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Mazda MPV

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  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
  • tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    We left Phoenix at 0700. We arrived at Tucumcari NM at 1800 (az time). We left Tucumcari at 0700 arrived at Springfield Mo at 1800. I-44 from OKC to St. Louie was miserable. Lots of traffic and trucks. Bumper to bumper trucks in Mo as far as the eye could see. The MPV handled the traffic easily. Finally cleared the trucks close to Springfield. We stayed at the BW Couch Inn (Very nice place exit 80A S.) The Village Inn restruant had a fantistic real ham and egg, biscuit and gravy breakfest. The best on the trip... After St Louie the Ill roads are beautiful, but only 65 mph limit and the bears were out. I ran a CB catching the Trucker, Bear reports. It was hard on the MPV it likes to cruise at 85... I held 70. Lots of construction with bears... Be religous on the construction speed limits. Massive truck jams at the toll booths on I-39 just before you cross into Wisconsin. Plus construction, and we hit a cloud burst right in the middle. Wall to wall bears in Wisconsin.. We made it to Appleton at 1900.
    Not one of our better trips. The MPV made it easy.
    Tj
  • tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    Phoenix is about 1K ft above sea level. I-17 N climbs to Flagstaff (7K ft). The highway climbs to 7K right out of Phx then drops to 4K then back up to 7K. The grades are about 7% very steep with lots of hairpin turns. Try rolling into a 60 mph downhill hairpin turn at 80mph while passing a semi. This will put hair on your chest. The MPV loaded, handled great it hugged the road with positive steering while smoothly breaking into the turn. DW was screaming and having a general fit. I was scared also, but didn't have time to worry about it... I have driven sports cars that could not do what the MPV did... At the bottom of the hill the road went stright up. I hit the power and the MPV leaped ahead of the truck... I watched the tach snap up and down as the beautiful tranny shifted gears smooth as butter..In general there are several of these turns. Next time I didn't go in passing a truck... Go down I-17 to Phx from Flagstaff is worse. There you have the same turns but with flaming truck breaks with 2000 ft drops along the side of the road.I-17 is one of the most dangerous highways in the nation.. Flatlanders don't have a clue how to drive in mountains.. I never smelled hot breaks on the MPV, except when passing trucks.. The MPV averaged 19mpg up that highway not bad at all... The engine worked hard but had plenty of power in reserve. I never took it out of OD.. Fantastic car. The handling is beyond belief for a van. The MPV is more like a sports car... The Fords, Honda, and Toy vans could not keep up. The Fords are a joke... After Flagstaff heading east on I-40 I set the MPV on 80 cruise and away we went leaving everything in the dust, except those damn Mitsy Eclipes. They went by like I was parked. They must have doing 100. I got to get one of those things someday... I wonder if DW is going to ride with me when going back down I-17, hummmmm??
    Lov our PEEVEE...
    Tj
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I know you can't get to some places in Arizona without getting on an interstate, but that's about the last place I want to be during my vacation.

    Gotta find the blue highways....

    Steve, Host
  • lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    Tom: Glad to hear you made it safely. Say hi to my roots in Wisconsin for me. Of course, it would be nice if I could stop hitting brick walls and find out exactly where they settled. Oh sigh! This family historian is frazzled.

    Anyway, I love reading your trip posts. I'm still waiting to hear what you discovered about overdrive?

    Even though the trip up north that we take into VT is nothing compared to what you wrote about, I have to say that our loaded MPV with dog and kids handles the mountains and hugs the road like a sports car.

    dave H2: Are you in CT? Just curious. I live in CT. Anyway, CONGRATULATIONS! Welcome to the MPV club! I have to say that at almost 4k miles, I still LOVE my MPV.

