2000 Mazda 626

I love it, but I hate the Lousey Ford Transmission

By Jim37015 (TN) on Saturday, April 13, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 197,000

Pros: "Cheap on gas,low maintenance,comfy,dependable"

Cons: "Rotten Ford Tranmission, shame too."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 7

"Its the only killer of this car. I bought it used and had the timing belt changed out($525). Drove it all over and out of town and got great gas mileage. The only downfall I found so far is a major one is that Mazda let Ford do the transmission. Now its not wanting to hit OD. I found out on the web if you own this car and are not having any trans problems get a trans cooler asap. The transmission was too small for this car and over heats. They can be had for less than $50 and can save a ton of money in parts and labor. As we all know if the transmission is broke, your looking at anywhere from $500-$850 and most of that is labor at $65-$75 an hour,maybe more with todays crooked repair shops since everything cost a suspiciously minimum of $500."

4 people out of 5 found this review helpful

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Worst car I have every owned

By NeveraMazda (UT) on Saturday, February 02, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 170,000

Pros: "Looks great, Great gas milage, Drives nice"

Cons: "Poorly made, Always repairs to be made"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 1

"The car was in pristine condition and has been well maintained and garaged keeps for the life of the car. In the past year we have replaced the tramsmission, intake manifold gasket, spark plugs and wires, mass airflow sensor, timing belt,accessory belts, water pump, thermostat, tires, brakes, and now the alternator went out and the transmission fluid is now leaking. This has been a nightmare. I'm sad to say this experience has caused me to have such a negative opinion; I will never ever own another Ford/Mazda."

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Extremely Reliable, Cheap Car

By Michael (PA) on Friday, November 23, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 143,000

Pros: "Smooth, Comfortable, Reliable"

Cons: "No ZOOM ZOOM, Headlights fog up"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 8

"Bought second handed and put about 20k miles on it, so far no issues. Car is very cheap to maintain and has very comfortable seats. Aftermarket stereos installed do not fit as well as in other cars that I have installed. My manual transmission with the 4 cylinder has no power going up hills, but easily gets around ~30mpg ( with replaced fuel filter and k&n high flow air filter ). For an older car it handles very well around corners, typical of Mazda's. Also moving air-vents! My only Con is no ZOOM-ZOOM."

5 people out of 7 found this review helpful

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Very pleased with the reliability of this car

By Misho (AZ) on Monday, November 12, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 190,000

Pros: "very reliable, enjoyable to drive, great on gas!"

Cons: "There is nothing I do not like about this car"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"I bought it with over a hundred thousand miles on it, and it has never given me any issues. Air conditioning still works, power windows and door locks all still function. Great gas mileage, on the freeway it easily gets 35-38 MPG, impressive for such an old car. The clutch is just now starting to give us some problems but this car has almost 200000 miles on it. Great car, I would recommend it to anyone."

3 people out of 4 found this review helpful

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great car i love to drive it

By clyde (MO) on Wednesday, October 17, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 194,000

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 8

"This our first 626 I find it a great car. easy on gas. now I will say there was a new transmission rut in at around 120000. Other than that its a good car I,m going to try to keep up the and see how many miles it will last before it gives out I think it will last to 300000"

4 people out of 5 found this review helpful

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I would buy the 626 LX V6 5 speed manual again!!!

By D.A.F. (MD) on Friday, October 12, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 188,200

Pros: "fun to drive, nice Bose system for a 1998 car"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 8

"I purchased my 1998 626 back in March of 2002 (with 32,000 miles on it). Up until 2008; my 626 was my only source of transportation (and it never let me down... even up to today). No it's not a Honda or a Toyota but it's a well built Mazda. I've had to replace two timing belts and water pumps since 2002. I've never changed the clutch (LOL... it still goes into 1st gear with ease too). With over 188,000 miles of regular driving and maintenance; I can see that it may be time to part with it (in the near future). Overall my 1998 Mazda 626 LX V6 manual has been a reliable vehicle (a worthy investment back in 2002 @ $9,000.00 more than what its worth now)."

3 people out of 3 found this review helpful

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