Mazda MPV

rutger3 · July 2001

Only on my second tank of gas. Is it suggested to even calc mpg now or wait until 1st oil change or until the motors 'broken' in?

maltb · July 2001

A buying program for Mazda/Ford suppliers and affiliates.

danmcgurgan · July 2001

Hi,

Please forgive me if this question was already asked. I read that the 2002 MPV will have a 3.0 Litre engine. Does anyone know if this is a Ford or a Mazda engine and when the 2002 MPV will make it to dealer lots?

Thanks

Dan

maltb · July 2001

It's the same motor as the Tribute has now which is a 200hp 3.0L Ford engine. The word on the street is that it should show up on the lots in January, a bit late for a 2002MY.

cas6 · July 2001

congratulations on your purchase. i am also thinking about one. which dealer in nj did you finally find was acceptable in both price and service ? thanks !

billmckinley · July 2001

Go ahead and begin calculating your MPG. My first tank was low [probably not completely filled by dealer on delivery], but every nontrip fillup since then--5K+ miles--has been remarkably consistent. [17.5 in all suburban driving in very hilly terrain, FWIW]. I do make it a point to keep my fillups as consistent as I can get them--no topping off. When the pump quits, that's it.

RJ

maltb · July 2001

Since I'm in CA, my 1st tank was the best until I filled up outside CA on a road trip. The gas that came in our MPV must have been some special Japanese stuff our something. The special ground water polluting MTBE gas we have here gives me about 3 less MPG than the other stuff.

Just keep in mind that your 1st tank may vary from the local gas you buy.

danmcgurgan · July 2001

Thanks for the quick response malt. One more question. Do you know if the 3.0 6 cylinder on the Tribute is built by Ford or Mazda?

Thanks

maltb · July 2001

alphadaddyo · July 2001

I'm seriously considering a 2001 MPV LX. I've heard great stuff about the sound system. Does this only apply to the 9 speaker avail in the ES and LX touring? Or is the regular 4 speaker sound system good also.

I'm not an audiophile, but I wondered if anybody has spent time comparing the sound in the two systems. I drove the LX yesterday with 4 speakers and it seemed fine to me.

auerbach · July 2001

the dirtiest MPV in the country.

It was a white ES and it looked as if the owner had peeled off the clear plastic protective cladding along the bottom and every bit of dirt, dust and road grime imaginable had stuck there.

Unbelievable.

rutger3 · July 2001

Since we bought our MPV 10 days ago I have been on the lookout for others. I drive 100 miles each day,half of it on the highway,so I see alot of vehicles. In 10 days I have seen a total of 4 MPV's, 2 sand,1 dark green,and 1 red. I have seen many Sienna's, Odysseys, and Chryslers. This is starting to concern me. There were even numerous sightings of Villager/Quest,and a handfull of Chevy vans. Why are people so afraid of the MPV? Don't they realize Mazda is more dependable than Honda,and much better than Chrysler? What have the auto journalists missed? If this trend continues,Mazda may decide to stop making a van,and then you know what happens to our resale values. Maybe people should start thinking about how likely it is that a car manufacturer will continue to make a particular vehicle in 4-5 years,and use that in their decision making.Perhaps I worry too much.

alphadaddyo · July 2001

I have been looking for awhile in the Wash, DC area. It is 20:1 Sienna:MPV sighting on the roads. Dealer inventories are very high too. We've been looking for 2 months, and every dealership seems to have a strong supply. This is bad, as the only conclusion is that MPV is a poor seller.

One thing that helps is that there are almost no used 000+ MPVs for sale, whereas late model Siennas are quite common. Even saw a whole bunch in Mazda dealer used lots! This tells me some Toyotaphiles are switching over, and most people buyers stay with the MPV.

