1982 Mazda 626

We've said goodbye to our Mazda. We really didn't get much of a chance to get used to it being around. I was just about to start digging in to some of the mechanical problems it had, when I noticed that the box sections of subframe that hold the front suspension on were about 3/4 gone from rust.

This just would not do.

Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. It was nice to have it to backstop the other sort-of reliable wheels we have (had), but now it's got to go. It's final date with us should be December 7, 2000

Well, at long last this little blue car has joined my fleet. It's everything I wanted in a Mazda 626: Swoopy lines, rear wheel drive, 5 speed, OHC engine, power sunroof, and aluminum wheels. I got it from my boss at work. He and his wife have just purchased a couple of new cars, so they didn't need an old thing like this taking up garage space. That's good, because I've wanted one of these cars for quite a while.

Current issues include quite a mess inside, a broken window switch, a plugged catalytic converter, a bad PCV valve, no air filter, some rust, a possibly bad battery cable/connection and a general lack of guts. I'll probably have a good look at the ignition parts to see if there's some wear there. I also need to investigate a coolant loss problem.

Current solution ideas include banging on the catalytic converter to try to dislodge/break up some of the stuff inside, a general vacuuming and washing of everything and then I'll probably leave it alone for a while. Motorcycling season is upon us here in Minnesota and I must get to work.