Mazda MPV

once_for_all

The MPV choice was easy for me... I too liked the Honda and Toyota. I test drove the Toyota, it handled like a boat and was unimpressive. The Honda was great, I really liked it (took me back to my two wheeler days when the Hondas liked to run at 5000+ rpm)but the dealers didn't want to deal, in fact they could have cared less for my business. The Mazda at the time (2001) I didn't care for, but the '02 solved my concerns. I like it as well as the Honda, and with all the options on an LX, it is a far better deal than the Honda.

In retrospect, I see how many tranny, check engine lights, and overall finish problems that folks are having on the Honda. The Mazda has been perfect, and I am pleasantly surprised that the mpg is coming it at 23+.

bottgers

What engine does yours have, and does the rear seat fold into the floor on yours?

moty

Engine:

We have a 2002 LX with a 3.0L 200HP engine and the five speed transmission, and it is very smooth and responsive. The Ody does have more power, however.

Room:

All post-2000 MPV's have a "magic" fold in the floor rear seat, and sliding and removal 2nd rows.

What do you need the room for? If you will frequently need to haul a lot of cargo while seating more than 4 people, or if you will frequently be transporting more than 4 adults, then the Odyssey will most likely suit your needs better.

If you will be hauling children around, then the difference shouldn't matter as much.

The MPV has a lot of room compared to a car or an SUV, but not as much as the ODY. It is comparable to the Sienna, however.

I my estimation the front seats in the MPV offer more room, especially the front passenger seat, because the ODY has a very deep glove box which prevents the passengers with long legs from stretching out. The 2nd row of the Odyssey has more room than the MPV, but the MPV is still respectable. The 3rd row of the MPV is similar to that in the rear of a compact car, while the third row in the ODY is spacious by comparison.

The MPV has slightly better handling, and much easier to park and garage.

You will probably really need to drive both, and see how they suit your needs.

Reliability:

Consumer Reports ranks Sienna 1st, MPV 2nd, and Ody third. Recently there has been an issue with the transmission on the Odyssey, but Honda extended the warranty to cover this.

once_for_all

My LX is the 2002, it is the same as you would see on the Mazda showroom as far as engine, tranny, magic seat etc. I think the '03 might have different option packages and some things are standard now. I haven't been following the details. If you get the Mazda, I recommend that you get rear air and 4 seasons.... all other stuff I consider as options but these are critical to passenger comfort in the back. The '03 might have them as standard.

alp5

audia sorry but 2 weeks ago i got lx at 2000 off. huntington long island.

alp5

both rear ac and 4 seasons are options on 2003

alp5

beach thanks for the thorough spoiler page. jwm here on long island labor is 85 per hour and they did say 1 hour for work to install. now i am wondering how the spoiler will look with ski rack or canoe rack. might get lost visually with all that on top. thank you both fine gents.

tccmn1

Ok, I'm sorry I came on too strong. It was just a figure of speech. I talked to my beloved dealer and he stated as you stated that the rebate stands at $1500. I thought that someone earlier on this thread sited a Nov.23rd announcement about $2K rebates on 03's. I spoke with forked tongue:)

Also found out that my ordered MPV won't be in for another 8-10 weeks. Seems orders go into Mazda/Japan on the 15th of each month. I ordered mine on Oct.20th and just missed that month's ordering. Oh well, it will miss a chunk of our messy winters in MN.

audia8q

alp... just because you got $2000 off does not mean its a mazda consumer rebate. L.I is the same zone as me, the 03 has never had a $2K consumer rebate.

tcc...You will get whatever incentive that is offered when you take delivery. I'm sure it will be pretty good. Maybe even better than today, you never know.

once_for_all

I ordered an MPV in February of this year expecting about 8 weeks (dealer's idea). He calls me after 7 weeks and says forget it, Mazda can't deliver what I want. Just a word of caution, dealerships across USA have had trouble with a capital T getting MPVs on order.

once_for_all

Are you too busy ice fishing out the cool 2nd row MPV windows (content) to let us know how your java ding project came out?

alp5

look at the bright side, this vehicle is an excellent value at 1500 rebate 2000 rebate or even at no rebate. so i will not cause any further friction in this forum. the mpv is a well designed vehicle that i love to drive. (plus i dont want anyone to tell me to confer with my congressman regarding rebates on mpvs)....lol...joke....ok

alp5

does the 225 hit any spots in the wheel well? did you consider 225 60 16? i think u went with 225 55 16? i would lean towards 225 60 16. i would like to know your consideration towards decision...besides warranty voight issue.....

alp5

here in long island to tell you the truth the horn has to be used at times. last summer i put dual air horns on my motorcycle. when i use it now, cars stop from rolling in front of me. i was thinking of maybe a dual tone horn, a little more substance than the mpv stock horn but not air horns. something more manly. guys not that i like to hoot hoot, but if used let it be decisive. thanks....

tccmn1

My sales person apologized profusely to me today on the phone for the unexpected delay. He stated that there are many MPV's piling up in the ports now - good supplies coming in...but none that have the features I wanted. Not sure what caused the 'pile up' maybe residual of that shore men strike a while back. Anyway, he said he would try to make up for the delay to me in some way...we'll see. Right now looking at February. He did see it on some build schedule/order confirmation from Mazda.

