Mazda MPV Owners: Meet the Members

maltb

Depends if you choose to insure yourself or not. Extended warranties can be good when they actually cover what is wrong, but typically there are a 1,000 exclusions to those policies. Also, most warranties come with your choice of deductible and coverage level so it's hard to assign a price but I wouldn't pay more than 500-600 for your typical policy.

toby_lai

So can I get one after I bought/picked up the car, or from a different dealer so I can get the best price? I mainly want to get extended warranty to cover the engine and transmission, as I think those cost the most to repair if they fail down the road. Thanks again.

alphadaddyo

warrantybynet.com gives you fair quotes. I think is about $1000 to extend the 3/50 warranty to 7/100. You can pay less to get less yrs or mileage. If you use warrantybynet, make sure to ask for a $35 discount. I received a sample quote awhile back and they kept following up and lowering the price by 25 and then 35.

javadoc

Hi toby_lai! Welcome to the MPV owner's club. It's great to have you here, you'll find lots of helpful folks all the time.

On the warranty discussion (if I may cut in) I might add that although the engine and transmission are expensive pieces that could fail (probably not tho), as maltb pointed out, you'd have to read every line of a warranty agreement to see what isn't covered. For instance, one warranty I read a few months back was advertised as "bumper-to-bumper," but excluded labor for certain "covered items." These items were "any internally lubricated part," among other things such as "belts, lubricants, gaskets..." So, although they covered the engine block, pistons, etc...you paid the labor and a ton of other essential parts. Labor on an engine or tranny r&r could run you $1000 right there. So, basically, read all of the fine print...there are some good programs and some bad programs.

I was just reflecting the other day...we've had our van for two years (next month) and 17k miles, and haven't had the van in for an unscheduled service yet. We've had a couple of things that needed looked at, but they always could wait till the next LOF. I'd expect some good reliability from your MPV.

Happy motoring!

--javadoc

pjd58

purchasing a aftermarket warranty, but decided not to.
The companies selling aftermarket warranties are in business to make money, not lose their shirt. There are way too many items excluded on most warranties. If your not prepared to read the fine print, you may be sorely disappointed when you make a claim. Some Mazda dealer's won't accept payment from warranty companies, even if they use a credit card for payment.

We intend to keep our MPV for 6+ years and will roll the dice without an extended warranty. In the long run, self-insuring your MPV will probably cost you less. If you can't sleep at night without a warranty, by all means purchase one. Aftermarket warranties don't help the resale of your car all that much either.

I don't skimp on other areas of insurance.....life , home, auto, umbrella.

IMO, you could invest $800 over the life of your MPV and do better.

javadoc

Why should I insure my umbrella? Do you know something I don't?

pjd58

Maybe if I lived in Seattle.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

toby_lai

Actually I won't consider those 3rd party aftermarket extended warranties, if I'm going to get one, I'll go back to Mazda and ask them about it...

billmckinley

You're shameless.

;>

RJ

scotsman2

I've just moved to Toronto and am planning to buy a used MPV. I was hoping to get some advice about what to look for in a '96 or '97 MPV. Were these "good years" or should I go for more vintage? Are they reliable or should I take an extended warranty? etc

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks!

tboner1965

I wonder if I can use all of the automotive press about how slow the MPV is to get out of the speeding ticket I got last weekend, in the MPV?

TB

pastorgumby

Hi folks, just wanted to ask... do you feel a spiritual connection, whenever you see another MPV on the road? I always point out another MPV to my wife... who simply rolls her eyes in goofy disbelief.

I'm tempted to hand a business card to them with this web site... to join the party! Zoom zoom...

su_a_ve

On our first ride (other than the way back from the dealer) with the whole family, we were driving down and started to noticed all the MPVs out there. It was a little bit of an issue before, because we couldn't see any !!! Now it seems they are all over the place...

Anyway, driving down on I-95, another MPV passes us (I do the speed limit) a couple of MPH faster than us. The passanger looks at us with a smile, I look back with a smile, and then we are waiving to each other - After they passed us I see the temp plates - another brand new one enjoying it...

We still point out other MPVs out there to each other - but now we are looking at colors... We still have to see a red one out there. We were hoping to get a red initially but we could not find one at all. We settled on white (our second choice).

su_a_ve

I called Customer service and asked about a rumor I had heard that Mazda was in the works of making available the zoom zoom song somehow... And they said that they were working on it and would be available via the parts dept.

