curbside pictures of blue sedan by PN since I have none of my actual ’86.
1980 saw my first foray into Japanese cars in a Honda Civic wagon with 5 speed. Yet, in early 1986, the engine was showing signs of trouble (two wiped cam lobes) despite my care, so another car was to take its place. That would lead to an ongoing 33 year association with the Mazda 626.
With the Honda issue any new Honda was now off the table in no uncertain terms. As most know the Accord, and Camry, were crazy expensive during this period with dealer markups on the windows. I had read good things about the Mazda and started to look into it. Val Strough Mazda in Oakland was close and the sticker was around $10,000. A friend, at the time, lived in San Jose so while down there I looked at a dealership. Here the cars had a dealer markup and when I mentioned the price in Oakland the salesman made the comment “if they want to prostitute themselves they can go right ahead.” I still remember that clearly.
With that I had my first introduction to car salesmen. My father had obtained the 1980 Civic on a lease so I wasn’t involved with it. This new car was to be my first ever purchase of a new car at the age of 28. So I came prepared and did my homework. I mapped out every Mazda dealer from Oakland to Sacramento. I would start at Oakland and move down my list as needed starting on February 17th President’s Day. Had my pre-approved loan from my Credit Union along with pad and pen. I drive the 5 miles to Oakland at 10:00am and by 11:00am I am already buying the car. What happened? I told the salesperson what I was prepared to do and showed my list. He said then how does $9600 sound for the $10,000 list Mazda 626 sedan 5 speed?
So I drive home by 12 noon in my new car. I’m happy, everybody’s happy. Within a few months my girlfriend bought a 86 Mazda automatic sedan. Then another friend bought one. Finally, my mother bought a 1989 Mazda 626 sedan later and all had great experiences with the cars. Mine would go 375,000 miles with one clutch change and one cylinder head change due to erosion around a combustion chamber near a water passage. My fault as I didn’t pay as much attention to coolant maintenance as to everything else. I think many probably fail to do that on a timely basis but that no longer occurs with me. Anyway, the cylinder head cost $450 complete and I changed it out myself. Outside of that the car gave me 34 mpg and care free motoring till 2005.
I had already bought my 2004 Ford Focus, another upcoming COAL, as I saw the Mazda’s power output declining. Plus I had been hit in the left rear quarter by a semi on the freeway causing the car to swerve towards the median divider. I got control of the car and missed the divider but lost the rear bumper cover. However, I made a visit to that freeway section at 2 am in the morning and found the cover on the shoulder and was able to put it back on. So in 2006 I bid adieu to my 626 as it was carted off one night. Sorry to see the car go.
Then in 2009, a former grad school classmate and colleague who had this ’91 626 above decided he didn’t need two cars. He had a Durango and this was parked on the street in front of his 90 year old father’s house in Los Angeles. There was weekly street cleaning which meant constant moving and he decided to pass it on. So he drove it up from L.A. and arrived one night, unannounced, and asked if I wanted the car? Free, by the way. Sure, and I quickly checked it out. Hey, Scott, could you have at least put the oil cap on before driving up here?
Before he retired he lived two years out of the back of his Durango just to save money while working in L.A. His father then passed away and with the inheritance he retired to Thailand. Yes, and I was the one who introduced him to Asia, via the Philippines, in 1997. He now swims every morning in the Gulf of Thailand living on one of the small islands.
The car had 185,000 miles on it and it is a 5 speed. I had a sedan and had looked at the hatchback but didn’t want to pay the extra. It was tempting as I really liked the rear treatment of the hatchback. Now I have a hatchback and I promptly go through every mechanical system on the car from ignition, to brakes, to suspension, and to coolant. Hit the junkyards as the top of the console was missing and signal light cracked. Picked up other odds and ends for parts storage. Put new tires on the car. It did need a new clutch and took it around for estimates. Two repair shops declined saying the car was too old to waste the money on. What?!? OK, so I changed my first clutch in the driveway and was successful.
The 2.2L engine, while not powerful by today’s standards is very reliable and I am getting 34 mpg once again. I found a guy on eBay who scours the nation for parts from defunct parts stores and dealerships. That got me an Mazda NOS compressor for $79, a Mazda NOS distributor for $45, and a NOS Denso alternator for $49. I have everything I could need for the next 20 years for this car.
The snowflakes rims are showing their age in that the clear coat is pretty much gone, but that I can correct.
When replacing the 10 year old tires a few days ago I learned that two of the wheels have slight dents in them. Couldn’t tell while driving and so will leave them alone as these period correct wheels are impossible to find. I did replace the Pirelli tires with General Altimax RT 43 tires which I like very much. They are on three cars now.
Being a 1991 car it has those automatically retracting seat belts. Boy, are they annoying. First couple of times out the car I practically hung myself on them. The other issue that happens when they retract is that sometimes I forget the waist belt till I get to my destination and reach down to release a belt that isn’t there. All in all not a great idea in function versus just grabbing the whole thing in one move.
