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Thanks to those who responded to my initial post. As I mentioned, I purchased a 2001 Sand ES w/roof rack, dealer installed fogs and entertainment system for $300 below invoice on Sunday. I'm feeling much better about my decision.
Went to the dealer Monday evening to swap my Dodge GC after they had installed the fogs and entertainment system. I was on I-275 in the middle lane when all of a sudden I heard a load thumping noise. I thought it was a Harley or some other vehicle that needed Midasizing. Then I felt some shake and saw some smoke out my rear window. I'm thinking "This can't be happening to me. Not now!". Transmission? Rear-end? Turns out I had a blow out on my right rear tire. (My first ever.) Now I know the tires were not made by Dodge, but I swear this vehicle was possessed and had all intentions of pissing me off one last time. I guess having to put in a brand new starter one week earlier wasn't enough.
Of course it also had to happen where the only place I could pull over was where the road went uphill, (Florida is by the way very flat!) had little shoulder, and then a grass embankment. Luckily the DOT road service tow truck came by shortly thereafter and put on the spare for me. There's no way I would have been able to do it without a heavy duty jack like he had. He let me use his cell phone to call the dealership, and the salesman said not to worry and just bring it down there.
What a relief to finally get rid of that nightmare. I had a wonderful drive home in my new MPV with that excellent stereo cranking. The wife loves it. The kids love it. This is the first time I've ever gotten a vehicle that was top of the line; i.e. leather, wood grain, entertainment system, so they were very excited and loved it at first sight. I'm sure my youngest was happy the next morning when he got to watch his Elmo tape on the way to day-care.
The only drawback I can see so far is that I won't get to drive it as much as my wife.
A few questions:
1.) The dealer installed fog lights only work when the front headlights are on. They do not come on if I just have the running lights (some say parking lights) on. Is this the case for those of you who have factory installation? Or did the dealer goof?
2.) The entertainment system is MovieVision by Magnadyne Corporation. It not only is a VCP like the one installed at the factory, but has VCR, TV, an antenna attached to the inside of the rear side window, S jack, game jacks, 2 wireless headphones, and was installed under the rear bench. Anyone else have this one? Any feedback on quality? Booklet says 1 yr warranty. Dealer initially said 3yr-50K, but has since changed the story. Since this was installed by the dealer prior to delivery, does the Mazda warranty overrule?
3.) Haven't cut out the holes in the rear mat for the car seat tether yet. My wife hooked the tether to the bars under the middle row; similar to what she did previously with the GC. Is this OK? It seems to prevent the car seat from tilting just as well.
All in all so far so good. Lot's of compliments from people. We'll keep our fingers crossed.
Sorry for the long post. I'll be sure to check here on a regular basis to learn and provide feedback to others if I can as we go......
ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM
Thanks again!
JS
I too checked the cars direct price and used it in negotiation with the dealer. The dealer I went to was Maxon in Union. Didn't really like them too much but got a good deal. I went in with a check from my credit union so it was like I was paying cash. That really increased my bargaining power. I was not there to take money out of the guys pocket (I'm in sales and know how it feels when someone trys to do that to you) but I wanted a good deal. So I got a 2001 LX with RSES, Security Pkg, Rear Air, Floor Mats. The TMV on Edmunds is $24,484 w/invoice at $23,361. The price I negotiated was $22,674.30. The amount taken off for the RSES is $1,372 (the invoice price). The invoice price (less the RSES) according to Edmunds is $22,989 so I got a deal at about $315 below invoice. It really didn't take much to get that either. Once he saw I had all the info in front of me I guess he figured why try and argue with me.
Again, I thought the dealership stunk but I probably will not go there for service anyway because it is a bit far from where I live.
I hope you get it this weekend (the RSES promo ends 4/2). My boys 7 & 3 love it. They sit in the far back seats with the second row seats down. Was able to get 2 sets of wireless headsets from the dealer also at no charge. Only because it took them so long to prep vehicle. If you have children the RSES is the way to go although, like others I do not particularly like the VCR placement. I have taken it out twice with relative ease though.
GOOD LUCK xoomxoomxoom - buy the MPV and you won't regret it. We absolutely love it!
All US seats must pass the head excursion tests without the tether so it is safer to use it without until you get the tether bolts properly installed.
Any Mazda dealer should do this for you free of charge. The tether that mazda installs is color matched to your interior, it is recessed below the deck and has a color matched cover for when not in use. I highly recommend them.
