1981 Mazda 626 Base review from North America
"Very pretty, but not much personality"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I bought the 1981 626 for its good looks and fairly sporty handling. I had the beautiful aluminum 626 wheels added.
This is the first car I have owned where I actually went shopping for someone to boost the performance. That 2000 engine was a slug. (I think it was rated at 70 hp.)
It handled very well for a sedan of that era, and beyond that motor there were no complaints with it beyond the usual little things the dealer fixed; rattles, trim falling off a bit, etc. I found the finish was not quite up to the Accord that I also looked at.
General comments?
That weak engine did me in. I got tired of it after a year of sluggish performance and traded it on a 1980 Volvo 242 GT.
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| 1983 Motor Trend Import Car of the Year for a reason |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 1981 |
| First year of ownership | 1981 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1982 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 litre Manual |
| Performance marks | 3 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 10000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Dodge Omni |
| Date of Entry | 1st June, 2004 |