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Mazda 626
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topic. If you've followed a link here from that
topic, please continue your discussion.
Those of you just joining us can find additional
archived discussion by following the above link.
Thanks,
L8_Apex
Sedans Host
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CC the letter to Mazda.
-juice
A new problem crept up today that has me concerned. When I got on the freeway and accelerated past 55mph, the car started vibrating terribly! We just had a major snow storm and I thought at first that it was some snow/ice build up around the wheel. I cleaned all the slush off of the wheels, but it still vibrates badly. As part of my service stop last weekend, they rotated my tires. I checked all of the lug nuts and everything seems normal. The car ran smooth up to as high as 85mph all week until today. I'm taking it back to the dealer this weekend. Any one else experience this before?
Mike.
It is frustrating owning a new car in Minnesota during the winter. Every time we get an inch of snow or more, the MN DOT crews salt the roadways which get all over the interior and exterior of my car. Just when the roads are dry and I wash my car, we'll get another inch of snow to mess it up again! I can't wait until spring so I can open my sunroof and enjoy a clean car for more than 12 hours!
Mike.
Like most Mazda engines, the F2 has hydraulic lash adjusters, so in lieu of regular valve adjustments, you have to make sure the oil gets changed on a regular and timely basis. Other than that, there isn't a whole lot to go wrong with the F2 other than the usual wear issues.
If you have the automatic transmission (Mazda's G4A-EL), it's a little flaky, but a lot less so than the Ford unit that replaced it in 1994. The stick shifts are practically bulletproof, though clutches do wear out.
No problem areas after 60k miles. It's the wife's car and even when I proposed we trade it in she said "no way", she'd rather spend the money on other things (like a college fund for our 7 month old). We have a 95 ES/V6/5 speed.
-juice
mike626
A new problem arrived today in addition to my lights ( which I posted before)- now my damn Traction Control Off light stays on whenever I start the car & keeps flickering! Nice. I'm taking into Mazda tommorow, if they tell me one more time they "can't duplicate the problem" I'm going to tell them either start replacing parts or I'm having my atty. call Mazda North America.
-juice
Sincerely,
mdew
To frog811: Whether this is a good price or not at least partially depends on the trim level. I'd say $6800 is way too much for a DX, even with mileage as low as this; it's not too unreasonable for the LX, and it might be a screaming deal for the ES, which has the V6 engine. At 60k, it's due for a timing belt change. The '93 is mostly pretty reliable. For one thing, it doesn't have the transmission issues that cropped up in '94 and thereafter. You can expect to replace an oxygen sensor around 80k, and CV boots start to show wear about then. There are a couple of potential electrical gremlins which may crop up, but they may have already befallen the previous owner, so ask if he's replaced the distributor or ignition module, or the idle air control valve. And check the air conditioning, since this is one of the last Mazdas to use the old R-12 refrigerant. Beyond that, there aren't a whole lot of wear issues with this car. The valvetrain will thank you for more frequent oil changes than the manual requires.
I'm not sure when it happened, but ABS was standard back in 95 on the ES, and it isn't now.
-juice
The one involving the stereo is a little weirder. In general, if the humidity is high, the A/C is on and the window is down (huh?), condensation can enter the head unit, which could theoretically cause a short - and if it's at the speaker terminals, it could cause overheating, and a fire could break out. (I once had a VCR shoot out flames from its heat sink, so I take this more seriously than it sounds.)
With demos you have no idea how it was broken in. It may have been test driven by dozens of people.
The new ones have rebates, and sell for close to invoice. Shop around.
-juice
I believe the current plan goes until 2/29. Automotive News lists the rebate at $1500, but they don't mention low rates.
-juice
Automotive News is a weekly, and comes out every Monday. Mazda typically waits until they expire to announce new programs.
We love our 95 ES V6, though it's a 5 speed. We're happy, and it's been mostly trouble-free (just one fuel system service in 5 years).
-juice
automatic. I have heard that some autos produced
by Mazda are unreliable and go out early. Is this
the case with this particular model? 1995 with
75000 miles, very good condition it seems, and
drives fine. What can anyone tell me about the
reliability of these cars and what kind of gas
mileage can one expect? Thanks
We have a 95, but it's a stick, though it's been great. In 5 years we've spent only a coupe of hundred on a fuel system service, everything else was regular scheduled maintenance. It's never stranded us, and my wife isn't even interested in trading it in yet.
In hind sight, we would have purchased the same exact car, no regrets. The Honda and Toyota would have cost several thousand more with the same stuff (leather, moonroof, ABS, alloys, etc).
-juice
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recmmy1.cfm
will get you there; key in "Mazda", "626", and "1998", and the details will appear.
If you take overdrive off any time your speed drops below 45 mph, the torque converter will last longer. I know they tell you that you don't have to do it, but I currently have 130,000+ on the car and it's just now beginning to make noise again. Obviously Mazda knows about this, because they really didn't put up a lot of fight about the replacement.
I put 90 miles a day on my car, mostly state highway driving. It still has plenty of get up and go and the body and interior are holding up well. But it does seem to me to be a bit spendy to maintain. I've replaced the timing belt twice (at 60,000 and 120,000) at a cost of $700 each time. I just had the wiper arm assembly go out, which was another $150. It started out being about $200 every time I took the car in. Now it's up to about $700. I put a lot of miles on it and I do expect it to get more expensive to keep it going. I did not expect to spend so much with a fairly new car.
I will finally have this paid off in January and will be looking for another car and probably not a Mazda. I'm keeping the car for my husband, who won't put many miles on it. It could last another 10 years with that kind of driving. I wouldn't recommend it, if you have any kind of commute.
The sign that you have this problem is poor acceleration going uphill, that is worse on hot days. The car will sound like it's going to die. I was told that the problem being worse in hot weather is a dead giveaway for this problem.
There is also a lifter noise that I'm told is common in Mazdas. It's a standard lifter ticking noise. It doesn't seem to get any worse and is caused by weak lifters. I'm also due to have the brakes done again. This time I'll need new rotors. And geez, don't deal with those sharks at Sears! I had them tell me, when I took the car in for the first brake work, that I needed the master cylinder changed. They tried to tell me that it was leaking fluid. I had them put everything back together and got out of there as quickly as I could. It just needed new pads.
I'm a 6' 200lbs guy and I fit nicely in this craft.The 2.0 with the 5-spd moves out quite nicely,but this test was a short run. All those
problems I read about the tranny I hope won't
affect our left-leg flexor. We pick up the Free-
port Green Metallic(who thinksup these colors?)
baby wednesday. Will let ya know about first
road trip. Thumbs Up!
That makes the choice easy: 626 LX V6. With a rebate you can easily get one for under $20k, I think it's just $19.5k or so at full retail. Paying near invoice will keep you well below your price limit.
Good luck.
-juice
-juice
Oh, well.
-juice
In-line 4 cylinders are naturally unbalanced, hence many use balance shafts. The V6 is naturally smooth, and offers sweet power, while still being very efficient.
-juice
It's geared short for acceleration, my only complaint is that 5th gear could be a little taller, or there could be a 6th cruising gear to save gas.
Minor nit-pick, I know.
-juice