Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Would either of you care to take me out to dinner with all that cash that you saved by not buying the Ody?
--j
...then the dream continued...I went to the F&I guy to sign the papers, and I was paying OVER MSRP for the van, and I was happy with the price?!?
Now, I have to down more mochas today from sleep deprevation, and for some odd reason, my rear hurts .
--j
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
I read that you also have a 2.0L 4 cyl available for the Japanese-market MPVs. Is that or the 2.5 a more popular choice?
--javadoc (Yankee spoofing as from Cayman, lol)
Whisper--You're going to love that Sand Mica. It not only hides dirt better than any other color I've ever owned [a major consideration for someone as lazy as I am], it's got the nifty habit of color shifting according to the ambient light. In a crowded lot, I can't always find it by color; I end up just heading for the handsomest car in the general vicinity--usually gets me there.
Osaka-- welcome to the group. I can't wait to hear your take on driving in Japan and with AWD, which we don't get on the American version. Yet.
Playing nice, Drew, playing nice.
RJ
I've known two people who have come out to flat tires on their cars on a cold winter day after putting these things on.
...keeping my stick on the ice, Drew
Javadoc, well "lorry" = "big truck". For a better/more diverse definition, see this:
http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=lorry
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
--javadoc
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
stevecanuck has me worried about the Tire Minders now. In the flat tire cases he referred to, do you suppose the Tire Minders sprung a leak due to cold weather? Or were they frozen in the green position even though the pressures were actually low? I check my tires fairly regularly, but I like the idea of a quick glimpse letting me know all is OK (or not).
Any info on prices people have paid in Canada for the 2001 ES would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Sorry but I am afraid the Queen licensing rights haven't been past to me yet. But I think in a few more years the copyright will expire. See me then!
Leaky shock: The service manager said the rust chemical got sprayed inside the shock sleeve and when the shock compresses ... blah blah blah. I didn't believe a bit since I am a wannabe mechanical hobbyist and have observed the problem for two weeks to know it is the faulty shock. Anyway, it had been replaced after 2 visits and some heated conversation.
Synthetic ATF: The maintenance schedule does not shown service interval for ATF, at least not on my manual. The manual does indicate ATF used is Dexron III, which is an extended life fluid from GM. Called Mazda Canada about this, it said MPV's ATF is for lifetime, no service is required! Anyone used Dexron III ATF? Is synthetic ATF compatible with the MPV transmission?
rjr425
I am also one of those lazy kinds who prefer something else other than washing the car every week! It came down to sand mica or silver mica. The sand mica looks like silver under some lighting conditions.
My MPV experience - continue
Gas mileage is ~18mpg in city for the first two fill ups. I think the advertised 21mpg city is attainable after breakin. Although the engine is claimed to be hi-tech with variable air intake, however the hp and torque per liter is only typical, advertised mileage is slightly below average compared to all other minis (both domestics and imports) which all have bigger engines and heavier chassis. I didn't want a domestic junk; the MPV offers the biggest bang for the buck amount the imports. On the plus side, the engine is refine, quiet, free revving, emits pleasant sound when pushed hard (well not that hard, just occasionally at 4000rpm since it is still breaking in).
The handling is outstanding for a mini. It took those on ramps and off ramps at speed well over the recommended limit with confident and little body lean. In return it lets you know every bumps and potholes on the road (except those tiny ones), awesome. My 6 years old girl said the empty 2nd captain chair is shaking! No squeaks or rattles at all over bumpy roads, well assembled together. I actually prefer sport/athletic suspension since the vehicle is more controllable in emergency situation and high-speed lane changes and it is more fun to drive. The front and rear stabilizer bars definitely contributed to the almost sports car like handling characteristic.
Peeve
The center vents should be moved more toward the center, I found the center left vent directs too much air flow at the driver, even at the extreme position away from me.
The washer/wiper controls are not intuitive to use, too much functions on one lever.
Questions
For 2000, the engine is rated at 170hp and 160hp for low emission states. I read somewhere that for 2001, MPV is certified LEV. Does this mean all 2001s are at 160hp. A recent local newspaper auto review printed as 165hp and Canada is not a low emission country, not that I am aware of. The 2001 Mazda booklet did not print the hp and torque rating, so I assume it is 160hp?
I recently pulled the transmission dipstick out to check the level. There is some kind of white grease (looks like grease) on the dipstick. I wiped it off, putted it back in and out, again some white grease but on a different part of the dipstick. Tried this 4 times, each time the dipstick picked up some white stuff on different part of the dipstick; the fifth time had nothing. No, the white stuff is not where the ATF is, it looks like somewhere in the extended dipstick sleeve/holder. Anyone know about this?
I switched our MPV over to a Redline ATF at 14k miles, the dealership did this for me for a fair fee. I hear Amsoil is a very good brand also.
--javadoc
I have had several dealers agree they would sell to me. I have received two quotes for a MPV ES: $32,189 and $31,488 (Canadian dollars).
I would appreciate input from anyone who has bought an ES in Canada as to how these prices compare with their purchases. Thanks.
--java
RJ
Our dealer was excellent (Byer's Mazda Columbus, Oh) and very professional. No games or hard sell for any extras. They had the LX we wanted on the lot. I dealt directly with the Mgr of the dealership. Paid below invoice and received a fair deal on our trade (Mazda 626). I own a Protege, so we are familar with this dealership and their service dept. I guess you can tell we love Mazda.
