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Comments
Akash
BTW - Drew how about opening a MPV 2001 forum.
Thanks!
Drew
Host
Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
There are about a million things we have to do between now and when the baby is born, and purchasing/returning car seats that do not fit properly does not fit in.
Can anyone please recommend a brand-name infant car seat that fits properly and is rated well? Ideally, we would like to purchase a seat that would have a base that stays in the MPV.
Thanks for the help.
--java
Drew
Host
Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
As an aside, the LX with the Touring package comes with the same 16" rims that the ES has, so the main difference is to have leather or not to have leather.
--java
Happy driving! Look out for the emerald mica speeding down I-5 with WA plates
Scott
Just wondering if anyone has the Dealer Invoice for the 2001 LX, or if you can tell me what you paid for yours? I'm thinking of buying a Mazda after a very un-inspiring Sienna test drive. I have the carcostcanada price for the DX but I think the LX might be the better way to go. Any idea what the $850.00 "Trading Dollars" are? My dealer here in St. Catharines, said the MPV's are on sale right now, so maybe this is what the 850.00 is for. Thanks for your help.
Cheers
Todd
I saw a similar posting about this issue from July on the Mazda MPV Problem forum & was wondering how the issue was resolved. Has anyone else had this problem? Has anyone else gotten the seat belt buckles replaced to ensure a better booster seat fit?
Apparently, the seat belt buckles have been redesigned for 2001 (probably because of customer complaints). I think this seat belt issue in the 2000 MPVs needs to be a recall on Mazda's part.
Any help or insight that anyone can provide about resolving this issue would be greatly appreciated!
We have a Cosco Alpha Omega convertable rear facing car seat in the second row and it seems to fit fine. Our MPV was made in June 2000 and the seat buckles seem to work ok.
The 850 is a price rebate you will get if you buy your van with cash.
My best guess is that we may see some rebates later on in the spring, as Mazda gets ready to bring in the 2002 with a new 3.0 l engine.
Good luck.
Thanks for the invoice price on the CDN. LX. Appreciate it very much!! My thinking is that the dealers will want to clear out the existing 2.5l 2001's before the spring, hence a good deal, before the 3.0l engine arrives. What do you think?
I'm not too concerned about the lack of performance with the 2.5l engine. Heck that's why I bought a Kawasaki Ninja last year. No car or van can compare to a motorcycle in terms of perormance and handling. I'm looking for a minivan to get me and my stuff around town. That's it!!
Cheers
Todd
Beige: LCY2-57-77XB-80
Gray: LCY2-57-77XB-05
I hope that you can get your problem resolved - I know how frustrating it can be!
Some things that help. Using a seatsaver mat on the leather it a huge improvement. drop the seat back and then install the car seat, then bring the seat back up again. Kneel in the car seat and really crank down on it while tightening the belt, the vehilce seats are very firm and you really have to work it to get it down, it helps to have 2 people. The tether will also help with the top movement, but I got it nearly as good without it when I spent some time working on it. I am planning to get the install checked asap. I will post what I find, but in corresponding with techs on the car seat board, I really feel that the fit of this seat is good.
Keep in mind that if you can't get an good fit then you will need to replace the seat, there are some new ones on the market one by evenflo, and one by fisher price. I haven't tried them, but maybe they will fit better.
Jane
To determine what packages you have:
Security package would have remote keyless entry.
Touring package has 16" alloys and the 9 speaker sound system.
As far as the color...you couldn't have done any better
I've been reading posts from this site since I found it, shortly after wife and I started thinking about a new van.
I've got a lot of questions and I hope someone out there can help me with all my questions.
Here goes
1) Never owned foreign car, is Mazda reliable brand
2) Our Local Mazda Dealer Just Quit Selling Mazda, nearest Dealer 45 Miles Away,Should this worry me to Much ?
3) Have any of you out there racked up enough miles on you MPG yet To tell about potential problems,gas Mileage can really expect,etc, would really like to hear from you.
4) Do any of you think waiting for 3.0 engine will get any better gas mileage.
5) Any other info from you out there is more than appreciated
Thanks jacksonian
1) I have owned a Honda and Toyota, along with numerous domestics. I may have just been lucky, but I've never had a real problem vehicle, although things like starters, brakes, belts, etc. seem to go out earlier in the domestics. My MPV has been absoulutely problem free. There is a new Consumer Reports magazine out which rates over 100 vehicles, including the MPV. It gave wonderful scores on reliability and in general. Take a look at that. I think you'll like what you read.
