I have an '87 626 with 220k original miles and still going strong. I'm looking for another similar Mazda for my son, but refuse to buy one that Ford has anything to do with. What years am I safe with? Don't care about age as long as Ford has nothing to do with it. Thanks.

Perhaps an RX7?  I dunno if the Proteges are made by Ford, I think the newer ones are made in Japan.

1998 Mazda 626 4 cyl auto
http://members.sounddomain.com/nekketsu

I was told that models made in Japan have a serial number beginning with "J" as mine does.
Thanks for your input.

As far as I know, the only Mazda vehicles that have crappy Ford technology in them are the B-Series trucks and the Tribute. The MPV may also have a Ford V6, but I'm not sure about that.
Mostly, Ford has benefited from Mazda technology but Ford crap hasn't found it's way into too many Mazda products. In the past, the Escort and the Probe were both warmed over Mazda vehicles.

A lot of other car dealers like to talk down about Mazda saying that they are built by Ford, but that's just crap, for the most part. I had one loser at a Toyota dealer try to tell me that the Millenia was built alongside Lincolns in the same factory! Talk about idiotic!! They're not even built on the same side of the Pacific!

Mate you are being a tosser. I own a Ford Telstar 1985 model....And a Mazda 626 1986, THEY ARE EXACTLY THE SAME, right down to the little details, except for the ford sticker.

Mazda made this car, just FORD rebadged it..

Trust me, you compare your car to a Ford Telstar of the same era, you will find they are exactly the same, except for maybe the radio. Which would neeed replacing by now, anyway.

Get over this ford issue. you are being really stupid.

Jon - keeping it real

As I've become more aware of cars I've noticed that a lot of cars are similar.  You've got the 3000GT and the Stealth, Eclipse and Talon, 626/MX6 and Probe, the new Toyota and Pontiac wagons.  I'm guessing the domestic name brands come after they're made in Japan.

1998 Mazda 626 4 cyl auto
http://members.sounddomain.com/nekketsu

you all suck, i have four cars, three fords and a shitty 929. I have had three mechanics look at my 929 "sensor" problem, which causes complete undrivability, and none of these "import specialists" can figure it out. My fords are on the road every day, the 929 has been sitting for eight months now. You can all talk shit, but the facts are facts, and you can all go to japan with the rest of the computer addict dumbfucks who don't know jack about cars!!!

You can stick Ford up your ASS!.

Ford cars are the worst in the whole UNIVERSE, just remember the infamous Edsel, the Pinto that exploded when rear ended, the Crown Victoria which its cruise control got stucked and the car would go on running, ahh... and don't forget the lowsy Ford Explorer which rolls over. I just remembered that the bumpers of the previous F series came off while the ¿car? was runnig;
and how many times a Ford model is recalled.
WHAT A PIECE OF CRAP!. It's a shame that a great automaker such Mazda is owned by this company.

FORD = SHIT, enough said

Ford = crap
Ford = garbage
Ford = lemon
Do I have to say something else?

worked at a ford dealer and saw new ford being serviced all day!!!!!

You've said it man, Ford sucks. I'd wish Mazda had nothing to do with Ford.

About 30 years ago when I was a "kid", by buds told me that Ford really means Fix Or Repair Daily. Others told me it means Found On the Road Dead. Now, that was 30 years ago at least and absolutely nothing's changed with them. Police being cooked in Crown Vics when rear-ended, Exploders rolling over. The list goes on and on, and STILL people buy those things. Only in America !

When you bash Ford, you have to be specific. I owned a 1978 Ford Fiesta, which was German made and this one was one of the best vehicles I ever owned. Bought it used with 70K miles, ran like a champ and delivered almost 40MPG constantly. These little cars routinely lasted well past 200K miles on the original engine.

The are a number of good Ford vehicles (not necessarily made in the USA). However, in case of Mazda built in the US, Ford has some profound negative influence on lowering the overall quality of some late modes 626s for example.