Has anyone else find it out there (ie Napster, etc. ?) All I find is the original version of the song, which is not the same. Or the 30 seconds clip from the Tribute add (addcritic.com) which includes the blurb about the Tribute...

toby_lai

I don't know about other regions in the country, but here in the northeast (NY & NJ metro area), I can use my two hands to count the number of times I've seen MPVs on the road for the past month... on the other hand I've seen plenty of the newer Nissans (the Quest was one of the other model we've considered) cruising around. I guess it's still one of the best kept secrets...

javadoc

I can't say I see too many here either (AK) except that we have 3 on our street now (and two Mk I MPVs also). I have been seeing a couple of dk blue MPVs (TBoner, I envy your color choice) when I go to work in the morning, and a very nice red ES with GFX must reside w/in a couple of streets of my house, because I see that one ever other day. I'd say there's too many lemmings buying AWD-DC vans here (sorry Drew!).

--java

blacklx

I see very few in Oregon, I did see a sand mica one today. That probably would have been my top color choice. We've had ours 5 months and have taken a few shorter trips but I still wouldn't run out of digits counting the ones I see. The dealerships don't have many either. So there are either not being shipped here or people are just not buying them. (I sure see a lot of Odys now though.)

billmckinley

We have a silver one in our neighborhood [the owners have never been out when I've driven by, so I've never had a chance to compare notes]; I see a green one on the way to work [by taking a half-mile detour to go past his house]. And I parked next to another Sand Mica at the shopping center once. I tried to engage the middle-aged lady owner in polite chitchat--she threatened to call a cop on me. I must have been wearing my mad molester leer, I guess. Oh well.

Beyond that, zipzilchnada. I'm feeling very lonely. Or very smart--it amounts to the same thing sometimes.

RJ

javadoc

...dragged (kicking and screaming) garage-saling last weekend with Mrs. Javadoc. So, we ended up at the house of an engaged female co-worker of mine who was selling things prior to their celebrated nuptuals. Her fiance came over to me as we are leaving, needs to "scope out the van," he says. We spent about 1/2hour w/him oooo-ing and ahhhh-ing all the features of the MPV, all the while his fiance telling him, "I'm not giving up my Jeep." Of course I teased that they'd be needing a minivan soon. This was helped by her mother who was right there saying she needed grandkids (thx mom). So, today, her fiance calls me up to ask me if I'll go to the dealership to "kick tires." I think he's planning a special wedding present (the van...).

Of course, I'm not so sure about his wisdom since he tested the doors to see if they'd stop themselves from closing on his hand. D-UH! I hope he was thinking that they were power doors, lol.

--java

maltb

Just thinking about a Mini-van as wedding present was stupid enough, but trying to close your hand in the door kinda tops it off.

He's not a real ladies man is he?

garyjwms

Yes, I would say that there does seem to be a bonding of MPV owners. I was at the supermarket on Saturday, and came out to see another MPV parked right next to mine. It had diplomat plates on it, and the owners just happened to walk out of the market right behind me. They were from Japan, and the husband worked at the Japanese Consulate here in Los Angeles. We had a nice conversation, and related, among other things, how much we liked our MPVs.

Not only have I seen more MPVs on the road, but I am noticing that many of them are very recent purchases. People are catching on, it seems.

j2kbarlow

I see MPV's regularly here in Raleigh, NC. I also saw quite a few when we drove to Georgia last week.

Don't know why's there's so much fuss about power. It was perfectly adequate (even when we had it loaded with seven). We seemed to average about 21 MPG with mostly 70+ MPH driving on the interstates. Pretty good I'd say!

rutger3

I live in NJ and have not seen many MPV's. Probably about 6 the last few weeks. People seem to love the Toyota here,plus the Caravan. I understand the Toyota,but the Dodge puzzles me,unless Chrysler finally has their act together on reliablilty. My only concern is long term as far as resale value is concerned. Now,I just got back from Yosemite national park in California and we saw quite a few MPV's there,maybe 15 in one week. Perhaps the car rental companies are using them,I'm not sure. Also,for some reason I've noticed that Asian Americans seem to like them. Again,with the exception of Depreciation,the MPV is a good van.

toby_lai

Asian Americans like them because of their nimble size and handling. First of all, sizes (height and weight) of average Asian Americans are not as big as say, Americans, so they don't have as big a problem with the smaller size of the MPV. Second, the countries where they're from, streets are usually narrow and packed of buildings and people everywhere, so they're more used to/more inclined to like smaller cars with nimble size and handling. Besides, although the name of Mazda is not very popular in North America compare to Honda and Toyota, for example, it's definitely more well-known and well-liked in Asian countries, mainly because of Mazda's heritage of their smaller cars such as 121's, 323/Protege's, and their sedans like 626's, 929's there.

javadoc

You are correct, some rental companies (Hertz for one) are using MPVs in their fleets.

