1984 Mazda 626 review from Australia and New Zealand

Side-skirts are badly disintegrated and have started to fall off.

Strange noises from the air conditioning compressor appeared at approximately 1,950,000 kilometers. This eventually led to the failure of the compressor.

Rear seat headrests have faded and worn badly due to heat and other sun damage. Interior upholstery throughout the car is also sun damaged.

Central locking is now starting to fail, with the front passenger unable to lock or unlock, the rear passenger unable to unlock and the rear driver seat unable to lock.

Electrical units, such as the cruise control system, failed soon after the compressor died.

The steering is slightly off-center.

This is a great first car for anybody that has just earned their license, the manual is nippy and reliable with very low fuel consumption.

The steering, due to not being power assisted, is a little too heavy for some. However, it holds the 'line' quite well and cornering is just plain fun.

Massive under-steer is evident when pushed a little too hard through corners.

Wheel-spin is common.

Seats are relatively comfortable for an older model car, although the upholstery needs to be covered up.

First through to third gear have acceleration 'flat spots'. This causes the car to keep revving without an increase in acceleration. It can be irritating, but the driver can overcome this with quick changing of gears. When this is overcome, the acceleration is linear and it feels as if the car always has something more to give. My top speed is 195 Kilometers per hour and times of 7 to 8 seconds for the 100km/h mark have been achieved.

The car does not like to start/'kick-over' when the engine is above, approximately, 70 degrees Celsius.

All in all, an excellent first car and a pleasure to drive.