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-juice
-juice
Our 1998 626, 4 cyl. auto is about to run out of warranty--end of August. It has been mainly driven by my wife.
It has about 36,000 miles. I have changed the oil every 5000, did the 30,000 mile service on schedule, and have had the transmission replaced under warranty. I believe the new tranny to be rebuilt.
I wonder whether to cut my losses now, and trade it in while I can get something for it. The car is nice, sunroof, alloy wheels, roomy, clean. We have garage kept it, polished the paint like new.
So why trade it in? BECAUSE OF THE STUPID FORD TRANSMISSION! (sorry) I think I can get $10,000 or so. I paid around $18,000, so I will lose money. I am afraid it will need more transmissions.
Has anyone had a positive experience with this car and transmision? What % fail? We thought it slipped again the other day, but no. We have had three Mazda's in the past twenty years, two have been good cars. Next time we'll get a Honda.
Just don't get a Ford, get a real, pure Mazda. Any V6 model will be fine, or any manual trans.
Trade yours for a same-year V6, and you won't regret it. I bet it would cost next to nothing to do that.
-juice
130 horses under the hood I'm enjoying 30mpgs.
I,ve yet to empty a tank in one cruise at highway
speed. We're zoom/zoomin' to the sunshine state
so we'll get some real life numbers.
ThumbsUp
Bryan
-juice
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Sorry, I hope this advice isn't too late.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
$20,445 MSRP + Destination
-$2,500 Factory Rebate
------------------------------
$17,945 MSRP Minus Factory Rebate
Invoice on this vehicle is $18,780. That means that the dealer is making a $1,620 profit.
$18,780 Invoice + Destination
-$2,500 Factory Rebate
------------------------------
$16,280 Invoice After Rebate
'$17,900 Selling Price
-$16,280 Invoice After Rebate
------------------------------
..$1,620 Net Profit
That would be too much of a profit. A fair profit should be between $400-$700 over invoice.
****HOWEVER*****
I have not confirmed that the luxury package is free. Both Mazda's and MSN's Carpoint's website show a $0 charge for the luxury package on the LX 4-cyl. If this is true, it may only be for certain regions (I'm in San Diego). If this discount does apply in your area, the sticker price on the vehicle probably shows a charge for the luxury package because it was printed before this discount was started. However, the manufacturer will apply an extra cash incentive for the dealer to cover the discount.
If you haven't made the purchase yet, I would give Mazda's customer service a call and check with them.
1-800-222-5500
My final deal was as follows:
$17,750 price of car
* I opted for the $1,750 rebate off the sticker rather than the 4.9% financing (ended up with 6.9% locally). I thought I had a good deal, I knew their profit was a little high because I could not account for $500 or so after the 4% profit I had alotted.
I guess I need someone to tell me, Good deal, Ok deal, Bad deal....I was afrid, maybe for nothing that the Lux package (for free) would dry up but I really do not know.
Thanks for the Info and advise.
The problem is the transmision, the whole car shakes when its trying to shift from one gear to another(Although this doesn't not happen everytime but its does occur very frequently and especially when I have made a full stop and accelerates on a slight hill or trying to acceletae fast E.G emerging onto highways etc.
Can anyone help me ? anyone know what what the problem is ?
Thanks
Jian
I'd have the ATF flushed. They can hook it up to a machine that completely flushes out the old fluid. Should be $60 to $80 or so, and it might help.
If you're concerned about the long-term, I'd trade up for a V6 model, which uses a proper Mazda tranny.
-juice
This board is riddled with opinions against the 4cyl automatic so if you bought the vehicle knowing such, shame on you. Otherwise, I feel very sorry for you and hope you have an extra $2k to dish out. Once you get the new trans, install an auxiliary trans oil cooler and this will prolong the life of the next trans.
BEST ADVICE: Either get the V6 with the automatic or the 4-cyl with a 5-spd!! Or, save some money and get a fully loaded Protege or Protege5, which statistically is the most reliable of all Mazda's and is their global best-seller (the U.S. and Canada is the only place where you can get this 626).
maintenance board, but I'm only at around
50
My question is, with all the problems referred
to with the '94 626, would I want to get it
used if the price was right? The car in question is manual, not auto, so I assume I wouldnt
experience the bulk of the problems with the 94 626 reported here?
It's fully loaded (sunroof, cruise AC spoiler,
abs etc etc etc), 93K miles and 4 cyl engine.
The asking price is a little less than $5K, (I
dont know yet which trim level it is) but I could
probably bargain down to like a little above
4.5K
Any advice? Thanks!
Under $5k sounds like a deal. Just check it out closely.
-juice
I want to keep the car a minimum of 6 years at about 12,000 miles/year. Have two young kids who will fill the back seat. Safety and economy are more important than style to me, but the 626 seems to offer it all.
Any advice on which you would go for? (Don't worry about the financing part)
Hondas hold their value well, but any new car will lose a lot of value as soon as it's driven off the lot. So because it's new, it'll depreciate faster than a '99 626.
Since it's a V6, plus it's a little bigger, it should better meet your needs, IMO.
-juice
But if you're shopping used, low resale can work to your advantage because it means you will pay less, of course.