--java

rutger3

I just do not understand how Ford comes up with the same MPG ratings on two engines with such a major difference in power and engine size. I understand the difference in weight,but how does anyone explain how a 2001 Bullitt Mustang special edition with a 4.6 liter 265 hp engine acheive 17/25, when compared to the 2001 MPV 2.5 liter with 155 hp at 18/23? This is almost unbelievable.I mean the MPV is not a Hummer,and the Mustang is not exactly a lightweight at 3273 lbs. Did George W. design the MPV engine,and Ralph Nader the Mustangs?

javadoc

One answer to your question is that mpg for a given vehicle are related to the frontal area, coefficent of drag (.cd), ground clearance (and related drag), wt, internal efficency of the engines, efficiency of the transmission (manuals generally net better mpg, hence they're more efficient). You're basically comparing apples to oranges with these two engine/vehicle combos, but I can understand your query.

Another angle is that manufacturers try to keep out of that "gas-guzzler" sector, so they use a taller gear for the top gear, netting better hwy mpgs.

There are other reasons...but I'll cut myself off for now.

cheers!

--java

tboner1965

I may have posted this here before, but there is one more thing.

The EPA doesn't even measure the fuel a vehicle uses. Instead, they have some formula where they plug in the emissions produced by the vehicle, the weight, and perhaps the frontal area and compute the expected mileage estimate.

They run the vehicle on a dyno, but they don't measure the volume of fuel used, but the hydrocarbons that come out.

Of course, YMMV 8^)

TB

rutger3

javadoc; valid points all,the one which probably explains the major difference here is internal engine efficiency whereby the engine in the mustang is much more eficient than the 'old' ford duratec design. This would also explain how the Honda ody with a 3.5 210 hp engine can get the same or better mileage than the MPV. I knew this going in,but it is disappointing that Ford/Mazda couldn't have 'tweaked' the engine to give more hp and/or better fuel efficiency than the 2000 model. I will wager that when the new larger 200hp engine comes out in December for the MPV it will be more fuel efficient than the current 2.5 liter,155 hp. Since we have owned our MPV for about 5 weeks,this has been the only real negative,the engine power. It is okay for cruising,and around town, but up steep hills it struggles, and if you have the air on and uphill then watch out.

javadoc

tboner: Thank you for that addition w/ the EPA rating system. I was mulling over how to explain the EPA rating estimates.

**Warning: Technical garbage to follow... :-)

Rutger, first, the '01 MPV is rated at 160hp if I'm not mistaken...but I'll sit corrected if that's not right. Next, one of the (many) ways Honda gets those mpg numbers is that they (have done this forever) use very conservative cam profiles in their engines, and rely on revolutions to bring about horsepower figures (cams are the steel rods w/lumps on them that open/close the valves on the motor to let in/expel the air/fuel mixture. More "cam"=more valve opening=more a/f burned=less mpg, basically). It's been a long-standing joke that Honda uses broom-handles for camshafts because they are so devoid of cam lobes (which is a mild exageration). So, if your cams are conservative and have neither high lift nor lots of overlap (like the Ody's), you don't expell unburned fuel (pollutants), the EPA rating for your vehicle/engine is going to estimate a higher mpg rating.

Of course, you're prolly thinking, as I would be, "what about their VTEC technology present on the Ody motor?" The way that VTEC works is that the cam has two sets of lobes, a flat/conservative set (mpg) and a tall/agressive set (hp), but the tall set only gets used at rpms above what the I/Ms are tested at. Crafty of Honda, I think. Also, consider this. The Ody motor is three-and-a-half liters in displacement. Hardly a model of specific output efficiency, as is the "old" Duratec motor (Ody=60hp/Ltr, Sienna=64hp/Ltr, MPV=66.66/Ltr), which is wholy 10% more efficient than the Honda 3.5L motor. Another interesting item is that the 3.0L Duratec motor has the same specific output efficiency as the 2.5L. I think this says alot for the design of the motor. It's not that hard for the manufacturer to up the power output of a motor, but that usually means either lots of R&D money (remember the 2.5 Duratec is not being used anymore) and compromises in reliability of the parts.

