Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
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Just this past Sunday, my hubby and I picked up our used silver 2001 MPV LX. And we LOVE it. We've already put a few hundred miles on it.
I am a research fiend (read; puter geek) and have been researching minivans for what seems like EVER. Started with the ODY, then jumped to the Sedona cause we wanted to buy not lease and still have money to work on our new house. We happily ended up with the 2001 Mazda MPV, thanks mostly to this folder and the MPV folder. (BTW...got it at just under $17K with alarm/luxury pckg, 2 yrs left on warranty and another added by dealer)
Visiting the ODY, Sienna, Sedona problem folders was pretty scary to say the least. And tho' I realize you have to weigh out the info you find there, I was muchly impressed with the topics in the MPV Problem folder (usually fishing or something other than problems).
Anyhow...wanted to give a shout out to all you regulars and thank you for sharing your MPV experiences and making me laugh alot!
Lauren
PS..wish me luck..about to pop with our 2nd baby boy!
/j
Also, Congrats on the 2001 Mazda MPV, but more importantly, congrats on the new boy who is on his way. My wife and I just had our second and so we bought an MPV 'cuz we needed a place to put the little guy! My wife and I wish you a short and trouble-free labor.
One more word for Lauren : Epidural. It works...yes, better living through technology, it's a wonderful thing...
Happy Miles!
RJ
Just this past Sunday, my hubby and I picked up our used silver 2001 MPV LX. And we LOVE it. We've already put a few hundred miles on it.
I am a research fiend (read; puter geek) and have been researching minivans for what seems like EVER. Started with the ODY, then jumped to the Sedona cause we wanted to buy not lease and still have money to work on our new house. We happily ended up with the 2001 Mazda MPV, thanks mostly to this folder and the MPV folder. (BTW...got it at just under $17K with alarm/luxury pckg, 2 yrs left on warranty and another added by dealer)
Visiting the ODY, Sienna, Sedona problem folders was pretty scary to say the least. And tho' I realize you have to weigh out the info you find there, I was muchly impressed with the topics in the MPV Problem folder (usually fishing or something other than problems).
Anyhow...wanted to give a shout out to all you regulars and thank you for sharing your MPV experiences and making me laugh alot!
Lauren
PS..wish me luck..about to pop with our 2nd baby boy!
/javadoc
Congratulations on your new (used) car. Keep us posted how it goes.
MB
By the way this week I am buying bumper step plate. I will follow your installation instruction and if I screw up it will be your fault... -:))))
MB
Yes, at Beach Mazda in Huntington Beach. If you use Costco's new car service, the standard price is $200-$400 above invoice. Invoice to $100 above is not too difficult to get. Below invoice would require some good negotiation skills.
SC
I skim all the messages so it's no biggie to me if there are several MPV boards floating around. But I do think that newcomers/guests scanning the topic list miss some of the discussions and don't get the benefit of Town Hall. Plus there is a lot of '00 info that can be useful to the '02 owners. And "unified" discussions tend to be strong and active, while the narrower ones tend to die off and get sent to the archives.
Either way, remember it's "your" Town Hall. I'm just here to do a bit of light housekeeping now and then, and plug our wonderful features, like, er, The Edmunds Maintenance Guide.
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Pjd58
/j
1. Larger engine (29 votes)
2. All wheel drive (19)
3. Four wheel (ventilated) disc brakes (16)
4. Traction control (15)
5. Power seats (14)
6. Backup obstacle sensing system (11)
7. Power sliding doors (10)
8. Built-in child seat (10)
9. Seat/steering/mirror setting memory (9)
10. Steering-mounted audio controls (9)
You can see the whole list here.
Alex
TB
I kinda like it 8^)
TB
I've been researching tires on Tirerack.com and I believe I found a excellent replacement tire........ Yokohama's Avid touring. It has a 8.8 out of 10 customer satisfaction rating, one of the best scores from consumers on tirerack. Link provided below. Excellent price too! The tire is also available at Discount Tires.
"http://www.tirerack.com/tires/yokohama/yo_avidtouring" target=_blank>http://www.tirerack.com/tires/yokohama/yo_avidtouring
Pjd58
Pjd58
I have nothing against neither Yokohama tires nor Tirerack. I have bought Continentals before from Tirerack and they were fine tires. I am just stating the fact.
MB
bean3422, 225/50-17 is almost 5% smaller than stock 17" tire so you will go that much faster (additional gear?
I hope it helps.
SC
Pjd58
MEC
The AVS dbs are really quiet and ride softly, yet seem to handle really well. Wet traction is better than on the MPVs Dunlops, but the Yoko's have 'aqua' type grooves. They're $93/each in 215/60-16, $103 for 225/55-16, but won't work for a 17" application (only come in 45 & 40 series). My 2cents as one alternative, for 16" owners. The 'Lop SP5Ks are super as well.
But, are you looking to replace now or later? Later will give you more choices as more tire makers get up to speed w/these new larger sizes, imo.
/java
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1091362106
1) where to get constant power?
2) where to get switched power?
3) where to tap into (in radio) for the MUTE feature (I have the 6 disc changer unit)
Also, how do I take the center dash assembly out on my 2002 MPV ES?