J
I'll restate the warranty coverage Classic Soft Trim shops offers for Rose net systems FOR NEW VEHICLES since I know my prior post was unclear.
This nationwide trim shop (Classic) will honor your new vehicles mar's warranty should you have any robs I/Rose system that they install. Again, this warranty is strictly offered from the trim shop - NOT Mazda. So, if you have troubles with their Rosen during Maz's new car warranty, they will repair/replace/rectify the problem free of charge.
Gee, you seem like the huffy-type, maltb. Easy does it, fella. :-)
I'll restate the warranty coverage Classic Soft Trim shops offers for Rosen ent. systems FOR NEW VEHICLES since I know my prior post was unclear.
This nationwide trim shop (Classic) will honor your new vehicles mfr's warranty should you have any probs w/Rosen system that they install. Again, this warranty is strictly offered from the trim shop - NOT Mazda. So, if you have troubles with their Rosen during Maz's new car warranty, they will repair/replace/rectify the problem free of charge.
Haven't been here in awhile so don't know if you made your decision. Went to a few on L.I. Found Smithtown and Huntington to be No good, Franklin Sq. was o.k. Did the deal in Medford (112). Went through a Wholesale Club and got 2001 LX at invoice minus incentives.
Special thx to Tboner1965, who originally posted this van. Drew, you'll get some special satisfaction since this is a DC van no less.
--javadoc
BTW, thanks to those of you who commented on the spare tire issue. I'll probably check it out this weekend.
1. It is WAY underpower. We live in Boston area. If you ever drive in Boston, you will understand how important acceleration is when mergering on the highway. The MPV just doesn't cut it. I test drove it with 5 adults onboard. I could hardly et on the I-95 during Sunday afternoon trafic. Passing was outright dangerous and the little FORD engine cried way much too loud. If you drvie the MPV with only one or two person onboard, it was fine but not with full load. Well, in that case you better off with a car. The engine is NOT for a minivan, period.
2. After driven the silky Toyota, the MPV's engine is unacceptable. The sale rep told me the loud noise was due to "big motor" under the hood. Yeah right.
3. The fit and finish inside is cheap. The dash is small and hard to read.
4. The MPV is made in Japan but with a FORD motor, what are they thinking. It is like putting a Kia' motor inside a Toyota.
5. There might be a bigger engine coming but NOW, it is underpower.
6. Better off buying a Toyota or Honda with extra money.
7. Poor crash test results.
After all, the MPV just doesn't cut it for a family minivan.
Thanks
We looked at all the mini vans, and spent a lot of time doing research on the merits of the Mazda, Dodge, and Honda. After spending a lot of time researching and doing our own our own test drives we got the MPV. The Dodge was not at all what we needed or wanted, and the full rear bench was a big negative. The ODY was nice, but way too pricey for us, and also too big--our neighborhood is very tight on parking.
We got a 2001 LXin Sand Mica with the Security Package, 4 Seasons Package, Roof Rack and the rear a/c. Used Autobytel to get what we thought was a good quote of $22, 819+Tax/Tags from a nearby dealer, then on a whim called a dealer about 40 minutes away and asked if they could beat the price,. Well, they did by $700! Got it on Wednesday and are quite happy! It is definitely not underpowered, and all the amenities are great!
Good thing we have a roof rack and was tying something from HD to take home. They said they could put a compound on the spots and buff them out. After only 6 weeks this is a concern. Been keeping the car washed and we're in the monsoon season here in Texas. Be sure to check up top where you don't look that often!
Are you perhaps offended that so many MPV owners are happy, down right estatic about their purchases. Are you unhappy with what ever it is you are driving? Do you need to sap the + energy off happy car owners to make yourself feel better?
Regarding some of your comments. Have you ever sat in a Odyssey? Talk about your boring interior and the looks, well without even commenting about the overall shape it comes in the most boring set of colors I have ever seen.
I will give you that the Toyota has some nice interior looks, but you better like them because the visibility from that van is not great, also the loss of convienence feature such as the stow away 3rd seat is a major detractor and the few good on that van don't justify the price. I was seriously going to buy a Toyota until I sat in the MPV at an auto show and fell in love. I have a much roomier feel, perhaps it is the ability to see out?
So enjoy spending your extra money. I will enjoy driving my MPV (red BTW)
J
Personal preference is subjective. So what is underpowered to one, is not to another. You find the MPV underpowered and to you it was not a good value.