If you see the number of used 2000/2001 Windstars for sale you wonder if anybody keeps these things past 6 months.

rutger3 · July 2001

good point alphadaddyo, but perhaps the reason there are more used Siennas on the lots is because so many more have been sold. This works in reverse for the MPV. What you do not see on any lots are used Odysseys,which is one reason for their ridiculously high resale values. I actually was at a Honda dealer last month and they had a 2000 Ody with 17k miles on it and were asking over $25,500 for it,the same price as a new 2001! There do seem to be alot of Siennas on the lots new and used,so I don't know why their resale figures are so high. SOmetimes none of this makes any sense. The dealers,the public all get caught up in the hype, and values get unrealistic for a particular model regardless of how it actually stakes up against the competition.

javadoc · July 2001

The Sienna's been around longer than the MPV, as has the Ody...Sienna arrived as a MY-1998 and the Ody as a MY-1999...so they have longer on the market, which is one reason. Also, the MPV prolly isn't as strong a seller as those two, and all the bad press about its so-called wimpy engine hadn't helped I'm sure.

If people are off-ing their 2y.o. minivans, what's wrong with them? Hmmmmm...

--javadoc

pjd58 · July 2001

not seeing many MPVs. I like being unique. Mazda, in general, has had terrible marketing and is not a "household" name, compared to Toyota, Honda and Dodge. Mazda builds outstanding products but lacks a strong adminstration, maybe Ford will help in the years to come.

I own a Protege and its every bit as good and even better than the Corolla and Civic. I know Maltb would agree.

I feel a special bond with MPV owners, because I know they researched their buying decision. MPV owner's didn't follow the ODY, Sienna, and Caravan herd. It's funny, many other owners wish they looked into buying the MPV, a day late and many $s short:)

Guys relax and enjoy being different, you made the right decision.

tboner1965 · July 2001

Coming to the end of a 1800 mile road trip with Mrs TBoner. Driven from St. Louis, dropped off the kid at camp, then up to Mackinac Island, MI (no MPV's or any cars there.) Spent yesterday in Kalamazoo, MI at the Air Zoo, and are now 20 minutes from the camp to pick up the know-it-all.

After about 1650 of the expected 1800 miles, I can once again re-assure all there is no power problem. Sustained driving of 80-90 MPH was without drama (at least none related to the MPV) and we've averaged about 21.5 MPG as figured last night 1243 miles into the trip.

Oil level has not dropped a bit, and there was always power available to pass trucks on two lane roads.

I think we've seen less than half-a-dozen MPV's on the trip.

Gotta sign off, last night with wifey before we round up all of our kids.

Cheers,

TB

louis1004 · July 2001

I've been trying to find whether MPV LX has headed side mirrors or not. If they do, then how do you turn it on? Is there any documentation to prove it?

Also, my wife has been complaining about the privacy glass. It seems like it's not quite as dark as she would like (she's sun sensitive). Do you know if it's o.k. to get a darker tint for MPV-LX 2001?

cutter44 · July 2001

Don't know about darker privacy glass, but the side mirrors on the LX are heated. According to the owners' manual they "go on" automatically with the rear defroster.

pjd58 · July 2001

is very efficient in our MPV. Of Course, the windshield and the front side windows aren't as deeply tinted for safety reasons. I suppose you could add aftermarket tinted windows to the driver's and front passenger windows. Some States prohibit dark tinted windows up front. No Police officer, in his right mind, would approach a car if he couldn't see the driver clearly.

danmcgurgan · July 2001

I would not be concerned at all about the lack of MPV's on the road. My take on the reviews is that the reviewers drive so many vehicles that it takes a lot for one to stand out above the rest, but not a lot for one to lack in a certain area. Of course, a 200hp vehicle is going to accelerate faster than a 160hp vehicle that weighs the same.

If the van is safe, comfortable and reliable, what else do you need?

I'm going to wait for the 3.0 200hp MPV and compare it to the current MPV. If the acceleratation is not all that noticeable, I know I'll get a great deal on a low mileage 2000/2001 or even a new 2001.

The Edmunds 2001 mini van review has the MPV rated last out of 6 models reviewed, but it is not a distant last. What the reviews do not take into account is the probable long term reliability of the mini vans they reviewed. There is absolutely now way I would buy a Windstar or a Chrysler instead of an MPV. I've owned two Fords and one Plymouth and both had reliabilty issues. I now have a 1996 626 with 56,000 miles and no issues. I know Ford has controlling interest Mazda, but this hasn't hurt Mazda's reputation.