    Heres a good laugh for everyone. I had a chance to drive a Viper the other day. I CHICKENED OUT! I'm hanging my head in shame! I took one look at it, fell in love, was offered the keys..........and ummmmmmmmm, chickened out. The truth hurts. =o [ On the bright side, it really resembled my MPV. As a matter of fact, I had to stop and really look closely in order to make sure I took the right car! ;o p

    bottgers: I am sooooooooo happy that I didn't have to go and climb under my MPV. I would have done it but am happy someone had the answer for you. ;o p

    Gotta go. Last day of school for the kids. Yipppeeeeeeeee! I sleep in on Monday! Yes, yes, yes, waka, waka, waka!

    Leslie

    Zoom-Zoom!................There goes that crazy lady driving her silver Viper/MPV. Hehehehehehehe!
  • rutger3rutger3 Member Posts: 361
    okay all you experts out there. Drain or full flush? New filter or not? Dealer or local shop? How often? why doesn't the owners manual mention trans service? The flush sounds better,but should the filter be changed? OTOH,my camry has 125k and never had this newer flush service.
     Cabin filter for MPV, I just changed it,was pretty easy. It is located behind the glovebox. The old one was very dirty. Can't beleive this flimsy little filter cost $25. Also, if the filter works that good,what does that say for everyone driving around in cars without these 'new' cabin filters? Could this just be a new way for the dealers to make more money? My dealer wanted $56 for the filter and install.
  • lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    hmmmmmmm rutger3 I don't remember hearing anything about flushing/draining the tranny. I'll ask my DH if he remembers. I do know that if we towed with a vehicle my dh would have that done and a new filter put in. He did this yearly for as long as we towed. If you're not towing, why do it? I'll ask him and see what he says.

    Leslie
  • sweet_subiesweet_subie Member Posts: 1,394
    defending pages after pages asking what is wrong with Ford products ?

    Please see below. 4/10 lemon is from Ford yet again
    http://www.thewgalchannel.com/money/2273381/detail.html
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    That list purports to show a relationship between sales and the number of complaints reported to the NHTSA. There's an on-line form for NHTSA complaints, and as far as I can tell, there are no checks and balances to prevent anyone from loading up a particular model with complaints, real or specious.

    Note the complaints about the Prius shutting off, which is entirely normal behavior, for example. Pass the salt.

    Steve, Host
  • tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    A very beautiful and senic road runs from I-40 west of Flag that goes to Prescott and to Sedona finaly to Wickenburg then to PHX. Check the map. Another is east of Flag at Winslow. It goes through the White mountians to Show Low then to PHX. The White mountians is where the summer resorts are located. The area has recovered from the big fire.. Nice slow drive.... Check the maps... I-17 is only for those in a hurry...
    Tj
  • tbonertboner Member Posts: 402
    But tomj, what the heck did you find so miserable about St. Louis???

    Heck you probably passed my on I40. I spent from Sunday AM until Tuesday afternoon hauling my BIL's stuff from Las Vegas, NV. And because I was driving a 26000# truck and trailer, I couldn't cross the Hoover Dam, and had to go down to Laughlin, NV and climb a good portion of that 7000' out of the valley.

    If people think the MPV is underpowered, you should try those hills in a diesel powered 13ton truck. I vaporized 1 quart of oil with the heat the engine generated in the first 150 miles, OMG!!!

    Anyway, I-40 is a nice drive, and I hit Albequerque at sunrise Monday morning after a stop in Gallup, NM.

    But what the heck was so miserable about St. Louis???

    TB
  • glideslopesglideslopes Member Posts: 431
    Thank you for clarifying how the NHTSA site actually works. It is nothing more than place to complain. It bears no inference toward reliability. The FORD data is much more reflective of FORD dealer attitudes than manufacturing defects.

    Mark.
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    I vote full flush and a filter. Or, go the route of draining a quart every other oil change and then change the filter once/year. Or, go by what the factory says (I wouldn't). ;-)

    Heat is your tranny's worst enemy and keeping good fluid in it is essential, imho.
  • lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    I didn't go anywhere. Just been busy with my family history. Seems I'm making some progress but it's slow.