-juice
Accord LX V-6 (4A)
2001: TMV 20669
1999: Dealer 15851 (77%) (manual)
Camry LE V-6
2001: TMV 20631
1999: Dealer 15,000 (73%)
626 LX V-6
2001: TMV 19191
1999: Dealer 11,781 (61%)
Of course - to be fair - lets throw in other Japanese makers (even though 626 made in US)
Mitsu Galant ES V-6
2001: TMV 19692
1999: Dealer 12519 (64%)
Nissan Maxima SE V-6
2001: TMV 22163
1999: Dealer 17500 (79%)
And a couple other Fords
Ford Taurus SE
2001: TMV 18660
1999: Dealer 10980 (59%)
Old Intrigue GX
2001: TMV 21,427
1999: Dealer 12,268 (57%)
Well...I think I found my answer. The 626 resale is low compared to the best selling cars in its class because its a Ford.
I agree - its great for a used buyer to get a 626 which is probably a more 'sound' car than other Fords.
Rob
What part of the 626 V-6 is a ford by the way?
New car buyers and used car buyers have different agendas. The new car comes with a warranty and has practically no miles on it, so reliability is less of a concern. For the used car buyer, reliability clearly outweighs all other considerations. Toyota and Honda are the reliability champions in the general public's mind, so therefore, those vehicles are worth more money. Resale value is controlled not by the banks nor the manufacturers. It is controlled by the consumer market. The average consumer is just much more willing to pay a higher price for a Honda or Toyota than they are for a Mazda. Mazda? Didn't they do those Wankel rotary cars that couldn't last 50,000 miles??
BTW, the Protege is statistically the most reliable vehicle that Mazda builds. The Miata is the second best followed by the Millenia. The Miata, with it's drop-top, experiences a lot of interior electronics malfunctions--particularly the power window switches. Plus, early Miata's were known to destroy crankshafts. Are they reliable? Absolutely!! The 626 is not on my list above, but are they reliable? Absolutely!! As long as you don't count any 626 with the CD4E tranny...
As far as the resale on the 626, I have a slightly different perspective. I think it has to do with advertising and name recognition. More people have Hondas and Toyotas, therefore the name is more recognizable and are first shopped by buyers. The 626 seldom comes to mind when looking at the Camry and Accord. Think about it, how many times have you heard the phrase "Camry and Accord" to describe your typical mid-sized family sedan? Even other competitors say it. When Hyundai mentions the Elantra, for instance, they compare it to "Camry and Accord." When Chevy mentions the Malibu, they compare it to "Camry and Accord." 626 just doesn't have name recognition. I attribute that to poor advertising. I haven't even seen a Zoom Zoom commercial that involves a 626. They are all about the Miata and Protege, which both outsell the 626 by a large margin.
just my .02
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Actually, 626 outsells the Miata by a factor of 2.5 and the 626 has outsold the Protege in year to date sales, but may be overtaken due to the Protege5. See http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010703/latu061.html
Also, there is a 626 Zoom Zoom commercial, but I rarely see it. It's the one with a kid asking his dad what it is like to drive.
Technically, though, according to that, Protege has outsold 626s by 3500 units YTD as of June '01. Still, though, I would have thought very differently. I can't believe the low Miata sales. They must all be in Jersey.
In any case, I still stick to my theory. Mazda suffers due to lack of name recognition. But, as you can see, the Protege did make a good jump in sales - possibly due to the commercials we mentioned.
One other thing on that. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Toyota sell more Camrys than all Mazda vehicles put together? (what were Camry sales? I thought I heard like a quarter million units - but that sounds extreme!) Which, would further push the Camry name on people on the road and be the first to pop to mind when they go car shopping (along with Accord).
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
-juice
-juice
While both vehicles are at the heart of Mazda's woes, the sedans are what generate profits and would be better for Mazda, in the short term, to get to market ASAP. The RX-8 is an image builder so while it's key, there's no pot of gold there.
I have read in a few articles that the RX-8 has been given the go-ahead. Maybe not for production yet, but definitely for finalized design and development.
Check out the RX8 forum.
There was one discussion here, but that was archived for some reason, so somebody started another one here.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
- Wheels: 16 in. Alloy w/Locks
- Tires: P205/55R16 tires with 205mm width, 16.0" rim
- Power Moonroof
- 6-Way Power Driver's Seat
- Carpeted Floor Mats
- Heated Door Mirrors
- Anti-Theft Alarm
Is it just me or is this a great deal since the 2000 626 is almost identical to the 2001?! Any thoughts from the 626 experts out there?
In fact, if you decide not to buy one, let the folks here know about it, because someone will.
-juice
Hmmmmm.... The thought has crossed my mind more than once to trade in my '99 automatic for a newer stick with power seats and moonroof. Although, I would like leather.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Does anyone know if there are any substantial problems with the 1990 626?
Thanks
My former car, a 1991 Escort GT, leaked freon one year, and then lost its compressor the next. I hope our Mazda fares better, because those combined cost me over one grand.
-juice
The A/C compressor is made by Sanden and the Evaporator is made by Valeo.
I'll give it to you that the fuel pump is a Ford product, but the tank is made by Elsa Corp.
The PCM is made by Visteon a former Ford company. By the way, you have to admit that the capabilities of WDS blow away the previous system and I'd much rather have my vehicle diagnosed with that than the NGS.
Impressive.
-juice