 This was my second 626. The engine has 
been mostly fine, blew a head gasket 
at 85,000 but that feels like a fluke. 
The door seals, mentioned by many 
others, are annoying but no big deal. 
The trouble, as you've guessed, is the 
automatic transmission, made by Ford, 
which completely fell apart at 90,000 
miles, took $2500 to fix, and has been 
back in the shop 3 more times in the 
next 12,000 miles. Some apparently 
break as early as 60,000. It's sad, 
because I really liked the car up 
until the fateful day it was towed to 
the shop. Look for a manual, which is 
what I'll be in the market for as soon 
as this one breaks again.