I bought my 2000 Mazda 626 in October of 2011, from a fairly reputable local dealer, $3900 of hard earned money for a gorgeous car with only 102,000 miles. I took it on a test drive and it seemed to run and drive great, with plenty of power, especially for a small car (2.0L 4 cylinder engine). I had noticed it running just a tad rough at an idle, but my Dad assured me it only needed a set of spark plugs and wires. I loved it and signed the check.

I was given a 30 day warranty, and about 2 weeks into the 30 days, my check engine light pops on, so I stopped by he dealer to have it checked out. They put it on a computer to scan the codes, and told me it was a bad oxygen sensor, and that it would in no way affect how the car ran. They cleared the codes and off I went. About 3 days later, I was driving, and the engine light came on again. I made a bee line to the dealer and asked them to replace the sensor. "Oh no, can't do it for at least a couple weeks", at which point my warranty had expired and I was up a creek without a paddle.

Next issue- I happened to check my oil (which had been changed about two days after I bought the car), and it showed nothing on the dipstick. Two quarts of oil later, I was on my way. Keep in mind, the thing only holds four quarts of oil... Fast forward a couple months, the engine light is coming and going as it pleases, and it is most definitely consuming a quart of oil in 800 miles. We had decided to take it on a long trip (4 hours) and stopped about halfway for a rest. I am sitting in the car with the A/C on, while others are using restrooms or getting a snack, and my check engine light pops on, but is flashing. I looked at the manual, which indicated that it was having a complete misfire on one or more cylinders, which could lead to engine damage... Great.

What's worse than a misfire that can lead to engine damage? You guessed it- a Misfire that can lead to engine damage- in 90 degree heat with your family in the car, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. I shut the car off for a bit, then restarted it- no check engine light- yay! Off we go, and when we get to our destination, put new spark plugs and wires on the car. It runs a bit better, but the check engine light still came on randomly. Now, it seems to be on a steady decline in performance and fuel economy, and nobody can tell me why. I had several mechanics look at it, and nothing. My Dad then decides to take a look at it and discovers cylinder 1 is not firing at an idle. Now it has new spark plugs and wires, so he decides to.do a compression test on the cylinders- it has around 100 pounds of compression on #2,3,and 4, and only about 40 pounds on cylinder 1... hmmm this looks to be a problem. All 4 should be well over 100. He said it is just not making enough compression to fire on cylinder 1, and that would be where my oil is going (as well as being sprayed out the tailpipe!), it was being forced into the cylinders and burned. Now to figure out WHY the compression is so low... Head gasket-nope bad valves - nope, nothing seemed to add up. By now, the car was running so poorly it was hard to start, and stalled constantly.

It was burning a quart of oil in 200 miles, and all that oil being forced through had caused the catalytic converter to stop working. I had had enough of it, and wanted a reliable car, so put the thing up for sale, listing the known problems, and sold my $4000 car for $1500. I will never in my life own another Mazda. I now drive a 2003 Chevy Impala and couldn't be happier.