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Mazda MPV

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  • kelly5mpvkelly5mpv Member Posts: 11
    Steven, which part of PA do you live? Which dealer are you using?
  • kennjkennj Member Posts: 5
    I noticed that some of you have shopped/purchased in the Northern NJ area. I am planning to buy a 2000 MPV ES within the next week and would appreciate any advice on which dealers to check out for the best deals.

    I've read on this list that some people seem to have gotten both the $1000 off and Mazda financing. Has anyone in the NNJ area gotten this deal? If so where?

    Thanks. Also, this is my first post and I want to thank all of you for the great info in previous messages. I feel that I've learned a lot about the MPV and also feel confident about what price represents a good deal.
  • topspinsteventopspinsteven Member Posts: 10
    Hello. I live in Horsham, and I made my deal with North Penn Mazda. We've decided to go with the Rainforest Green instead of the Emerald Mica. I take delivery tomorrow :). The staff were very nice, and the place has a very comfortable environment, plus a large selection. The salesman name I worked with is Ray. I first went to Sussman Mazda, which is actually closer to my home, but felt very uncomfortable there, plus the selection was not very good.

    Hope this helps,
    Steve
  • topspinsteventopspinsteven Member Posts: 10
    The dealership offered me to buy a few extras. Please let me know if you have any info or opinions on these items. The first thing was an extended 7 year, 100,000 mile warranty, called the Secure Value Hi-Tech, which they want to charge me $1,089 for. It basically extends the bumper to bumber warranty. I told them no for now, and I have up till the end of the factory warranty to change my mind. They also advised me to buy a teflon coating to put over the clearcoat finish for $164, which has a 5 year warranty. I've never heard of this. The last thing was an interior coating which they will remove any stain in the interior, and if they can't remove the stain, they will replace the part (seat cover, carpet, etc.) This was also warranted for 5 years and costs $129. If anyone can give me an opinion on the need of these or if the price is good I'd appreciate it.

    Thanks,
    Steve
  • tboner1965tboner1965 Member Posts: 647
    Don't have enough details here, but ask them if you can review the actual warranty documents before you choose. It would be interesting to see what you have to do to keep the warranties in effect. For example things like the coatings often require periodic services (at your cost) to preserve the warranty protection.

    My $0.02

    TB
  • steeplejacksteeplejack Member Posts: 16
    They told me about some free oil changes that never appeared.(supposed certificates in the mail). Since I live 85 miles south (long story), I wasn't too worried but when I asked for some free mud guards they changed the subject.I never heard about any free 1k oil change. Maybe I should call em and rattle their cage. I did speak with the Mazda general manager about a week after delivery and he was sympathetic but not offering anything. The Mazda customer survey didn't shake anything loose either.
    That same week, my new glasses were a day late and the optician gave me $50 off as it was his fault. Gallery didn't respond to that story either. Proportionately, $500 was in order IMHO.
    Enjoy? Enjoy!
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    We bought at East Coast Toyota/Mazda in Wood Ridge - I also sent another poster (hi MEIMA!!) to this board there - but she had a lot of trouble with their sales manager.
    We had a decent experience. From my e-mailings back and forth with MEIMA - East Coast may be the only dealership in NNJ to give invoice pricing - plus the 1,000 dealer incentive.
    As always with a vehicle purchase - make sure everything adds up correctly and you get everything in writing.

    Good luck!!
  • kennjkennj Member Posts: 5
    Thanks. I have talked with them on the phone and plan to visit early next week.

    I also went to Ramsey Mazda on Rt 17 but haven't settled on an agreeable price yet. They would give me the $1000 incentive or Mazda financing but not both.
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    I forgot to mention in my previous post that I tried to get the financing and dealer incentive - got a flat out - no. Even mentioned that some posters on this site had got both - to no avail.

    Good luck!
  • brmudabrmuda Member Posts: 50
    Anyone that claims they got BOTH $1000 rebate AND special Mazda financing on purchase of '00 MPV...

    The $1000 rebate came from their dealer and NOT Mazda. Since these incentives are offered directly from the mfr, there are no deviations (i.e., you must pick one or the other). Mazda is currently running incentives for dealerships who meet certain quotas on sales. That means more $$ for the dealer which helps with add'l discounting to customers.

