Highway Patrol Mazda? Rare TURBO CHARGED Mazda 626 MANUAL - Prepare to be Amazed

[@euroasianbob9268]

Thanks again Wizard for sorting out one of our fun rare cars! It shifted perfectly and drove great when I picked it up yesterday! Love reading all the great comments from your viewers! Thank you viewers for supporting our Car Wizard!

[@euroasianbob9268]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6bcnqyEbKyglcksi=vKE2xdv1x4x_viqF

[@euroasianbob9268]

I posted the link to my KZbin video of buying the car and the link to the car on my website.

[@kimblem.w9952]

Hollup, didn't know Bob had a youtube channel! Subscribed!

[@euroasianbob9268]

@@kimblem.w9952 thanks!

[@vilhjalmrwt]

Great job

[@PSTLNC2]

Those State Trooper cars were actually 1988-92 Mazda MX-6's. The 626 of the same era were basically the same car but 4-doors and a 5-door hatchback. They were powered by a 2.2L 4 cylinder. They were also the same underframe and driveline as the Ford Probe.

[@aca2983]

Yes and I believe they were built in the same Flat Rock, MI plant as the Probe. Most public agencies have domestic content rules, so that might have made the MX-6 acceptable.

[@PSTLNC2]

@@aca2983 your correct on the Flat Rock, Michigan plant for the Probes and MX-6 and 626. They started out on the same assembly line but split when the body's were going to be mounted. At one time I owned 5 of these cars: A 1988 Mazda MX-6 LX, 1989 MX-6 DX, 1989 Mazda MX-6 GT, a 1989 Mazda 626 GT 5 door hatchback. And a GT parts car. Plus also had the Mazda Factory service manual in the huge 3-ring binder. To say I was a fan of this platform is a understatement. I actually wanted to get the FE3 motor from the Japan/Australian version of these cars as it was a high revving 2.0 liter DOHC 16-valve motor.

[@PSTLNC2]

@Etron49 yeah, I just assumed they did the 626's at the same plant. I loved my 626 GT Hatchback. The 5-door hatchback variant of the 626 was exceptionally rare. And it had great boost. Did your wife's car have the 12-valve F2T motor or the FE3 16-Valve DOHC motor that was the Japan/European/Australian variant motor?

[@PSTLNC2]

@Etron49 yeah I used to own several models of MX-6/626's at one time. The most I owned at once was 5. The North American version s of these cars, even those imported from Japan all had either the 2.2L F2 12-valve Normally Aspirated or the 2.2L F2T 12-valve Turbo variant. The other markets on the other side of the world got the more potent FE3 or FE3T motor. That was a 2.0L DOHC motor with a lot higher RPM range. I know in the MX-6 forum I was a member of that was a huge upgrade for the American cars. Alot of guys were having that motor imported in to the states from Japan along with it's wiring harness.

[@stephenmoxley3004]

I had an 87 626 GT Turbo coupe. It was black, with a gray interior. It was probably the best car I've ever owned. I kept it for 30 years and put 250,000 miles on it. I also had trouble with the engine mounts and the shifter bushings. I ended up machining my own bushings out of Delrin and the shift feel was great. Those wheels were affectionately known as "pizza" wheels. I ended up selling the car to a friend for $1,200. Thanks for the memories.

[@euroasianbob9268]

Great story!

[@benjaminhunt6139]

Should have shown the oscillating vents! The button on the dash that most would assume is a hazard switch is a button to turn on the powered vent oscillator. Such a cool feature!!

[@AlvinBrinson]

Definitely miss the "Swing" button from my old 626.

[@CrashAndBurnProductions]

That powered center vent was one of my first junkyard snags for my 90 mx6 lx..i never really used it,but it was just cool to have..it dropped right in and the plug was already there on the harness for it...the downside is that with it, you could no longer manually adjust the vents..you had to push the button and wait till they cycled to the right spot and turn it off...its why so many were busted,.if you forgot or didnt know and forced it,you would break the plastic linkage very quickly

[@GMCJay_lly]

Ms.Wizard does not do a good job reviewing the interiors. More facts, less fluff. She should do a little research before filming imo.

[@ehughes8829]

I had that in my mazda 626 as well. I never had it in any other car. 😊

[@lukeclifton4392]

@@ehughes8829I had it in my ‘84 model 929… I’m pretty sure I saw the oscillating vents recently show up again in a Lexus if I’m correct.

[@Bdub1952]

The last time I saw a Mazda 626GT turbo manual (hatch) was when my wife (at the time) traded it in on her brand new Mazda Millenia! Man that 626GT was a fun car. We called it "the rocket."

