Mazda Cruise

Advantages: comfortable
Disadvantages: A bit to long in the length

...Well I've bought a Mazda 626, six months ago and I must say that there had been no problems with the car. It's the old style M reg and its georgous. The fuel consumption is very good considering its a 2 litre. It has all the modcons such as, power steering, Fuel injection, ABS, Twin airbags, air conditioning electric windows and mirros on both front and back doors and many other gadgets. The seats have been moulded so that you sit very comfortable and snug in them. In the boot theres loads of room to fit your shopping in and more. This is the best car that I have ever bought and would strongly advice anyone to have one....

hornny 14.01.2001 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Mazda 626 2.0

Mazda RX-8 - An experience

Advantages: Spacious, speedy, stylish
Disadvantages: Fuel consumption - ouch!

...I love cars! I love something with a little 'poke' and something that's got fun factor. Looks are quite important too.......and the Mazda RX-8 ticks all of these boxes. I became the owner of a second-hand 2 year old 192bhp 4 door version a month ago and I like it. It sticks to the road like brown stuff to a blanket......you can do a good 80-90 mph round a sharp bend without losing control of your sphincter and feels very safe and controlled. Steering is quite stiff but very responsive and, again, gives you that feeling of control. It looks good too.....very sleek in profile and a bit of a beast from the front view. The interior is 'ok' but could be better. There's a lot of plastic but it's not too crringeworthy. The 6 CD multi-changer is a nice bonus and the Bose sound system is crisp and clear and does not distort...

rotty64 14.07.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

the 626

Advantages: Good early digital drum machine, with good good sampled sounds
Disadvantages: Doesn't have up to the minute 'hip' sounds

...After the 909, which is the most popular drum machine around (despite not being in production no more), roland released the 626 around '87, as a first digital machine that uses sampled sounds of drums as opposed to the analogue of yesteryear. For uses as a travelling drum machine it is well suited, as it will pump out good authentic sounds for the travelling musician to use. It is also quite good in studio production, but nowadays can't be the no. 1 choice of a producer/musician. It has just 3 snares, and only one of them is suited for todays music. The 2 other's are too 80's to be fashionable. There is a nice smooth rim shot that is quite useful, as well as a classic hand clap (probably the first one to be sampled!) It has quite a good control system, good at changing the pitch, volume, shuffle, and other good features. You can...

joey_rza 27.03.2001 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Roland TR-626

Wouldn't Dream of it!

Advantages: Smooth handling, great mpg, large storage space, plenty of space for all passengers
Disadvantages: Rear Window Panels, Brake Pad replacements

...What a car! What are the advantages? A much shorter list would be what are the disadvantages to the car. However, I will endeavor to give the good points as well as the bad as I see them. However, I will state that I am now the proud and pleased owner of my second Mazda 626. The first I bought from brand new and put 123,000 miles on it before regretfully parting with it. My second one was an S reg with 44,000 miles on the odometer. I have now owned, driven, and maintained 2 Mazda's for a total of 8 years. Disadvantages - 1. The panels just behind the rear windows are rather large and can prove awkward when trying to see in such cases as reversing. The view is not the best particularly in the newer 626 styles. The older styles did not have such a big issue and had a greater view. The rear window is not extremely large...

UKRushbrook 31.08.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Mazda 626 2.0

Mazda RX8: the driver's advocate

Advantages: Affordable, impeccable handling, styling, standard features, power, fun factor, driveability, usability (a true everyday sports car)
Disadvantages: gas mileage, lack of low end torque, Mazda service

...opposed to a piston engines 40 or so) there is very little to break down. The engine has purred on to 30,000 miles without a hitch and since Mazda extended the warranty to 8 years on the Renesis engine there is little to worry about. The rest of the car has a 5 year/60,000 mile warranty and aside from needing a few ECU upgrades I have had no unscheduled visits to Mazda. Mazda's service is far from the best, in fact the people at Mazda take twice as long as they say to fix your car and will almost never work with you to help you. They do whatever they feel is right once you give them your credit card. I recommend taking your RX8 to specialists when it needs work done. Overall this car is sheer driving bliss. The funky suicide doors that open out allow easy access to very functional backseats; although closing these doors can be somewhat...

