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2018 messages,  Last post on Oct 09, 2009 at 1:07 PM

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#852 of 2018 Jenny33 New Model. by mrdetailer Sep 25, 2001 (10:56 am)
If you are thinking about a new model, I would consider these factors. I own a 1991 with a 2.2 liter engine stick, my son owns a 1997 with the 2.0 and an automatic transmission. My wife insisted that I buy his older car when he bought the newer one. Frankly, it has been one of the best decisions we made. We both love our Mazdas. Here is my take.   Engine. The existing 2.0 engine is torquey and in lower gears accelerates very well. At cruising speed, passing can be a little slow and acceleration is OK. (auto transmission) My 2.2 Mazda engine is quite frankly a dream. It is a perfect weight to horsepower match. I get 30-34 MPG on the highway, and get furious if the city mileage drops below 23. This only happens when I have to put in Oxygenated Fuel. Both Ford and Mazda build excellent engines. My Mazda mechanic who is a specialist (20 years with a Mazda dealership) only buys the 4 cyl engines for his personal use. Much more reliable.   Transmission. While the automatic transmission has been continually improved over the years, this is frankly the car's weak spot. Many earlier models have had to replace transmissions. On my son's car, at 65,000, the first gear converter may be starting to weaken. Completely changing the transmission out and adding Lubegard for automatic transmissions fortunately eliminated the problem for now. If you get an automatic transmission, at least drain and replace the fluids every 15,000 miles. I would also recommend adding Lubegard. The manual transmissions are a bit notchy, but extremely reliable. My mechanic adds Lubegard to these also. The manual increases power, is very fun to drive. My Mechanic purchases manuals over automatics also.   Safety. The 626 has generally done well on safety tests. The newer model should be just as good or better.   Styling: The 2001 is at the end of it's life. But it is very stylish for a Japenese car. The pictures I've seen of the 2003 model are great.
#853 of 2018 a-tex by regfootball Sep 25, 2001 (6:56 pm)
the original SHO motor was Ford from the heads down. i.e. the block, pan, crank, etc....all Ford. Yamaha messaged the heads, valvetrain and intake, etc.   The v8 SHO motor is an 8 cylinder version of the Contour's 2.5 litre v6 Duratec. Again, Yamaha participated in the cyl. head and intake but the basic engine is mostly a stock Ford Duratec with 2 extra cylinders.   So I don't think anyone need fear a v6 engine that is developed by Ford. I'm sure Ford could easily improve on its 4 cylinder motors though.   My brother in law will soon be approaching 110k miles on his 97 v8 SHO. Not one iota of engine or transmission difficulty.   It realy makes sense to have Ford and Mazda co-develop motors. Each has good to offer. And it adds checks and balances in the system. And it should reduce cost and improve qual-i-tay.   So 626 fans, no need to fear, I'm sure the new 626 when it comes out will have good solid motors.
#854 of 2018 by ateixeira Sep 26, 2001 (5:35 am)
I used to own a '81 Mustang Ghia with a straight six. Guess they've come a long way.   Still, owners in the Escape Problems forum complain about failures, maybe it's electrical gremlins.   -juice
#855 of 2018 Ford/Mazda Motors... by jstandefer Sep 27, 2001 (10:19 pm)
I just read through about 300 posts in the Tribute board. Problems? Sure. Different from most models out there? No. My experience with Mazda's is that the 626 is the most troublesome model in the line-up, including the Tribute. Working at several Mazda dealerships, seeing a relatively young 626 on a tow truck is quite common. I sold a 2001 626 ES4 that came back on a tow truck two weeks later with a snapped axle shaft. It only had 420 miles on it.   The two Ford Duratec engines used by Mazda (2.5L and 3.0L) have both proven to be very strong and reliable engines. It would cost entirely too much money for Mazda to develop its own engine for use only in Mazda vehicles that can compete against the Camry and Accord 3.0L engines. The 2.5L, although a wonderful engine, is getting too old and inefficient compared to the competition's new engines. The Duratec engine series is an excellent family of engines and Mazda should, and will, take full advantage of them to save money (of which Mazda has very little) and to keep up with the rapidly advancing competition.
