1990 Mazda 626 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Was my first new car and my first lemon. Mazda really are great cars but it was just my turn to get a lemon. Every system had problems and engine block cracked. All was covered under warranty with no hassles but when the warrant ywas up at 36k I traded it. On its way to be traded in, a n engine sensor failed and it wouldn’t idle. Again,…it was just my turn to get the exception but is fun to share the story Dec 28, 2023

First family car after getting married. This little car was very comfortable to drive and handled extremely well for a four door sedan. Slightly anemic four cylinder engine mated to a five speed manual transmission gave excellent fuel economy and made it perform as well as could be expected. This car was fun to drive, despite the four-banger (I think about 115 HP) and was very dependable. We've tried to find used once since owning this - it would make a great car for our daughter - but they are difficult to locate.Apr 05, 2010

This has been a very dependable vehicle. I have managed to get 261k out of it. I recieved this car as a hand me down from my wife. I put over one hundred thousand miles after she threw it away. I replaced the clutch once, and a second time only because I let the transmission fluid leak out of the manual 5 speed transmission. If you have a 5 speed manual be sure to have the seals checked regularly.Oct 24, 2009

This car and i go a LONG way back. It was bought 4 days after my birth in fact. I feel it has more sentimental value than a car really should, but considering i started driving it around 12, it doesn't really surprise me. Today is different than its younger years; it has been through a totaling wreck, and around 5 years of baking in the sun. Its 2.2L I-4 gives it 100 or so hp, and I feel that it could have used more, but perhaps that is what the turbo option was for. It still gets around and i have been faster than the posted speed limit by a good margin on several occasions... :) Its handling is good, but not stellar. Its braking is superb minus a warped rotor. Especially considering what all it has been though. On the quality issue: It has always rattled its moon-roof, but it now has more squeakiness and other issues that come with age. Rust is also becoming a significant issue, as body rot is beginning to claim both rear wheel wells. My only mechanical issues that i have repaired that were somewhat significant was the pwr steering pump, the A/C compressor, and CV joints. Other than that, the car has 170k on it and still runs fine. It has been sitting in the sun, and the paint was peeling/ chipping on the hood, so i repainted it , but the rest of the car has little to no paint left. I would go as far as to say that it is borderline ugly. I get 23/30 MPG in this car, and maybe slightly more on the highway (i haven't been on a full interstate tour yet) and yeah, theres been some cost of maintaining it, but i think its nothing out of line for its age. Overall, this car is a fun little guy to drive, and it is going to be hard to give it to my bro when he begins to drive it to school Jul 25, 2008

bought this with 160K had until 250K during that time only replaced alternator, wheel bearings, ball joints cat.converter+straight pipe+muffler and fuel injector chip. at 250 front end was bad (usual for Mazda)- but the car being old I decided not to fix it Considering relatively little investment over relatively long time I owned it I think it is so far the best car I had for the money. it was my rust fixing project as well (even though I could never conquer it completely i would manage to get it looking sharp for the summer) at 250K the transmission (mine was automatic) started to become problematic, did not shift well. between 160K and 200K car ran really well. the locks on the doors would freeze quite a few times during winters. At 250K a pickup track ended it's life :-(((Jul 09, 2008