    Anyway, I would have to say that I can't see why the Subaru Legacy is on that list. For us, Subaru has always been an awesome vehicle. My DH drives (I've probably already stated this) 350 miles in 5 days commuting to work and home. This doesn't include personal use or trips to Vermont which he will start making every weekend. It's 500 miles round trip and average about 10 times this summer that he will make the journey. We live in VT in the Summer. He commutes. Now, our '92 Legacy has 180k on it. It asks for very little. Once in a blue moon something will wear out and we fix it but it's never left my DH or myself stranded. It also has AWD which in a Subie is, IMHO the best AWD around. We will probably trade it in at around 200k to 250k unless we get a deal we can't pass up. Oh and our Subaru Loyale '90 has over 200k on it and my nephew is driving it. Great car.

    I have my issues with Ford and no matter what folks say, having a reliable Ford is the exception and not the rule. But I also can't stand Honda. Of course I have owned one of each. So go figure! ;o )

    Gotta sleep! Not making sense.

    Leslie

    Zoom-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  • tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    What is miserable about St. Louie? It is the bumper to bumper traffic on weirdly marked freeways and that dangerous turn from I-44 to I-55 right before the river bridge (20mph). Yeah, I drove semis in the early 70s coast to coast Peterbilt 335/jake cummings cab over with a 13 speed Road ranger BCB(before CB radios).Yeah, I have driven Wolf creek and Loveland (before the tunnel) passes(12K ft) in blizzards. I dropped out of life for awhile after 'Nam.
    The MPV is NOT underpowered quite the opposite. You have to be careful with the throttle. The MPV cruise holds 80 across I-44 up or down the rolling hills. It is the most perfect engine/tranny match that I have ever driven... That is the weakness of American cars. They use one tranny for many engines. Results in terrible gas milage and poor pulling power and short engine life... The Ford and Dodge vans are pathetic jokes... The GMs are even worse...
    Maybe you were the dude I rolled into that hairpin turn with. That dude was one hell of a driver. He was good. Our margin of error was in inches. If the MPV suspension had bottomed DW and I would be dead. We were pulling some Gs. I missed the warning sign otherwise I would have backed off. The truckers are God's Childern.. That is the hardest job in the country.. We would starve without them... Isn't I-17 a miserable road? It works a poor trucker to death.. Going down to Phx those long grades you got to keep her at 25 with the Jake and pray the breaks don't smoke when an idiot four wheeler cuts you off...
    Keep the petal to the metal and the dirty side down and God speed...
    Tj
  • tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    Heading east on I-40 we switched drivers at a rest stop. DW took over as driver... After a while I happened to glance at the panel and the OD off light was flashing... I pushed the button on the shifter and no change... I got the book out and read that when the OD light flashes that there is a malfunction in the tranny... Oh God, here we are in the middle of the high wide and lonesome... I happened to notice that there was no square box around the D on the shift indicator... I had DW pull of the freeway. She parked and shut the engine off. Then restarted. She shifted into D and the box appeared and the OD light was off. I pushed the button and the light came on indicating the Od was off this was normal. No flashing. What happened was that DW had started off in 3 instead of D. The car was running ok execpt the engine was taching high.. The smart tranny was saying "Hey dummy I am in the wrong gear for the speed you are going".
    So when the OD OFF light flashes there is 2 possible problems. 1. you are in the wrong gear for the speed you are driving.
    2. The tranny has a serious malfunction....

    This is a neat feature.. You can damage a tranny by driving in the wrong gear....
    Lov our PEEVEE
    Tj
  • sweet_subiesweet_subie Member Posts: 1,394
    speaking of Subaru Legacy, look at the next gen subaru legacy - they will come up with Turbo as well for US market in Spring 2004....check this out....

    http://www.carbc.com/Car-News-370.html?POSTNUKESID=b93ded1d40da3c- - 1f9c29e0eaf0c03dc7

    http://www.subaru.co.jp/index.html

    http://www.apexjapan.com/
  • dave_h2dave_h2 Member Posts: 100
    #5858 of 5879 dave by audia8q Jun 19, 2003 (6:12 pm)

    "You did fine...Let us know how you like it after you get a few miles behind the wheel."

