1990 Mazda 626 LX review from North America
"The most solid car I ever owned"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Replaced:
Alternator
Wheel bearings
Ball joints
Cat. converter + straight pipe + muffler
Fuel injector chip
General comments?
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 250K the 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 its life :-(((
Pros: you'd spend about a $1000/year in maintenance
Cons: really none, other than that Sierra pickup that made it into 323.
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| This car is indestructible and resilient |
|
| A peppy and practical car |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1990 |
| Year of manufacture | 1990 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.2L 4 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 160000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 250000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Lumina |
| Date of Entry | 28th December, 2008 |