Ok, but it would be more appropriate to post that in one of the MPV vs Odyssey or MPV vs Sienna forums.
You had to know that if you post here in the discussions about owning and buying an MPV that you would get a bit of grief from the owners.
You wouldn't want someone coming to your party and telling you that the house you chose to buy/build was ugly.
It's very much like that here.
Appropriate in the "vs" forums, but probably not such a good idea here.
Be happy with what you have, and let others be happy with what they have.
Besides, I don't go over to the Odyssey Forums and make fun of a van that is bought at a premium over MSRP and has probably 3500 problems posts at this website. I think the HO is giving Mopar a run for the worst transaxle title. Honda did have to courtesy to have most of the failures while the vehicles were still under warranty
I've driven the previous generation DC vans, the current Odyssey, Sienna, and MPV. We chose the MPV and are quite happy with it.
The lack of power has been somewhat of a problem. I haven't been able to go faster than about 105 - 110 MPH with our family of four and a load of holiday gifts
That was somewhat disappointing since my Contour SVT with a slightly massaged version of the same engine will do about 140+, but only with me behind the wheel.
TB
BTW do you know how to replace the passenger side mirror that was in the way of the garage door jamb?
This is how most other cars work, so I imagine the MPV is similar.
TB
I was going to rebut dz's commentary (gramatically challenged as it was), but y'all covered it so beautifully, I'll just watch and smile.
cheers!
--javadoc
1. When I post my first message, I was still going between Madza dealer and Honda dealer, but now I bought a HO of the lot. Because:
a. I paid under sticker price without any wait. The Van is in the lot and more is coming.
b. The Honda dealer offer $2200 more for my trade in.
3. The Honda drives better.
4. The seating arrangement is the same for both.
5. Honda has better crash test result.
6. Honda's engine is stronger and quite.
7. The sale rep of Mazda is a terrible.
8. The money we have to spend between the two after trade in is so close.
9. AND, the Mazda dealer said he don't know any thing about the free RSES, and he said none of the MPV in the lot (30 of them) had it. AFter I ask for a installation of the free RSES, he and his manager said NO. Also, if I want to 0% for two years, they want quit a bit more over the invoice.
There is no reason why I should buy a MPV and stick with these kind of people for future servise.
I was fascinated by your top nine reason's for buying Honda. I'll add a few more for anyone who wants to trash talk our van outside of the vs. forum
1) I'm lonely, so maybe having an Ody will give me a chance to make friends with the Honda service manager. God knows, I'll be seeing a lot of him. (take a look at the Ody problems forum for a reliability sanity check)
2) I had a few extra thousand dollars just sitting there. (it's a pricey beast, even if you aren't driven solely by price)
3) I liked the Honda engine. It's big and powerful, so I can drag race with my minivan. (it's a minivan, not a sports car)
4) The Honda drives better, except when turning, braking, handling in rain, snow, or sleet. (MPV handling is better, all the stats prove it)
5) I need a really heavy vehicle to stop from flying off the pavement at high speeds. (it's a really overweight vehicle and needs the bigger engine)
6) I'll pay extra money for Honda's seating innovations. (but they're the same as the MPV)
7) The sales rep at Honda loved doing business to me. I don't know why that Mazda dealer didn't want my business. (nuff said)
8) There's no reason that I have to do business with those Mazda people, but if I feel insecure about my purchase I can always talk to Mazda buyers. (and we love chatting with you)
9) Can't you feel the love in this forum
Just my two cents.
9)
2. Everybody else. The next time somebody who is not a fan comes in and spits in our milk [as it were], why not just ignore him, aside from a polite [repeat: polite] suggestion as to where he can go with his comments: i.e., the versus forums. Otherwise we end up getting into a spitting contest with someone who is clearly lacking our taste, refinement, discrimination, and general automotive acumen. Not to mention good manners.
Sound reasonable? Are we not eminently reasonable people? After all, we bought the MPV.
RJ
It's a nice van and I'm sure you'll be happy with it, just like we're happy with our MPV's. There's a reason there are different vehicles. No vehicle is perfect for everyone.
I'm sorry that you had such a horrible experience at the Mazda dealer. It sounds like that was a big factor in your decision.
I don't find the van underpowered. But I'm not hauling anything heavy or towing anything. We have a full-sized pickup for those days. I love the smaller size and all the options that I could get for almost $3,000 less than the Ody.
