1998 Mazda 626 Review
Fuel Economy
21 - 26 mpg
Consumer Ratings & Reviews
engine stalled while driving 60 mph hwy
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 1 | Fun-to-Drive: | 9 | Build Quality: | 1 |
| Comfort: | 8 | Interior Design: | 5 | Reliability: | 1 |
| Fuel Economy: | 6 | Exterior Design: | 5 | ||
Vehicle
1998 Mazda 626 4 Dr LX Sedan
Review
I purchased this car last year from a private seller. 2 months after having the car, no more then 80,000 miles on it, the transmission went out. Beginning of April 2009 I drove it to Georgia. It handled the mountains very well. Now that I was confident in this car I allowed my 18 year old daughter to use the car to go approximately 118 miles out of town. On her trip back the engine stalled while she was going 60 mph on the highway..now it was towed today and I want to know what other safety hazards I must be aware of with this car. It was my first luxury car and it let me down and almost killed my first born. Where do I go to file a safety complaint? Others need to be aware of this danger!
Favorite Features
roomy, moonroof
Suggested Improvements
transmission & safety precautions no car should stall, a vehicle should Never stall while driving it.
Solid ten years of transportation
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 7 | Fun-to-Drive: | 7 | Build Quality: | 9 |
| Comfort: | 7 | Interior Design: | 7 | Reliability: | 9 |
| Fuel Economy: | 7 | Exterior Design: | 7 | ||
Vehicle
1998 Mazda 626 4 Dr ES Sedan
Review
Looking to buy a new (used) car and mentally struggling to part with "old reliable"--think I'll gift to the kids for transportation and expect they can get at least another five years out of the old gal. Bought as year-old used and have had no troubles--simply changed the oil every 4-5K miles and was careful to change transmission fluid every 60K (as recommended by my non-dealer mechanic). Otherwise all predictable and expected general maintenance. Mazda is a winner in my book.
Favorite Features
Reliability, good power, decent interior elements
Suggested Improvements
Did have the power radio antenna fail and no longer fully retracts--but it still works!
The car wont die
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 8 | Fun-to-Drive: | 9 | Build Quality: | 10 |
| Comfort: | 9 | Interior Design: | 8 | Reliability: | 10 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 8 | ||
Vehicle
1998 Mazda 626 4 Dr LX Sedan
Review
i have had this car for 6 months now it is my first car and it keeps turning heads even at 11 or how ever old it is people have stopped me and said what a nice cat that is i cant complain the car only die once because of a bad fuel pump but come on it is from 1998. when i bought it it had 125,000 and in six months i have put on another thousand so it really holds up
Favorite Features
sunroof, fuel economy
Suggested Improvements
antenna that goes down hate to take that thing off at the car wash.
Typical Automatic Issues?
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 6 | Fun-to-Drive: | 7 | Build Quality: | 7 |
| Comfort: | 8 | Interior Design: | 8 | Reliability: | 3 |
| Fuel Economy: | 8 | Exterior Design: | 8 | ||
Vehicle
1998 Mazda 626 4 Dr LX Sedan
Review
Bottom line is I love the car. I must. I've owned it for over 10 years, and am only now deciding to sell. But, transmission #3 is issuing signals, and the pre-cat went out years ago. The pre-cat triggers the chk eng light, then the light goes out in a couple of weeks. Not really an issue, just an annoyance. We also lost a lot of weather-stripping around the doors. I re-hung it. But I think it needs more than just an adhesive to really do the job. After two years, we also have two dash bulbs out. Makes it a pain to use the heater when you can't real the dial. But I still have the car, so it isn't all bad. A very fun car to drive, even with low power.
Favorite Features
Driving position, driving responsiveness, comfortable, convenient interior. Exterior styling. Economy. Quality of materials used.
Suggested Improvements
This Ford-engineered transmission is a piece of junk. I've spent over $5000 on transmission and half-shaft repairs. Way too much money. Any car with leather interior should have shaded windows to prevent leather cracking. ATTACH vs adhere weatherstrip to door openings.
Weak transmissions
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 5 | Fun-to-Drive: | 8 | Build Quality: | 9 |
| Comfort: | 7 | Interior Design: | 6 | Reliability: | 8 |
| Fuel Economy: | 8 | Exterior Design: | 5 | ||
Vehicle
1998 Mazda 626 4 Dr DX Sedan
Review
I bought the car for my daughter in 1998 for her to finish high school and go off to college in. The car has never left her stranded, but the automatic transmission has greatly increased the cost of a higher education. I've had the transmission replaced twice, once at 55K miles, and again at 120K. The clutch packs appear to be the weak link in the transmission. I had to change the heater coil in 2000. I made the repairs myself one week end. I'll never do that again.
Favorite Features
The parking brake.
Suggested Improvements
Transmission & cooling system.
View Pricing for Other Years
- 2002 Mazda 626
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- 2000 Mazda 626
- 1999 Mazda 626
- 1998 Mazda 626
- 1997 Mazda 626
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