Enjoy your MPV's and let the Ford and Chrysler owners found out why they get such bad reliabilty reviews. Let the Sienna and Oddy drivers
realize they paid too much.

pjd58 · July 2001

you hit the nail on the head. We owned a 95 626DX and it had much less pick up than our 01 LX MPV. I believe if you can live with the 2.5, you're going to save some big bucks come Jan. We decided on the 01 and are very happy. My Wife doesn't have a lead foot and says it has enough power. We have 4500 miles and not a single problem.

Good luck!

marcb · July 2001

i have a base mpv dx with only the power options added. That means I only have 4 speakers. i haven't really compared it with the 9 speaker model. but after listening to it for a year and in around 30k km i can at least tell you that if you can, go for the 9 speakers.

on the other hand, i have had no problems with it.

while i'm in here and in case anybody also wants to know... go for the rear air. i've lived this van in cold canadian winter and hot humid summers.

heating is pretty good, i think this is because the aluminum engine heats up more easily so in about 5 to 10 minutes i already have heat.

but cooling seems to be another matter.

rutger3 · July 2001

Okay,just a few comments after the first 2 weeks with our LX,and comparing it to the 94 Villager we traded in,regarding some items 'missing' on the newer van.Such as a light inside the glovebox and under the hood,passenger side power lock switch,and power rear vent windows. Now the pwr rear windows I can understand,but the others Mazda should have in this vehicle for $25k. I don't like 'losing' anything when I upgrade to a new vehicle and spend all that money. Granted,we did get many things we didn't have before,but the items mentioned are very inexpensive for a Mfg. to add. One final point to Mazda and all other car mfgs,please get rid of the old fashioned hood prop bar and give us struts. Enough for now.

su_a_ve · July 2001

Sales and service are totally separate, so don't buy the car at a particular dealer just because you'll plan on taking it for service...

I bought it from Flemington, but just because they had the car, and ended up only at about $240 over invoice (less $1000 rebate and 4.9 financing). We wanted white and with rear air, it was the only one in NJ. We never got to look at PA dealers though.

I contacted Flemington initially via autbytel and they quoted another color for about $280 under invoice. When we found they had a white one a week later (literally coming off the truck), they were dealing with over 400 over. We pushed they were trying to do bait and switch but they claimed they were doing a mistake and a 1 was infact an 8 (so now it was $580 over invoice).

Other dealers were only interested in selling what they had in stock only (Princeton, Hamilton, Edison). Edison was the only one willing to negotiate down big time and talks were starting at about $200 over.

We bought an LX with 4seas, sec, roof rack, dual air, and cargo net.

Hope this helps...

drew_ · July 2001

For those of you wondering how the MPV will look with a Yakima bike rack on the roof, here are a few pics of my neighbour's '00 MPV ES. I'm sure she doesn't mind ;-). These pictures were taken a few days ago at 9:15pm.

Drew
Host
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P.S. Javadoc, where are those pics of the Mochavan? ;-p

maltb · July 2001

...e-mail the host of this board and tell him we have some bandwidth violations!

Nice pics Drew...and nice houses!

javadoc · July 2001

I'm telling...some cultures would think you stole that van's Soul!!

;-)

--j

billmckinley · July 2001

Alphadaddyo, if you're not an ardent audiophile, I wouldn't spend the extra money on the 9-speaker sound. I like to listen to classical music on my car radio and all I have is the 4-speaker. And it is light years better than any radio I've ever had in a car. It's got an incredible richness of sound that frankly blew me away when I first heard it.
True audiophiles will disagree, but if you're not one of them [and you don't have an adolescent to [non-permissible content removed] at you for cheaping out],go for standard.

As for the rear air, don't even hesitate. Get it. It's worth it in spades.

RJ

drew_ · July 2001

It's a leased van so it has no soul ;-p ;-)

Drew
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alexv1n · July 2001

About the glove box light. Don't yours have one? Mine shurely has it! I have 2000 LX. There's one catch. The key should be in the ignition for it to work (I'm not sure if it just needs to be in, or in ACC position at least)...

javadoc · July 2001

Alex, Rutger3,

The key needs to be in the same position that gives the radio power (ACC position?). I had to go back and look, since it's so light here these days, it never seems to get dark.