/technical garbage

Rutger3, I'm sorry you seem to feel some remorse for your MPV purchase, but hp numbers are important to some folks, and I can understand...I love having tons of power at my toe-tips on our Volvo, but I don't feel the need for such power in our minivan. I'm sure you love many other aspects of your MPV tho. If it makes a difference to you, in the 2yrs we've owned our MPV, we've not had it in the shop for any unscheduled maintenance visits. Ody owners are having some very curious problems with their vans.

/java

rutger3

javadoc,
First,you're right,the hp is 160 on the MPV.I stand corrected. No, I am not into hp or big engines as evidenced by me owning a 1999 4 cylinder camry as my everyday car. Plus, overall I am happy with our purchase. I think what got me going was this weekend during a heat wave,with front and rear air on plus 4 passengers,our MPV was ascending a rather steep hill and I had the gas fully depressed and I think we are still going up. It was at that moment that I was thinking about the Sienna and Honda engines. However,I realize there will not be many times this situation will be repeated. The MPV is still one of the best deals out there,with many great features and a good price. Plus it is more dependable than the Honda according to consumer report and that is important to me.The next test will be gas mileage,I just had the 1000 mi service and filled up.I will let you know how happy (or not) I am after the next fill up.
BTW, any ideas as to why Ford/Mazda don't employ the same technology as Honda/Toyota in engine design? Yes,good point about hp/liter,but my main point is if you are getting a smaller engine with a reduction in hp,then at least you should get better mpg with the trade-off; all things being equal of course. Interesting note, when we were looking at the Sienna,the salesman was trying to explain how more advanced the Sienna's engine was then the Honda ODy, and how Toyota increased the hp from 210 to 220.

maltb

....when that same salesman goes to work for the Honda dealer, he will tell you that the Honda engine is so much more advanced than the Toyota. Did you really take his bait? HP figures are always misleading. The only good test is a real world test: The Test Drive. Try the vehicle out where you normally drive and if it suits your needs/wants, it's the right one.

If you feel that having a big HP number associated with your vehicle is important, it may be that something else is too little. No car can help that.

j2kbarlow

Just to clarify something rutger3 brought up earlier - both the Duratec V-6 and the Mustang 4.6 V-8 are part of Ford's Modular engine family. The parts aren't necessarily interchangeable but they share the same basic engineering.

As for why Ford didn't include some sort of variable-valve timing in the Modular engines? Can't say for sure, but not all manufacturers have bought into it yet. It adds a lot of complexity to the engine that may not be used in normal driving. I will say that I'm glad Ford chose to use chain driven cams instead of belt driven. Now I don't have to worry about timing belt changes!

su_a_ve

Before buying ours, we'd gone days without seeing one... All of a sudden the MPVs are all over the place. We are in central jersey, so not sure if it's a thing down here (though Rutger3, are you in New Brunswick ?)

Can a few miles south make a big difference ? So far I've only seen white, sand, green and blue. Oh, and black if you count I count the one I saw at one dealer when shopping for ours...

My .02...

auerbach

I live in Northern NJ and have recently started seeing quite a few. The other day I saw two dark green LX's at the same time!.
Plus I've been seeing a bunch of sand mica's right in my town. And I thought we had the only sand mica for miles!!

rutger3

su a ve: I'm close to New Brunswick,in Flemington. We bought ours from Flemington Mazda. They were nice to deal with.We got the sand color,have about 1400 miles, no problems. Mazda has done a nice job with this van, with the exception of having a larger or more refined engine. Power seems okay unless going up a hill with a/c on and fully loaded. My wife loves it. We have seen more lately,probably due to rebates and unavailability of Hondas. By the way,is mazda still offering low financing and rebates?

su_a_ve

Rutger3, We bought ours from Flemington as well... We have about 1200 miles, so had to be about the same time (June 30th) or so... At the time, they had two Sand Mica in the lot (one in the showroom). When we bought it, they had just gotten a white one - I test drove it literally out of the truck (was not preped at all, not even the plastics from the seats or tape from the doors)...

Very good place to deal with, unfortunately I'm over 30 miles away (Plainsboro), so no service there for me... Nice touch by Flemington Mazda to give us the gold plated keyrings with the Mazda logos (If you didn't get them, ask your salesperson as we didn't even asked about them and got them - And we fought for a good deal !)

Regarding incentives, it seems Mazda still has the 4.9% financing for 4 or 5 years, but also has 1.9% for 1-3 years. Edmunds does not show anything regarding dealer cash, but briefly looking at carpoint, it shows the $1500 dealer incentinve is still around until 10/01/01 (they show their price for $1350 UNDER invoice).

