Mazda MPV

bottgers · July 2003

Which Denver dealership are you getting yours from? We're getting ours from Lakewood Mazda. I didn't think about those annoying dealer advertising plaques. Thanks for reminding me. I will tell them not to install one.

tomj5 · July 2003

Thanks for the info on the lighthouse.. I am trying to learn watercolor painting. Very difficult.. Hope to do some sketches and pics. Better at oils... Easier to catch the sunsets...
Lov our PEEVEE
Tj

acedriver · July 2003

I see a "Milwaukee Assessment" charge of $150 on my S-plan pricing sheet. Could you please explain me what this charge means and what is it used for ?

Another club member reported being charged a Miami assessment on his S-plan. So, I guess this is a regional/local charge.

To people to bought under S-plan: Can you check your records and find out of this was on your pricing sheet ? Does anyone else know what this charge is for ?

bsvoller · July 2003

We live in Arvada and work in Broomfield, but the only dealer that had what we wanted was McDonald Automotive in Littleton, well south of Hampden Avenue.

It was hard to find an LX loaded with all the goodies in an '03. I started out by asking several dealers to look, most passed when I told them that I was shopping them (their loss as far as I'm concerned, I made clear that I was a buyer, not a looker), but I ended up finding it myself via Mazda's web site.

Sales experience wasn't too bad. They tried to jack the price by $300, blaming it on "the computer" (sigh, when did lying through your teeth become acceptable?), but didn't give me any trouble otherwise. I couldn't really walk, so I didn't make a fuss.

How's Lakewood been? They're a lot closer to me. Need a dealer for service on the northwest side of town.

John Elway North on 104th and Federal was actually a good experience, we drove one of their cars, and worked with their internet manager until I found the deal at McDonald's. (I've had mixed experiences with John Elway) - no haggle pricing was actually competitive for a change, but they didn't have a vehicle I wanted.

-brianV

libertycat · July 2003

gpfeiffer · July 2003

Does anybody know how to remove the door trim panel (driver side) on a MPV 2000? I need to remove the panel to replace the outside rear view mirror.

libertycat · July 2003

bottgers · July 2003

Do the second row seats recline?

subearu · July 2003

Yes, our second row seats recline as well as folding flat onto the seat bottom.

'02 ES, btw.

-Brian

javadoc · July 2003

If you want to know how to remove the door panel, there's a write-up in the DIY section at mpvclub.

Really, it's not terribly difficult.

ajacat1 · July 2003

any thoughts about the Mazda dealers in the Portland, OR area? tia

matluoma · July 2003

When would you be heading to MN?

Based on your last MPV 'adventure' a trip to Lake Superior would be a breeze. Heck a trip AROUND lake Superior would be less risky. Well at least in the summer (July - August) and on the main roads.

Fall colors are what we usually try for, but catching the leaves changing requires some luck as they change & fall off pretty quickly...

MPV content - I doubt I could paint our MPV in watercolors - seems that Silver would be especially tough to do.

moonpie2 · July 2003

Hello all,
I just drove a 2003 MPV today after walking out of a Honda dealership last night. I'm sick of the "Honda" attitude! I did a lot of research on vans prior to now but always overlooked the MPV for the universally loved sienna and odyssey. I was absolutely impressed with the power, handling, interior, exterior design, etc. The Edmunds TMV for these cars was also quite impressive compared to those other vehicles. What is a bit confusing to me is all the factory installed options that seem to plague the vehicles on lots around Houston. I asked if they had a base ES available and then got the line "the sales manager is really going to give the best deals on the vehicles on the lot." Well the vehicles on the lot have $3500 worth of stuff I don't want on the car. How can I get a car exactly like I want it (silver ES w/ fogs, spoiler, power doors)? Will dealers be unwilling to sell car near invoice if it needs to be ordered from port? Any info. anyone has based on personal experience with similar issues would be appreciated.

stever · July 2003

A couple of things:

1. Ask a dealer to locate one with the options you want and do a "dealer swap" for it.

2. Send out a blast email or fax to a bunch of dealers within a distance comfortable to you seeking quotes for a van close to what you want.

Ordering is another possibility but as you've guessed, dealers generally are more interested in moving stock on hand. Good luck!

Steve, Host

libertycat · July 2003

Glad u found out about the wonderful MPV. Good luck at finding your perfect minivan!

bottgers · July 2003

I also think the MPV is the best kept secret in the minivan world. I just can't figure out why this van is still such a secret. As good as it is, and considering the very reasonable prices they can be had for, I don't understand why people aren't standing in line for these things. I pretty much told Honda and Toyota where to go a long time ago.

stever · July 2003

Think the best vans are the biggest ones.

Except you and me and a few others who like to be able to park our vans in our garages at night.