    So, don't waste your time asking dealers for BOTH the rebate & low financing because they can't give you both.
  • kennjkennj Member Posts: 5
    I agree with you. Even though people may have received a $1000 discount we don't know who absorbed the cost (Mazda or dealer). But I'd still like to shoot for invoice - $1000 and Mazda financing. ;-)
  • evaddaveevaddave Member Posts: 156
    That's where we got our Black ES this past December.
    We got the teflon coating at the time because it sounded like a good thing to have. I've since read stuff on Edmunds that suggests that it was a waste of money. The dealer said that the teflon seals the paint, but Edmunds says that's exactly what the clearcoat does.
    The teflon coating supposedly came with a warranty against chips, etc., but I didn't look at it closely (yet).

    The fabric protector is something you can buy and do yourself. You'll have to ask Java if it'll protect against a MochaBomb, though. :)

    About the dealer: We bought from Rich, and we were actually looking at a VW Passat first. Rich had to step out to talk to the manager for the numbers, and we discovered the MPV behind us in the showroom. It seemed exactly like what we needed in a vehicle, despite both of us insisting that we'd never own a minivan.
    Oh, yeah, back to the dealer. We were lucky enough to have bought the van three days before they changed their service policy. For us, they will provide a loaner car during the scheduled maintenance only. For sales after 1/1/00, you can rent a car from them if you need one.

    -Dave
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    to responses 390 and 391? odd...
  • topspinstevetopspinsteve Member Posts: 6
    I'm very excited!! I've had my heart set on this van for quit some time and now we finally have it. I wound up getting the rainforest green (which is a beautiful color). It's an LX with Security Package, 4 seasons, rear air, 3 in 1 audio, roof rack and the fog lights (which really look cool). Sticker price was $25,575, got it for $22,565, plus they gave me $500 more for my trade than anyone else. After reading the Edmunds buyers advise, I decided against any of the extras, and will do what Kelly did with the interior scotch guard. The only things that I want to get is a rear bumper step plate. BTW, did anyone get the tether anchors?

    Steve
  • topspinstevetopspinsteve Member Posts: 6
    Dave, it's nice that you got that free loaner deal, sure wish I had. I was very comfortable at North Penn, and would recommend. Warm environment and nice selection. Kelly, I first test drove the MPV at Faulkner a while back. They also have a nice selection. A couple reasons that I didn't want to buy it there though was because, even though it is slightly closer than North Penn mileage wise, it takes me quite a bit longer to get there. Plus I think I'd have to pay an extra 1% sales tax because it's in the city.

    Steve
  • meimameima Member Posts: 5
    Just to follow up on auerbach's post (Hi
    auerbach!)...bottom line, I get a good deal at East Coast Mazda in Woodridge, however the sales manager (Kevin) tried to charge me TWICE for the destination fee. I didn't realize he was doing that...he then told me that he would remove the dest fee..at which point I told him he had a deal (Not realizing that the fee was still in there...).
    Unfortunately I didn't realize what he had done until I was looking over the paperwork while we were riding home in the van! When I finally reached him to discuss it he just tried to dance
    around the whole issue and justified lying to me by saying we got an excellent deal.
    So, if you go there----they will sell you the van for invoice price minus the $1,000 dealer incentive. They WILL NOT give you both the $1,000 and the special financing...they also say that Mazda will not let you have both.
    Auerbach is right, I called Ramsey Mazda, Richard's Mazda in Freehold, Hackensack Mazda..all would not give me the van for invoice minus $1,000. So, I did get a good deal in the end..(altho they gave me next to nothing for my trade-in Camry, I'm sure because I did get a good deal on the car. We just took what they offered on our trade because I am expecting a baby within a month and have no time to sell it myself!).
    Good luck, whatever you do!! By the way..at East Coast, my salesman was Dudley..very very nice, straightforward..unlike his boss.
  • bobbydabobbyda Member Posts: 2
    I just purchased the MPV ES the other day. I would love input on the following topics.
    1. Is overdrive only used for driving on the Highway?
    2. What is the tether lock?
    3. If you purchase the floor console from Walmart can you still open the front storage compartment?
  • kennjkennj Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for the info. I went to East Coast and struck a fair deal (below invoice and 0% Mazda financing). Didn't get the $1000 dealer incentive, but got about half.

    My wife is really looking forward to getting her Sand Mica ES with everything except the entertainment system (tough to find these days) on Monday.