Thanks, TCC

tboner

For a few reasons. First, the factory size I replaced was 215/60-16, so I felt 225/55-16 was a better match. BTW, according to my odometer on the last trip, the tires are just about spot on perfect, assuming that KY has it's mile markers accurately laid out. I think I may have lost 0.1 mile over a 30 mile stretch when I decided to watch. But then since it is a digital odometer, I don't know for sure. (My odometer went about 29.9 miles for 30 miles worth of mile markers.)

So basically, not much error.

Also, the tire I am using, the Dunlop SP5000 comes with a symetrical tread pattern in a 60 series tire. The asymetical pattern comes in 55 and lower series tires.

Finally, that is the same size I'm using on the Buick, so if they didn't work out on the minivan, I could have them mounted on the Buick.

I've had them on over a year, about 14K miles total, and no problems with rubbing.

They are getting close to half gone. So this will be the last winter for them. Next fall, the van will get some new shoes.

I got about 30K on a set of the SP5000's on the Buick, and will probably get ~25K on this set.

I'll probably try to find something with a slightly longer tirewear, but I don't really want rocks that go 80K miles.

Probably something like the Dunlop A2

TB

bottgers

.....the more impressed I am with the MPV. Because the van itself is smaller than other minivans, Mazda really had to do their homework designing the interior to make the most of the space they had. I think they did an excellent job. I think they've made better use of the interior space than any of the other vans I've looked at so far.

Compared to the Odyssey, the MPV drove more like a car, though I did prefer the low end torque of the Odyssey's 3.5. Its smaller size makes it a joy to bop around town in, and it's really noticable in parking lots! The Odyssey felt a bit like I was pulling in with an 18 wheeler!

I liked the extra room in the Odyssey, but with just my wife and 2 daughters being the main passengers, I don't think space will be a problem even in the MPV. And I certainly can't justify paying the extra 3-5 grand for the Honda. It's nice, but it ain't that nice.

It doesn't take much looking to realize the MPV is a well thought out, carefully designed vehicle in every aspect. Under the hood, the dash (except for the shift lever), the entire interior, the exterior, every part of this vehicle was well planned and exicuted.

A couple of questions concerning the $1500 cash back. How long is this incentive going on, and can it be applied to a lease?

pierac

Thanks for the info. I just printed it so I can take it to my dealer for a fix. Thanks again. Paul

backy

Just curious if you've looked at the Caravan SXT, which is about the same size, equipment, and price as the MPV, and if so what you thought of it.

bottgers

No I haven't, but I plan to. However, I will look with reservation. I currently own an Intrepid, and I'm not too crazy about DC's products. I haven't had much trouble with this car, but the bottom fell out of this thing in terms of resale value just in the first year, and it still hasn't been able to catch up. It's value dropped almost 10K just the first year. That's totally ridiculous! Right now, it's only worth 8100, or less. Now I've got to figure out how get out of the lease on this thing without having to sell my house to do it......that's another story. If the Caravans drop in value like the rest of their vehicles, I'll probably stay away from them.

audia8q

If you lease through Mazda the 1500 dealer incentive does not apply. Mazda credit buys down the lease factor a bit in lieu of the incentive.

With the 0% for 48 months to own the van, leasing may not make so much sense. do your homework here.

bottgers

......will be the down payment. Will they finance 100%. Probably not. The payment amount might be a problem too.

billmckinley

When I bought my 01 LX, the only thing I put down was the sales tax. I financed the whole cost of the car, and they didn't blink an eye.

Do it-- you know you want to.