[@collyoung6017]

One of best cars I ever had - 89 Mazda 626 wagon with the 2.0l supercharged diesel 5 speed manual box - used as a taxi in the UK - did 230k miles with no problems - good for 50 mpg.

[@ehughes8829]

I had a 1992 supercharged diesel Mazda 626 Cronos. Cool car at the time. 😊

[@pyrexmaniac]

I owned one of those! Mine was a 1986 2 door GT Turbo with a 5-speed stick in charcoal gray with a pale gray interior with orange details. The center vents on the dashboard that oscillated left to right was the ultimate crowd-pleasing party trick.

[@LOBrien_]

Nicely preserved car! Also the $1,500 for the turbo package in 1986 equates to just over $4k in today's dollars, pretty close to the "5k or more" today.

[@07wrxtr1]

that's build back better / corrupt federal reserve action for ya!

[@JasonWW2000]

​@@07wrxtr1What? No. It's normal inflation. Same all over the world.

[@JasonWW2000]

​@@jorgejiminez-rk1uuNo, not at all. I just seem to know a little bit more about world economics then 07WRX, that's all.

[@JasonWW2000]

@@jorgejiminez-rk1uu Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by that.

[@JasonWW2000]

​@@jorgejiminez-rk1uu This has always been the case. Countries around the world print more money and its value goes down. Your calling that artificial, but I'm calling that natural/normal. Definitely nothing new.

[@ComblessMan]

As a Mazda fanboy, I am drooling. If I knew the owner, I would be asking everyday, how much? Very nice, thanks for this video.

[@RobinDale50]

I drove one in 1987. Was a fantastic car for the time. Solid, fun, well made, looked great.

[@peterhagglund9822]

Hello from Sweden! We actually Jumped an -86 626 Mazda almost 50 feet! -Twice! The second time the drivers seat broke in half, but the car still ran and drove fine! Clutch was gone on the third attempt. We made it to the wrecking yard though. Sturdy cars! :) Thanks Wizard

[@shiftfocus1]

Mazda had the most understated design of all the Japanese manufacturers back then. Nice to see. 86 was the first year for the mandatory CHSML in the US. It looks like an afterthought, because it is.

[@williamread8186]

My parents had a 1986 Subaru that has the center brake light exactly like this. Definitely an afterthought add on.

[@GordonBeckles]

WOWWWWWWW... 😀 ...this is the car that really made me sit up and take notice of Mazda (after the 70s RX-3 and late 70s RX-7)! I especially liked the loaded manual turbocharged 5 door hatchback 626. I 64 now, so it's not like I remember clearly but the tech was cool too. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe it came with moving vents and 4 wheel steering...

[@Mazda626gtturbo]

I daily drive my 88 626 Gt 5 door had it since 2000 love it

[@jonnardjackson2884]

That’s a really rare bird! Many 626’s were sold! I remember the 626 GT’s but not the turbo! That’s a unique find Car Wizard! The condition is also amazing! ❤️👍🏾💯

[@JimmyJamm]

Two things you missed in the interior. 1, the button between the center dash vents is an oscillating function for the vents. 2. the doors have hinged covers in the card to open a space for maps and storage. My mother had a silver 5 door 1980 636 that had all the controls in little switches on the control bezel. Got rid of those for later cars.

[@EricMasek]

it was disappointing that the oscillating vents wasn't demoed during the interior segment. cool feature that you don't see often.

[@IKhanNot]

I was always amazed at how well Mazdas were equipped in the 80s/90s. We had an 89 MX6 and it came with electric opening/closing moonroof, adjustable suspension, power seats/mirrors/windows, good sounding stereo and AC.

[@notyourcarNYC]

I also had an 89 mx6, loved that car

[@IKhanNot]

@@notyourcarNYC Great cars. The only reason we got rid of it in 2007 was because the engine cradle was rusting really bad to the point there was nothing for the engine mount to hold onto. Every single feature and the powertrain it self worked great at the time we sold it.

[@Mazda626gtturbo]

I have a 90 MX6 DX and daily my 88 626 turbo 5 door. Best car ever.

[@craigclu]

I had the 5 door version of this. They were 1.5" lower roof line if I recall and had a short trunk lid. Brisk performing for its day. I found it hard to use on Wisconsin winter roads as the turbo would kick in and torque steer would be quite sudden and unnerving. I liked the dash vent system as the louvers would rotate left and right so the air wouldn't hit the same spot endlessly. Headlight washers were somewhat unique for the day, too.

