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It seems every time I open it, one of those little suckers snaps off. It's a good thing we have the changer so we're not getting into the CD holder much.
Well, I guess we should all go out and rid ourselves of these horrible MPV's we all have been complaining about here.
*************************************************
This year's edition of "The Ultimate Car Book" finds the Saturn L does best in eight categories, including safety features and crash tests.
The Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest also fare well. They're the highest rated minivans.
The ratings are part of an annual survey done by the Center for Auto Safety, a group founded by consumer watchdog Ralph Nader.
Other top-rated family cars include the Ford Taurus, the Volkswagen Passat, the Honda Accord and the Volvo S-80.
The book also ranks vehicles based on consumer complaints filed with the federal government. The vehicles with the most complaints -- the Mazda MPV minivan, Kia Sportage SUV and the Ford Excursion SUV.
steve_ "Minivan Ranking" Jan 29, 2002 12:45pm
Under the Top 25 Best and Worst Vehicles part of the story:
"The Center for Auto Safety analyzed complaints made to the government by Americans having problems with their vehicles. Below are the models that received the fewest complaints, and those that received the most. Models introduced in 2000 and 2001 are not represented due to a lack of data." (emphasis added - can't find a decent link to paste, but if you go to http://wire.ap.org and go to one of the participating papers, like the Idaho Statesman, and then go to business news, you may find it before it rolls off the wires).
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
I cannot see any logic in this group's (that wrote the book) opinions. They aren't using 2000 and 2001 data, but they are touting this book as the cars to want for 2002. So, the discontinued Villager/Quest is their bet for a minivan? Uhhhhhhhh... and a Pontiac Montana? Puh-lease. Can you think of a less reliable minivan? Well, maybe one. There's more, but I'll keep it tailored to minivans.
I just can't believe an org can put tripe like this out when it's so outdated! Consumers that are not so savvy as your typical TH'er are going to lap that stuff up like a kitten does milk!!! Remember the "Unintended Acceleration" snafu for Audi that ended up being bonehead caused by consumers? That was mis-reporting by "60 Minutes" that cut Audi deep. You can still see the scars.
Of course, I'm biased because I have a MKII MPV, and the book lists an MPV as one of the most complained about vans... of course the data is horribly out of date, so as to be useless, but publish a book about it nonetheless, and tout your credibility as a "Consumer Advocate" group, and toss in Nader's name while you're at it...
I'll stop before I recieve nastigrams.
/java-(steam still billowing)-doc
The durn java page won't link right - (not you, that other java!); it's under the Auto Business section linked from the main wires page from my other link. Maybe if it wasn't almost midnight here, I could find a better site to quote from.
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
/j
I just volunteered one of my Duratec Vehicles to be a turbo candidate.
http://www.contour.org/cgi-ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=27&t=000340
No, not wifey's MPV, but the SVT Contour. Hopefully by the first week of May, I'll have a turbocharged 2.5L Duratec pumping out 300HP.
TB
/java
TB
/j
:-))
the 2002 Toyota Sienna. I decided on the MPV
because of its lower price and because I just
simply liked it better than the Sienna. I
haven't really found the lower horsepower of the
MPV to be a problem. The Sienna didn't seem all
that powerful either. My biggest decision Other
than between buying the Sienna and the MPV was
whether I should wait for the 2002 MPVs. In the
end, I decided that a 2001 MPV LX from the
dealer's lot was exactly what I wanted. So, I
decided to take the $1500 incentive and buy the
2001. It has the very attractive emerald green
color and has the RSES, rear bumper step plate,
roof rack, rear spoiler, dual A/C, 4-seasons
pkg, and security pkg as options.
Initial impressions:
1. Lack of power is overemphasized by critics.
So far, it seems to have enough acceleration
for a van. (Wouldn't be enough for a vette,
though!)
2. Rear seat is not particularly wide, but
acceptable.
3. Sizewise, the MPV is just right for my
garage. The Honda Odyssey would have barely
fit at all. The Sienna would have fit, but
walking around it would have been a little
inconvenient.
4. The MPV drives like a car. The Sienna drives
more like a truck. I just got rid of a
Rodeo. I wasn't looking for another truck.
5. There is a slight brake clunk sound when
lifting foot from brake pedal. Not
particularly annoying, but noticeable.
6. Speedometer seems to me to be reading high.
If I drive 55, it seems like I'm creeping
along, and cars are passing me right and left.
7. Wish the front driver's seat had power
adjustments, but not too big an issue.
8. My kids like the lateral sliding captain's
chair - a nifty idea.
9. I wish the VCP for the RSES weren't mounted
in the center of the floor when the rear
seat is folded down. I think it is going to
get bumped a lot with luggage if I don't
remove it for trips. But, if I remove it for
trips, what was the point in having it?
10. Gear shift lever blocks the driver's view of
two radio buttons in drive - a very minor
issue.
11. Power windows at center seats are nice. I
wonder why other vans don't have them?
12. The standard sound system in the LX sounds
astonishing good - much better than any
that I have ever had in a car before. It is
also great to have both a CD and cassette
player built in.
13. Overall, the MPV is a very comfortable and
attractive minivan. It is easy to drive and
handles well. I'm very surprised Mazda is
not selling more of them.
Many happy and safe miles!
Pjd58
A dealer is offering a 2001 MPV LX with the following options:
- 4 Seasons Pkg
- Dual A/C
- Touring Pkg
- Roof Rack
- Fog Lights
- Bumper Step Plate
The MSRP is $26,630. He is offering it $4000 below
MSRP at $22,630. Is this a good price?
Also, can anyone attest to the long term (>100k miles) reliability of recent Mazdas, especially the automatic transmissions?
