Gen 1 MX-6 or Gen 2?

"Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy" (zipppyart)
04/19/2014 at 17:31 • Filed to: None

As some of you may know, I like Mazdas, and want an MX-6, or the equivalent 626 as my first car. Give me reasons why I should get one generation over the other. Go!

My enthusiasm for these cars has come from my father owning a 1994 gen 2 MX-6 in the late 90's to early 2000's, and was reignited by sitting in a pristine 626 (apart from a bit of bubbly paint on the rear fender) in the shop at college a year ago, which had about 300K KM on the clock, and still ran like a top.

DISCUSSION (21)

Axial > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 17:37

Gen 1 because I have a weird fetish for black rub strips on cars.

Louros > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 17:40

Frankly, neither. These cars are turds. What is your budget so I can suggest a decent alternative?

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Louros
04/19/2014 at 17:49

I've considered other cars, even the Miata, but local examples are overvalued for the mileage. I'm currently looking into the $1000-$6000 budget, and have looked into Hondas, but it's hard to find a nonmolested one.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Axial
04/19/2014 at 17:49

And I have a fetish for older cars.

Takuro Spirit > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 17:50

1st gen. Turbo, 4-wheel steering, doesn't look like a jelly bean.

jkm7680 > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 18:00

Why not both?

Or whichever nicer one comes onto the market first.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > jkm7680
04/19/2014 at 18:07

Space constraints are why I can't do the first, unless I leave it at a garage. I saw a 1st gen one with surface rust a stone's throw from me.

jkm7680 > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 18:09

Surface Rust- "Once you think you've found it all, you haven't even begun"

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > jkm7680
04/19/2014 at 18:11

Doesn't say that in the ad. here's an image of it.

Kinja'd!!!

jkm7680 > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 18:13

Hmmm, From initial observations. It seems confined to the front. Could never be sure though.

Shoot him an Email, Check the car out!

Eazy-O > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 18:14

The only use I ever saw for an MX-6 2nd gen was to stuff its KL-ZE into an MX-3 (which I had an unhealthy obsession with).

I say go for the old one. They probably have less things to break and are lighter. Fatter rubber and open up the turbo a bit, you should have yourself a nicely handling, spritely machine. :)

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > jkm7680
04/19/2014 at 18:18

there's a bit on the rear too, but that's about it. the main concern is the engine tbh,as the car has 400,000 KM.

jkm7680 > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 18:21

Yeah, Otherwise it looks nice

jariten1781 > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 18:25

Gen 2. Gen 1 is too anonymous.

Klaus Schmoll > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 19:03

Okay, where to start. I had both, well the sedan/wagon versions of those gens. A red '89 626 GD wagon, and two burgundy 626s, a sedan and a hatchback.

Kinja'd!!!

This is the last one, the GE hatch. Veeery practical.

Kinja'd!!!

God, I loved that thing!

But back to your question! Both gens are very reliable. Mabe the GD even more than the GE. (Never had a breakdown in the GD, while the first GE was a first model year that had some teething issues which got sorted out under warranty.)

Also the GD felt a little more solid when it came to build quality. The lever for the different ventilation options gave you the feel that you were actually moving mechanical parts. It made a distinct "clunk clunk" sound when you moved it. Felt pretty solid and like it was built to last. The GE only had flimsy buttons. Other various items in the cabin felt a tiny bit more flimsy too.

As to driving. They all had 2.0 liter four bangers mated to a 5 gear manual. The 8 valve in the GD was okay, but I'd go for the 2.2i if I was looking for another one. The 2.0 16v from Ford in the GEs was a blast. It needed revs to get out of it's way but it was very willing to rev. the engine felt like it was egging you on "Come on buddy, gimmmeeee moooore!" It was a nice partner in crime. Unfortunately, they designed the rest of the GE to be very um "American", as I presume that was their main target market. Very light steering with no feel or feedback whatsoever, also no adaptation to speed (on both models, Honda already had that at the time). The faster you get, the easier the steering gets. That's not something you want. Actually you want that to be the exact other way round. This somehow never was a problem on the GD, on the GE however it got annoying, and high Autobahn speeds (+110 mph) even a bit thrilling/dangerous. The same with the suspension. Too soft on the GE, just right on the GD.