[@JohnResetar]

Drove one of these in 1986 when my buddy worked at a Mazda dealership in Florida. I had never driven a car with a turbo or a front wheel drive car before. I was used to higher torque rear wheel drive cars with the torque coming on down low. Came out of a u-turn hard on the throttle since I had felt no torque yet and, when the turbo kicked in, I understeered in to the other lane on a four lane divided highway as the front tires broke loose on a wet road. Took me years before I drove a front wheel drive car again.

[@vilhjalmrwt]

Thanks for thinking about us wizard!!! We love you and mrs.wizard and the crew

[@PL-mu1cp]

I had a 1989 626 4 door (my first new car), Silver with a gray cloth interior, crank windows, automatic and the attack electric seat belts. It was a great car, quick, comfortable and good mileage. It never gave me a problem, I took it on a road trip from L.A. to Canada and back. At that time my brother had a Lexus ES 250 with the V6. He was surprised that he had to go all out to beat the Mazda when we raced one day. I missed it when I traded it in.

[@nsidor1234]

The 626 was a great buy back then. A solid car with excellent drivability. Much like the late model '6' is today. Back then it was one of those cars on my list along with the Omni GLH & the VW GTI. Back when gas was $1.15 a gallon those little pocket rockets were the new muscle cars...👍🏁

[@bryancohn9406]

I raced against one of these 88-90 in SCCA competition around the Midwest. It was very competitive against my Peugeot 505 Turbo, 200sx Turbo, 2nd Gen CRX, Olds Calais with the Quad 4 and others. Cool car Wizard!

[@lindanelson8400]

I had Olds Cutas with the quad four engine. It was a nice little car until it blew the head gasket while still under new car warranty. It turned into a nightmare dealing with the dealership whose incompetent mechanics kept trying to pat me on the head and blame the overheating and loosing of antifreeze on a stuck thermostat. I took it to a friend who had a used car lot. He knew immediately what the problem was. He took me around the back of the car while it was running and pointed out the steam coming from the exhaust pipe, and told me to smell the exhaust. It was obvious that it was blowing coolant out of the tailpipe. The dealership eventually fixed it right, but it was just not the same car anymore. I traded it off right away while it was still in warranty.

[@jamesweddle184]

I've always liked these 626's. The 5-door hatchback was especially handsome.

[@ScomaAus]

There was also the Ford Telstar TX5 turbo; a rebadged 626 in a number of places throughout the world. The Mid 80s were the very start of era when turbocharged cars started to become more widespread amongst the general populous.

[@gregpatterson1988]

I think you missed the cool "sweep" function on the center dash vents. The ones over the HVAC controls. You could push the button between those two vents, and the vents internal vanes would sweep airflow left and right, just like an oscillating fan. Also, I remember many late 80's Japanese cars had brown tinted glass, like my Serengeti Drivers Corning optics sunglasses have. Were those windows factory tinted brown?

[@ArmySigs]

I use those sunglasses too haha, they're the best.

[@Darkvirgo88xx]

Mazda is one of the few manufacturers that haven't let reliability go to waste like Nissan. They arent as widely popular or fast now a days but their designs are always unique and appealing in my opinion. Yes they share with Ford on several things but I will always have a special place for Mazda. My grandma bought a brand new 323 too bad it got totaled on a field trip when I was a kid. I believe there was a 323,626 and the full size was 929. Ive always been a car nerd guess thats why I took up dirt track oval racing at 15.

[@johnd8892]

Mazda are the second highest selling make in Australia with a large range of quality cars.

[@komradkolonel]

I remember the Mazda MX-6 with the 2.2 turbo. It had the same engine and transmission that the Ford Probe did. The one Mazda from that time that I saw very few of them was the 929.

[@shivermetimbers9316]

thats what i had.an 88 just like what he showed in the highway patrol pics

[@NVRAMboi]

In my limited experience, it is incredibly unusual to find any Asian import of this age in such cosmetically clean shape - especially the interior plastics and fabrics. Cars w/o a garage would very soon see the interior fabrics fade significantly wherever the sun most frequently hit. Same with the plastics. They often fade/change to an odd unmatched color, dry out and then crack or disintegrate. This is not some great detailing job. This car has been diligently loved and cared for about as well as is possible. Thanks Wizard!

[@euroasianbob9268]

I agree!

[@07wrxtr1]

Yeap! everyone made fun of me for washing/cleaning my "pos mazda" that cost me $800... '87 323... it went places mostly only 4wd could make... nothing was more fun in college than annoying people in that car. It just kicked a$$... I ended up having it donated to a church in the end...