#856 of 2018 ABS only with auto? by lngtonge18 Sep 27, 2001 (11:10 pm)
I was looking at the Edmunds info and it states that the 626 ES-V6 requires an automatic to order the ABS. How long has this been in effect? I think this really sucks as a lot of people actually buy the 626 for the fact you can get a V6 with a manual. Anyone else disappointed?
#857 of 2018 by ateixeira Sep 28, 2001 (6:41 am)
There are about 100 times as many 626s on the road vs. Tributes. So of course there will be more of them breaking down.   Also, the most common complaint is the Ford tranny.   Nevertheless, my problem isn't that Ford is necessarily unreliable, it's that Mazda loses its identity if they let all their models become Ford clones. So you're buying a Ford with a longer warranty, but that's all.   Now, parts sharing can be done successfully. Look at the Golf and the Audi TT - big differentiation. So hopefully Mazda will take a page from that book.   -juice
#858 of 2018 Actually juice by maltb Sep 28, 2001 (10:14 am)
The real problem with the 4cyl auto was that they used common parts but different shift logic. Ford never had much of a prob in their vehicles as it was major slush box. Mazda tried to keep its identity, but the CD4E couldn't handle it. Good thing it's gone for good come '03 and Jatco returns.
#859 of 2018 by ateixeira Sep 28, 2001 (10:17 am)
Sounds good. I'm just glad I have a V6/5 speed!   -juice
#860 of 2018 Ford/Mazda... by jstandefer Sep 28, 2001 (1:12 pm)
I can assure you that Mazda will keep its identity while platform sharing. Take a look at the Ford Escort ('91-'00) and Mazda Protege ('90-'98). They both sat on the Protege platform and shared their top-of-the-line engines (Mazda 1.8L DOHC BP-series, also used in the Miata). There was absolutely no identity crisis there. Another example is to take a look at the Kia Sephia. To this day, it still sits on the 1990 Protege platform and uses a derivative of the Mazda 1.8L BP-series engine. Again, absolutely no identity crisis.   The Escape and Tribute are pretty close. However, other than the drivetrain, the platform, body, and suspension were designed by Mazda. It was Ford's choice not to differentiate the Escape FROM the Tribute. The body cladding is different, as well as other styling differences (badging, grill, accents, wheels). The suspension, although basically the same, is tuned differently. Even the transmissions are tuned differently. The steering in the Tribute uses a quicker ratio. A simple test drive won't show their differences, but when really pushed hard, the Tribute handles and accelerates better. The interiors are basically the same, but the Tribute uses higher grade plastics and better seats. One would never guess that the Escape/Tribute sit on the 626 platform.   Other examples of currently succesful or planned, identity-keeping platform sharing are: - Lincoln LS/Jaguar S-Type/Ford Thunderbird/2003 Ford Mustang (DEW-98 platform) - Mazda 626/Mazda MPV (626 platform) - Ford Mondeo/Jaguar X-Type (Mondeo platform) - Mazda 626 replacement/Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable/Volvo midsize (new Mazda platform) - Mazda RX-8/2004 Mazda Miata/future Jaguar roadster (RX-8 platform) - 2004 Mazda Protege/2004 Ford Focus (new Ford/Mazda platform)   I have a lot of faith that each one of the vehicles mentioned above will have, or already have, their own identities.
#861 of 2018 by ateixeira Oct 01, 2001 (7:13 am)
Interesting example you mention, because I drove a '91 Escort GT with a Mazda engine for 107k miles.   The powertrain held up well and was fun to drive, but the car had lots of annoying problems. The fuel gauge was always wrong, pieces of insulation fell off from the doors and peeled off around the windshield. The motorized mice belts didn't work on the passenger side, intermittently not opening when they should. It has more squeeks than a mouse trap and rattled more than a snake. It had loose carpeting, and just generally poor fit and finish.   So maybe that's not a great example. I felt like it was a wannabe-Mazda.   I have only seen Escape up close, and the interiors looks cheap to me. Vinyl on the seats, exposed stitching, and the column shifter don't appeal to me one bit. The Tribute looks better, at least from the outside. I do like the idea of 200hp combined with its light weight.   The LS and S-Type are nice cars but there are some quality issues there. We'll see how the others fare, but I'm skeptical.   -juice

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