Finally, has anyone had success with mounting locations that they'd like to share? I'm thinking at about 8 o'clock from the temp dial.
Thanks.
Adam
Assuming you are just trying to get an idea of what lies ahead, I'll chime in with a few thoughts.
The radio harness carries both constant and switched power. Use a test light(LED) or a volt meter to find your wires.
To find the mute control (assuming there is one) you'll need the shop manual or ask an extremely knowledgeable radio installer.
The center dash assembly: Do you mean the black bezel or the lower part of the dash? The bezel is just a few screws and highly intuitive. I have never removed the lower part.
Good Luck on the install.
I must say that I researched for over 8 months and considered Ody, Sienna, Quest, and MPV from every possible angle. I think I read all the post found in this site! (I'm a real geek now). And, I'm glad I did.
I have put over 20K since I bought my 2001 MPV LX last summer. I am thoroughly thrilled at it. It handles so well as compared to my friends Sienna. The power is more than adequate (don't know what all the complain is about?) for a minivan! The ergonomics are great and well thought! (I love the folding 3rd row! Can't live without it!) The price is excellent! (got 1.9% APR and $1500 below invoice). Nothing has gone wrong so far (and I don't anticipate it will for a while). My wife loves driving it. My 2 kids love the rolling window! I cannot say enough about the MPV! This van is the hidden pearl of the oyster shell. Only diligent hunters will be able to spot it.
Of course, if you want to be picky and difficult there are few minor issues that can be overlooked. But they are so small compared to the overall picture. I would highly recommend to anyone at anytime. Thanks again for all your help and keep it up!
Louie
1) Rear seat both foldable into the well, and removable. I know you can unscrew some bolts to take it out, but it would be nice to be able to remove it without breaking out the toolbox. For those times when the extra cargo capacity would be helpful and you know you won't have extra passengers.
2) A full sized spare. I hope I never have to figure out what to do with the flat tire if the van is already full of passengers and luggage.
3) Improved crashworthiness. Better protection in frontal crash. Current frontal protection is not bad, but it could be better. Side air curtains vs. just the side air bags. Beefier bumpers not so costly to repair in minor collision. Rear center lap and shoulder belt.
4) Extended cruising range either by engineering in better MPG (preferred) or making fuel tank larger (more likely).
5) Extended length van. More cargo area, plus would (presumably) provide better crash protection for third row seats in a rear end collision. When we are sitting in third row, we do feel a definite sense of vulnerability.
6) Front defroster to help melt snow/ice off wiper blades. Though come to think of it, we pretty much kept the van out of the bad weather this winter--maybe they did take care of that and we just don't know it.
7) Be able to latch sliding doors in open position. Sometimes they get bumped and start closing on their own. Potential problem if someone (particularly the small fry) are in the vicinity of the doorway when that happens.
8) Be able to have interior lights stay on when doors open, and then go off when doors close. Is frustrating to have lights suddenly go out when loading/unloading in dark.
9) Be able to control rear air/heat temp and vent settings from dashboard. Or I need to develop a longer reach!
10) Audio jacks for middle/rear passengers. Play something up front through speakers for the adults, and something else for the kids in the back.
danandkat
1. Keep the red as a color option! I love mine.
2. I would like to be able to control more than just the fan on the rear air/heat from the driver's seat. It is great to have the controls back there but I want them in the front too.
3. Shoulder/lap belt combo on the back middle seat.
4. Tether anchor locations for every seat.
5. Automatic vacumm option.
1. The ability to Side-by-slide both left and right middle seats, so I can put my car seat on any side and still be able to slide them to center.
2. Make the 3rd row a 60-40 split folding magic seats.
3. Make the 1st 2 row seats sligthly narrower (about an inch less) to improve access to the rear. (And no, pls. don't make the van bigger or wider to do this).
4. Power rear quarter windows.
5. More sound proofing.
6. A Hybrid-electric engine that'll cut gas consumption by at least half.
Y'all have great ideas! Danandkat, The interior lights go off after like 5mins, but I think it's just to save battery life. I share your frustration though, because sometimes your trying to clean and the light goes out, and you have to close and open doors to reset it. Maybe there could be an over-ride that resets to the std. program everytime you start the car so that you can choose to have the light stay on sometimes?
Otish, Automatic vacumm option, I'd take that one in a heartbeat! Package it w/self-cleaning exterior (a true 4Seasons package) and the van will fly out of the showrooms.
Open the Driver and Front Pax window, the back window, the cruise at about 80. It will suck everything right out of the van.
HTH
TB
Duh...
Now I'm trying to figure out who else I told and thought Mazda is giving out soccer awards...
/j
What lights are we talking about? Is it the dome light? I believe if you set it to ON instead of DOOR it will be ON until your battery is dead. However this is true of courtesy lights on doors as well as rear hatch light. It will go out in 5 mins or so automatically. I say, just add ON/OFF/DOOR option to it as for dome light and it will be OK. What do you think?
I'm sure some thought I bought a domain to proclaim my love for the Mazda. At least until they read a bit more closely.
TB
/j
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um--
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Oh,yeah. A usable ashtray.
RJ
[and don't start on me, pro-lungers!]