Great car for me. Its an under rated car if you ask me.
Had a brand new back in the Middle East when it was first released (tagal na nun!). I had the sedan then, I used to drive it to Dubai once a month from a Muscat and I when I do I open it up to 240kph (road was good and straight, both sides are miles and miles of sand dunes. Steering is great, it was the first car to have this 'intelligent' power steering where it kindda stiffens a bit when you go faster...better control at high speeds.
I started looking for one again here in Manila a few years back, of course 2nd hand ang choice... after searching here at tsikot I found one in very good condition, hatchback naman ngayon...and this time automatic, really love the car. Since we had a project in Batangas, I regularly use the Startoll... no speed limit... I tried opening it up.... gave me a respectable 210kph... then I had it tweaked by a friend, and got put some 17"... gave it better torque, and on can gave another 15km on top of the 210kph....Not bad for a A/T hatchback.
I think this model was voted car of the year in its class (I am not sure how many times) in JAPAN.
The reason why Mazda's have a low resale value here is because back in mid to late 80's, the exclusive dealer of Mazda here in the country did not stock on its inventories of spare parts for all the Mazda car line.Thats why the servicing was difficult since there where no spares available. Also as I was told the exclusive dealer back then had management and operations problems that lead to the frustration of the Japanese and eventually gave limited support and credit. The story is different now with the new models and the entry of Mazda Philippines, and of course the injection of Ford in the picture.
The 626 seems like a good bargain, however are there any issues if it's an automatic?