1986 Mazda 626 GT 2.0 FI turbo from North America
Summary:
Money pit with a turbo
Faults:
I have replaced, in the one year I have owned this car and the 23,000 miles I have driven it, the following:
Rear passenger side brake caliper.
Several stripped bolts and pins (thanks to prev. owner)
Motor mount, still need to do the other 2.
Alternator.
Blown rubber exhaust hose in turbo intake.
Power steering belt & pulley.
Sway bar bushings.
Rack & pinion.
Passenger side front fender (thanks to ice on the road)
Things I still need to fix:
All 4 window tracks.
Rear sunroof drain gutters and clogged, and the car has flooded before as a result.
Turbo burns oil.
Radiator is corroding.
Shifter rattles on freeway.
Interior is pretty decent, but those 80's dashboards never hold up, do they?
General Comments:
This car is very quick, nice acceleration, even though the turbo needs some cleaning up and working on, it still punches pretty good.
I can't decide if the problems I face with this car are due to poor manufacturing or the idiot I bought it from...wait, maybe that makes me the idiot. whatever the case may be, it is nothing that can't be fixed. I pray this will one day be a good looking, well maintained, fast car to drive and not fix.
Stock suspension is disappointing, at first I thought electronic suspension would be cool, but really it's worthless as it's just more things to fix and the car sort of throws it's weight around.
I think it's a cool looking car and with the right work it would be pretty fast.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 6th March, 2003
20th Jun 2004, 20:50
I had a 1987 GT Turbo. I bought it with 73,000 miles and put over 120,000 additional miles on the car. Moreover, I was far from religious about upkeep. Sold it and a year later the owner told me it was still running strong. The best car I have ever owned in terms of overall quality, economy, and performance and I have had many good cars.
7th Feb 2006, 19:27
I have an 87 626 GT (turbocharged) and my dad bought it in 1987 before I was born (born in 89) and we still own it, it's 2006 and it has 250,000 miles. GREAT CAR!!! practically perfect! doesn't look the best, but runs real well. quiet knock, I think is piston slap. but hey, it's still running!!! impressive if you ask me.
7th Sep 2007, 23:40
I had one of these cars and it was great. Reliable, great performer, and versatile. When my truck broke down, I put down the rear seats and slid in 14 foot 2 by 12s to carry to the job site of a house I was repairing. On long trips, I would give the wife the wheel, put down the seats, pull out a pillow I brought along, lay down and take a nap. Just about the best car I ever owned. I wish I had another one.
3rd Jan 2004, 21:26
Well, when you purchase a 1986 vehicle in 2002, you have to expect some mechanical failures. Perhaps the previous owner was aware of the coming problems and finally decided to unload it in favor of something newer.