[@formatique_arschloch]

Any car. Not just Asian import.

[@DanTheMailman330]

In my experience the plastics hold up well but here in the Midwest the undercarriage will rust faster than you can put miles on them.

[@BradleyCameron-b1v]

Wow, a time warp car! I'm from New Zealand and a good friend of mine had one of these (same year) back in the early 90's. His was a 2 litre non turbo version but came with a digital dash and electronic adjustable suspension so we all thought it was pretty cool. That one you have is in amazing condition for its age. Definitely peak 80's motoring!

[@jefflemon7382]

I had a hatchback non turbo 626. Great car, my kids loved the the oscillating dash vents. It wa t boned on the drivers side hard enough to bend into c pillar. I had no injuries, and it still drove and stopped in a straight line, I just had to get in through the passenger side.

[@stevesposato9124]

I had a 1980 626 GT non-turbo five speed. I had the same wheels but with low profile tires and mine was blue with powder blue interior just like the one you showed us. It was the best car I’ve pretty much ever owned same shifter bushings went out on mine, and it was happy and got 30 miles to the gallon and I enjoyed that car right up until the time it got stolen, I would love to have that car back again. I also enjoyed the toggle switches that were right around the gauge cluster that this one does not have do you have the same stereo are unique feature is that in the center consul it was a little stick that you could move the sound around to the different speakers. You were able to get and still can get a lot of car for the money from Mazda. I know that Wizard likes Toyotas and recommends them all the time, I would recommend a Mazda to anybody and I’ve had four of them.

[@dunebasher1971]

My parents had a 1984 626 2.0L. It's still one of the most reliable cars they ever owned, and very well-equipped for the time.

[@snakeplissken1754]

And just imagine people managed to get by with only 120hp. Good times.

[@muziklvr7776]

@@snakeplissken1754 I've driven and still own cars with less HP than that and fully content. I don't live my life 1/4 mile at a time.

[@Matys1975]

@@snakeplissken1754this car probably weights half the weight of the average sedan sold today, that’s why 120hp is not as bad as it sounds

[@sunbeam8866]

@@Matys1975 Unless it was heavily loaded, my '84 5-speed Accord sedan was pretty zippy with only 95hp. But it was probably smaller than today's Civic!

[@rahmatshazi883]

I owned an '84 626 2.0L as well. Super reliable, though with no power steering, it was a handful, literally. B543 SJA, I just remembered the reg! Drove her up to Glasgow and down to Cardiff.

[@PSTLNC2]

That center vent is pretty unique, if you push that center button that vent will oscillate left to right.

[@thirdhandmotors4540]

I'm so sad they missed this!!

[@aca2983]

One of my favorite Mazda tricks of the era. I later owned 4 Mazdas 2 new 2 used, but none of them had that anymore. 93 B2200, 00 Protege 1.8 , 02 Protege5 2.0, 06 Mazda3 2.3 (MT, MT, AT, MT)

[@georgewetzel4380]

There are no degrees of uniqueness.

[@mickmcgrath2313]

I think somebody else makes one of those now but I can't remember who? I think it might be Lexus? I actually looked it up. It's the Lexus LS 430.

[@Cassinspace]

Toyota Century has one as well

[@neoanderson7]

This brings back memory. I did my driving exam in my old mans 88 626. Unfortunately it was the non turbo model But still, I had a lot of great memories with that vehicle. It actually cemented my love affair with Mazda and everything they stood for. Very much the underdog. I do remember all the brown these models came in but I was thankful ours had the blue interior. They don't make interiors like that anymore.... Unfortunately the poor thing circummured to the harsh winter conditions and cancer started to form. Had to put out to pasture. Still lasted about 10yrs or so. Not too shabby considering the harsh winter conditions it had to endure.

[@Fractal_blip]

How harsh are we talkin? Like wisconsin harsh? Cause that's pretty harsh!

[@neoanderson7]

@@Fractal_blip ha! Wisconsin is a walk in the park compared to Toronto Canada. 😉😂. We’re still talking 45-50min north of actual Toronto city. So yeah, really damn harsh. 😔

[@Fractal_blip]

@@neoanderson7 wow yeah that 626 went through it!

[@rollthers3157]

That car should be in a museum!

[@Bicketybam68]

A gf had one of the non turbo one of these here in Australia. I had a 1981 Mazda 626 Coupe in the early 90's and I adored that car. Ran on the smell of an oily rag and ran fantastic even for a stock vehicle. Bodywise, not so special. Doors and boot lid seem to have had a love affair with rust. Would love to get another one and restore it. Cheers for the content Car Wizard and a trip down memory lane!