The Mgr. told me they sold 5 MPV's this past weekend. Our secret is getting out guys, won't be long before great deals on the MPV are gone. I checked Edmund's TMV price on the MPV and it's a couple hundred above invoice in my region. Maybe the TMV reflected the great deals on the 2000s and it has been adjusted up.
We love our van! Thanks again guys for all your advice.
Pete
P.S. Just love the Color, Sand Mica!!!!!
Good Luck
Nothing special in the line of tools.
The Ford/Motorcraft filter is actually a good quality unit. Personally, I would avoid Fram and avoid all of the oil additives like Slick-50.
Cheers,
TB
2001 Mazda MPV booklet shown "Transport Canada Fuel Economy Rating (Estimated) 13.6L/100 km city, 9.9L/100 km highway".
Using a lookup table (from Transport Canada), the numbers translate to 21mpg and 28mpg, respectively. I confirmed the table accurancy a few years back.
Online version of booklet at
http://www.mazda.ca/eng/cars/mpv/images/mpv_brochure.pdf
Anyone managed to found a suitable storage bin that fits in between the front seats? The park brake is the problem.
Scroll back a few pages and you will see dozens of post regarding the Clutter Catcher as the preferred storage bin, if not the only one.
UK Gallon = 4.546 L
US Gallon = 3.785 L
Thus,
18 * 4.546 / 3.785 = 21.62
23 * 4.546 / 3.785 = 27.62
So you can see how the two mileages translate into each other :-)
I guess Mazda Canada uses UK gallons to "show off" higher MPG values. (Sort of cheating?).
It looks like a good deal to me.
P.S. Do those $31K include any of the taxes or fees?
--j
On Monday, April 2, I took delivery of our brand new, 2000 MPV ES from Metro Mazda in Ferndale, Michigan. This vehicle is fully loaded, including a moonroof, fog lamps, 6 disc CD changer, etc. The MSRP was almost $29,000 US, with an invoice price of between $25-26,000 US. We purchased the vehicle (excluding tags, title, and tax) for $20,345 US!
I am in the process of selling my 1994 Saturn; the dealers wouldn't give me in trade, what Edmunds and NADA said the car was worth. The sale of my Saturn takes care of the tag, title and taxes on the MPV!
Grant it, I've only had the mini-van for two days, but I love it!! While it is somewhat underpowered, it handled the "wonderful" Wayne county freeways without a second thought (let me have the second thoughts about the wisdom of driving a new vehicle on the "well-maintained" Jeffries Freeway!). And it is great to be able to load our toddler into the car seat without either knocking my head or hers on the car!
While I love the vehicle, the buying experience left a lot to be desired. I think the biggest issue is that the paper process at the Mazda dealer has not caught up with the internet age. Coupled with the internet manager being fired on a Friday afternoon (as we were awaiting the required paperwork), us leaving for vacation on Monday, a new salesperson (new to both the business and the transaction), and UPS with their usual sterling service, the experience left a lot to be desired.
As to the financing, the dealer came down a percentage point (from 8.61% to 7.61%) when we indicated we could do better at our local credit union. We also explored options through lendingtree.com -- wonder if anyone else out there has experienced this.
Through lendingtree.com, we were hooked up with, and accepted by peoplefirst.com. And, at a lower interest rate than 7.61%. When I called the dealer to let him know we would be going through peoplefirst.com, he refused to accept the voucher peoplefirst.com would issue. The dealer indicated the Detroit area Dealers Association issued a letter, advising dealers not to accept the vouchers. Purportedly, the internet lenders are refusing to "make good" the voucher once the consumer accepted delivery of the purchased vehicle. This in turn left the dealer and consumer holding the ball. Anyone else experience this? Are the internet lenders really this shady? Or are customers choosing to dispute the purchase of their vehicles by requesting the internet lenders to withold payment? Is this something the Michigan Attorney General would like to hear about? Am willing to run it up the AG flagpole, if truly a consumer protection issue.
Thanks again; sorry about the length of this missive.
Laura Foerster
As far as your English skills, they are just as good as some posts I have read in other parts of the Town Hall. Besides, your English is much, much better than my Japanese. Please keep all of us updated about your MPV and new items that Mazda makes available to its home market.
It'd be interesting to learn peoplefirst's position on your dealer's voucher refusal but something tells me you are going to have more fun cruising along the lake instead of cruising the net or AG's office :-).
Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
"For a rewarding driving experience, the MPV features a high-tech, low maintenance 2.5 litre-DOHC, 24-valve V6 engine with 160-horsepower and 165 ft-lb of torque. A variable air intake system allows this lightweight and compact engine to deliver exceptional low- and mid-range torque. A durable, smooth-shifting four-speed electronically-controlled automatic transaxle is standard."
Full article at
http://www.mazda.ca/eng/atmazda/press/press27e.html
It was minimal at first, but eventually annoyed me enough to get new blades, even though the Microedges were only a few months old. Anyway, I stopped by Lordco, where I saw that they had a 40% discount on all Bosch blades. That was too good to pass on, so I picked up the slightly pricier Microedge Excel blades instead. I've been very pleased with their performance so far on the van, and on another vehicle that I drive (came with them from the factory).
Check out Lordco's website at http://www.lordco.com
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
--javadoc
eskimo, HA...I'm a Long Beach native.
--j
Sharon, Gary and the boys