I totally agree Ford's are shit!

The 1988 - 1992 Mazda 626/MX-6 should be all Mazda
except for the Ford auto tranny which is known for
constant failures. If you can live with a 5 sp. these
cars are excellent.

The Protege is also excellent from what I've heard
because it uses the Mazda 1.8 motor. Don't know which auto tranny it might have.

Sorry man, we owe you an apology, you're right European built Fords are better than US built ones, I know Fiestas and Mondeos are good cars, but we're talking about Exploders (sorry, Explorers), Crown Victorias, F series, Aerostars, Taurus, Windstars and all that American shit. By the way, brazilian built Fords are as bad as US ones, has any of you ever heard about the Ford Sierra, built in Brazil back in the middle 80's?. That was crap.

I have a 1996 Mazda 626 (Made in Detroit, MI). It is the biggest hunk of crap I have ever owned. I thought I was buying a mazda but instead, I actually bought a ford product. It needed a new trans at 60,000.

I currently own a Mazda Millenia 2.5 which has not run in the last two months. Lots of parts and money. 4 different mechanics including the dealer and it still won't run properly. I've always stayed away from Fords and now I'll also avoid Mazdas as well. It is most certainly the worst car I have ever owned. And based on what I read in this forum others agree. Nuff said !

Something's very wrong with American built cars. I have read such bad reviews about Honda Odissey, BMW X5, Mercedes Benz ML series, Toyota Tacoma, Mitsubishi Galant and other automakes including Mazda as well. I think foreign automakers are inheriting all the poor quality and low reliability problems from the US automakers. I think cars should be built in the automaker's native country. Even though Millenias were built in Japan, I have seen too many poor reviews for this car and it seems is not as reliable as it should be; remember this car would have been the Amati, Mazda's luxury line that never took off. What's happening?.

my mazda pickup is an 83, when ford didnt deal w/ mazda and the VIN starts w/ "J". whats the deal w/ the ford courier? they are the exact same thing as the mazda b2000 back before ford owned mazda.

It is not the same a Ford built by Mazda (just like the Courier, Telstar, etc) and a Mazda built by Ford (U.S. B series, Navajo). You can't compare Japanese technology with American technology. Japanese flagship is quality and reliability, something American automakers haven't been able to achieve.

Roy: If you think Japenese Mazdas stand for quality and reliability come and take my Millenia for a drive. See how far you get before it lets you down and strands you on the highway. Pure Junk !

There is no such thing as a troublefree car. You see every car imaginable on the side of the highway including Rolls Royce. I checked out a Rolls Royce for the owner of my dealership that had a brake light on the dash. It turned out that it cost $30,000.00 to turn that light off. The FACT is Japan is way ahead of America in quality of their cars. That does not mean they never break however. If you want a more reliable car then buy cars from the 50's and 60's without all the bells and whistles.

Please don't get me wrong, but is it the Millenia a lemon?. I have read so much bad reviews about this car everywhere (auto magazines, web pages, etc.). Millenia owners seem to be not as pleased with their cars as they expected to, even though these cars were built in Japan. I know there's no perfect car, the closest to perfection are Mercedes S Class and Lexus LS 470 according to what I have read. I just don't know if the Millenia was a flop by Mazda, but facts are facts and this car is not as reliable as other Mazdas. I'm a proud owner of a 1986 B2000, and yes I have had my share of problems with this truck, but I'm very pleased with its performance and reliability, that's why I still don't understand how come a car so expensive and modern is so problematic.
I guess each automaker has a lemon in its line-up. I have read very poor reviews about Honda Odissey minivans that I just couldn't believe. Honda's good reputation has gone down the toilet with this van. Just go to carsurvey.org and you'll see what I'm talking about.

The Millenia just has too many bells and whistles. The supercharger is an expensive repair and if you don't keep up with oil changes the oil seals degrade. Oil has sulfur in it so it degrades the seals if not changed regularly. The traction control system ties into the ABS system and is too complex. If they did away with that alone it would be a better car. It is basicly a good car but those 2 items make it problematic.

