ES V6 is great but watch resale values

I just sold my black beauty - a 2000 626 ES V6 sedan (I bought a Honda minivan). I purchased the car with 12k miles on it from a local dealer - I paid $16,500 for the car in 2001. The car was heavily equipped with everything but fog-lights and a rear trunk wing. It included the 170 hp V6 engine, leather, sunroof, traction control, in-dash AM/FM/6 disk CD changer, side airbags, 16" rims, etc, etc.

First - What I liked or loved about the car: Although the car only had 170 hp as compared with approx. 200 hp for the Honda and Toyota versions, it had plenty of power and I drive cars hard. It was a pleasure to drive - plain and simple. The car had great exterior styling from the Acura look alike grill to the nice 16" wheels. The interior was equally nice. We looked at some Acura TL's and the Mazda's interior looks very similar - just not as big. Mazda obviously styled the interior of the car after the TL - if you don't believe me just compare the two. The car also has a very nice rear seat armrest - nicer than the Honda or Toyota versions.

Second - Dislikes: The V6 has good performance, but requires premium fuel and has to work harder. This will mean approx. $3 extra every time you fill-up. If you average a tank a week - $150 year extra for gas. Not bad, but something to think about. The Mazda has poor resale as compared to the Honda and Toyota versions. My car listed for just above $25k when new. I bought it for $16k in 2001 and sold it for $8,500 with 42k miles in 2003. Other imports have a better resale value. The new 6 sedan from Mazda will only make 626 resales worse. Also, make sure you child's car seat fits if that is an issue. We had a problem with one of our child car seats fitting in the middle. The amount of room to get an infant in and out is poor, but lets face it, most cars in this class are about the same in rear access . Mazda also seems to think that front seat passengers don't need a power door lock control. And last - the 4 speed transmission has to hunt for gears from time to time. I found myself turning off O/D at low speeds. Again, not a big deal, but something to think about.

Final Thoughts - The ES V6 is an awesome car. Quality seems to be good, it gets 20 -29 miles per gallon, and is fun to drive. I would try to find one with low miles and you should have a great car at a great value. Be careful of Mazda dealers overvaluing the 626 - get them to show you black book value or do your own research first. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your 626.