The 1998 Mazda 626 LX is a Front-wheel drive Sedan. It can accommodate up to 5 passengers. It has 4 Doors and is powered by a 2.0L L4 DOHC 16 valves engine which outputs 125 hp @
5500 rpm and is paired with 4 speed automatic gearbox. The 1998 Mazda 626 LX has cargo capacity of 402 Liters and the vehicle weighs 1269 kg. In terms of ride assists, the 1998 Mazda 626 LX has stability control and traction control in addition to anti-lock brake system (ABS). The vehicle has an optional engine as well It offers and. Safety features also include None and None. The front suspension is while the rear suspension is. The car also features a It has as standard. Electronic features include Cruise Control. For convenience, the car has Power windows and Power door locks. There is also a remote keyless entry feature. Moreover, the car has. The steering wheel has audio control buttons. In terms of performance, the car has 136 N.m of torque and a top speed of 184 km/h. The 1998 Mazda 626 LX accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 9.7 seconds and hits quarter mile at 17.1 seconds. Fuel consumption is 10.7 L/100km in the city and 7.5 L/100km in the highway. The car price starts at $ 22,575
1998 Mazda 626 GF Sedan 1.8i 90 HP 0-100 km/h Acceleration test
1998 Mazda 626 KLG4 0-60
1998 Mazda 626 GF Sedan 1.8i 90 HP 0-100 km/h Acceleration test
1998 Mazda 626 Used Price Estimates
Estimates based on a driving average of 12,000 miles per year
Used Condition
Trade In Price
Private Party Price
Dealer Retail Price
Outstanding
$ 1,186
$ 1,561
$ 1,770
Clean
$ 1,043
$ 1,377
$ 1,561
Average
$ 758
$ 1,009
$ 1,144
Rough
$ 473
$ 640
$ 726
Mazda has been bleeding red ink for many years now, mostly due to home market sales woes. However, the company hasn't been igniting sales charts in the U.S. in recent years either, and we have a hard time understanding why. Mazda builds some of the most innovative, unique and fun-to-drive cars money can buy, yet they sit on showroom floors unsold.
Take the all-new 626, for example. In size and price, it competes with a wide range of cars in the U.S. market, but offers more solid engineering and sporting performance than most. The 626 (built in Flat Rock, Mich.) was the first Japanese-branded sedan to be called a true domestic by government agencies, yet it remains as reliable as a Timex. But it sits, while Altima after Accord after Camry roll out of neighboring dealerships.
We think things are about to change. Ford now owns a controlling interest in Mazda, and they won't stand to see their investment frittered away. The first volley of several new products you'll see hit Mazda showrooms in coming years is the redesigned 626. Larger, more powerful, and with a stiffer structure than ever, the new 626 remains a sensible selection for buyers who like to have a bit of fun carving corners when carpool pals or the kids aren't occupying the rear seat.
The new 626 has a smoother-shifting transmission, a larger fuel tank for extended range, and a new traction control system that comes standard on V6 models. Select from four trim levels: value-leader DX, mid-line LX, uplevel LX V6, or upscale ES. A 125-horsepower four-banger motivates the DX and LX, while higher trims get a 170-horsepower V6 engine. Either motor can be mated to your choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.
A CD player is standard on all models except the DX. Other goodies include antilock brakes (optional on LX and standard on V6 models), fade-out interior lighting, and engine-speed sensing rack-and-pinion steering gear.
The new 626 imparts an upscale image but remains a nimble canyon runner at heart. Our favorite is the ES V6 with a five-speed manual. It's the perfect grocery getting/entry-luxury/sports sedan for those who like to drive, but require the talents of a mid-size car for day-to-day living.
Born as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co. in 1920, Mazda started out as a machine-tool manufacturing plant but quickly turned to making vehicles. The first Mazda car, called the Mazda-Go, a three-wheeled truck appeared in 1931, which a year later began exporting to China. This was the only car that was in production until the Second World War broke out when Mazda factories began making rifles.
After the war, part of the Mazda plant served as the Hiroshima prefecture for a short while. Production and export resumed in 1949 with the same 3-wheeled truck. The first 4-wheel truck was the Mazda Romper, introduced in 1958.
The first pasenger car came in 1960, the Mazda R360 Coupe. Mazda's first partnership with a foreign company was the one in 1961 with NSU/Wankel with which it produced and developed rotary engines. This was done in order to differentiate Mazda from the other Japanese companies. To this day, Mazda is the only manufacturer of Wankel rotary engines as the other companies (NSU and Citroen) gave up on the design sometime during the 70s.
Mazda's paid off because its models quickly gained a name as being powerful yet light vehicles. The most successful series for Mazda were going to be the R100 and the RX models which eventually led to the company's development.
Starting with 1970 Mazda began eyeing the biggest market for its cars, the United States. It opened up a North American branch under the name Mazda North American Operations and it proved to have the winning recipe. In fact, Mazda models were so successful that the company even produced a pick up truck based on the rotary engine.
