strong after 153,000 miles. It does burn a little oil, but I guess that's not unusual for a car of this age. Overall quality is good, but a little behind that of Toyota and Honda. The manual transmission is one of this cars best features. The pedals are set up perfect for heel and toeing. Overall, a fun car!

6th Feb 2009, 15:39

Well I am about to buy a Mazda 626 on Monday. I hope all of you are right about the five speed, I've read nothing but good news about them. On the other hand you might as well have a huge camp fire, throw the automatic 626 in it and cook some s'mores (that's my opinion). Well I'll write back and see how everything went.

30th Apr 2010, 18:16

Well, I have a 1994 626 LX 2.0 Automatic. I bought the car a year ago, and at first, everything was great. Great gas mileage, sufficient power, O/D worked like a champ.

However, now I am experiencing severe transmission issues. I'm thinking it's due to the announcement made in 1999 about the powertrain having problems. I was told the solution is to install a transmission auxiliary cooler to regulate the temperature.

I also downloaded a complete manual of the trans. It states that if the powertrain control module is defective, it could affect shift performance, shift timing, and other electrical components. Since the transmission is electronically controlled, this doesn't sound too far off. I'm planning to get the cooler installed, but I'm afraid that if I do, the same issue will happen again.

I would like for anyone who has experienced something similar to this to email me at lilfelon82@yahoo.com with details of your situation. Mazda states that the powertrain announcement wasn't a recall, but a safety awareness about it. Thus, I cannot get a new powertrain control module unless I pay for it. I at least feel that the auxiliary cooler should be installed free of charge due to the number of units affected. My car is clearly one of those units. I've read on other sites where people took their car to a dealer and they installed the cooler free of charge. I just don't understand why this is happening to me. I've poured so much money into this car, and it's been reliable so far. I don't wish to get rid of it and I would like some solid answers. Please email me if you have any solutions.