Used 2001 Mazda 626 ES for Sale near Florence, AL

Great on gas Still kickin' at 120,000+ miles and EVERYTHING STILL WORKS Tinted all around 2" Cat back purrs nicely 12"' sub Pretty cheap to maintain Lots of parts interchangeable with other mazdas/ fords Leather has held up very well

The acceleration is very smooth. Sometimes the breaks are a bit hesitant and the handling is great. The only repairs it has needed are the tires and oil change. The interior and exterior and perfect. Gas mileage is great! I love driving my car!

If I were out buying a new/used car today, this is NOT the kind of car I would seek out. Meant to compete against the other 2 extremely popular Japanese mid-size sedans (Honda Accord and Toyota Camry), the Mazda 626 tries so desperately to make every aspect of the driving experience as boring as possible, yet it does not surpass either of those two heavyweights in any major category. The decent interior is held back by its snugness and lack of legroom. When equipped with a 4-cylinder and an automatic (as mine is), it can hardly get out of its own way. You'd also think that with a 4-cylinder it'd at least get decent mileage, but it's almost impossible to crack 30 mpg's combined without driving solely on highways utilizing hypermiling techniques. The styling is completely anonymous, but does look somewhat more "sporty" (and I use the term very loosely) than the Camrys and Accords of the same era, though that's like saying wheat bread is more interesting to look at than white bread. Resale value is ABYSMAL, nowhere near '01 Accord or Camry levels. NVH levels also higher than I'd assume they'd be on Accords or Camrys. That all being said, this car has been faultlessly reliable since it's come into my hands, which is much more than I can say for my '92 Subaru. Aside from some minor maintenance (brake job, spark plug replacements) the car has run like a champ. I've taken it down roads in Moab and the Sierra Nevadas that some Jeepers wouldn't even go down, and it's survived intact each time (I don't recommend doing this however, know your driving limits!) The major Achille's heel in this car is its transmission. It's only a 4 speed, and the weak power that's coming from the engine means that even on the slightest of hill its always hunting for a lower gear. Also, if you drive it at speeds above 75 for several hours straight, the transmission overheating warning light comes on, and THAT'S BAD. It's common knowledge that the automatic transmissions in these cars are quite finnicky (and were supplied by Ford) and are prone to failure between 70,000 and 100,000 miles, and can prove to be a costly major repair. All in all, I really wish I had a vehicle that had more personality than the 626, and didn't have constant transmission worries, but the faultless reliability otherwise has just forced me to suck it up and keep it until I can afford to buy another car that has both personality AND reliability.