    I dealt with Christopher Los who was very nice and straightforward. Of course I did do a lot of homework before going there. ;-) Thanks for all your info. Good luck with your truck and the new baby!
  • rpratt1rpratt1 Member Posts: 1
    I just bought a 2000 LX MPV, I love it. I traded in a 2000 VW Golf ($18500 pay off) and 1993 Mirage (2dr). We paid $23,300 did we get ripped off?
  • sam_n_gabesam_n_gabe Member Posts: 1
    My wife and I are interested in purchasing a 'left-over' 2000 LX MPV. After two short test rides, we are concerned about the 'firmness' of the seats. Are they comfortable after hours of driving? Also, have I read earlier posts indicating buyers have bought their MPV at invoice plus received a $1000 dealer incentive PLUS received a good trade-in allowance? Thanks ahead for any help.
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    We have an LX. I'm almost 6'4", and very particular about seats and seating position. If anything the seats in the LX feel better after a long trip. Our first "long" trip was to Maine - 6 hours - the seats were great and felt fine.
    Good luck!!
  • cinka1cinka1 Member Posts: 30
    I am looking for a red EX MPV with power roof, fog lights and 4 seasons pkg. I have been reading posts for quite a while and they have helped me pick the MPV over the Ody. Now I am looking for the best place to buy in Oregon. I am trading off my '95 Windstar and have been one of the lucky few that has had very few problems. But now I just gotta have the magic seat!! Any replys are very helpful.
  • derkaiserderkaiser Member Posts: 3
    Four weeks ago, we bought a green DX, with DX Power package, rear AC, for $21000 (about $300 over invoice) before $750 incentive and 4.9% financing for 60 months. A great minivan for $20250 and good financing - such a deal! The alternative was $1000 incentive without financing. Plus they offered us $750 more for our trade-in than anyone else (96 Saturn wagon). We're really happy with it so far.
  • cinka1cinka1 Member Posts: 30
    One salesman on the coast said the new 2001's will have 30 more horsepower, the one in the valley said he didn't know anything about this. Is there any place to confirm the 2001 engine and is it worth waiting for?
  • derkaiserderkaiser Member Posts: 3
    The Kelly Bluebook site has an entry for the 2001 MPV, but I don't think the details are up to date. I would keep checking www.kbb.com and this site of course for the latest.
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    Car And Driver magazine just published its 2001 new car issue. Under the Mazda section they mention that there are no changes to the MPV for 2001.
  • cinka1cinka1 Member Posts: 30
    Did you say 4.9% for 60 months? (or is this a typo and should be 6.9% or 48 months?)
  • ld1220ld1220 Member Posts: 1
    have received a 4,000 off msrp offer on a silver 2000 lx with moonroof,roof rack,6 cd changer,touring package......5000 miles on vehicle....msrp is 26,400....i want to counter with 21,500(without trade)....also some concern about the jerkiness of the shifting....are current owners satisfied with this feature.....all thoughts and input greatly appreciated.
  • cmunizcmuniz Member Posts: 604
    In answer to your questions:

    Overdirve - I normally use the van with the overdrive on, except when I am in hilly terrain. The transmission tends to shift up and down a lot going uphill so I shut off the overdirve. I also shut it off going downhill when I need to use the engine to control speed instead of using the brakes. Otherwise, in city driving on flat terrain you don't have to do anything.

    Tether locks - I don't have them, but understand they are for child seats.

    Walmart console - You can open the front storage compartment with it installed. It fits snuggly betweeen the seats and therefore does not need to be anchored to the floor. That allows you to slide it forward or back as needed. It interferes a little with the brake handle, but sliding it back a little solve the problem. Overall, we like ours and use it a lot. We removed the top sliding and locking piece since it was always in the way. There were several posts on this console in the MPV Cruisers topic several months ago.
  • derkaiserderkaiser Member Posts: 3
    Oops, sorry. You're right. It should read 4.9% for 48 months.
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    I bought my MPV last August (99) in Portland, only because the dealer in my state (there's only two dealers in 2,000 miles) is filled with "Wankers" in the sales department, and the prices here are way out of hand. The best price, here, that I could find was $28,500 for our LX, Touring, 4Seasons, 6disc changer and rear a/c. Obviously, that's no deal.

    I bought through a broker that my brother-in-law knows, and bought my MPV for $23,700. This was right after the MPV came out and the deals and incentives weren't happening then, so I think I did okay considering the timing. I also spent $1000 to fly down and drive the van home, but I saved thousands over local pricing.