2) 45 miles? If you take your vehicles back to the dealer instead of a service center, this may be a problem. Only you can answer this, but if the reliability is good, then....
3) I think I have enough miles to tackle this one. The gas mileage, at least for me, started out a little low, about 18 mpg. We seem to consider this low, even though the sticker says this is what we should get. However, as the miles increased, so did my gas mileage. Since about 10,000 miles (if I remember right), I've been consistently getting 20 mpg around town. It gradually increased to that point, then steadied. I am happy with this. I get only about 22-23 on the highway, but when you do 80 mph, you can't expect too big of a jump from town driving. In a previous un-scientific scientific study done here a long while back, it seemed that gas additives brought down the gas mileage. Keep this in mind.
4) I don't think the bigger engine will necessarily bring better mileage. Any possibility of this may be hampered by the ability to accelerate "better", IYKWIM.
I really researched all the vans before I settled on my MPV, and after the honeymoon period was over, I still feel buying my van was the right choice. I love my van, and I believe 9.9 out of 10 of us owners do too. You just can't beat the conveniences of the handling, manuverability, rear windows that go down, the awesome stereo, and the happy feeling you get when you drive it. That may sound corny, but it's true. When driving, I get the feeling that I know this really great secret that only other MPV owners know.
You didn't mention if you have any kids. If you have 3 or more, or plan to, then we need to talk about the third seat. If not, then don't worry about it.
I would anticipate better reliability from the import vans than the domestic vans, with similar overall results between the three big players (Mazda, Honda & Toyota). You'd just have to look at the overall track records of the DC, Ford and GM vans to see this, or visit the domestic vans' forums. I know there are many satisfied customers of the domestic vans (DC van is best selling...yada yada), but everyone buys what they like, right?
As to the gas mileage, I've been observing 16.5-17.5 this winter, but I can directly attribute that (a 2-3mpg decrease) to the combination of 10% fool (sic) additives and aggressive tread studded snow tires on the van. Summer mileage is easily 18-20 intown...13,800 miles now on MochaVan.
As to you're having to drive 45 miles to a dealer. Hmmmmm...MochaVan has only been to the dealer for scheduled stops (oil changes) in the past 14k miles of blissful service. Any recalls were performed at those times, and it hasn't so much as hicupped on us in that time.
The 3.0 motor might sound cool (200hp), but really, I wouldn't expect better mileage from it. Of course, the motor doesn't work as hard, possibly lower those ever important 0-60 times, and lays better rubber at the stoplight, no wait... Actually, the power question is more a marketing tool IMHO than anything else.
I have to mirror blonde's "feeling" for the van. It just feels good to drive. As a testiment, the wife never relinquishes the keys to me w/o negotiations. ;-)
best of luck!
--java
--java
I have been lurking on the MPV forum for the past 8-9 months ever since my wife received an MPV as a rental car while her company car was being serviced. I have even posted a couple messages complaining about the transmission and "lack of power (as if that hasn't been debated enough already, right?)." Within the next 9 months, my wife and I may be doing one of two things:
1.) Buy a new MPV with the 3.0 liter V6, depending on the incremental cost of that feature
2.) Buy a used MPV with the 2.5 liter V6 (to save some money)
3.) Buy a new MPV with the 2.5 liter V6
4.) Buy a different brand minivan.
Here is why I am posting this message:
We own a tent trailer (2215 lb GVW) that we are currently towing with our 1996 Dodge Intrepid with the 3.5 liter V6. We are pleased with it as a tow vehicle (plenty of power) but as we plan on starting a family within the year and also have a dog that travels in a fairly large dog kennel, we don't feel the Intrepid will have enough storage space to meet our needs considering baby stroller, camping gear, etc. especially on longer trips.
So the question I am asking is whether anyone in this group tows a tent trailer or anything similar with their MPV? I realize nobody here, including me, intends to drag race with the MPV and it's power generally was....acceptable, but I am concerned about its towing capability. Also, someone here mentioned that the rear suspension was a little too softly sprung and I was wondering how much suspension sag I could expect with the trailer hitched up and cargo in the back? Has anyone installed air shocks on their MPV to compensate for this? We live in the West where we will be towing over some mountain ranges and hilly terrain so real-world towing experience with an MPV is of great value to us. I know it has a 3000 lb towing capacity (which our trailer is well within), but I just can't seem to get past the 160hp and high rpm torque characteristics of the 2.5. Other than this issue, we would buy the MPV in a heartbeat.
Your advice is much appreciated.