    Will do, Rich.

    “What dealership??? We do alot of swaps with dealers in your area, I'm just curious.”

    Country Mazda in Huntington. So far, I am happy with their approach and attention to my needs.

    #5867 of 5879 Hey y'all by lsinc Jun 20, 2003 (7:29 am)
    “dave H2: Are you in CT? Just curious. I live in CT”

    Yes, I know you live there. How could anyone not at this point? ;-) (just kidding with you)

    I live on Long Island, just across the sound. Where exactly in CT do you live (without being specific, of course.) I visit there a lot. We often take family trips to Mystic, New London, Stonington and Norwich (to see the Navigators). Are you in upper or lower CT?

    “Anyway, CONGRATULATIONS! Welcome to the MPV club! I have to say that at almost 4k miles, I still LOVE my MPV.”

    Thanks for the congrats. I am pleased to be a member of the “MPV users group” ;-)

    I plan on breaking my new PEEVEE in, on a trip to New London on July 11-13th. Perhaps I’ll pass you on the roads.

    Zoom Zoom
  • tbonertboner Member Posts: 402
    I'm Mr Goodwrench for computers M-F and once a month take the after hours pager.

    But I do have a greater respect for what truck drivers go through on the roads after my cross country trip.

    I will agree that some of the traffic here is insane. I cross the Poplar Street Bridge (carries I64-I70-I55 and I44 essentially ends right there) every day, althought I come from I64.

    But I can tell you I've been to worse places. Entrance to the Calahan(sp?) tunnel going to Logan Airport in Boston.

    Fortunately I've always had a rental car, so I was just as brave as the taxi drivers who felt the stop signs were just suggestions ;)

    TB
  • tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    Yeah at the end of the 70s I went to work for Burroughs later Unisys Corp. I was Mr. Good Wrench for Main frame systems; traveled all over the world.

    I want to check out the Mazda pickups and of course take a Mitsy Eclipes for a drive. I think I am going to buy one..... Don't tell DW... Hope their trannys are as good as the MPV tranny....
    Lov our PEEVEE
    Tj
    Hey Isinc are you growing web feet yet????
  • eddie777eddie777 Member Posts: 33
    We've had the blinking "O/D off" light come a couple times also. Pretty mysterious at first then we figured out why. The problem was the shifter wasn't fully on a gear. We shifted to "D" but because it wasn't completely on "D", no box appears around the "D" and the O/D light blinks. As soon as we wiggled the shifter so that it "set" in place, the box appeared and the blinking stopped.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The NHTSA database isn't completely useless. Apparently every complaint is reviewed and this is one resource the NHTSA uses to determine whether a safety issue is rearing its head. If so, then more investigation is done and a recall can ultimately result.

    So while it's not the end-all, it is another tool in your arsenal.

    Steve, Host
  • glideslopesglideslopes Member Posts: 431
    As far as every complaint being reviewed, my understanding is this consists of verification of ownership through the Vin #. Now I could be mistaken, but that hardly seems to be a path toward an end.

    Mark. : )
  • lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    tomj5: I have two words for you; "Quack, Quack" Not only are my feet now webbed but I'm growing feathers. Yikes, it's miserable! I think if we want sun we need to go west.

    dave h2: Did I tell you that I live in CT? ;)

    I have tons of respect for truck drivers. My brother is a long haul trucker. I have never run into problems with them. The only thing I do is get out of their way. 9 times out of 10, it's 4 wheelers that cause problems for 18 wheelers. Time is money, so just move out of the way!

    Gotta go put conditioner in little ones hair.