Steve, Host

tomj5 · July 2003

It depends on DW work assignments... We may not get up there.. DW has the month off and we are playing.. We had a nice 4th.. We watched the fire works from a friend's boat on lake Winnebago awsome sight... He cooked brats in the gally. Great with a few suds. The lake was smooth as glass... Did a watercolor of a dairy barn with silos. Not bad, slowly learning the layering technique..

We get lots of good comments on our MPV. The MPV rides nice over the rough roads of Wisconsin... The mirror compass sure is handy. Easy to get lost in the woods; the roads never run strieght. The MPV is fun to drive and the AC works great. Best car I ever owned.... My only complaint is the the shift indicator is hard to see in shadows.... Getting 20mpg around town (that is good for Appleton) and 24 highway...
Lsinc is right, I should have got the power sliding doors. That would be handy with all the rain here... Next time for sure...

Tj

bottgers · July 2003

If that's the case, then why do minivans far outsell full size vans?

stever · July 2003

Because... .minivans are mostly FWD, which is a much superior drivetrain than RWD or AWD.

This has been a running dispute/gag around Town Hall for the last week - the fun continues in:

AWD, FWD, RWD Wagons - Which is the Best? and

Which is better? AWD, FWD or RWD?.

Steve, Host

libertycat · July 2003

AWD=best, FWD=okay, RWD=unsatisfactory

javadoc · July 2003

LOL...fwd far superior... I detect sarcasm from our friend from Treasure Valley. Anyway... since Steve is afraid to give a straight answer to the question (jab jab... poke poke), minivans outsell full size vans because of, imho, a)marketing, b) size does matter... but to a limit (SUV-thinking aside); c) minivans ride better than full-size vans; d)marketing; e)buyers of vans want something resembling fuel economy; f)marketing; g)fwd *does* trump rwd on slippery roads, for 90% of the driving public... the list goes on.

Bottom line is, while minivan's aren't what some people would term as 'cool,' full size vans (the A-Team aside) are even less so... imho,.

bottgers · July 2003

.....A friend of mine was giving me crap because we ordered an MPV. He said "I wouldn't be caught dead in a minivan." About 3 weeks ago he and his wife bought an SUV. I asked him why he would buy an SUV but wouldn't even consider a minivan. He said "because SUV's are cool." I said what's cool about a box on wheels, with less room than a minivan, burns more gas, is less comfortable, has none of the creature comforts of the minivan, and costs more? He had no reply. He couldn't use towing or off road driving as reasons because he doesn't do either. After about 30 seconds he just looked at me and said "I don't know." I didn't mean to make him feel bad about buying an SUV, but I think he did after our conversation.

stever · July 2003

Nice bit of detective work Java. I did sort of forget my smiley there LoL. I guess FWD is only superior, not "far" superior....

Steve, Host

bob57 · July 2003

.....while minivan's aren't what some people would term as 'cool,' full size vans (the A-Team aside) are even less so... imho
JAVA just likes it when a plan comes together. Yuk, Yuk...

moonpie: Did you check Munday Mazda out on 1960?

clpurnell · July 2003

Also check jeff haas or gillman nazda ft. bend I have been treated well when visiting those dealerships in the past.

eddie777 · July 2003

I wouldn't feel too bad if I were you. Anyone who buys an SUV simply "because SUV's are cool" and ignores a sensible option because they "wouldn't be caught dead in a minivan" deserves to be humbled a bit.

bottgers · July 2003

I sent Audia8q my MPV's VIN. He checked on it and found out our van was released from (I assume this means shipped from) the port facility on 6/30 and he says that means it should be arriving at the dealership sometime this week. As the countdown until "Zoom zoom" continues, it seems time has slowed to a crawl. Is it natural to be this excited about a minivan?

stebu · July 2003

I've been starting to think seriously about a new MPV, since I'm having a hard time finding a used '02 setup the way I want or a used Ody that isn't going for stupid money. I saw some of the deals that were posted here and now feel like I totally missed the boat on some special dealer programs that were going on last month. Any dealer here know if there is anything like those on the horizon anytime soon? I'm looking in the the Boston area, but would travel a bit if it paid enough.

bottgers · July 2003

I don't know how you're looking to find your MPV equipped, but we weren't able to find an '03 equipped the way we wanted one, so we had to order it. You might want to wait until the '04's are about to start shipping to the dealerships, you'll probably be able to get some killer deals on the '03's then, to include all the options you wanted and maybe more.

I looked into used Odyessys as well, but it didn't take long to realize I would end up paying as much for a used Ody as a new MPV. Odys are nice, but they ain't worth what they're going for.

stebu · July 2003

Usually, I would have to agree about waiting on the '04 arrivals. In fact, most new cars I've purchased were late model year discounts. But, the prices being thrown about last month were in the range where I don't think they would be beaten even by end-of-year firesales.