Just because the Ody is best for you, there's no need to "bash the MPV." It was best for us yet I don't bash the Ody. It's a good van and I hope that you're as happy with your choice as I am with mine.
However, about the reasons you gave for buying it over the MPV..... WE DON'T CARE! But, the people over in the Odyssey vs. MPV site may. Give them a jingle.
Carry on...
Drew
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http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/00011.htm
1. The "acceptable" is still decent.
2. MPV got best handling.
3. MPV got great braking distance.
4. MPV got side air bag.
5. MPV requires least effort on brake pedal. (read from "consumer digest", not sure the title is correct)
Especially for #5, my wife is 5 ft 0 (she claimed and she certainly doesn't have a pair of legs to kick a 50 yard field goal.
Steve
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This is the first time to post this message, and
my MPV is 2001, 2.5L,AWD with several options.
In Japan,the best season has come
with the cherry blossom,which called Japanese national flower"SAKURA",has coming out.
Recently,the mini van and mini-mini van are the most
popular viehcle. About forty kinds mini vans which
has by 40% total share in the new car market The MPV which belongs to the large class is also popular next to toyota "NEW ESTIMA" and honda "ODYSSEY".
I think that the previous ESTIMA might be called "PREVIA in US".The ODYSSEY is the quite different from US ODYSSEY which is named "LAGREAT"in Japan.
Generally reputations and my impressions about MPV
is as bellow,
Pros:Roomy,Good shape,Cheaper than competitor
Corn:Bad fuel consumption,Noisy,Too wide width(I do not think so)
As regards the Queen CD, I assume it's a greatest hits CD you're referring to. That would provide invigorating, open-the-sunroof energy. ;-)
It is interesting to see that some things are the same though. Thanks for sharing.
CYA
http://store.yahoo.com/streamlinedistribution/tireminder.html
all misc dealer fees + lic
15% tax
cost of borrow ~800 at 1.9%
4 mud guards
bug deflector
touch up paint
shop manual at dealer cost (still waiting)
That price (without the mud guards and bug deflector) was Edmunds' TMV price. For those canadian owners, was this a good price? Canadian price doesn't compare with US since it is not just a currency exchange.
Generally happy with the vehicle but had the following issues.
1) Recently noticed a small patch of dirt mark under the clear coat on the roof. I covered it up with touch up paint, not perfect, but nobody can/will see it. Quality control issue at Mazda.
2) The rear left shock has small leak after 1 week. The dealer said it was the rust proofing stuff and cleaned the whole shock. After 2 days, it was leaking again, brought it back to the dealer, the dealer still think it is the rust chemical. After some heated discussion, the service manager decided to replace it to "make me happy".
3) I did notice the infamous vibrating steering wheel problem. At this point, I don't think it is the wheel, it felt like feedback from the road surface because it comes and goes above 70khp and it doesn't get worst as the speed climbs. The vibration, when it is there, is very slight/gentle rumble sensation, not shaking as some owners complained. Anyway, the service manager and a mechanic test drive it and said it is normal for MPV and will monitor it. He did notify Mazda Canada about this. Lets see what happen after the breakin.
Other than these issues, I am happy with it.
Power is adequate when the engine has warmed up. When the engine is cold (sub and near freezing temperature), the transmission upshifts from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd at around 3000rpm; this behavior occurs during the first few minutes of driving. I need to play with the gas pedal to trick the computer to do a upshift to minimize the high rpm when the engine is cold, hopeful less wear and tear to the engine if any!
It is getting a bit long, I will continue later!
Regarding your leaky shock, that sounds like...a leaky shock. Dunno what the service dept. is thinking with the undercoating line they're throwing you. So, I guess they're trying to say that the undercoating is oozing onto the shock? Well, stranger things happened. I'd keep track of that situation, keep us posted...I'm checking mine tonight just for kicks to see what's the low-down. The only thing I've noticed with the rear susp. is that it seems soft, and my bump stops are always clean, meaning the susp. compresses enough to touch them often. Prolly the roads up here though, which are less than perfect.
Regarding the tranny, there's been lots of discussion about the smoothness/abruptness of the 1-2 shift. I think you'll notice it gets much smoother after about a 5,000 mile (8000km) run in period and even better after about 16,000kms. I've put in a synthetic ATF, after 14,000 miles and noticed smoother shifting from that also. My dealer recommended waiting till 15,000 miles before an AFT switch, to properly run in the tranny.
Enjoy your ride, along with the rest of us!
--javadoc