2002 Mazda 626 Consumer Reviews

Pretty good little car for the money

Written by: Jason on 03/29/2006

Vehicle

2002 Mazda 626 LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I like it; could use a little more power, but it is fun to drive and has decent acceleration. I only get about 22-25 miles/gallon with the 2.0 litre inline four so fuel economy is suffering a bit with age. All in all it is a good car for the money if you can get around the non-sporty looks of the outside. I added a K&N air filter, a tornado air management system and superflo exhaust system to my car so it is slightly peppier than some of the stock 626's around.

Favorite Features

15" wheels, CD player, and comfortably designed interior.

Suggested Improvements

More power please! Rear suspension components rattle a bit over every little bump.

4 out 5 people found this review helpful

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Mazda 626 - not worth the money

Written by: kristywahoo1 on 07/25/2005

Vehicle

2002 Mazda 626 LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I bought my Mazda 626 because I've always thought of Mazda as a company like Toyota or Honda - a company that stands behind its quality cars. I was wrong. I bought my 626 a year ago, and already it needs a transmission. The interior is spacious and borderline elegant, and the exterior is solid and the exterior, sturdy. Mine is only 3 years old, and had a full inspect upon purchase. The car jerks when shifting gears, and it's unreliable. Mazda used the same transmission as the 2002 Ford Probe that year, which also was faulty. Beware....Mazda will not take responsibility and provide and extended warranty. They apparently don't want to pay for their mistakes, so their customers have to

Favorite Features

Interior has a nice design, very spacious, close to camry size.

Suggested Improvements

Transmission RECALL/extended warranty.

10 out 12 people found this review helpful

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Reliable and zippy family sedan

Written by: Carcrazy10 on 06/07/2005

Vehicle

2002 Mazda 626 LX-V6 4dr Sedan (2.5L 6cyl 5M)

Review

Bought my 99 626 V6 as a preowned with 84K miles on it and have driven over 22k miles since then. No major repairs other than spark plug wires. Regular oil changes and fuel additives like injector cleaners and gas treatment keeps the engine running smooth.Very reliable and friends riding in the backseat love the comfortable seats.

Favorite Features

Swinging A/C vents. Auto power off for the headlights. Decent factory installed stereo.

Suggested Improvements

Not made anymore so will skip this.

6 out 6 people found this review helpful

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Sport Performance Commuter

Written by: troyb on 04/10/2005

Vehicle

2002 Mazda 626 LX-V6 4dr Sedan (2.5L 6cyl 5M)

Review

I bought this car used for $9,900 last June (2004). It had 10,800 miles on it then and currently has 22,500. I have had no mechanical problems. I am 6'4"+ so the vehicle gets a bit uncomfortable on 1-hour+ rides (leg room). There is not really ample room for adult passengers in the back seat, I think the '02 Protege has more space. The V-6/5-spd is quite peppy, especially on the highway. I average between 26-29 mpg. The interior is simple and functional. The exterior design is nice, but the paint scratches easier then other cars I have owned and the door molding paint is fading. The suspension is sporty, but can get uncomfortable on bumpy roads.

Favorite Features

The 5-speed manual is fantastic! The V- 6 engine performs very well. I like the interior and dash design and layout. It performs great on the highway. For the cost it is a great car and has been very reliable for me. I plan to keep it around for a while.

Suggested Improvements

There are hardly any aftermarket upgrades for the V-6 Mazda 626. I know the Mazda 6 has about the same driver leg room so that could be improved upon. I know the Accord and Camry are a lot more roomy & comfortable-but more expensive.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Good for commuting

Written by: commuterdriver on 12/07/2004

Vehicle

2002 Mazda 626 LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I bought it when it was a year old and it has been a good commuter car. Nothing really bad about it. The horsepower is a little weak when going up big hills though. Last 10,000 miles or so, the engine has developed this buzz that has not gone away. Someday I will take it to the Mazda dealer to analyze.