But that doesn't make a GE a worse car. On the contrary! It always felt a bit overpowered. And fast cornering always needed a bit of concentration, but a soft suspension is a always way more commucative than a hard one. The more "sporty" you' go, the more sudden it just looses grip and you get in trouble. The suspension in the GE was always like "O.K. buddy, if you keep at it like that I might loose traction..... Oh you are keeping at it I see..... O.K. see if you really want to keep on I might.... Oh, you want to try me?.... Well, I might .... O.K. just tried to scare you, but if you keep on... NOW I AM REALLY SERIOUS!!!! ... *tiny bit of oversteer* .... See! I told ya!" A good car to learn driving physics in! A fun to drive too. I wasn't a performance car. It was a clown, with the big shoes and the flower squirting water at you. A fun guy to hang around with.

The GD just felt more "mature". But as an older gen, it also has a slightly worse seating position, isn't as quiet, and overall less relaxing on long road trips.

So what to get? I'd say either one is a good choice for a first car, and don't let the others tell you otherwise! Good reliability, good on gas, insurance, etc. All the boxes for a first car are checked.

Just remember, the cars we are talking about are old enough to buy their own drinks at the bar (well, some GEs aren't) so it's more about service history etc. than specs or colours.

If you happen to find a pristine example of either model with the 2.2 in the GD or the 2.0 in the GE go for it. I wouldn't bother with the V6! Uses much more gas and isn't that much faster. Just a waste of money. And it's not like you'll be stuck with this car forever!

I hope this is helpful, and doesn't come off as an old man waxing poetic about the past too much.

Klaus Schmoll > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 19:25

Also! Should you happen to come across a GE with intermittend starting issues, which might even die while driving, and the owner has given up throwing money at this problem, you might be in for a steal!

I had the very same problem. Had to call roadside assistance twice. Didn't get fuel. They got it started but were honest enough to tell me that they didn't know what actually did the trick. Had an electrical engineer run loose on it with one of these wire tester thingies. Didn't catch it. Some days it would start, some days it wouldn't. It even got to the the point where it would die in traffic.

Turns out, there is a block connector under the rear seat (driver's side) that gives power to the fuel pump in the the tank. A decade of people jumping in and out of the back seat made that connection a little brittle. Had the wires solded together and heat shrinked and it was good. A less than $5 fix to a problem that took weeks to diagnose!

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Klaus Schmoll
04/19/2014 at 19:25

Thanks for your input, the V6 is a lot more common over here for the GE models, the mileage isn't that bad for USDM models.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Klaus Schmoll
04/19/2014 at 19:27

I should bring my multimeter just in case.

Klaus Schmoll > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 19:59

A slight tap would be enough.

sdwarf36 > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
04/19/2014 at 23:07

I (actually my wife) had both. LOVED her 89 MX-6 turbo. I couldn't drive it slow. The thottle body set up made it so boost was right there-want it or not. Kinda over complicated with fancy 80's cutting edge stuff-a bit heavy-but fun + usable. Rust was getting the best of it + a minor deer strike put an end to it.

We replaced it with a 93 MX-6 2.5 V-6. Eh. It was ok. Handled better-low end power ok for a non turbo. More comfy seats. Its main problem was that it ate a distributor a year. The ignition module wasn't replacable-need a whole distrbutor. $200. Gave up on it when it hit 200k.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > sdwarf36
04/19/2014 at 23:39

Someone on my street had a 2nd gen 4 cyl, she had it for years, until 2006, but that was when she got a Tiburon, which is that she drives now.