RJ

bottgers

.....my biggest problem is getting rid of the car I have now. It's a '98 Intrepid on a lease. My lease is almost up, but the problem is it's a stinkin' DC and they depreciate as much or more than any other vehicles. I don't know why Chryslers are so pi$$ poor when it comes to resale value. My only option is to keep this car until the payoff and resale value level out. I'm not PAYING to get rid of the Intrepid.

daddioof4

A FYI posting. I posted awhile back about the accelerator sticking on first drive of the morning (when accelerator pressed it didn't accelerate then it surges). Well, finally took it in before my 50K warranty expired and here is what they found. "Throttle Plate Carboned Up; Ck accelerator sticking felt gas pedal sticking ck pedal OK cable OK removed air cleaner assy cleaned throttle plate re-check operation OK." What a difference!!! It improved significant and covered under warranty. I actually had 50235 miles on the odometer. So if you are experiencing this sticky go pedal, take it in before you hit the 50k mark.

big_guy

If your lease is the same as mine for a 2000 Dodge Caravan Sport, all you need to do is turn the car in at the end of the lease and be done with it. Unless you have gone over on the miles that were determined at the beginning of the lease or there is unusual wear and tear or damage to the Intrepid, it should be just a matter of bringing it back to a Dodge dealer and walking away. That is what we did for our lease on the Caravan. We were under on the mileage by a couple thousand miles and had no body damage or excessive wear. We had the pre-return inspection and everything was fine. They filled out a form for the return and said, "Bring a copy of this when you turn it in and your done."

The Caravan we had was leased to a depreciation of around $14,000 and it is actually worth around $11,500 or so . . . but that is not my problem. DC wrote up the contract for that residual at the end of the term and they have to eat the difference . . . not me. If the vehicle was worth more than $14k we would have tried to sell it ourselves and pocket the difference between the selling price and what we would have owed to buy the vehicle at end of lease. As it is, we just need to turn it in and walk away.

once_for_all

Did you get an extended warranty? I heard the '03 were 4/50k but the rest of us are still 3/36?

alexv1n

Is it really 3/36 in the US? Because in Canada it's been 3/50. I'm not sure if the new warranty (4/50) is available in Canada, but my 00 LX with almost 45K miles is still under warranty. Plus in Canada we have 5/100,000 km powertrain warranty (if I'm not mistaken).

scanner

Daddioof4,

Throttle body build-up is a common problem for many vehicles. I consider its cleaning to be a part of routine maintenance. But it's nice to know that Mazda covered it under warranty, as I've been paying $13.22 to have it done every 3years/30K miles (whichever comes first).

bottgers

The problem with our Intrepid is this; It already has over the allowed mileage. We were allowed 60K at turn in. It now has 62K, and I'm predicting it'll have around 68-70K at turn in time. At $.15 per mile, that's up to $1500 we'll owe just for an overage on miles. Also it's not in perfect condition, nothing major, but still we'd probably get marked off for a few things. The only thing that would save us is if they determined it's actual value to be a lot less than the residule value of $7700. Who determines what it's worth, and what do they use to determine this? If they said the actual value of this car is something like $5500, then we could walk away scott free!

tboner

I've been sorta following this in Smart Shoppers as well.

The thing that might save you is if you can convince Chrysler financial to sell it to you for even less than your residual.

With the used car market the way it is, they really don't want your car either. So if you can get them to buy off at a figure closer to what they would get by sending it to an auction, you can take some or maybe even all of the sting out of your situation.

Your dealer probably won't help here, but the people who are going to get stuck with your car will probably wheel and deal a bit.

It costs them money just to take it to the auction. If you can offer them that money to make the car go away and it costs you less than the $1K-1.5K then everyone wins.

So yeah, if you can find someone to buy it at $6K-$7K in a private party deal and talk Chrysler finance down to a similar figure, then you may be able to take some of the sting out of the deal.

Perhaps if you bring them a buyer, then the new owner will pay the sales tax and not you.

However, that last part is really wishful thinking, but you never know until you ask.

TB

backy

tboner has good advice. I have done this successfully. Shortly before the lease was up, I called the leasing company and made them an offer that was based on the actual current value of the car vs. the residual value in the contract. Then I bought the car from the leasing company at the new price and sold it privately for a little more than I paid.

javadoc

No, despite the rumors, I am neither being held hostage by Starbucks employees, nor did I die of caffeine poisoning, nor was I kidnapped by angy coffee bean farmers. I have been busy w/my new job (YAY!!), so sorry I didn't respond previously.

The Hakkas 'rule,' imho. Now that we have snow, it's amazing how much better they are than (ahem) other brands. The MPV seems to be well balanced, and already handles well though.

/j

bottgers

Who determines the actual value of the vehicle?

backy

In my experience the "actual value" is determined through negotiation between the lessee and the lessor. When I have negotiated the payoff amount, I have used quotes from kbb.com and edmunds.com (using the lowest of these of course!) to help make my case that the true value of the vehicle is much less than the residual value in the contract. I've also quoted current for-sale prices in my local newspaper. The leasing company knows if the actual value is less than the residual value. If that is the case, I think they would rather make a sure sale to the lessee, at little administrative cost to them, rather than going through the process of reacquiring and auctioning the car, taking their chances on the auction price.

bob57

There you are! I've been sleuthing here wondering if the land opened up and swallowed you during the last quake.

