1987 Mazda 626 LX Turbo Hatchback

This is a really deceptively fun vehicle. Although it's 20 years old, it was the top trim for the top of line Mazda at the time and came with every bell and whistle Mazda had to throw at it. Quite a little techno-car really. tilt-and-slide sunroof, headlight washers, intermittent wipers front and rear (all of which my new 2007 Honda Fit doesn't have). There are also 'basics' such as power door locks, windows, and mirrors, alloy wheels, plus fun gadgets such as a graphic EQ, motorized paning center vents, fan-equipped side vents, and Auto-Adjusting Suspension. It even had a digital display dash the S2000 tried to emulate years later.

The story I was told on the car, is that it was left by the owner at a Mazda dealership after the engine had gone bad at around 160,000kms. One of the Mazda mechanics there bought it from the dealership and went about rebuilding the engine and fixing up the car hoping the finish product will yield more money than what he spent. He then had the turbo replaced approximately 6 months prior to my purchase at 183,000kms. So basically I bought a car with a fresh 20,000km rebuilt engine, good body, and I believe no major accidents. While looking under the hood, I noticed that both fenders still had the original Mazda factory stickers with the VIN number of the car on it.

Unfortunately, the Mazda suddenly stopped turning over. This prompted me to get another car. I was thinking of getting something cheap again since it's all I can afford right now, but my mom was visiting at this time, and told me she'd rather lend me some money and get a new car. But because the Mazda still would not turn over after the distributor and igniter replacement, I couldn't trade the car in when I bought the new Honda Fit. Well, they said they'd take it for $150. So I said no.

After a long mystery, finally figured out that there was too much dielectric grease at the igniter pins in the new distributor. Once that was fixed, the car ran perfect again. But before I had a chance to sell it, the brake master cylinder went south. It took a while for my mechanic to track down the needed part, and finally it was fixed, and the vehicle sold. Let's just say, it was more than $150 even after the repair costs.