[@SidneySemple-yi7fp]

Oz had 4wheel steer fwd turbo. Plenty of torque sreer.

[@OltonHall]

Brings back memories of my first car which was a 1987 626. A friend had a RX-7 and both cars had the same keys.

[@kendalltull9854]

I had a version of this car with a digital gauge cluster and a burgundy interior. Loved that car. This really takes me back.

[@phillipsofthedriver]

3:49 - the yellow/goldish stuff is cadmium plating. Works okay at preventing rust on steel parts in most climates.

[@Stinger430]

I love these cars! I used to just stare and stare at them when I was a teenager. So nice to see a car without screens.

[@LuigiVenegas]

Loved to see this video, reminded me of my own Black with gray interiors 1986 GT that I had from 1990 to 2007 when I gifted it to my nephew. Mine also had a sunroof, power rear vent windows and a digital dash...it was the most futuristic vehicle I had seen and fell in love with it from day one.

[@Steebles1908]

I had an '89 626 Turbo 5-Door Manual. It had oscillating air vents and push button suspension. I bought it for $300 off a customer trade-in. Those were the days.

[@bluerazor7049]

Reminds me of when I saw a cherry red 4-door 626 parked neatly a month or two ago, it looked to be well taken care of, probably still owned by it's original owner. Regarding the model? It looked to be the 1.6 or the 1.8 L model, but it did have the 5-speed manual transmission. Very beautiful car, and a gorgeous tan interior.

[@SplosionMovies]

Interior looks amazing! Wow that alone has me in love with this car

[@adotintheshark4848]

The only drawback of these early turbos was turbo lag. The motor had to really spin before the turbo woke up. It's a good thing this is a manual shift! Nice car though, I don't recall ever seeing a 626 GT Turbo.

[@84gssteve]

Yes! Never thought I'd see those seats again! I bought a pair of black 626 seats a long time ago and put them in my 78 GLC high-school hot rod project. They are super comfy and massively adjustable. When that car rotted away, I took everything out of it, put the Chevy V-6 in a Samurai rock crawler project and was just able to squeeze those big seats into the Sammy. They held my butt in place countless times up the Rubicon and Fordyce trails. Still have it to this day and despite being dirty, they are still very comfy!

[@russterry6652]

I bought one of these new back in the day and drove it for 90,000+ miles before trade in ... great car with no issues ... strong acceleration to around 90 mph but turbo boost trails off quickly above that

[@tima6549]

I wanted one of those really bad, and I lost one EXACTLY like the car featured in a long bidding war at an auction years ago. My sister had the 83 touring edition and it was fun to drive. Well ahead of it's time with power features and electronic adjustable suspension. Great cars. Back when Mazda was nearly as good as Toyota and was ahead of Honda.

[@wads_o_hair]

I bought a white 4-door hatchback version of this new, and never had a problem with it until I moved to the Midwest and got high-centered on unplowed streets in the winter. Besides the torque steer, it sat pretty low and had wide profile performance tires, so it was definitely not a daily driver in the winter, even with changing to snow tires. I had to sell it and get something more practical. In addition to the oscillating center vents, another thing this vid failed to mention was the switch adjustable shocks for changing the ride and handling. The car really had a lot of features and performance for the price.

[@PhantomCookie87]

My late grandmother had a 1993 Mazda 323 5-speed manual sedan. She loved it so much, she even bought another one when the first one wore out lol.

[@chrisbrown1462]

I remember these as just being stone cold reliable. Never broke down, just ran and ran. Like Hondas of that era.

[@reaper1874]

I had a 1986 626 two door 2.0i, 5 speed, baby blue in color. It was awesome for the time.

[@jean-pierrejrdubuc4912]

That car was awesome ! Was it the first sleeper ? ;-) It could compete with the Ford Mustang GT 5.0L and the Saab 9000 Turbo of the time (not those from GM...). The Mazda engines of the 80s were bulletproof and great fun to drive! The handling was also very well balanced, very European a bit like a Peugeot 405 Mi16 that Infinity G20 tried to imitate, but that's another story. Japanese cars of the mid-80s and onwards were very reliable and fun. Great video Wizzard, lots of good memories🙂

[@theturtle2121]

Wow, what a blast from the past! I was born in 1983 and my parents bought a brand new Mazda 626 5 door hatchback. It’s was even the same red color. My parents traded it in 1991 for a Mitsubishi Montero. The Mazda had over 300,000 miles on it, it was fully loaded. It even had the digital gauges. I do remember the heater sucked in that car …but Alaska can easily get -40F My mom liked the Mazda but loved the Montero because it was a 4x4.