    Leslie

    Zoom-Zoom! Quack-Quack!
  • lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    dave h2: Did I tell you that I live in CT? ;) Actually, I forgot to answer your question about where in CT I live. We live in a small town north of New Haven. I basically have lived here all of my life. My husband and I did move to northern CT about 16 years ago and lived there for 7 years. Then we moved back here 9 years ago.

    Ok, gotta run!

    Leslie
  • acedriveracedriver Member Posts: 131
    We live in a small town north of New Haven

    Ohh .. Would that small town be Meridian ? (You don't have to answer that one too!) I used to live there for about 6 months before I moved to Milwaukee, WI. The one thing I hate about the MidWest: Flat landscape !! CT was very scenic and beautiful. Love the mountains, maybe we should move further west :-)

    Back to MPV shopping: Hopefully, this week will see the back-to-back test drive of MPV with the competition ...
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    I live in Glastonbury. But spend alot of time down on Long Island sound fishing....keep your eyes peeled for a boat named "Zoom~Zoom"
  • dwsmhadwsmha Member Posts: 35
    Don't feel bad. When my wife and I were test-driving the MPV, the salesman put the parking brake on when he pulled up to us to start the drive. My wife got in the driver's seat, I in the passenger, salesman in the back, and we test-drove it. She forgot to undo the parking brake (didn't notice the light on the panel). After she got out, she said, "Boy, it decelerates fast!" I got in and noticed the light before we went 10 feet. Salesman and I got a good laugh.
  • dave_h2dave_h2 Member Posts: 100
    lsinc - I see. So you're actually "one of us" (bedroom communities of NYC) ;-)_

    Ace - nice to see you were a "tri-stater" as well. Haven't decided on your PeeVee yet? Can't wait to pick up mine.

    audia8q - I hear Glastonbury has a great music festival every year. Oh, wait - that's Glastonbury *England*

    Actually that's what I love about the east coast (and especially CT) - all the towns named after places in the UK.

    Will keep a lookout for your fishing boat.

    As I "zoom zoom" on by.
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    I just found out from my salesman that our MPV arrived at the port facility Saturday. It should only be between 2 and 3 weeks until it arrives at the dealership now. Now the days are really going to start slowing down, which is OK so it'll seem like we have more time to enjoy the summer. I'm also getting the inspection done on our Intrepid (lease turn-in) so I'll know how much the damage is going to be on that. I already know we'll have to pay about $1300 (lease termination fee of $350 plus an overmileage fee of about $900-$1000). I don't know how much they're going to stick us for reconditioning fees because I don't know how picky they are. Do they dock you for every little scratch and door ding? They've got to realize the car is 5 years old and is bound to have some of this stuff just from normal wear and tear. I will be spending the entire day prior to the inspection cleaning and detailing the car so it will look as good as it possibly can. Hopefully, there won't be much of a reconditioning fee. Have any of you turned in a lease vehicle? How picky were they on the inspection?
  • acedriveracedriver Member Posts: 131
    The S-plan base price includes:
    - Holdback (2 to 3% of MSRP)
    - Mazda Elite Program (??)
    - Dealer Commission (What percentage ?)
    - Admin Fee (How much ?)
    - Mazdatown (??)
    - Gas Charge (Is that for the first gas tank ?)

    Could you clarify the above things for me ? If any of these are things are ones which you have sworn never to disclose as a dealer, that's okay then :-)

    Also, since the S-plan base price includes all of the above, is there room for still negotiating the price down from the S-plan price ? Or do the dealers pretty much stick to the S-plan documented price ?

    Thanks, Ace
  • acedriveracedriver Member Posts: 131
    Ace - nice to see you were a "tri-stater" as well. Haven't decided on your PeeVee yet? Can't wait to pick up mine.

    Hey! I am still a "tri-stater" .. of the MidWest, that is :-) I think I have decided to go for a loaded ES (What the heck!) with all the S-plan pricing eligibility, $2K rebate till 07/31 (which I hear will go up to $2500 in August ?)