--java

likaglov · July 2001

Nice pics of the roof rack. Reminds me that my wife would like to add a bike rack which attaches to a tow-bar. Anybody have a tow-bar installed on their MPV? I'm sure it's not really rated for towing, but we like the idea of using it for the bikes. She can't really use the roof rack and those temporary ones you attach to the trunk of a car is a PAIN (and may not even work on the van).

maltb · July 2001

My factory hitch should be in next week. It's a class II(smaller receiver) but it should handle a bike rack no problem. I'll let you know once I get it installed.

javadoc · July 2001

I really like Yakima's Roc'N Gate system. It holds four bikes and will swing around so you can open the rear hatch of the MPV w/o unloading the bikes. It is expensive at around $450, but it's the best of the best, and will last for years and years. Besides, pricing all the racking accessories for a roof system adds up quickly also. What price, convenience, right?

javadoc · July 2001

Sorry, too late to edit this...the Roc'N Gate is available only for 2" hitches, and not for 1-1/4" hitches, although there are other models available that would fit the smaller receiver type.

Drew...your neighbor needs to get a fairing for that rack...the noise must be incredible.

--java

cutter44 · July 2001

I'm bringing in the beast for its 6k mi. service tomorrow (with 7k mi. on it...oh well). I was checking the owners manual to be aware of what should be done and I happened to notice that it suggests tire rotation every 3750 mi. Maybe they're aware of abnormally quick wear. Isn't 7500 or so, more normal for tire rotation? I know my dealer didn't rotate them at the 3k service. Also, the dealer only mentioned oil & filter change and tire rotation. According to the manual they should be checking fluid levels and lubing latches, etc. What's been your experience with dealers service?

drew_ · July 2001

She has an aerodynamic piece on the front crossbar of the rack. Yakima says that it's supposed to reduce wind noise by a fair amount. You can see it in the picture below:

Drew
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h20guy · July 2001

admit that is a beautiful van.

azsand · July 2001

Hello everyone,
I apologize for jumping in without a proper introduction, but I really do feel like I'm amongst friends. I've been reading these MPV discussions for quite awhile and used some of your comments as part of my decision to buy a '01 MPV DX - Sand Mica. Since I live in Arizona and we have plenty of sand and considering the color of my MPV, I guess it's pretty obvious how I chose my logon name.

I noticed several recent posts about trailer hitches so I thought this would be a good point to make a comment. Just last Saturday I bolted up a Drawtite class III receiver hitch to my MPV. Other than fighting over 50 lbs. of steel while lying under the van, the overall process was pretty straight forward. It takes 5 bolts and no drilling whatsoever. I would suggest having some help in holding the hitch in place while starting the bolts, but I managed to do it with two hydraulic jacks. Also, you have to hold your mouth just right to wiggle the right end of the hitch past the muffler.

I bought the hitch at etrailer.com for $99.95 plus shipping, which was the best deal I could find. I think they have the class II hitch for about $10 less, but I wanted the versatility of the 2 inch receiver. I was concerned about the larger hitch detracting from the appearance of the van, but my wife says it looks fine, so who am I to argue. I might try to post some pictures if anyone is interested.

I guess I've used up enough band width for now ...

AZsand

stever · July 2001

Thanks for the report azsand. Now for to take up some more of that bandwidth, we have a clip on "How to Tow a Trailer."

Steve
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garyjwms · July 2001

From one newbie to another -- you truly are amongst friends! Hope you got a good deal on your new ride, and curiously, what will you be hauling with that nifty hitch?

Cool color -- I got the Sand Mica too -- looks even better than brochure!

Gary

javadoc · July 2001

I must be missing the correct codex on MediaPlayer...sound no vid. Great sound tho...:)

But, great bw waster...

--java (couldn't come up w/ any MPV content)

pjd58 · July 2001

welcome aboard. I hope you get your Sand Mica DX windows tinted ASAP. I wouldn't want to live in AZ and not have tinted windows, unless you live north of Flagstaff.

Again, welcome and many safe miles !

billmckinley · July 2001

Welcome aboard, and kudos on your tasteful and well-bred choice of color (which, among other benefits, NEVER shows how dirty it is).

Practical question, though. With a Sand Mica van in Arizona, how will you ever find it when you need it?