    If you might be interested in the way I purchased (*not* an endorsement...), email me. When I last heard, there's six Mazda dealers in the PDX area and competition is good there, so I'd say deals are happening. I bought from Rod Murray Mazda in Gresham (I think Gresham...I'll have to look at the plate holders), and they were great to deal with.

    Now, back to your regularly scheduled MPV enjoyment.

    --Javadoc
  • bobbydabobbyda Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the help on my questions!
  • karistrommekaristromme Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2000 ES with 4000 miles on it. I'm only getting between 15 and 16 glls/mile out of it. This is mostly city driving with the AC running, no hills. Is this unusually low? Please comment.
  • kelly5mpvkelly5mpv Member Posts: 11
    Mine has about 1,900 miles, and I'm about the same. I get like 250-275 miles and the fuel light goes on. i think the most I have gotten so far is about 16.7 mpg. I hope this increases!
  • mykidsdrivermykidsdriver Member Posts: 21
    Our van (LX with touring pkg) is getting no worse than 18 mpg in city driving (flat, hot, Fla., with A/C on constantly) and can go above 24 mpg for freeway driving. I've only SEEN the fuel light go on once. Generally I fill it up before it reaches that point. I don't know if that has any effect (doubt it). I suspect the biggest thing is how they mix the gas in your part of the country. Hope your mileage increases as well. (Our first 2 tanks were pretty low, but things rapidly improved.) We're now at 4,500 miles.
  • kranjec1kranjec1 Member Posts: 20
    I've posted mileage reports myself over the last month. I'm getting last two fill-ups, 14.1 mpg and 15.0 mpg in Florida, city driving with air on. I believe that this is low and even had it in to service one week ago to specifically address poor mpg. Dealer ran diagnistic and said everything checked out ok. I told them that if mileage does not improve, I'll bring it back and bring it back again. I'll contact Mazdz USA, even thinking about Fl lemon law, even though van drives beautifully, gas mileage is totally unacceptable. The '92 astro which we had before mpv got bewteen 18 and 20 mpg in city. It's a small van with a small v-6 and should be getting 18 mpg in-town. It has 6,000 miles on it and Mobil 1 oil was put in at last change. I'll keep you posted.
  • bill124bill124 Member Posts: 246
    When was your van made? Notwithstanding your disappointment, get used to it. You won't win a Lemon Law claim based on low mileage. Look again at your sticker that indicates the mileage. The big numbers are the average estimated. Then look at the real small numbers that indicate the range around that average. I don't recall what they are but I'm sure you are within those.
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    Just happen to have my window sticker handy (in my briefcase). The MPV is rated 18 city - 23 highway. On the left side under the "actual mileage will vary" stuff it says: "Results reported to the EPA indicate that the majority of vehicles with these estimates will achieve between 15 and 21 in the city and 19 and 27 on the highway."

    Our LX with 3000 miles gets between 17 and 19 in town and up to 24 on the highway. Not great, but livable.
  • bill124bill124 Member Posts: 246
    Well,I stand corrected on the numbers by I stand by my statement regarding the Lemon Law claim. You wouldn't win based simply on the numbers.
  • derekyeuderekyeu Member Posts: 7
    Is that true the new 2001 MPV won't be here until November? That's very late. I was hoping to see it in September. I checked www.kbb.com for pricing on the 2001. It's about $500 more for the same van! I hope they offer more standard features to justify the higher price (a stronger engine can be considered one :-)

    -derek
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    ...has anyone test driven the new Mazda Tribute yet? My local wankers (the dealer) don't have any yet, and I was sort of toying with the idea of checking them out as another car to add to the java-stable. Something to romp around in the snow with.

    caio!

    --javadoc
  • tboner1965tboner1965 Member Posts: 647
    Didn't drive one, but did look at one about two weeks ago to see if the engine would fit the Contour/MPV.

    The cylinder head and drive belt setup is identical to the 2.5L in the Contour/MPV (which is a little different from the way the same engine is used in the Taurus/Sable)

    What does all of this mean? It should be much easier that I thought before to put the 3.0L in either the MPV or my Contour.