    My problem ? We don't really need a minivan right away so have not even begun the test drive phase (although, I am already sold out on the MPV). But I need to go through the motions of driving the competition and highlight every single fault and then turn and highlight every nice aspect of the MPV .. just for a "feel-good" factor :-)

    Keeping fingers crossed for July 2003 purchase ...
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    .....about their web site. They have some very useful tools on the site, but I believe two very important bits of info are missing. If you have a Mazda on order and it's been built, the web site will actually list it. If you go into "search inventory", enter the zip code and then all the info to match the vehicle you ordered, the site will list the vehicle by VIN. You then click on "select vehicle" and it will tell you eveything about that vehicle.......everything except for two things, where it's located, and whether or not the vehicle was ordered by a customer. The way they have it listed gives the impression the vehicle is located at the dealership, and it's available to anyone, which isn't always the case. My vehicle was listed on their site shortly after it was built, even though it was still sitting at the factory. I think it would be very helpful info if they would list it as "at factory", or "in transit", or "port", or "dealership". I wonder how many people have used this function, found a vehicle optioned the way they wanted it, only to call the dealer and are told the vehicle hasn't arrive yet, or it was ordered by a customer? The missing info can be a source of frustration, otherwise the site has a lot of very useful tools and info.
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    Does the MPV's 3.0 duratec engine have a timing belt or chain? If it's a belt, how often is it required to be changed? Thanx.
  • glideslopesglideslopes Member Posts: 431
    Timing Chain.
  • lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    Hey dave_H2.....Did I tell you I live in CT? ;) (That's what you get for picking on me!).

    I actually live close to Meriden. I live in a small town named Cheshire after Cheshire England. Yes, New England towns are named for villages/towns in England. When the English settled here, they decided to form a New England. Hence the name. =o ) It's actually pretty funny but I'm a New Englander through and through. My ancestors on my fathers mothers side left England and settled in Mass. and then CT. What's funny is my father came from South Dakota (born and raised) and my mother from New Jersey (born and raised) and here I am in CT. I was born in New Jersey but raised here. Oh I guess I'm getting a bit off the MPV topic............ummmmmmm....Sorry! =o +

    Cheshire is a "bedding town" of NYC or "bedroom community". It's a good 2 hour and 20 minute commute from here to NYC Grand Central Station. My sister-in-law lives in the Upper East Side of Manhatten. We spend alot of time in NYC.

    audia8q: Do you work for the dealership in Hartford? You don't have to tell me the name, I'm just curious. We basically went to every single Mazda dealership in the state. There aren't really that many. We bought ours in Thomaston. I like the name of your boat! ;)

    Anyway, must be off. Zoom-Zoom!

    Leslie
  • sweet_subiesweet_subie Member Posts: 1,394
    so, it does not require changing then ?
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    On a fully loaded MPV ES our total take is apx $400. Which makes the transaction essentially a loser for the dealership....You can certainly offer less on the S-plan but don't be surprised if the dealer quickly loses interest in selling you a vehicle and drops you like a hot tater.
  • acedriveracedriver Member Posts: 131
    It says that the S-plan includes Holdback, Dealer Commission, Admin Fee. That should surely be more than $400 ?? Assuming holdback of 2-3% of MSRP on a $30K sticker price, would come to $600 to $900. Add to that commission and admin fee (I don't know how much that would be). Obviously, the dealer is never going to give all of the above to the buyer, but I just wanted to know.

    Again, the S-plan price is for "partner" firms. Mazda employees get the E-plan pricing whose equation is:
    E-plan price + 5.3% = S-plan price

    So, what happens when a vehicle is sold under the E-plan ?? Does the dealer take a loss ??
  • glideslopesglideslopes Member Posts: 431
    All timing chains eventually require replacement. As to the duration on this engine I'm not in possession of data.