-Brian
I'm sorry I didn't mention that we have 2 Kids,
8 and 11. But we also car pool another 3 Kids
to school and back, plus feild trips ect.
So it is important that van seat six
comfortably(on a test drive it seemed to me
that it should).
Other than the car pooling the van will be
my wifes baby(My wife fell in love with van
from first time she saw it on lot. That has
never happened before, not even with our current DC van).
Hope You don't mind a couple more questions
1) I've been told by friends that newer engines are designed to rev higher than older engines(example our DC Van will rev at 2200 rpm at 70 but on a test drive of MPV I noticed that it reved at 3200 rpm at same 70 mph)will this higher rev wear engine out quicker ? or should I not worry (we need this van to last as long as possible )
2) Is there some place i can go to on web and find info on duratec engine, reliabiity problems ect. ect.
Thanks For all Your Help
PS. I really have enjoyed this Town hall. You Seem to all have a enthusiasm about the MPV that I havn't found from other Town hall posters
For your convenience, this discussion will also reside in the Club folder.
Hope to see you there soon!
KarenS
Owner's Club Host
PS to the MPV Cruisers> See, you can't get rid of me that easily. :-)
Hope that clears up any questions!
KarenS
Owner's Club Host
PS> Hi blondemom1! I've been so busy with the Clubs haven't had time to stop by the Cafe. :-(
Right now Karen has a topic going for us to stop in and introduce ourselves. I jumped in, and I for one, would like to know a little about all of you, too. Stop over and say Hi.
I towed extensively with my mkI MPV (a 1990), and it weighed 4,200# w/150hp (165ft/lb tq) versus the new van that has 170 (160)hp and weighs in around 3,600#. I'd estimate that the new vans would tow a small trailer just fine. Aren't they rated at 3,500# towing? We towed a 23ft travel trailer (4,600#), race car (3,000# with trailer) and a 22ft boat (2,400#) with no problems with the older van.
I'd recommend that you have the 4-Seasons package to anyone planning on towing though. You get a great transmission cooler with that package, as well as a larger radiator. Two must haves for towing.
my 2cents,
--java
jo
The Avanta is one of the models that has a base. I was able to get the base extremely tight, but had difficulty getting the seat's leveling ball perfectly (and consistently) positioned. It seemed to me that the leveling gauge did not work particularly well and that minimal variation caused the ball to swing to the opposite side. In fact, it is difficult to get the leveling ball oriented properly even when the base is not installed in the van. Other than some uncertainty regarding the leveling ball, I feel that the seat fits well into the van's 2nd row.
The second thing I noticed is that the seat limits the movement of the front seats. Ideally, we wanted to put the carseat in the 2nd row seat immediately behind the driver. With this carseat, this is absolutely impossible. I am 6'-2" and the drivers seat must be pushed back as far as possible. This will not allow for installation of the Century Avanta. Even if the Avanta is installed in the 2nd row behind the front passenger's seat, the angle of the front seat needed to be adjusted slightly from what my wife finds optimal. If this is typical of all infant car seats, i'm probably going to end up regreting my decision not to purchase one of the larger vans (in addition to an infant, i also have a 4 and 6-year old).
My questions are: Have others using this carseat or similar seats found that the leveling gauge feature does not seem to work well? Do other infant seats (with or without base) allow for greater adjustement of the van's first row seats?
I appreciate any comments and/or suggestions
travelingman: It seems to me I remember a string of talk about your question maybe 4-5 months back right after they came out with the 3 in 1. If I remember right, the units are not transferable.
Mazda MPV (models before 2000)
and there's this discussion in the archives:
mazda mpv
Steve_
Host
Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
You are right that the board doesn't have too many entries for our MPV but it is growing. If you would like to add your entry they would appreciate it.
Now about the front seat positions being affected: I didn't personally have trouble with this with the infant seat but sure did when we switched to a convertible infant seat rear-facing. They are usually even bigger (I have not seen the Avanta so can't compare to the Smart Fit). We had just a couple inches though but my husband is 'only' 5' 10". We did position it behind the driver. When we used the rear-facing seat I had to move it to the passenger side and that seat had to be pushed forward and nearly upright. I was willing to live with it like that as I knew it wouldn't be forever and it would be only me in that seat occasionally. This is a common complaint with rear-facing seats but we endured for the 6 months or so that we had the convertible in that way.
If you can get the base up a little on that one end it may give more room to the front seat (by changing the angle). Another thing to do is the recline the back of the captain's chair while installing the base so that you can get the base even more towards that direction. Once you get the belt fastened then bring the seat back to upright.
I hope that I helped you some!