I have a 97' Mazda Millenium mint condition leather seats, sunroof, Power seat, ect....

What's your point, are you selling it or just bragging?.

Quality of any cars depends on several factors:

1. Good design. This will determine the car's riding qualities, maintainability and to large extent relaibility

2. Good quality of individual components. It is not enough to merely stress assembly quality. Even the most carefully assembled vehicle with quality checks every step of the way will not be a good vehicle if its assembly components are cheaply made or incorectly assembled. Unfortunately, this appears to be number one problem with most manufacturers today. Everybody is looking for the cheapest component parts. Often, they turn out to be an embarrassment to the manufacturer. Case in point: Cheap ignition coils freplaced on hunderds of thousands of late model Audi and VWs. Mazda example: cheap axles and CV joints. Improperly pressed wheel bearings that fail in a short time.

3. Rigorous quality control during the vehicle assembly. If this is not done, then chances of making a good vehicle are slim, regardless of how good the design is. Good quality control catches problems before they can be hidden presents shoddy workmanship. A good example of inadequate quality control: chronic wheel misalignment on new vehicles as they leave the factory. Inconsistent gaps between body panels.

And finally, competent service and good customer service. Even if a new vehicle has some problems, they should be promptly and painlessly taken care of under warranty. Unfortunately, often, the problems are too complicated for today's parts changers and the favorite technique is to blame the customer for "exaggerating the problem", and lying to the customer that nothing is wrong, not admitting that there are numerous problems of this kind with the vehicle, until it becomes so widespread that it cannot be concealed any longer.

I have owned a number of Japanese made Japanese cars and truckis and also US made Japanese cars and trucks. without exceptions, Japanese made ones has far fewer problems that the US made ones.

I totally agree with you, man, you're right. A car is a blend of design, engineering, a lot of components and parts, quality control, etc.

Ford and Mazda are the same. Same company, engineers work together same assembly plants, same parts suppliers. O wait here's the difference:

Zoom Zoom. --- Different marketing people.

Ford = Mazda

Mazda = Ford

Thats not true. Japan has their own plants that design and build their own cars as well as joint ventures in the US.

You sir, are an idiot! Mazda sucks and Ford Rocks! Go buy you son a real American car you unpatriotic sack of crap.

Fords rule? In 1985 I bought my first new car. It was a Ford Mustag GT. This vehicle without any exaggeration was the most poorly made and assembled car I have ever owned and I have owned a lot of them, including a Yugo. First, the paint job from the factory was so terrible that they sprayed paint right over body filler spatter that somehow got over the doors and body panels. The joints between the rear quaterpanels and the roof were rough, and showed under the paint. After several hundred miles this car developed persistent vibration in the front end and the steering wheel, which nobody could cure. Some performance car this turned out to be. It rode like a lubmer wagon and got 15 MPG at best with a 5 speed manual. I got rid of this junk a year later and fortunately was able to recover 85% of my initial investment. That was the only good thing about it.

About 6 years later, I test drove a brand new 91 Mustang LX with a 5.0 V8 and 5 speed. During the test drive I heard loud banging underneath. The driveshaft almost fell off because one of the U joints disintegrated. On a brand new vehicle!

I have not taken any more Mustangs for a test drive since and do not plan to.

HEY Mr. Ford Rules, patriotism has nothing to do with owning a domestic or imported car, stupid moron. If you want to eat your own shit go ahead, be my guest!. The rest of us don't have to suffer with crappy cars like the ones Ford builds. Everybody knows that Ford has always built the worst cars in the whole planet: cars exploding when rear-ended, SUVs rolling over, stuck cruise controls in Crown Victorias, faulty components and parts, lousy labor, poor quality. How many times a Ford vehicle has to be recalled for different problems?. How many people have died in accidents related to the engineering and design of Ford cars?. How many people died in the infamous Pinto?. How many people have died in Crown Victorias?. How many people have died in Explorers?. I hope you'll be proud of your Exploder (sorry, Explorer) when it rolls over or when your Mustang is rear ended and you're trapped inside with no way out and frying yourself to death.