[@AnnatarTheMaia]

This was the car, back in the day, which turned me into a life long mazda fan.

[@BReal-10EC]

I had a set of those wheels on my 86 Mazda 323 SE 5 speed manual hatchback. Made a big difference. This was back when salvage yards were open on Saturday and actually wanted to sell to individuals. You could find oem wheels like that.

[@miketyler4536]

Mrs Wizard missed the "Swing" feature for the vents. You push that button and the vents swing side to side and it was a cool feature of those back in the day. My MX6 has that for the 93 model year. Mazda was known for all those cool "Quirks and Features" (thx Doug DeMuro) for the steal 🤣🤣

[@darcychu9652]

Mazda 626 two-door without turbo was sold as "MX-6" in Taiwan then as competitor against Nissan Sentra two-door 2.0 SE-R.

[@CoolTI-Daniel]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. My parents back when I was young had a Mazda 626 sport and then 3 years later a newer 1990 Mazda 626. They were great cars. Back in the days my parents thought a car would start having issues at 60 000km and dead by 100 000km. I remember going with my mom to a Volvo dealership with her 626 with 60 000km... she was telling the salesman that it's time to change car, her car is getting old. The salesman made a very low offer in exchange as they didn't care about getting it but he was honest saying... you know... you really should keep your car. it can easily last another 5 years. 60 000km is nothing on a Mazda. In the end my dad got sold on Honda and my mom got a 1998 Accord V6, dad has been going from a 1998 Acura CL to then TL after TL almost every generation. He passed away and I now have his white 2018 TLX Aspec... what a car.

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

I had a New Zealand spec Ford Telstar TX5i . It was effectivly a 5 door hatchback version of the European spec 626. Due to the lack of emmissions equipment the injected 2.0 was the same power as the US spec Turbo and a little lighter. I always regarded my TX5i as a turning point in cars where it delivered a level of comfort, performance and drivability more like a modern car than most other cars of the 80s. It was only in the Mid 90s where it fell behind without airbags and better crash safety and ABS.

[@vincebuono2135]

Wow I have not seen a 626 in years!! I loved that mazda what cool car especially for that time period!! That’s for show us the car!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@johnd8892]

The Mazda 626 and Australian Ford Telstar equivalent had one of the highest market shares around in Australia. When i bought my first new car in 1989, it was the Ford Telstar base model going at a great end of year run out price. The dealer picked me up from work in the top of the line Ford Telstar TX5 Ghia turbo model. Likely hoping he could upsell me to that impressive model with the luxury trim., ocscillating vents, fastback hatchback and the turbo but as a first car i did not want to take too much of a financial hit. Ford Australia did not do as well when they changed to non Mazda sourced cars for their smaller car range. Some tests on KZbin to show how the Ford Telstar differs from the Mazda 6. Even today Mazda being number two, behind Toyota , in Australian car sales is a very rare achievement in world markets even in Japan. Very impressed with my current Mazda 3 Astina. Another sleeper car that surprises many with its capabilities.

[@charlestatem3099]

I loved my 626 turbo. Silver, aluminum wheels and 5 speed It was a 4door but absolutely awesome. One of the best cars I ever owned.

[@robbrobb5543]

Lots of 626s on the road here Wizard in Houston but your right they look nothing like this beauty. Literally we drive Mazdas and Honda's till the frame eventually dies.

[@Matt_Kraczon]

My sister had the later MX-6 version of this car(sadly with the auto). The button between the middle two vents is to turn on the oscillator that swings those vents side to side , very fancy !

[@aisrael13]

My first car, gc 626, loved that car. Reliable, comfortable and protected me when I was t boned at an intersection. God I miss it. Coupes so rare to see these days...

[@jandl1007]

Great memories! Had a a 1986 as well but no turbo. Mine was silver with dark red velour interior. push button on the dash made the center fan vents ocillate back and forth. Manual transmission was butter smooth as well. A really great car to drive back in that day. Think I had a clutch put in mine and then just normal maintenance items. Super nice car.

[@nunyabidniz2868]

I've seen a TON of 626s over the years, but never a GT, and certainly not a GT-turbo! Thanks for sharing this w/ us...

[@byteoncomputerservices8054]

That model is a GC 626 turbo, the highway patrol images you highlighted were of GD 626 turbo's. The GC ran a turbocharged FE engine, the GD ran a turbocharged F2 engine. The GD was a vastly different car to the GC.