eweibmanm 25.12.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

Mazda RX8 - Running and owning

Advantages: Handling, brakes and performance
Disadvantages: High fuel costs and massive dpreciation

...After spending £25,000 on purchasing the 231ps model, from new with factory fitted extras I was let down time after time. 16000 miles-catalytic convertor packed in(warranty claim) 1st mot-newbrake discs required all round due to corrosion. Paint rubbing off interior sills due to bodyflex(warranty claim) Window winder mechanism replaced(warranty claim) 23,000 miles and 3 months out of warranty auto leveliing headlights packed in (£800 for sensor mechanism-Mazda paid 70% of bill as good will) 25,000 miles and oil cooler pipes started leaking oil-£1300 to repair (later refunded by Mazda when they issued a recall) lucky I found out about the recall as I sold the car after the repair. On the plus side the car was great...

freshtracks 13.05.2008 (14.05.2008) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

Amazing Mazda

Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...Mazda dealerships must be one of the most laid back I have come across. If you want the hard sell they will do it for you but it clearly is not something they want to do. Naturally, of course they will butter you up and try to make you feel good and you can always rely on a cup of coffee. I was told that Mazda only allot so many cars each year to each outlet but dealers do have to achieve their targets. Why so laid back then? I have come to the conclusion that they feell the cars sell themselves and visitors will return after they have look at the competition and seen the difference. Not cheap of course but if you are anxious for a bit of quality at an affordable price this could be where to go. I think most car buyers would do well to consider Mazda for sensible style, quality of build, reliability and residual value....

REG 08.07.2000 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Mazda

Westleigh Mazda

Advantages: Friendly, informative, helpful.
Disadvantages: None spring to mind

...I've been a fan of Mazdas ever since I had my first second hand, B-Reg Mazda 323 in 1997. Although I wrote that one off after 6 months, I bought an almost identical one straight away which ran smoothly for a year before I sold it to a friend who still runs it with hardly any maintainance required. Since then, I've had a Ford and a Peugeot, and when I was looking to buy another car, I found another Mazda 323, and had to buy it - it was such a relief to be driving one of these fantastic cars after the troublesome Peugeot. Anyway, the point of this rambling discourse is that I wanted to look after my shiny new (well, second-hand) 323F, so I've been to Westleigh Mazda, in Leigh-on-Sea Essex, on two occasions, and both times they were incredibly helpful and informative, and I never felt pressured into paying for any services they offered...

Athena 11.07.2001 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Mazda

Mazda RX8 230bhp

Advantages: Very quick, good looking car, 4-seater sports car, comfortable on short and long journeys
Disadvantages: uses fair amount of oil, poor reversing vision, road holding on snow and ice poor

...I bought my Mazda RX8 230bhp two years ago as an ex demonstrator (2000 miles on clock) It has most of the extras you can imagine - 6 CD multi changer in dash, sat nav, heated seats, etc The car is a real pleasure to drive, very quick off the mark. The high revving rotary engine takes some getting use to and you tend to change gear too early and not get the full benefit out of the engine at the higher revs, as it is designed to do. Once you get use to it, it is a flying machine! The car turns heads wherever you go and is extremeley comfortable on both short and long journeys. We took ours to France last year and it was a pleasure to drive, and the sat nav was a godsend!! The boot space is surprisingly spacious for a sports car and we managed to get all of our luggage for a fortnight in France in it. Boot space is saved by...

Woodsa12 24.09.2006 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Mazda RX-8

An Economical Masterpiece

Advantages: Good Economy, great drive & excellent features
Disadvantages: Not the prettiest piece of machinery

...On buying a second hand car, professionals suggest a great deal of research, a methodical and in depth background check and signs of wear and tear. Fortunately as an impulsive fool I decided that such a method is not necessary. Knowing nothing of the owner, the car, the brand, well anything to be honest, I decided to bid and ultimately win a 1997 Mazda 626. E-bay is probably the last place that any sane person would look for a car; fortunately I lost my sanity some time ago so it became my first port of call. Ultimately I spied upon this car with two minutes left and without hesitation I slapped a £750 maximum bid, half expecting the price to skyrocket out of my range. Fortunately the e-bay gods conspired in my favour and granted me a cut down price of £690 for something I had never seen, touched or for that matter heard of. To...

stephen_logan 02.08.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Mazda 626 1.8 LXi