Like bullet proof? The material used on the interior is that and more. It is a shame Honda, Toyota and Mazda have moved away from those fabrics used back then. I personally don’t care for leather and find fabric more comfortable. As you can see the interior has held up very well over the years. Although the headliner is not as bullet proof as many manufacturers seem to skimp on that. Not falling but easily damaged now if not careful.
The only item I am missing is the hatch cover that would have come with the car. I have seen a few wrong color cars in junkyards and they don’t have their covers either. The hanging lines are there but no cover. Was there an issue with them back then? I don’t know.
I have been so enamored by these cars that when my wife’s 98 Sable started to have an as yet undiagnosed engine noise (car is in garage) I found a 1990 626 sedan with 145,000 miles to use. Went through it top to bottom and as expected it was a great car. Peeling clear coat but mechanically solid. Then some dumbass decided to steal the car one night when the car was parked outside her friend’s condo. A condo surrounded by apartments where one would find this activity. Damaged the column and shifter, couldn’t get there the day after recovery as the police never answered their phone for a release on a Saturday, fees over $650 for the privilege of having my car stolen, and so I told the tow company to stuff it. I was po’d to say the least. The next week I bought a 2018 Mazda 3 for her and got an extra $500 off because I was a loyal Mazda owner. The funny thing that day was how many of them at that dealer had never seen that generation Mazda in their younger lives.
I drive this car usually twice a week, the Focus three times a week and then whatever I feel like on the other days. It has just past 198,000 miles. While the car is primitive in comparison to the Focus and Mazda 3 I still really enjoy tooling along in this car very much. How much? Well every week I check Craigslist to see if any 88-92 generation cars are for sale. They are extremely thin, even out here, where rust is not an issue. Besides, has anyone seen a 92, as I never have. Not that I need an 11th car much like a hole in my head yet I said that about the 10th car. However, if I see a nice candidate then I know the force will be strong. If it is a 5 speed coupe, since I had the sedan and have a hatchback, then I am a dead duck living on his own now.
I enjoyed this post, very well-written. Since it’s introduction some decades ago, I can’t think of a series of the 626 that I didn’t find attractive. An old friend bought a new ‘84 626 just a few weeks before I bought a new Camry. I thought they were both stylish cars, roomy enough for a young family. The only downside I can think of on his in comparing the two was the 3 speed automatic on the 626, which had it taching too high at freeway speeds. The Camry had an overdrive.
I loved these cars. Back in the 1990s, when I was in my 20s, I had several friends who asked me to help them look for used cars (since I was known as a car guy, this was a common request). My friends all had similar needs — inexpensive, reliable, and capable of carrying four people. A Mazda 626 was always high on my recommendation list, and I was responsible for several of my friends buying them.
The most memorable 626 that I helped a friend buy was a 1991 model similar to the yours (same color too — Brave Blue, if I remember correctly). It had been owned by a family with a badly misbehaved kid who consistently threw golf balls at the car. It was noticeably dimpled all over as a result, but otherwise in good shape. My friend bought it cheaply, and since she didn’t care about the dents, it was a great car for her.
I like your comment about the Mazda dealer in San Jose. That mentality still goes on. In 2010 when I bought our Honda Odyssey, I got several price quotes, the lowest being from a dealer in Fredericksburg, Va. The highest price quote was from a dealer in snobbish Arlington — when I told the Arlington salesman about Fredericksburg’s price, he made a similar comment, and disparaged people (like myself) who shopped at lower-priced dealers. Pretty shocking, in my opinion, that anyone would buy a car there.
“How many cars do you need? ——– “One——–more.”
Great story of Mazda love. Of course it put me right back into my blue Mazda 323 hatch. It’s too bad that I live in the road salt region.
I woulda had a 3rd or 4th gen 626 coupe. Lovely things both.
Love the photos of the 89 model. I had an ’88 hatchback from ’98 until ’04. This was the GD series 626. sadly the red paintwork suffered in the sunlight, and the carburettor had issues, so I scrapped it at 175K, and by then there were no other examples around. I replaced it with a late model Xedos 6 (aka Eunos 500 ) which was based on the MX6/Probe floorpan, as was the GE series 626.
My wife has just bought a Honda HR-V auto because she can’t manage a manual any longer so I decided to keep her ’08 Accord (TSX) . My last Mazda is being collected saturday, so I have spent the last day or two searching the attic and garden shed for my collection of Mazda spares….. At least the buyer is another Mazda fan.
Excellent cars, with a stellar rep for reliability and durability.
As an aside, it was this generation of 626 that really endeared itself to the Germans, in part because of its very high rankings in the ADAC reports of breakdowns. The 626 was the best selling Japanese car in Japan for a few years, and it’s now the only Japanese sedan in its size class still being sold in Germany, IIRC.
