is mazda 626 a good car to maintain?

**matrixx** · August 4th, 2003 05:34 PM

Please give info about fuel consumption, parts availability
and its performance..
thanks

**pajerokid** · August 4th, 2003 06:06 PM

I have no idea but it sure looks ***y :D

M · August 5th, 2003 08:14 AM

good car. reliable.

parts-wise .. ok naman .. try autorama in banawe or nankai (also in banawe). medyo pricey lang ang parts. still cheaper than honda accord parts though.

go to protegetech for more info. we have a couple of 626 owners there.

**IMm29** · August 5th, 2003 10:55 AM

fuel consumption - on my '95 626 MT, mixed city/hiway, was 6-6.5 before the I/H/E upgrade and Havoline Energy. was averaging 8.5-9 after that. was able to go as high as 10 once, but that was during Holy Week. hehehe. no traffic.

performance - i like its handling. it's lower than most 2L cars, so you're a bit more prone to sayad, but it's quite solid on curves. the 2L engine is perhaps the least powerful of the 2L bunch, but it's very torquey. i liked the combination.

parts availability - like what M said, you gotta try looking for em at those shops. its parts are not as available as your toyota, honda, mitsu, nissan parts, what with the lack of Mazda in the Philippines as well, but they are available if you know where to look. as to knowing where to look, contact the protegetech guys.

**orly_andico** · August 5th, 2003 03:11 PM

what i heard is, more expensive than toyota but cheaper than honda. this was my 'dream car' when i was a freshman in college 10 years ago.

the 'good' thing about it is that you can now buy 'em relatively cheap! a '93 or '94 will not set you back more than 170k or so (if more than that, haggle 'em down!) it's probably the cheapest 2.0L car you can buy. and even though it's 10 years old, it still looks decent. i like sloping-down rear bonnets

(kaya gusto ko rin yung '93 Altima)

the problem with '93 and '94 mazda 626's is that in those years, mazda had a bad batch of paint. i looked at three 626's and called up 3 or 4 other sellers. all but one had been repainted (in this case, a repaint doesn't mean na-disgrasya and pinokpok, pangit talaga paint ng mazda in those years). the one i got was not repainted, BUT.. the paint is ever-so-slightly starting to peel in some spots. i think it will need a repaint next year or something.

since a paint job costs 25,000 you will want to consider that in your costing.

the 2.0L I4 is quite 'weak' as Imm29 points out -- 118hp only! but you can boost it to 250hp daw with an intercooler and turbo (if that's your cup of tea), as it's inherently a very conservative engine design.

another tip: AVOID THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. all mazda 626's from 1993 to 2001 suffer from a bad, Ford-designed auto tranny which kills itself around 75,000 miles. As in guaranteed na mamamatay yung auto tranny.

this link will get you a good number, just visit twice a week and call the owners religiously, medyo kinikidlat ang 626 if it's less than 180k asking price:
http://www.buyandsellph.com/buysell/...asp?search=626

Note: the 9516973 number, the 626 was sold 2 weeks ago.

hindi lang naalis from the listing. that car was gorgeous (for its age) racing-red, with a spoiler, bosch head end and dual Ryan subs... naunahan ako ng 1 hour *doh*

**IMm29** · August 5th, 2003 03:17 PM

orly_andico,
from what i hear, the Auto tranny 626 does have problems. i have a friend who wants to unload his, but since his tranny needs fixing, he can't yet. and about the engine, indeed it's the weakest among those in its time. but at cruising speeds, i liked it. it was stable, had that heavy eurocar feel, still stable at 200 kph. hehehe. then again, it would depend on your cup of tea.

**orly_andico** · August 5th, 2003 04:13 PM

well.. the auto tranny is really problematic, it's a Ford tranny. 2001 - 2002 Mazda 626 uses an auto tranny made by a Japanese company (not Mazda).

of course wala nang 626 ngayon, it's been superseded by the Mazda6.

not sure how much an auto tranny would cost, but even surplus, it is problematic (heats up). an aftermarket cooling coil would be needed. i think the best option is, if you must have a 626 (i did... ;) it was that or a '94 corolla XL/'95 lancer GLXi for the same price, but it just isn't the same..) avoid the auto tranny.