You're right about the Ody's. An '02 EX is going for more then a loaded up new '03 MPV LS. Heck it's hard to find an average (never mind low) mileage '01 EX for the price of a new MPV. And it's not like their aren't a ton of the Honda's around. But, I have to keep trying since the wife simply adores the Ody. I did manage to get her to look at an MPV, but we both have to drive it yet. Hoping that along with some great dealer incentives will convert us into the looking-for-MPV category.

acedriver · July 2003

Alrighty people !! You are looking at the owner of a new 2003 Mazda MPV ES - That's right! Closed the deal and picked up the vehicle on Saturday July 5. Here are the details:

Mazda MPV ES trim (includes 17" alloys, traction control, leather seats), Coastal Blue exterior, Gray Leather interior with 4-Seasons package, Power Sliding Doors, Power Moonroof, Security Package (includes fog lights and Auto-dim mirror), 6-CD in dash, Cassette player, Roof rack, rear step plate, mud guards, wheels locks and cargo net. MSRPed at $30,145. Got the S-plan price of $27,774 + $40 for front and rear mudguards. Took the $2000 rebate for a total of $25,814 + 5.1% WI tax + registration. The loan is for an even $20K @ 4.49% for 48 months (paid the rest as down payment). When we took the first test drive the odo had 5 miles on it. By the time we took delivery it had 16 miles (That was just me doing the test drive). By Saturday eve, it had about 66 miles on it.

First impressions: Quiet engine, smooth tranny shifts, excellent acceleration (gets to freeway speeds seamlessly), does NOT feel like a mini-van at all - very car-like ride and feel (Reversing and sharp turns felt very easy). HUGE moonroof (I could stand side facing through it with plenty of shoulder room), crisp audio sounds (Tried FM and CD). Excellent visibility all around (I could see through the rear window, blind spot checks were a breeze due to the BIG slider windows which sit low, big side view mirrors, HUGE windshield). The RPMs were impressive: 700 rpm at idle. When I get to about 50 mph, the RPMs were still at 700. At freeway speeds, they still stay below 2K. When starting from a light, the RPMs are in a hurry to get to about 2K to give the required boost off the line. All the controls are VERY well laid out and intuitive. I did not have to look at the user manual yet and I have tried almost all the controls (This is in complete contrast to the new Sienna!) The power sliders work like a charm - a simple tug at the handle, a slight shove and off they go sliding on their own at a nice pace: Not too fast, not too slow. The pinch protection also works nicely. And 11 beverage holders in the MPV ?? That would make me stop at each rest area !! But, for now, I will stop here and continue my praise in another post ... ZE MPV ROCKS !!!

subearu · July 2003

Strange, I know I've read this somewhere else. ;-)

Welcome to the club Ace!

-Brian

acedriver · July 2003

Brian, In that case, you now know the "least" number of InterNet Explorer windows on my desktop at all times :-)

BTW, Does anybody have any cool links to some Mazda MPV backgrounds/screensavers ??

moonpie2 · July 2003

Hello all,
Thanks for all the great input. I quit dealing w/ the sales staff at Joe Myers Mazda when they refused to make any effort to find a car outfitted the way I wanted it. They were hell bent on selling me a totally loaded up car that I didn't want for "A GREAT DEAL" which was just 2% over invoice price which included all the options I told them I didn't want.

Anyways, I went to mazdausa.com and did an inventory search and found the perfectly equiped silver ES. I did a quick quote, heard from the dealerships in moments, and bought the car that afternoon. I bought at Mazda of Clear Lake for 1.5% over invoive w/ 0% for 60 months. They also gave me $1000 more than the Honda dealerships in town for my 98 Civic.
I probably could have done better on the deal but I was so overjoyed at the experience, and the fact that the car was exactly what I had been looking for, and the car was thousands less than the Odyssey's I had been looking at previously, I just said "OK!"

I would highly recommend this dealership to anyone buying a new or used Mazda or Volvo in the Houston area. The Internet/Fleet/Credit Union Manager was great. He actually knew about the cars he was selling, not one of these guys who knows less about the car he is selling then you do.

The financing side was a little less enjoyable because they step up the pressure to sell all the warranties. We ended up buying the 6 yr/100k mile warranty for $1350. I have no idea if this was a good deal. He started at $1950 for the same warranty. What I didn't like about thw whole thing was that they sell you the car telling you how trouble free the car is and then they sell you the warranty telling you how the car is bound to have problems which you'll have to pay thousands to fix after 50K miles.

All in all, I'm very pleased with the experience, completely love the car, and am very happy that I didn't end up buying from Honda.

------------------
ZOOM-ZOOM

subearu · July 2003

The best background/wallpaper would be your own ride!

On our home computer, I use the picture of our MPV that I have in my avatar on mpvclub. What's better than a freshly washed/clayed/klassed ride?