[@mikebelcher5111]

I've had A323A626 and a 929 as well as a millennia. I loved them all. My 626 was a gruesome car, the 929 was a rear wheel drive at 6. It was awesome, the millennia had major problems when I got it to 323. It was kind of a pass hold over until I got to the 66 and it was a great little car. Mazda truly has built a driver's car. Even the little 3 to 3 was so fun to drive.

[@breade]

I had an 1987 626 GT Turbo with a manual transmission, loved it!

[@calvinkirk1638]

That's a beauty, thanks for the video on it. Mazda makes some excellent cars and they are on my list as I'm looking for a nice used car!

[@tedsmart5539]

My father leased one back in the day. It was intended for the wife of an oil/gas company executive. It was NOT a 3 pedal - my father is an amputee so he only brought home automatics.

[@vinnied7500]

I love the 626 T - Fun fact due to US federal safety laws and the Introduction third brake light legislation. Mazda had to quickly outsource a third party to install those for US models as it was never a part of the original design.

[@detaildad4894]

Had a friend that had one of these when I was studying at UTI. It was really quick with little mods. Hell of a sleeper. The 6!!

[@kylesaad5647]

My friend had one in silver...scary fast. Bullet proof.

[@Tshizzle42o]

My friend's mom had one of these back when I was in my teens. Loved it

[@scottbailey244]

I owned an 1987 626 Turbo for 7 years. Some observations are that they have excellent braking. They have timing belts that need to be replaced and I did mine from the right side by taking the wheel off. They have 6 volt ignition systems that are converted to 6 volts at the anti-knock control box which is the small box you see mounted on the firewall on the drivers side. This is a known problem area because the silicone on the connector shrinks, moisture gets inside and then the car won't start. The exhaust manifold bolts break off as well when subjected to rain water. There is a small subwoofer mounted underneath the center console. These cars also had headlight washers. They are surprisingly quick. When hitting third gear, these cars would smoke many other cars of that era. The first night I bought mine, I popped it up to 110 MPH. Once I got to that speed, which was shockingly quick, I backed off of the pedal and it held speed without the turbo. These have a green turbo light in the dash that lights up when under boost. Stock boost is 7.5 pounds but the system will handle 9-9.5 pounds with a boost controller or upgraded waste gate. The pop off valve hits at 10 lbs of boost. The successor to this car was the MX6 turbo and I wish I would have owned one of those. They are even quicker. Acceleration in 4th gear was excellent as well. Many other drivers who tried to keep up would just give up because the rate of acceleration was that surprising. These cars felt like 150hp and 200 ft pounds of torque.

[@seahawks1912]

Had a 92 626 manual. Nice car. Went to 350K miles on original 4 cylinder 2.2L engine.

[@phiksit]

I have it's cousin... a 92 Ford Probe GT, 5 speed. It was SO fun to drive. Wish I could get it running again :(

[@Mazda626gtturbo]

My brother has 500k on his 88 LX

[@Mazda626gtturbo]

​@@phiksitI can help with that

[@Mike_Atwell_]

My mom won one of these on wheel of fortune back in the early 80s. Not a turbo one, but it was a decent car.

[@theodoregarcia8830]

Sweet

[@euroasianbob9268]

Great story!

[@Mike_Atwell_]

@@euroasianbob9268 thanks Bob. Glws

[@nukedathlonman]

Wasn't kinda zippy - during that period, it was surprisingly swift - a true sleeper. My father had one, 2 years newer - that little 2.2L Turbo had pretty good pep for that era (with the only drivability complaint being that when the turbo came on hard it'd love to twist the steering out of ones had and put the car into the ditch). Camaro Iroc-Z's (305 TPI) and Mustangs (the 5.0HO)of the era had a hard time stomping the 626/MX6 GT's (and the Ford Probe GT). I do know that the iron block had a high nickle content making them quite durable too. One little factoid - if the car had a manual trans, it was faster to hit 60 from 5mph then it was to launch the car off the line. 🙂

[@nukedathlonman]

@markasread4349 In comparison to todays cars - it hardly is "fast". Swift is appropriate. But against cars like bone stock Mustang 5.0L's and factory Camaro Iroc-Z's 305 TPI) of that era, these cars were swift enough to seriously toy around with those cars and cause their drivers to do a double take (esp of the rather conservative/bland styling of 4-door sedan 626 GT's). People expect that kind of performance out of the usual JDM sports cars of the period, but not these cars.