Favorite Features

Drivability is nice, handles well in all weather conditions. Fuel economy is pretty decent.

Suggested Improvements

25 more horsepower would be nice.

12 out 13 people found this review helpful

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I like my 626 :-)

Written by: skeezers on 11/11/2004

Vehicle

2002 Mazda 626 ES-V6 4dr Sedan (2.5L 6cyl 5M)

Review

I have had my 626 for about 6 months now. We bought the car used but I have to say that we have really enjoyed the car. Although the exterior is a little boring the performance and comfort more than makes up for it. The car is quiet and has a very sturdy feeling to it. It also has great get up and go. We've had no problems. We took the car on a long road trip and it was very comfortable and handled well on steep and mountainous roads. We love it!

Favorite Features

Swing fans, very comfortable seats, huge trunk, fold down back seats, no awkward blind spots, good stereo system. Great heater and AC, we live in an extreme hot and cold climate and it has performed well.

Suggested Improvements

When the seats fold down the opening is made smaller by panels on back of trunk. Transmission is a little touchy, when going from reverse to drive you must stop completely (recommended anyway for any car) or car "jumps".

5 out 5 people found this review helpful

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good car

Written by: KKURT on 10/01/2004

Vehicle

2002 Mazda 626 ES-V6 4dr Sedan (2.5L 6cyl 5M)

Review

Great car for the bucks. I purchased it new in 2002. Seats are comfortable, good head and leg room even at 6'3". V-6 has plenty of get up and go. In two years the 626 has been trouble free. I had a Mazda GLC 20+ years ago and it was a great car, oil changes, brakes and tires where about the extent of repairs. Two years with the 626 oil changes are all the service it has required Never will understand why the 626 did not compete better as far as number of units sold. The ES V6 with leather, CD, traction control, fog lights etc was a great bargin as compared to similar cars.

Favorite Features

Leather interior and reliabilty at an afordable price

Suggested Improvements

Bring the 626 model back--it looks better and was priced more competatively than the new model 6's or 3's.

4 out 4 people found this review helpful

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good car for the price

Written by: hydro21 on 09/22/2004

Vehicle

2002 Mazda 626 ES-V6 4dr Sedan (2.5L 6cyl 5M)

Review

i bought this car 2 months ago and so far i love it. the v6 gives you a lot of power though it seems a little sluggish in city driving. the leather seats makes the car look and feel a lot more luxurious then it is. id get the V6 because the 4 cyclinder doesnt have any power. the ride is smooth but i wish the steering was a little tighter it has more of a big car feeling. its spacey and the interior looks plain but nice. This is a really good car.

Favorite Features

Leather, traction control system, and the rims that come with the es model

Suggested Improvements

needs to look more sporty especially in the front, tranny is kinda of rough. keeps me up at nights worrying that the tranny is going to go soon

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Good for a temporary car

Written by: Memphishold on 08/11/2004

Vehicle

2002 Mazda 626 LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)

Review

My girlfriend and I shopped around till she found this 626. She wanted something else, but nothing else seem to offer greater value for similar price. At first, we liked it a lot and she talked about keeping it for a lot longer. However, now there's a problem with the intake manifold, and three seperate repair shop can't seem to fix it. It's still running okay, but she can't help but wonder when the car would give her troubles. It's a good car, just that it disappointed us quite a bit after just two years. Getting this car at a low price allowed my girlfriend to save up for another car, so we'll be shopping for another Mazda, maybe Mazda 3 to replace this

Favorite Features

Good peformance for four cylinder. Great gas mileage. Good driving dynamics. Great value for low price. Comfortable interior. Probably would've made a good first family sedan, but we haven't quite gotten there yet :-).

Suggested Improvements

AC isn't too great on hot summer days. Apparently some reliability problems. Also an annoying problem with check engine lights coming on all the time. Other than that, not much.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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college students car

Written by: moodswinger on 03/16/2004

Vehicle

2002 Mazda 626 LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)

Review

good for a second car

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

0 out 2 people found this review helpful

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