Also, saw today a Red one and a dark green (finally)...

pjz

WE AQUIRED OUR 00 MPV AUGUST 28,1999 . FIRST GLANCE AT IT AND WAS REALLY IMPRESSED. IT'S ALMOST TWO YEARS NOW WITH 27,000 MILES AND NO PROBLEMS, EXCEPT FOR TIRE WEAR OUT AROUND THE EDGES. REPLACED AIR FILTER WITH K&N. ALSO POWER IS NOT REALLY AN ISSUE IT CRUISE QUITE WELL.MY NAME IS PETE AND ON OCCASION I GET TO DRIVE IT, EITHER TO WASH IT OR CHANGE THE OIL OR TO FUEL IT MY WIFE DONNA IS SHUTTLING OUR THREE KIDS AROUND. AT FIRST WHEN WE PURCHASED OUR MPV I WAS LONLY OUT THERE THINKING I WAS THE ONLY GUINNIE PIG . THANKS TO ALL THAT JOIN THE ZOOM.

maltb

...but could you lower your voice a bit? We are all just an ear shot away.

pjz

Anybody with a sugestion on what tire. I was looking at Bridgestone Potenza RE950 Also Isignia SL. Any comments PJZ

msgjvh

PJ,

I recommend the Continental TouringContact AS. I put these on last January and have almost 20k on them now. They are holding up extremely well and greatly improve the handling. I know they are not Mich but for the money they are a very good alternative. When I went to replace one of the 4000's (of which I still have two). I could buy two of the continentals for the price of one 4000. So I went ahead and made the transition. I don't regret it at all. They have a 80k warranty. Good luck.

cmuniz

Has anyone had problems with the Dunlop 4000s in the rain? A couple of times in heavy rain I felt the front end get very light and actually slip as we went over the center line paint. This was at speeds of around 60-65 mph on the interstate. Don't know whether this is a tire problem, a vehicle problem or roadway problem, but have never experienced this before in other vehicles with other tires at similar speeds. I know all about hydroplaning and slow down in rain - this felt like the van was almost ready to hydroplane. I know the Dunlops have an "H" rating and an "A" traction rating, but does that apply to rain?

alexv1n

I never felt that before but I guess I never did 60-65 in heavy rain. However what I HAVE experienced is the front tires slipping when starting from a red light. If I use a little more gas than usual, the wheels begin to spin. This never happens on a dry pavement (well, at least not at that level of acceleration). A couple of times I made the tires spin on a dry road but that was emergency situations and I had to floor the gas pedal...

evaddave

We have all kind of trouble in the rain on our Dunlop 4000s. Usually we spin when pulling out from a stop sign, and I've noticed a tendency to hydroplane when there isn't much water on the road. Naturally it will be a little more noticeable on the paint, since the painted road can't hold as much water as the asphalt or concrete road surface.

We also have some spinning on dry roads, but usually that is when we're trying to merge into a tight spot in traffic from a full stop. And it only happens with the A/C off. With the A/C on, the engine is too busy cooling the van to spin the tires.

billmckinley

My Yoko's will occasionally spin on dry roads too.
Isn't it ironic that a car with so little low-end "oomph" should be able to burn rubber at a stop sign?

RJ

Karen_S

Folks...today's events are horrendous, and we probably haven't heard the last of it. My prayers for the safety of you, your loved ones, and for us all.

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

pjd58

are for the victims and their families.

I was in NYC two weeks ago with my eight year old boy. We flew right over lower Manhattan on our approach to LaGuardia. We visited the WTC, Empire State Buliding, and went for a boat ride on the Circle Line, which cruises around Manhattan island.

I was born and raised on Long Island and have a few friends who work in the WTC. Fortunately, they re fine.

The World seems forever changed and cruel. I know we will all get through this, America is a great country.

Please count your blessings and give your loved ones a hug.

Pete
Columbus, Ohio

Karen_S

What are the most important factors in your car-buying decisions? The Chicago Tribune is looking for a ranking of concerns such as safety, price, monthly payment, styling, quality, etc.

Please send your response to jfallon@edmunds.com, or post in Talk to the Press.

Thanks!

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

jscan713

Hello to everyone.. I'm Julie.
My husband and I just purchused a 2001 LX silver, it's got 650 miles already. Just got it the end of October. I just can't stop driving it. My husband always jokes around saying I don't let him drive, .... but I don't. :0)
We have two bueatiful children 2 and 3 years old.
They love the side windows down all the time. I've had several people comment on what a sharp looking van it is and i have to say I agree!
Hope to get to know you all. Have a Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!

maltb

and congrats on your new MPV. I hope you enjoy it as much as we like ours.