With 1973 and the oil crisis, the thirsty rotary engines that Mazda used caused a drop in sales but the Japanese company hadn't really given up on piston engines so it was able to use a 4 cylinder model on its cars. The smaller Familia series and Capella were born.
But Mazda wasn't about to give up on its sporty cars and it decided to develop a parallel plant that would produce cars outside the mainstream. In 1978, they came up with the very sporty RX7 and later with the RX8. The piston engine also showed up on Mazda's line up with the MX-5 or Miata.
In 1979 Ford Motor Company became an investor in Mazda with a 27% share after the financial decline of the company. Later on, in the 80s, Ford acquired 20% more of the company after a few joint ventures like using the Familia series platform for the Laser and Escort models as well as building the new Probe and the Mazda plant in Flat Rock, Michigan.
The 90s started off with another joint venture with Ford on the 1991 Explorer which turned out to be a bad investment for the Japanese while the Americans reaped all the benefits. Following its fascination with alternative engine designs, Mazda started developing the Miller cycle engine in 1995.
The latter part of the 90s proved to be not so profitable for the Japanese as the financial crisis hit in 1997, during which Ford acquired 39.9% of the company. From that point on, the collaboration between the two marques intensified, sharing engine design and even some platforms (Ford Escape with Mazda Tribute and the new generation Ford Focus with the Mazda Axela).
For the future, Mazda intends to maintain its forward thinking and experimental technology, by developing a hydrogen-powered car. The prototype has so far reached a 200 kilometers autonomy.
1998 Mazda 626 Consumer Reviews
crazeduncanny, 06/23/2011
AWESOME CAR
I bought this car new at the end of 1997 and I have almost 130,000 miles on it.
I have the services done and the oil changed - that's it.
I have had no major problems with this jewel.
I have the automatic transmission, so I don't understand those who have had problems.
Are they having their car serviced and oil changed?
Anyway, I finally had to get a new battery after 8 years and the guy at my local service center was amazed that it was the original battery.
I have had to finally get new tires.
This is just a great car, I think I will keep it until it stops and it is not showing any signs of that anytime soon.
It still drives like a new car.
WOW!
billfemur, 06/27/2010
Excellent Car
We have been driving this car for 9 years, now, and this was the best car decision we ever made. The car is now 12 years old, and most of the original parts still work fine, including alternator, power options, rad, water pump, steering components, etc. The only unexpected problems were with some replacement wheel bearings which didn't last as long as they should have. We live in a very wintry area with lots of road salt, and the body has held up well. I did a bit of research before we bought the car, so I avoided the automatic (Ford built) transmission of the 90's. Ours is a manual transmission, and it is still smooth as silk ; and the gas mileage is amazing. Basically, I love it!
gillsgraphic, 10/30/2014
LX 4dr Sedan
233K mile on it
I bought this 98 mazda 626 about three weeks ago with 232k mile on it, so far, I feel It is a new car, interior, exterior, engine, etc, the engine is so quiet that when I stopped at traffic light, I thought the engine had stopped running. the gas mileage is excellent, the build quality is superb. the clutch is bit stiff, I do not know if it needs to be replaced or it is way it is.
Two years later, lubricated the clutch, $ 130 replaced the engine seal. Now it has 265k on it. Runs like a new.
gackedicing, 10/18/2008
Weak transmissions
I bought the car for my daughter in 1998 for her to finish high school and go off to college in. The car has never left her stranded, but the automatic transmission has greatly increased the cost of a higher education. I've had the transmission replaced twice, once at 55K miles, and again at 120K. The clutch packs appear to be the weak link in the transmission. I had to change the heater coil in 2000. I made the repairs myself one week end. I'll never do that again.
towelparsec, 05/28/2019
2002 MAZDA 626
"It's an alright car"
My mom had bought this car for me as my first car it had 115,000 miles on it or something like that. The first thing I noticed about the car was the slipping of transmission. It wasn't until around 5,000 miles later that it became a huge problem. I wish I had read reviews before my mom had bought it. I also had to replace the starter. It's a big, nice comfortable car but it's just not worth it.
potsubway, 07/29/2016
1998 Mazda 626
"Mazda 1998 ES V6 264000 miles"
I got 264000 miles with a stick 5 speeds.
I just do the regular maintenance, timing belt, changed oil every 3000 miles etc...
Fantastic car, just do the maintenance.
Japanese car from nineties are the best.
silverhelpless, 05/20/2016
2001 Mazda 626
"Good general family (two people) car."
Must be maintained "by the book". I do the light maintenance myself. Minor delays to get parts. the radio/ cd player that came with the car sucked!. i replaced the radio for $ 200 and am happy. Minor issue with the cruise control not working -- but making sure everything plugged in and grounded seems to have solved problem. Don't even think about towing or going off road (not an issue for me).
Ten years of driving this car (it was a rental before I got it) and I quite happy.
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