1999 Mazda 626 consumer reviews

I had three Mazda 626, one after another. 1st one was brand new in 1993. Windows used to fog up quickly in winter driving. No major issues otherwise. 2nd was a used one in year 2000. Very good 6 cyl. car. Got hit by a road user. Saved me, but car was a write-off. Last one was in 2007. Excellent again, but had to “give away” in 2021 as I lost my mobility at age 84.

Car is great and roomy. Enough space for all 5 people and the AC is nice too. Reliable as well as cheap so snag it now

I bought this car that only had one owner in Louisville at 76,000 miles in 2012. It really met all of my needs then - I worked from home and drove very little save a 1100 mile round trip once a year - for the first 2 years I had it. For the past 4 years I?ve been a social worker and drive all over the region, and it?s continued to meet my needs. I did have to get new tires and replace the axels soon after I got it, but it was already a 14 year old car at that point. The powered driver seat is lovely. The moon/sunroof is luxurious and I use it all of the time. NO LEAKS! The powered side mirrors are also fantastic and it has surprisingly large trunk space for a sedan. It feels safe and handles quite well for an older sedan. Overall, I?ve been very satisfied. I can see why so many people are so enthusiastic about their 626s. And at 19 years old, it?s still going strong.

Purchased new.....We enjoyed this car....roomy....comfortable..... handled well ......easy to maintain.

I have a 1999 Mazda 626 and it has over 200k miles and still drives like a dream!!! Just have had to do regular maintenance but it has continued to be a great reliable car. I love the size of the trunk it looks small and sporty but that trunk can hold anything!!!

I bought my '99 626LX (V6, 2.5l engine) when it was five years old and had close to 100,000 mostly highway miles on it. It it a nice looking car and was still very peppy when I bought it. I drove it for six more years and just sold it for $2000 with 152,000 miles on it. I definitely got my money's worth out of this car. I had a '91 626 previously, so I knew that Mazdas are quality cars. The '99 was nice and roomy and had a very large trunk. It was comfortable to drive, great for passing with a 5-speed transmission and the V6 engine. Repair bills were few and pretty reasonable. The AC was still cranking when I sold the car, and it was still a nice-looking car after 12 years of use. I had to move up to a minivan because I have twins, otherwise I would have bought a Mazda 6.

Good: very roomy, great a/c, decent gas mileage, not too outdated to be out of style. --------------------------------- Bad: iffy cruise control, keyless entry issues. -------------------------------- Ugly: car overheats like no other! -------------------------------- Good: Got this car from the in-laws, and was very impressed with the tons of room. 6'2" guy here that keeps the driver seat all the way back, and there is a decent amount of room left behind me. Not "Cadillac" room, but enough to be comfortable. There is a ton of storage space; the trunk is a great size. The a/c in this car is unmatched. In Texas heat, this baby hits ice cold in minutes of start-up. Performance is great; our model has the overdrive on/off switch on the shifter, so I can easily get around the crazy drivers in my town. The car is also very stylish-neutral; in that, I mean you won't turn any heads ... either by looking too cool or too bad. I think this car is invisible to cops ... at least in a city environment because it's a "blender." ------------------------------------------ Bad: My main issue with this car is the cruise control. I love cruise control, even on city highways. I find that if I haven't already reached a "stable" speed before switching it on, the cruise control varies 9-13 miles per hour on flat stretches. I usually just switch it completely off on the steering wheel, stabalize my speed, re-engage the cruise control, and it's fine. It's annoying to me, but I can see where it could cause a big issue in lots of traffic, or at least get a cop's attention if you are alone of the highway. The keyless entry has also caused an issue with the drivers-side window. The window has a hard time going completely down, and it will unlock the door and prevent it from closing (if you open it with the window down). I'm pretty sure this wasn't a factory-installed keyless entry set; but if it was then somebody messed up and put some tension on the locking mechanisms. ------------------------------------------ The Ugly: this car overheats. A lot. I've heard this from other 626ers ... I've had it in the shop at least 4 times. Granted, once was because the shop didn't refill the resevoir after replacing it when cleaning the system out, but the other 3 times were out of nowhere. Each time the mechanic has said that the resevoir was empty. I make it a point to check it at least once a week. Unsure as to why it was empty, the mechanics never find a leak. There was also a time where it overheated and the resevoir was 3/4 full. Keep your eye on the thermometer and keep some coolant handy! ---------------------------------------------- Verdict: a very solid car that needs tlc early to be a long-laster. I have 200k miles on mine, but have had to put some work into it. With it getting older and older there will probably be more and more issues with overheating, so if you are thinking about buying one, have your mechanic completely check out the cooling system. ------------------------------------------------- For a 13 year old car, I'm have been very impressed. If I can ever figure the cooling issue out, I think this car will last awhile longer.

I've had this car for 12 years. It still shines and looks good. Never had a bit of trouble with the transmission. It's reliable, good in snow, rain, etc. Gets really good mileage (about 33 MPG highway), lots of room inside and big trunk, comfortable. Runs like a champ still.

I bought this car used; it was my second Mazda and I love the model however as with the first Mazda I had transmission problems. The transmission needed to be rebuilt. Both cars were the 626 model and I love the interior and the exterior design. But buyer beware the transmission is often the issue with these cars.

I've been selling Mazdas since January of 2007 and if there is one trade-in I see with 300 - 400 thousand miles on it, its the 626! For people who like to "drive it til the wheels fall off" they'll give up before the 626 does! I was lucky enough to find one without dents, torn up seats and genereally, in good condition. 170,000 miles is NOTHING to these cars. Just make sure it checks out on Carfax or better yet AutoCheck and then BUY IT.