-Brian

stever · July 2003

A Zaino'd one?

;-)

Steve, Host

moonpie2 · July 2003

Sorry about post #6000, I hit the return key and it posted w/o a meesage.

I'm not sure how true the info I'm about to put out here is, but I heard a story on public radio about it. Perhaps anyone considering which vehicle to buy to look into it further.

Anyways, this researcher was talking about a study he had just conducted about the dangers of suv's. Aside from the comments about fuel economy and bad handling, this guy was saying that drivers of suv's are something like five times more likely to kill the people in the other vehicle when in an accident. I guess he was contributing this to height and mass. The taller center of gravity and higher bumpers contact smaller vehicles above the point at which these vehicles are designed to take impacts. These sort of info. leads alot of people to the "HIGHWAY WARFARE/SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST" arms race. "Well, if that guys going to threaten me with his big vehicle, I better get a bigger vehicle to protect myself." This mentality seems to make sense for protecting yourself if you don't particularly care about killing others until you hear this second tid-bit of info. Drivers of these SUV's are also something like ten times more likely to be paralyzed in this same accident because of roll over.

Apparently, minivans don't have this same problem because most are built on car platforms, are lower, lighter, and handle better. Anyways, this guy then went into some long conspiracy theory about the big three auto makers, the petroleum industry, and the US government keeping this common knowledge from coming out to sell cars and fuel. This does seem to make some sense.

Just some food for thought.

subearu · July 2003

to each his own Steve. Isn't this a Zaino free discussion? ;-)

My profile has pictures of my Klasse'd fleet.

-Brian

stever · July 2003

You can delete your own posts at any time. Look for the Delete (and Edit) buttons.

Lots of MV/SUV discussion going on over in Minivans vs SUVs.

And for those who have never heard of the "cult" of Zaino:

Zaino Car Polishes/Products--Your Experiences (Part 2)

Steve, Host

bottgers · July 2003

How hypocritical is it to ask is this is a "Zaino free" forum, them mention Klassed in the same post? BTW, I'll be posting some pics of our Sage green MPV once I get it Zainoed.

bob57 · July 2003

Do that and I'll post "Red" here.
But then everyone will have to turn down the brightness on their monitors..

)

subearu · July 2003

I hope you noticed the wink ;-) after that statement of mine in post #6004. I wasn't trying to start anything and was just responding in fun to Steve's post. Steve even shared a link to a Zaino discussion for those not in the know.

Please post your MPV pics, using whatever polish you desire.

-Brian

ajacat1 · July 2003

Nice description...here's my question.

When you start up from a stop or low speed, is there a noticeable hesitation before you get into gear?

We've driven one MPV and it was there every time we accelerated.

I'm wondering if maybe it was just that one, because everyone loves the acceleration and seamless shifts...I certainly noticed those once we were really up over 25--*very* smooth, but from really low speed or stop, there was that hesitation that just *bugs* me.

What's your experience with your MPV?

thanks in advance

bottgers · July 2003

.......over in the car wax threads, if you even mention the Z word in a non-Zaino thread, some people get very touchy about it.

stever · July 2003

And that explains the name of this popular discussion:

Store Bought Waxes Part II (No Zaino Posts)

And you thought the Apple/PC wars were bitter :-)

Steve, Host

lsinc · July 2003

acedriver......CONGRATS! So happy you joined the awesome world of MPV ownership! I can't believe that mine has 5k on it already. I had 10 miles on the Odo when I bought it.

Ok....I may be very sorry I asked this but...what the heck is Zaino?

ajacat1...read your post to ace and just wanted to say that hesitation is not normal for the MPV. If anything, my MPV wants to move! I've actually hit the accelerator too hard and......Zooooom!

Just my 2 cents.

Leslie

Zoom-Zoom!

acedriver · July 2003

There is no hesitation when I press the accelerator. In fact, (like Lsinc), I have accidently got my foot down a bit too quickly and got a nice jolt from that 200 ft-lbs of torque(Good thing my rear facing 7 mo old is not talking yet, else I would have got quite an earful :-)

But in everyday driving when starting from a complete stop, if I ease-in on the accelerator, the RPMs do seem to be in a hurry to get above 2K and it does appear that the vehicle is hardly moving forward (compared to the RPM increase), but then around 30-35 mph, you can feel the pull and the raw power available at your (foot)finger-tips.

Try test driving another MPV on the dealer's lot ...

stever · July 2003

Is a series of products akin to car wax that many detail enthusiasts swear by. Be careful checking it out - I've sent people to the Zaino board before and didn't see them again for six months :-)

Steve, Host

ajacat1 · July 2003

We'll go drive a different one and see what happens, and keep a sharp eye on the rpms while we're doing it.

Mazda MPV

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