Thanks!
Sri
/javadoc
hub-bub was all about regarding the AP news article that ranked the
MPV minivan as one of the vehicles with the highest number of
complaints. It appears that they might be lumping together all of
the years since the vehicle's introduction. I saw a lot of stuff
from the late 1980s and early 1990s. For recent years, they
mentioned that the brake clunk sound that I noted in my last post
had been the source of some complaints. However, since I did not
read the book cited by the article, there is no way to really know
what data the author used to base his judgements on.
For people considering the MPV, forums like these at edmunds.com are
more valuable than articles by researchers who might be very biased
and report a slanted interpretation of some set of statistics.
This spring, at a lobbyist near you...
/j
Did I miss this earlier? (since I never look at the mail exceot for bills - I almost chunked this).
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Nevermind - found it.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/central2.cfm
A more likely occurrence is a methodology that's applied fairly to all the cars, but unintentionally favors some cars over others. For example, it might hold past problems against a care, even if they are no longer relevant in the current model.
I haven't seen this years book, but I think this is one of the studies that breaks down the score into several factors, assign weights, gives each car a score on each factor and adds them up. Though this is a very common methodology, in a lot of ways, it stinks. It assumes factors are independent and additive. Instead of one subjective judgment (e.g. I give this car a 9.5) you make one for each factor. Then you add a subjective weighting. Even in computed factors like mpg, cost and acceleration the relationship between the measurement and the points given is subjective (If we give 10 points for 0-60 in 5 seconds, what do we give for 12 seconds? 5? 2? 1?)
So what you have is a large number of subjective decisions wrung through a formula, and somehow because you've assigned numbers - maybe even to two decimal places - your result is seen as being more objective.
A good rule of thumb is to never attribute to ill will that which can easily be explained by incompetence.
By the way, I can't believe they aren't making the 2002 in red - are they nuts? It is the best!
Oh well, I know I'm the one who's out of step with the times. Go to any Lexus, Mercedes, Acura or other luxury car dealer and you'll see the same boring (imho) colors. Personally, I think in ten years the next generation of car buyers is going to be going throught the used car lots and looking at these cars and saying "What were they thinking? All the possible colors and this is what they chose. Why didn't someone adjust their medication?" Of course, I'm probably wrong.
I'm sure I can find a color I'll be happy with. Probably coastal blue or sage green. But for my next car after the MPV I hope to me looking at a MINI. Check out www.miniusa.com for their color choices. Chili Red, Electric Blue, Liquid yellow, Silk Green. Even the more staid colors like Dark Silver, Pure Silver, Pepper White, Velvet Red and Indi Blue are impressive.
Now, is there anything I should be looking for when we pick it up on Monday evening? Any help will be appreciated. Can't wait. Now, I know what the ZOOM, ZOOM feels like and it feels good.
Thanks again.
LL
Happy Miles!
RJ
bobby.chong@excite.com
I'll let you more about where I got it.
As for the power, I don't feel it being sluggish at all. We test drove two of them and love the power and the handling. Definetly looking forward to it on Monday evening.
The K&N website shows no filter for the MPV and does not even recognize the part no. I sent an email to the tech support people kidding them about my "ghost filter". Believe it or not, I received a reply that they have no filter for the MPV and I should return the filter I bought and install a paper filter!!! I replied that I was sorry that tech support does not understand K&Ns product line but if they look real hard they might find my filter.
/java
- no power lock control on the passenger side door
-trans.shifter blocks out first 2 radio sets
The MPV is a nice vehicle. We have 11k on our 01 LX without a problem. Good luck.
BTW, we had a 94 Villager. I will say that although the MPV is nicer,the Villager had a few things which I wish we still had.
-power third seat window controls.
-yes, a power lock control on the passenger door.
-power drivers seat
-IMO, a smoother engine
Mazda should have put the first three on the MPV.
We picked it up last night and I did noticed the shift lever blocking the radio buttons but haven't notice the power lock control on the pass. side yet. I drove it home last night instead of the wife. I will have more time tonight and I'll be in the garage with the manual and going over the MPV.
I do agree that the MPV is nicer. It definetly has better brakes than the Merc. and better cornering ability as well. Like I said on my last post, I don't think that engine is under power at all. We took it to the highway and I was doing about 65 MPH and when accelerating to 65, it sure pull strong and I like to hear the sound of the engine revving. Makes me feel like I'm in some kind of really sporty car. Music to my ears. Oh yes, love the huge moonroof. That is one on the main reason we got an ES.
Thanks again for your help.
/javadoc
SC
I do have the imobilizer in the MPV.
Thanks.
Which reminds me, I've been meaning to get extra keys ordered for months now, I'd better call and get that done.
/javadoc
Cool!
As long as it has a working chip in it and it is cut to match the lock, you can program a single or a pair. Each key has it's own ID.
The advantage of a dealer key(in general) is that they cut to a code rather than copy an existing key. The last thing you want is for something not to work when you are programming keys.
/javadoc
I just did a oil change on our MPV, My self for the first time and need some feed back from others out there that have changed there own oil.
My question is that I have put 5 US quarts of oil in the van and yet the oil is only coming up just barely above the Minimal hole on the dip stick. the manual says that the engine only holds 5 qrts. so is my dipstick not the right size to acuratly read oil or does the engine really need more oil/ have any of you had to put more than 5 qrts in your van. I don't know if this makes a difference but I put a K&N 2010H oil filter on, does this filter hold more oil than the OEM filter. Should I fill the dipstick Max or will I run the chance of overfilling the engine and damaging it ????
any feed back will be appriciated
/javadoc
thanks everyone for your help.