Snow? It was 71 here yesterday and today - soccer games all over the place.

Er...ah ..content....So, ah..."Red" if fine. Turned 36K today - no complaints.

(Hey, I'm scrambling here)

javadoc

Hi Bob... I've, uhhhh, been busy completing a write-up on fixing paint chips on the MPV (content...). Actually, not much time to post b/w learning my new job, and rebooting the pos MAC (PowerPC... what a joke!) that I have to use at work. Maybe my boss will get a clue... I keep a Dell flyer on the top of my IN box at all times.

evaddave

I'm sure there's a better forum for this rant, but what's going on with TownHall? The posts are in a tiny font and the page is now a fixed width with big gray bars on each side. Was any usability testing done? The new color scheme looks good and the page navigation is cool, but everything is so tiny...

On a more positive note, the MPV has been great for picking up Christmas goodies. Lots of room inside. Too much, maybe.

-Dave

evaddave

That was weird. I posted my above rant, and the site magically turned back to the way it was. Freaky.

stever

You got picked to peek at the beta :-)

Sylvia "Ask the Town Hall Hosts" Dec 4, 2002 12:59pm

Steve, Host

backy

This same thing happened to me several days ago. It went to what I assume was the beta style for awhile, then my next time in (the same night) reverted to the old style. If this was in fact a beta test, my input is... the beta format SUCKS! The font is much too small to be legible, and that was on 1024 x 768 resolution on a crisp digital screen.

stever

Most browsers let you change the font size, and that works on our beta - I usually read Town Hall at the "large" setting using Internet Explorer. Some sites use fixed fonts, but that hasn't been an issue with the beta.

Remember, change is good; otherwise you'd have to drive MPV's with rear doors instead of sliders and no magic seats :-)

Steve, Host

backy

But maybe you folks could ask us, or at least warn us, before making us beta testers? (If I didn't do that in my job, I'd be shot.) BTW, I just slipped into beta-test mode momentarily and tried resizing the font. That takes care of the font size issue, but now all the text for posts has a grey background. Black text on the grey background is harder to read than black on white. You don't see too many gauges that are black numbers on a grey background, right? ;-)

stever

Maybe this message will help explain a bit more:

Sylvia "Ask the Town Hall Hosts" Dec 4, 2002 12:59pm

In any event, Merry Christmas!

Steve, Host

libertycat

Also vote for the Dodge Ram-pickup, Volvo V70-luxury car under $40,000, Jeep Liberty-small SUV, and Isuzu Axiom-mid-size SUV (look at a picture and consider the fact it has a lot of room, satisfactory gas mileage, and a luxurious interior and you'll want to vote for it.

robh19

We are experiencing some frequent issues with the power side doors not closing. The van is a 2003 MPV ES.

Problem: About every other day, seemingly at random, when we go to close the right power side door (push the button either on the dash or at the door) it will close, act as if it's settling into the door sill, beep, and the reopen on its own. I've cleaned the steel/copper contacts between the door and the sill regularly and this continues to happen. The problem continues for between 4 tries and 15 minutes each time, adding to a high level of frustration.

Today, for the first time, it happened with the left side door.

Possible solution: We have no idea. I've taken the van to the dealer and they cannot replicate the problem. They claim they have never seen this happen and don't know what to suggest.

Question: Has this happened to anyone else???? Is anyone aware if this is a known-issue or if there is any possible fixes??

Help/direction would be appreciated. Thanks!

evaddave

I know that you can change the font size, but then if I bump up the font for Edmunds, then I have to go back and reduce it again for all the other sites I visit.

Yes, change is good. But just because something changed doesn't mean it's good.

In fact, if asked for my feedback as a beta tester, I'd say make the font the regular size, and remove the fixed-width page. Everything else is good.

Merry Christmas all!
-Dave

scanner

Steve,

I would agree on the font size issue, but more importantly, the search feature actually worked!!

mwright1949

Its just about time to change spark plugs on my 2000 MPV. I can see the
tops of the wires, but it looks like the intake manifold will have to come
off to get the wires off and plugs in and out. Any advice will be greatly
appreciated.
Also has anyone found a good shop manual for the 2000 MPV?

nwang

Being seriously thinking about buying a LX, but have one questions:

Does anyone know if the nicer 9-speaker system is available on LX?

Mazda's official site says it's only available on ES. However, Edmunds listed it under "All-sport Package" as one option. I couldn't find a single LX with this option in my local dealer's lot (among ~15 LX's). My local dealer was not able to find this option in his book either. Can someone please help me on this?

Many thanks.