    I do relish the thought of a sub 3000# car with 200HP and 200ft# torque :)

    TB
  • kranjec1kranjec1 Member Posts: 20
    I believe my van was made in september or october of '99. Tell me, why is that relevant? Are early 2000 mpv's reporting worse mileage and if so, perhaps something in the "brain box" could be replaced with current chip or whatever. Fundamentally, I don't think a minivan which is on the smaller side of the spectrum, with a small v-6, should be recording SUV type (explorer, pathfinder, 4runner)mpg. Don't, get me wrong, we like the van a lot, but if other MPV owners are reporting 17-19mpg, city, I'm not just going to get used to it until Mazdza has thoroughly checked over all aspects of vehicle which can affect mpg, including tranny and gearing. Yes, q/c has improved drastically over past years, but mistakes can still occur.
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    It does seem that your gas mileage is a little low for city driving.
    I think the MPV's gas mileage is very sensitive to the way it is driven.
    I tend to baby the throttle - while my wife mashes it.
    I also think that a person's reaction to any given gas mileage number is purely subjective.
    I think our gas mileage is acceptable, my wife thinks its bad; when I told my father-in-law what we were getting he thought it was great. All three reactions were to the same figure.
    Go figure.
  • kranjec1kranjec1 Member Posts: 20
    I test drove an lx last friday. The thing hauls.
    It gets up and goes. I expected good acceleration but it exceeded my expectation. Even felt a little quicker than a sable or taurus with 24valve duratec. If I were in market for an SUV, i would buy it. I test drove it because MPV was in for service so I killed a liitle time.
  • kranjec1kranjec1 Member Posts: 20
    Simply put, If the saleperson or service manager would have told me "yeah, window sticker says 18mpg in city, but don't expect better than 14 or 15", I wouldn't have bought it. Just curious, would anyone else out there have bought your mpv if you knew you were going to get 14 or 15 city? Particularly since gas has gone up about 50 cents per gallon in last 7 months.

    Also, I agree that MPV is a bit more throttle sensitive, and my wife is primary driver, but she drives well and has never had mileage problems before.
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    If I knew I was going to get 14 or 15 mpg city - I probably would have hesitated - but what minivan or SUV gets much better than that in town anyway?
  • kranjec1kranjec1 Member Posts: 20
    from people that I talk to that own both types, SUV's and minivans, most minivans still get 4 to 5 more mpg than SUV, yes, SUV's are still the rage and people will pay whatever price, regardless of mpg to own one, minivans are more practical and do get better mpg than SUV,s, my MPV ES unfortunately, thinks its an SUV. Perhaps the 2.5 duratec is not as fuel efficient as I had hoped, but I certainly will exhaust all avenues with dealer and Mazda before I resolve myself to poor mpg.
  • jb03jb03 Member Posts: 31
    Just curious, does your city driving include very frequent stop & go with short distances between signal lights? Also, what is your fuel formulation there in Florida? Are they using MTBE's in the fuel?

    Julyar put together a nice summary of fuel mileage from quite a few posters inthis forum back in May or June I think. Mileage varied quite a bit with lower fuel mileage averages typically being caused by gasoline additives. There were other issues such as tire pressure and vehicle production date.

    I believe a recall was issued for early production 2000 MPV's to reprogram the ECM (PCM?). Not sure if this was related to mileage problems or not.

    For what it's worth, I get about 20.0 mpg city and about 22.5 mpg hwy. City driving in the suburbs of Detroit has a bit more distance between lights and moderate to heavy stop and go on freeways during rush hour. The highway numbers were from a recent trip to Ohio with the A/C on.

    Keep hounding the dealer if non of the above fits and/or mileage doesn't improve.

    Julyar--any additional advice from your survey?

    Regards,

    JB
  • tboner1965tboner1965 Member Posts: 647
    What do you need to get moving, it is not HP but torque. Our little 2.5L V6 doesn't produce lots of torque. So to get the type of acceleration most Americans like, you gotta mash the pedal.

    I get worse around town mileage with the MPV than we got with the PGV, but we get better highway mileage. The MPV's engine is more efficient at higher RPM's due to the better breathing DOHC engine.

    Heck, my 87 Buick LeSabre at 4000# gets better combined mileage than the MPV which weighs less. I recently got 31MPG on a 65MPH highway run with the Buick. On the return trip I drove 75-80 MPH and the MPG's dropped to 25.

    Fuel economy is really speed dependant. And given the large frontal area of a mini-van, I expect that to be even more the case with the MPV. Doesn't drag increase as a square? I.E. double the speed and you quadruple the drag?

    Cheers,

    TB
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