While I respect your opinions, and would defend to the death your right to have those opinions,I would just ask that sometimes you please refrain from actually expressing them!Given that most opinions are based on personal experience, either yours or someone elses, surely they are biased and one sided or both! These comments can only envoke argument driven by passion ie Ford rules Mazdas suck!`Or vice versa! These names can be substituted with football teams or basketball teams or even towns or cities or God forbid, political parties! So who is right? Rhetorical question? Yes! The answer? You tell me! Is the debate interesting? Sometimes, and to a point! But mostly,no! At what point are you going to agree that MY dog is the smartest dog in the world, when you have a dog that you think is the smartest in the world?!Of course you will start running my dog down, so to speak, and me yours, untill we get to a point where we think they are both so useless we should shoot both of them!!So what have we achieved? You tell me!! This is meant to be lighthearted for anyone out there with an axe to grind!!

Look guys, facts are facts, Japanese cars are typically better but more expensive. Why because the Japanese companies don't try to come up with newer models, but they improve upon what they already have or QUALITY. The Domistic companies like Ford, sell more trucks F150's in the US market, than the foreign companies. I own a Ford, Nissan, Mazda, and 2 Chevy's. The Ford is an '99 Explorer and has had many different recalls, mostly just minor stuff. The tires which were Firestone, not Ford, I had replaced in '99 due to hairline cracks inside the tires. This was before the tires were recalled so I've had 3 sets of tires on the SUV since I have owned her, no cost to me. If you recall Jeeps had a problem with over turning several years ago as well. Also keep in mind that Japanese cars are typically more expensive to purchase, parts are more expensive, and don't always outlast the domestic cars. So let's try to keep things civil here and learn from each other!

We don't hear much about Japanese problems because domestic cars outnumber import cars in the US. Look to Japan if you want to see problems with japanese cars.

I have a 91 mazda 626 automatic,it has been a headache from the beginning.I bought this car 11 monthes ago for 1,000 dollars for a to and from work car,20 miles one way,and it has left me stranded 3 times on the side of road,ok heres the list of problems,,,hope you all are ready. both cv joins replaced twice,,now clicking again next,waterpump,thermostat 3 times,starter twice,,,left me stranded in wal mart parking lot,,,you know inbarrasing it is to fix your car in a parking lot,,next manifold constantly comes lose every 2 weeks,leaks oil everywhere,smokes,automatic seatbelts went crazy, had to disconnect fuse,,next struts are shot,transmission shifts hard,and know it sits in my front yard for sale,,,300 bucks,,and its not even worth that.I will never buy a mazda again.


sincerely your ex mazda fan

Who the hell's supposedly been maintaining your car? I want to make it sure I don't take mine to him.

If you want to find out how Japanese cars stack up to American ones, check Consumer reports, NHTSA and alldata. There are also a few other sources, as well. Oh, Mazda has been determined to be the most reliable brand in the U.K.

I have been maintaing it,i guess i'm a bad mechanic? I use to own a 90 model b2200,and it was the best vehicle i've ever had,put 85 thousand miles on it and only had to change the water pump.I just have had alot of problems with my 626,just don't understand it.Oh by the way i own a 98 ford contour,and its been really good to me,and it has a mazda transmission.


sincerely ex mazda fan

i have a 96 protege and it was made in Japan.i dont know when ford bought mazda, but i do know my 96 mazda was made in Japan.All you have to do is open the driver door and look at the matal emblem where the color code is at, and it should say where it was made.Does anyone know when ford bought Mazda?I did hear that the focus is a Jap design car.But i do know that cars made in japan are great cars, my mazda protege runs like a champ.

I bought my mazda in 1999 and soon after this Ford bought Mazda, I think it was 2000. I thought it was a sad day.