I had a 92 626 DX sedan in a light green color. Great car. Very solid and well put together. My mom bought it new and I inherited it from her in 1997. Needed expensive AC repairs and I lived in South Carolina, where AC is a necessity, so I sold it in 2001 with 141,000 miles to a college girl for $1800. She sadly totaled it like a week later.
I remember the ones from the mid 80s very well. Several friends and I graduated law school in 1985 and one by one we all bought new cars. The Honda Accord was on most shopping lists, but as you note they were expensive as hell. Two of my friends each bought a 626 sedan and they were very good cars, making a loyal Mazda owner out of the one I kept in touch with. I was convinced that Mazda would soon displace Nissan as the solid number 3 mainstream brand from Japan.
As for the mechanics who would not touch your clutch? Allow me to translate: “If we do the work and you stiff us we won’t get enough out of the car’s sale when we enforce our mechanic’s lien.”
I keep forgetting about those automatic belts from that brief era between the 3-points and the air bags. Ugh.
You might have been right. At one point Nissan was essentially bankrupt and saved by Renault. Had Renault not done that, Nissan might have demised.
You forgot to mention the best feature of the ’86 model: The oscillating air vents. Or did that come later? I know they had them by about 1989.
Yes! My father’s 626 GT Turbo had them and it was an 86. All black with a grey cloth interior, and 5 speed also! That 626 was loaded, including headlamp washers, graphic equalizer and power rear side windows. It was a very good car, I felt bad when I traded it on a 95 Volvo 855, however I still have the Volvo!
These generations of 626s are very solid. I’ve drove and ridden in the equivalent models in Taiwan and Australia, where they were badged as Ford Telstars.
Oh yes, thank you for the reminder of the oscillating air vents! Cool feature.
I cant think of any year 626 that I didn’t think was nice looking. When I was a kid/teen in the 80s, the car mags always mentioned “panel gaps” or something like that. I started noticing stuff like that on cars, and I specifically remember comparing a 626 to a Pontiac Sunbird in a parking lot. They were both attractive cars so that’s why I was looking at them. I didn’t really know why a tight gap was important, but if the car mag writers thought so, then it must be. Anyway, the Mazda parts fit tight as a drum, and the Pontiac’s gaps were larger, and even varied in width on the same part. Once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it, and still notice it at a glance today.
Mazdas of that era are amazing cars. I had a ’90 323 hatchback, never had a single problem with it during my ownership, just regular maintenance. The only thing I disliked was the seat material – it was like hard plastic mesh – I wished they were the same nice fabric as on your 626.
As for the hatch cover… when I was parting out my wrecked Integra, that was the FIRST thing that sold. They are often missing and hard to find for some reason, not just on Mazdas.
Pretty much the Golden Age of Mazda. Through the ’80s and early-mid ’90s it seemed they could do no wrong. Then came a hiccup, but they came good again.
My Mom had one, and it was an awesome car. She first looked at an Accord, but when I saw the markup and mentioned it, the “salesman” said “We don’t negotiate. I’ll sell it ten minutes after you walk out.” I actually stood up, flipped him the bird and we walked out. Mazda was a cross the street. Nice salesman, happy to have us drive it, answer questions, and gave us a good price. She drove it home that night, and drove it for nearly 200,000 miles until a sideswipe did too much damage.
Great car, and I sometimes miss it.
I do like these cars but I prefer the first generation RWD hardtop 👌
Those first gen FWD 626’s were really nice new, and even won the Car of The Year gong in Oz. Some interesting trivia for you, they were also sold here – in fact, made here – as a Ford, namely the Ford Telstar. It had some panel differentiation and things like Ghia badging for the posh one, but otherwise was the 626. It outsold the Mazda by healthy amount. Telstars also came in the next two generations of 626, though they were full imports.
The gen 1 sedan like yours was a lot more practical than the swishier hatch, as everyone sat a lot more upright. But the sedan also got a short nose, not the long one the US got, and it was a bit of a bland old podge. We also got a (non-turbo) diesel sedan, which, being slow, stinky and still podgy, no-one bought.
I’m gobsmacked by the mileage you got from your gen 1, on two counts. One is that the sweet engine in them never got past about 150K miles here before the owner was arrested for laying smokescreens. Perhaps the fact that the Oz ones were all carby didn’t help longevity? The second is that these cars felt flexy in the body from new, and age wearied them something chronic. By, say, 10 years old, if you drove over a crossover on an angle, the whole body groaned and undulated with all the stiffness of a waterbed. The interiors dissolved in the sun, and in short, they aged in dog years and I greatly doubt there was a single one ever got to 200K, let alone 370. It seems the heat and pimply roads here here did not agree with them.
The next two gens seemed to last with much greater fortitude, and I still see one every once in a while.
My neighbour has a 1987 626 hatch that is still chugging along nicely