;>

Happy miles!

RJ

azsand · July 2001

Since several you asked questions, and I'll assume they weren't just rhetorical . . .
garyjwms - Right now just about the only thing I'll tow is a small utility trailer. Its a good way of hauling bags of cement home from Home Depot without having to throw them on that light colored carpet.

pjd58 - We live well south of Flagstaff so we did get the front side windows tinted right away. Can you believe when we were shopping for our MPV we saw a brand new '01 at a dealer that already had the windows tinted as a $400 dealer add-on? My dealer told us to bring ours in after the sale and they would have their regular tint place do it at cost - $60.

billmckinley - Just look for some guy wandering around pushing the panic button on the remote until the horn goes off ...

And I do agree with all those who think that Sand Mica is great!!!

AZsand

pjd58 · July 2001

glad to hear you have tinted windows. Some dealers add on alot of extras, at a high markup, to increase their profit. My dealer didn't play any games.

We have a Sand Mica 01 LX and love our van. Sand Mica is a very nice color, it seems to be the most popular color, at least in my area (midwest).

Welcome to the club! Post often, with your thoughts, ideas and questions. The MPV owner's on Edmonds are a great bunch of people.

Pjd58

sd1228 · July 2001

Howdy,
I am in the market for new MPV and intend to make this purchase over next 4 to 6 weeks.
I was wondering if anybody has tried to buy MPV
using fax/internet for negotiation. (Motley Fool
site details how to go about it)
Also in any case I am looking for good/bad experiences with Austin,San Antonio (and may be
Houston) area dealers.
Thanks

drrocket · July 2001

I went to my friendly Mazda dealership yesterday for an oil change (synthetic), the PCM recall (which they were supposed to have performed at a service long ago but apparently didn't), and to switch over to [Red Line] synthetic ATF.

I brought a whole case (12 qts) of D4 ATF to the service appt expecting to only need ~8 qts, but they informed me that to thoroughly flush all the old ATF out and replace it with synthetic would require 15 to 16 qts(!) [and cost $170, less the charge for the ATF since I was providing it].

Before I go out and purchase more Red Line D4 ATF, and reschedule another service appt, would the experienced car-people who have already performed this change-to-synthetic ATF on their '00+ MPV please confirm the information I've been given.

Thanks in advance.

garyjwms · July 2001

Howdy prospective MPV Owner!

I had also read with great interest the negotiation process you mention on the motley fool site (http://www.fool.com -- an excellent site, BTW). I especially liked the insider info about what really goes on in the dealership, and the advice to avoid dealing face-to-face seems sound -- that way you steer clear of their games and their traps.

The fax approach is interesting, but also seems like a lot of work. If you go that route, please do share with us how it works out.

But the reason I wanted to respond to your inquiry is that I thought that you also might want to include a quote from Carsdirect as a baseline comparison -- not necessarily to show the dealers you're dealing with, but to see if they can match or beat it. In my experience, 3 area dealers couldn't come close to Carsdirect's price. I didn't use the fax method -- just went into the dealership with carsdirect printout in hand.

As for buying cars "online" there really isn't such a thing -- in the end all the online services (Carsdirect, autoweb, autobytel) are referral services. The difference between these companies seems to be who controls the transaction. Carsdirect transacts the deal with the customer, and then pays the dealer cash for the car which the customer then picks up at the dealer. (So said the dealer rep on the day I picked up my vehicle). The other two services (autoweb & autobytel) essentially refer you to a local dealer who then transacts the deal directly with you. The pricing from the latter two wasn't all that great either.

Oh -- another nice thing about carsdirect -- for any options on your vehicle, they only charge invoice, rather than MSRP -- for example, I got Rear A/C for the invoice price of $512, rather than for the $643 retail that you're likely going to pay at the dealership.

Oh, you might hear all sorts of grumbling about Carsdirect from anyone at the dealerships -- from what I can tell, dealers really hate the online services (with good reason obviously). And, it appears that Carsdirect has a pretty good idea which dealers want to play ball with them and which don't.

While I can't help with the part of your question about dealers in Texas (I'm in CA), I just thought I'd add my dos centavos . . .

Mazda MPV

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