[@strumpeteer]

This 1986 coupe model was my hand-me-down car from dad in 1990. There is one unique feature that this car had like no other brand and that was the ocillating air vents. If you press that middle button at 6:22, the registers swing left and right! I do miss this car so much. Thanks for the memories.

[@WorkshopGreg]

We had one of these in my high school auto mechanics shop back in ‘95. It had been rear ended by a dump truck. The engine and drivetrain were fine, but the body was too bent to be safely fixed. Was a shame - that turbo was unlike anything I had ever seen.

[@natedogg1238]

They also made an awesome digital dash! Mine still works perfectly and is the template for the ford probe and so on digital dash,it’s so cool! The main thing that took them off the road is the rear strut towers would rust off the car and push there way upwards. If you own one,flip your rear seat forward and peel back the carpet and check between the subframe and tower body. Oh and the front rotors are installed behind the hub so your pressing wheel bearings to change rotors. I know way to much about this car 😂😂😂 I’m freakin out,it’s sooo cool to see this!!

[@billmegnin9288]

I had a white one that I bought in 1998 for $50 with only 49,000 miles on it from an estate action. Used it as a winter rat and ac few other things that it wasn't meant for. Never thought for a second it'd be considered rare

[@shawnuelsmann]

Can’t recall! But, my first car was a 1997 Mazda 626 2.0 5mt and I loved it. Best part was the air vents that would oscillate if you pressed the “swing” button.

[@mpazs]

Here in Holland you saw them a lot in the 80's and 90's, loved those cars. Now I never see them anymore, even the 2 following generations of the 626 all have vanished. Same with the first generation of the Mazda6, which seem to be less rust-resistant that his predecessors.

[@Calif1Kid]

My first new car was a 2 door 1986 Mazda 626GT Turbo with 5 speed manual trans in 'Ondo' blue. It had fold down rear seats, so I could carry my bike in the trunk. It was a great car and lasted 212K miles. When I drove it agressively, I got 21mpg, but in normal driving, it averaged 27mpg. I still have two NOS (new old stock) Mazda 626 emblems that I should sell.

[@euroasianbob9268]

You should sell me the emblems.

[@marcusjosefsson4998]

Had a colleague more than 20 years ago who had a black 626 coupé. It looked really good.

[@marvinkuznitz6250]

I had a 1985 626 which was the last year of the carbureted models. I wish I waited for an '86 since it had fuel injection and was much more powerful, even without a turbo, but it was incredibly reliable and cheap to run. I seem to remember it cost about $12K and was my first ever new car. It was silver with a maroon velour interior and tons of maroon plastic.

[@aca2983]

My h.s. best friend had one, bought during early years in college, circa 1989 or 90. Just like this, but black with gray fabric interior, same wheels. Really good car. My h.s. librarian had the 5-door "touring" model, 5-spd, no turbo, but had rad 80's black aluminum louvers on the rear hatch. And of course the power swiveling A/C vents.

[@awwwnawwbruh]

That button between the vents turns in the "swing" function where the vents oscillate side to side!

[@stealthg35infiniti94]

My friend has a real Unicorn. A 1995 Mazda 323 F V6. These were never imported to the US. This was truly a Zippy Car in its time. The car is a Time Capsule .

[@nicholaslavoie6008]

I saw one of these a few months back, such an incredible car

[@edwoll]

I watched the video of Bob and Becky picking up this car. As a 62 year old, I never get tired of watching Bob finding these old gems.

[@euroasianbob9268]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@edwoll]

@euroasianbob9268 Thank you for the awesome work. I certainly will keep watching!

[@Fractal_blip]

He would be a Bob! (Didnt know their actual names lol)

[@markheavey9689]

A friend had a similar 626 but was 4 door hatchback. Mr. Barcode. Mazda's run.

[@theodoregarcia8830]

Mrs.Wizard really kills it on this one

[@WayneSylv]

Those were a great car they did have a fair bit of pep when that turbo kicked in the earliest one I’ve driven was 1989 when I was a Mazda technician

[@kallsop2]

The orange gauges and lighting was introduced because it help cut down on eye strain at night.

[@mickmcgrath2313]

You didn't mention my favorite feature! The center vents on those oscillate!

[@rustycleaver8231]

I worked at a Mazda/Buick dealer in the 80’s. These were neat cars. The 5 door version was even cooler.

[@PhantomCookie87]

The 1993 323 5 speed 4 door sedan was a good little car with excellent fuel mileage. I spent a lot of my childhood in the two that my late grandmother had!