Ford does not own Mazda. They own roughly 34% of Mazda, making them the majority stockholder and giving them controlling interest in the company. This goes back to the late '70s when Mazda was staggering under a huge debt load brought about in part because of the '73 oil "crisis" and the poor gas mileage of the RX-7. Mazda is a small car company that marches to the beat of a different drummer and doesn't seem to be comfortable trying to appeal to the masses. Ford, on the other hand, is a master of mass appeal and marketing.

The alliance between the two can benefit both, providing Ford doesn't attempt to turn Mazda into a smaller version of itself. Mazda does its best to remain fiercely independent, and so far it has had relative success in this area because it has engineering know-how that's coveted by Ford. Ford, however, has the bucks that Mazda needs to become profitable again.

One unmentioned fly in the ointment for Ford is that, despite its controlling interest, it still owns only a third of Mazda. This is effectively forcing them to compete with themselves in some areas.

Because of its technical expertise and the success Mazda has had with several of its models, Ford has turned to them for future small engine development and collaboration on platform design for several future Ford models.

The whole story is a fascinating one and well worth the read. Among other things, it reveals the pros and cons of cultural differences between a Japanese automaker and an American one, and how corporate politics and mindsets affect the entire auto industry.

The thing is that no matter what you say or read overall american cars are shit.
Now if you take europe (germany, france, Italy) for example and if you go there not even japanese cars are that expensive and that good.
I mean, I have a MX3 GS and I paid like 6G's for it, now it's a good car and I love it, but the same car in Germany would be around 1500 euros and in a GOOD FUCKING SHAPE, since they have to safety test their cars every year, but anyhow, in america there is no better than japanese since german cars are expensive, I mean I have a Nissan Altima and I have put 260 000km in it and it still runs, and fires, and drives million times better than my moms brand new FORD Windstar. Actually my mom two weeks after she bought it she had to have her windshiled replaces cus the car was leaking, now that tells you right away the quality and effort that was put to make that car,yeah it's a WIND-BLOW , if she was not to bring it back to the dealer the wind would freeze her up.
So, facts facts facts and lot more facts and statistics, FORD, Chrysler, GM (any), SUCKKKKKKKKKK OK!!??
Now it is understandable that millenia or whatever had probs, well DDDAAAAAAHHHHH it's a fucking car not a space shuttle, and we're talking in general.
Another thing please :
You know why people drive ford and american cars in general, since they trick them with no interest and no downpayment, even though the price let say is 22g' if u finance it, but if u buy it cash they give it to you for 18g's, if you buy a japs cars it is 22g's no matter what, also this is a stat, Toyota alone sold more cars to the public than both GM and Ford put together, so please, i mean if police and taxis all over North America seized to buy cars from ford, in 5 years there be no more of them fuckers on the road.
But i think cops get 9 fords and get one for free, like a BUY-9-GET-1-FREE-DEAL, LOL.

FUCKEDFUCKED ONONONONON ROADROADROAD DEADDEAD
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Doing all that there was worth the effort!!!!!

It was supposed to be


FUCKFUCK ONONOON REARREAR DEADDEAD
FUCKFUCK ON ON REAR REAR DEAD DEAD
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FUCK ON ON REAR REAR DEAD DEAD
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I OWN A 2000 MAZDA 626 AND THEY ARE ONE THE BEST LOOKING CARS, I'M PRETTY SURE FORD DON'T GOT TO DO SHIT WITH THEM.

The Mazda 6 is the best looking car on the road these days, it looks better even than the new Accord which is pretty ugly to me. What the hell was Honda thinking?.