    IMO a chain in a properly maintained engine should be good for at least 150,000 miles, if not longer. The trend in new engine design is to go back to chains from belts. The trade off is slightly increased noise with less scheduled maintence.

    My mother has a 93 Lincoln Town Car with the Ford Triton OHC engine with a chain. She has 175,000 miles on it.

    Mark. : )
  • newcar4newfamnewcar4newfam Member Posts: 20
    Hi All,

    As a fan and previous owner of a Subaru I have been hanging out on the Subaru boards in anticipation of a new car. However, with a new baby, dog, and hopefully more kids in the future, we have recognized that we may have to suck it up and really look at getting a mini-van.

    Have heard really good things about the MPV and the price looks great. However it does appear to be top-heavy and I noticed that it did not score to great in the IIHS roll-over ratings which concerns me a bit.

    I would love to hear some thoughts from current owners on this topic as well as additional positive or negative comments on owning an MPV.

    Looking to purchase in Aug/Sept.

    Thanks
    Barkley
  • tygerleotygerleo Member Posts: 16
    Can anyone post his or her pushcase pricing for the MPV LX or LX-SV? We look for this model and need some ideas where we start bargaining up. We saw in NYC, one dealer posting the pricing for LX with no opition for $17K, but they would not accept cash deal, the max. downpayment is I/3 of the price, and the min. length of the loan is one year. I did a quick calculation if we put down 1/3, and pay interest on the rest of them in on year (if the rate is 10%), it becomes about $18.3K. Anyone get lower that this, please post. Thank you very much.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Ask if there is a prepayment penalty on the loan. That is prohibited in most (all?) states. Then you can use their loan but pay it off in a few days--would cost you a few dollars in interest.
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    My salesman faxed me a copy of the buyer's order today. My total S-Plan price (including the $2K cash back) for an LX with DVD, 4 seasons, rear air, and roof rack is $21,710. Is that a good price?
  • lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    Sounds good to me. I paid $22 and change out the door on the S-plan. I have the GFX, 4 Season, Auto sliders, roof rack and moon roof. The MSRP was just under $28k.

    Leslie
  • lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    My answer to the rollover question is that I can't imagine that the MPV could easily roll. I have hit some pretty tough corners at highway speeds and my MPV doesn't sway or struggle to corner at all. I also don't see how the center of gravity is high?

    Maybe Tomj will have some input. He has taken his MPV to the ends of the earth and back and has some really awesome stories in some previous posts. You may want to try and find them and read them.

    I really like my MPV. Good luck.

    Leslie
  • alexv1nalexv1n Member Posts: 248
    I'd say that the star rating is quite misleading. Even though that some vans have 3 stars and some have 4 doesn't mean that those with 4 stars are MUCH better at staying upright. Most 3-star rated vans are at the top of the rating range while most 4-star rated ones are at the very bottom of the four star range. They are quite close to each other except for Odyssey which is much wider and hence fares better.

    I created this chart long long time ago and posted it on MPVClub site:

    image

    This was done back in 2001 so it doesn't show anything about the new Sienna or Quest but still it shows my point.

    Also none of the vans would roll on an even surface even when skidding sideways, so there is no way you can roll it during cornering. The only way is if, while skidding sideways, the wheels hit a curb or get on really uneaven surface.

    I hope this helps.
  • dwsmhadwsmha Member Posts: 35
    You can do better for that price with those options, but it will take some arm twisting. See post# 4893.
  • newcar4newfamnewcar4newfam Member Posts: 20
    Alex,

    Thanks for the thorough explanation. I was initially surprised to see the rollover rating because a lot of people have said that the MPV handles great. Your rating scale explains it much better. Thanks for the input.

    Barkley
  • alexv1nalexv1n Member Posts: 248
    MPV doesn't have a higher center of gravity, it's just because it is one of the narrower (of not the narrowest) vans on the market.

    And the probablity to roll over doesn't really affect handling in a normal sense. So the MPV is the best handling minivan around, especially 2002+ with retuned suspension.
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