OK look I keep seeing the same thing written that mazdas and fords are the same thing and they have influences on each other. The thing is that the only time that ford actually tried to help design mazda was on the 1993-1997 mazda cronos. Before that they were called mazda 626 and then they changed it to mazda cronos when americans tried to put their finger in, but the cronos went flop thats why in 1998 they reintroduced the mazda 626 which has had a lot of good review and only few recalls compared to the cronos. And the tribute is also made in america. Personally my favourite car is the 1986 mazda 626 Lx model with a standard transmission

You are worrying too much about Ford messing with the reliability of their Mazdas. Ford may own Mazda, but it's a wierd, mutual relationship. Though Ford owns the rights to Mazda, the Mazdas are still built to Japanese specs, as always. Hell, I used to hate any kind of Ford, but after seeing so many of my friends driving their 93+ year model fords well over 200,000 miles, I became a Ford fanatic. Look at their slogan
"If you haven't looked at Ford lately, look again."
that is because back in the 80's they had a huge layoff number, and the executives only wanted money, money, money. Well, the rich bastard executives started building their cars to very poor specs. Hell, my words "very poor" are giving their 80's model fords too much gratitude. You could give the retarded kids at a state school a heap of scrap steal and they could make you something better than the 80's model Fords. At least the retards could make something funny/interesting to look at! Well, the Ford family caught on to the rich bastards' schemes and fired them. I think there ended up being 11 executives fired for tampering with files of letters from unhappy customers, and poor collision tests. Then, the family hired a few people from foreign car companies to help run the business, in the place of the other assholes that got fired. Then the rebuilding process started. They raised their specs back up even with japanese specs in 1992, and they have kept those specs ever since. The only american car I will ever buy from now on is Ford. Fuck General Motors, fuck Mopar, and fuck all the rest of the cheap-ass plastic Amarican-Made cars out there! I'm either buying a foreign car, or a Ford!



Daniel

Ford owns roughly a third of Mazda. This gives them controlling interest, but it's misleading to say they own the company.

Well, the results are in. Toyota has overtaken Ford for second place of most sold cars. It's GM first, Toyota second, and Ford third. Notice Mazda is not in the top three.

Mazda has only a small part of the U.S. market share. It's always been this way.

Yes, people still tend to want a Ford more than a Mazda. I have owned two Mazdas and one Ford and my sister has a Ford. My Ford is a 98 Escort and I like it. It has 103,000 miles.

I bet that deleting a locking gas cap door, dash clock, and folding outside rearview mirrors from late model Mazda 626 was not Mazda's idea, but Ford's. Anything to save a buck.

You're probably right.

Well that Escort of mine is a no power roll up windows version and yet they threw in power mirrors. That was Ford's idea and not Mazda's.

MY mom has owned a 2002 ford Exploder. It has been in for serivce at least 25 times for mis shit. Cd player, caldic converter, seat belts. The best was i was driving down the express way doing about 80 and all of a sudden the rmp's go through the roof and i look down and i see the speed was at 120 mph. Just as that happned i noticed that we were slowing down. I pulled the piece of shit in the median and had to call a tow truck. It only has about 17,000 miles on it. After they serviced it was a dristrubuitor or some sort of cap. My MAZDA 626 lx v6 has almost 87,000 and will live to see 200,000 miles. This a F*cking true story. I will never buy a ford in my life. FORDS SUCK MY HUGE BALL'S

This is my first Mazda 626 LX I have had this car for six months and the trans went out with $2200.00 dolars worth of damage ...Ford and Mazda suck dick !

Ford is capable of building a car that's as good as anybody's. The problem is that they care too much about the bottom line to do it.
Your 626 used a Ford-supplied transmission, so don't automatically knock Mazda. They didn't have all these problems with the models built in Japan.

F.Y.I. The 626's Ford tranny is mated to a Ford engine, which was also used in the Probe and the Millenia 2.5L.

MAZDA is from Japan.i see other cars with the same age of my mazda 323f is looks like cars of 20 years.I prefer MAZDA !!!!!!

$ 2200 to replace a crappy auto transmission in a 4 cyl 626? A rebuilt transmission for my 83 Mercedes 300 SD costs $ 1500. And I believe that this is a lot better and sturdier unit. Go figure.