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Steve, the 4Seasons includes (according to mazdausa.com)... larger radiator, larger (really big) windshield fluid tank, HD wiper motor, rear heat (nice to have), heartier battery, tranny cooler, heated mirrors (nice!), additional cooling fan for radiator, heavy-duty rear defroster. Did I miss anything there? Really, heated seats would be nice, but that's a luxury item and (imho) not necessary, just would be nice to have (no, not available on the US model of the MPV right now).
Right, a block heater isn't included in the FourSeasons package. If you're being moved up for 'the company,' then you're prolly gonna get a house w/a heated garage, thus negating the need for such a heater really. I've got a block heater on my Volvo and never have used it.
/j
I too looked at the Ody and also the hyped-up prices here in Houston. No deal.
Java: I thought I was a computer pig with four @ home. I have a dozen boxes of computer parts that my wife wants to toss out (besides me) and at least one computer strewn apart modifying. I come home at nights and one of the kids usually asks which computer I'm tearing down so he/she can do their homework.
)
Too bad about the spare space - guess the magic seat gets in the way.
I never had heated seats, but I can't help but think they'd be nice. But maybe I'm just getting cold natured in my old age. It's currently a breezy 68 in Boise and I'm shivering. Too many Anchorage winters will do that to you :-)
Steve
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And yes, they all run constantly.
Brought home some of the parts in our MPV
/j
I can think of no way to associate this with MPV content ....
Steve
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I'm running the UD client that search for cancer proteins, on the farm.
TB
Cancer Survivor
So far, 11k on the MPV and haven't had a single problem.
In front of us an extended vacation and 4000 miles trip from Florida to Canada (maybe I should stop at Alex's house for a barbeque :-)) I will report how MPV behaved on this trip and statistics for fuel usage on a highway and in the mountains. If you all are staying at home I wish you all the best luck with your MPVs, happy 4th of July and I talk to you soon maybe even from the road (I am taking my laptop with me).
MB
/J
MB
/java-absolutely no content-doc
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mpv2000/message/3194
where the MPV Duratec engine was discussed recently. The engine has earned a reputation for reliability since it was introduced. Hope this helps.--danandkat
To the person that was able to do an $800 deal under invoice, I would say go for it, I did $400 under, and thought that was great. I found trying to find a fully loaded ES to be a problem. I have every option except the GFX pkg, and that was hard to do.
I went to Keith Kennedy@Jake Sweeney Mazda,here in Cincinnati, and he was honest and excellent to work with. After some hard searching, he found exactly what I wanted and the price was fair.
The tires are my only concern, so far.
The dynamics of this vehicle are super for us seniors. It's a shame Mazda doesn't target that segment.
Fred
I have only owned my 02 a month, so I cannot help you with the SP4000, except to say that they seem to be pretty quiet. We have driven through a couple major thunderstorms here in Virginia and they seemed very stable.
I can comment on the Dunlop SP5000 tires I have on my Mazda Protege. I cannot praise them enough, they are quiet, superb in the rain, and stick to the corners like glue. One thing I don't count on is getting much more than 35,000 miles out of either tire. They both have a 360 treadwear rating, so 35,000 should be about right. The 80,000 mile Michelin x-one tires have almost 800 treadwear rating.
The only problem I see is finding a tire in the right size. I personally will probably be buying 225/55 R17 tires, but even then there is only a few choices. I would love to get Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires, but at $200.00+ a pop, that seems a bit extreme for a minivan. So I will probably go with Dunlop SP Sport A2 tires in 235/55 R17 size.
Anyway, I really wish Mazda had just left the computer alone, and made the 16" and 17" tire diameters the same size. Then a 225/50 R17 inch tire size would work, and there is a lot more choices in that. Unfortunately, what Mazda has done is put a "minivan" size tire on a 17" wheel (which is usually reserved for sports cars.) They should have just went ahead and put a sports car tire on it. No other vehicle with 17" wheels has a 60 series tire with such a high profile. This is why we will always have problems finding tires, unless Mazda gets some tire manufacturers to build tires just for the MPV. I know they want to give the MPV a nicer ride, but dang it, why not give the "soul of a sports car" sports car tires!!
I am about to take the plunge and purchase our first minivan. As most people, we are under a pretty tight budget. We are hoping to be able to swing a new MPV rather than having to get a used minivan. Though it looks like the LX comes pretty well-equipped we are wondering what priorities to give the option packages and would like to ask about your opinions on the MPV packages.
More specifically, is the rear air option important or will my kids be fine in the hot summer without it? How about traction control? Will my wife have a hard time driving the MPV in the Connecticut winter without it? The luxury package sounds nice but will probably be the first to fall. Lastly, I've heard grumbling about some sort of sulfer smell. How widespread is that problem?
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Sulfur smell was caused by the user's choice of fuel.
Good luck,
Pjd58(Pete)
As for the sulfur smell, it does seem to be popping up a little more frequently than it did last year when I noticed it on "The MPV President McKinley." It does seem to fade with time [ at least on mine, with 11k miles on it, the smell has abated to the occasional mild whiff] and choice of gas--a hit or miss proposition--seems to affect it. I suspect that it would be more of a problem for those who suffer from it if it got into the cabin, but it doesn't usually. Mine used to stink up the surroundings while I drove on blissfully oblivious to what was causing birds to drop out of the sky all around me. All in all, I wouldn't let it keep me from buying the van. Knowing what I know, I'd still buy it again.
Good luck on your hunt.
RJ
Pilots as factory tires...there ain't no way. At least not until Porsche comes out with a minivan!
I think the 17" wheels look great, and I have received many comments on them. I am just not looking forward to when they wear out...then I have to make some hard decisions.
Has anyone else out there thought about when you have to replace your 17" tires? Or are you just going to put the OEM SP 4000 back on? Just curious, I know that I am ahead of myself by about 3-4 years, but I'm obsessed, and have to plan ahead!!
Personally, I have always bought new cars. There is a whole list of Pros and Cons arguments here, but my main reason is that I know what has been done to my vehicle from the time it left the showroom floor. Of course, this is why I carted kids around in a Mazda Protege for several years. It was worth the wait though!!
(I may also be foolish...if you really need a van, and don't have the dough, then used may be the way to go. I was just willing to forgo the convenience for a few years so I could buy new. Call it beano-nomics!! (double meaning, Ha, Ha)!)
As far as price is concerned, it is hard to tell. Vehicle condition plays such an important role. Check online for other sales prices and see how much the mileage comes down for extra money spent for other MPVs. It will at least give you an idea of whether this is reasonable or not. Hope this helps--danandkat
MB
To be fair, I have to say that there are also examples of engine failure. Oil starvation seems to be the issue. At first we thought, not enough oil in the pan, so we would over fill, then we thought that right hand sweepers were a problem, so some used baffled oil pans.
It seems we've discovered, with a little help from our resident Contour project engineer and some of his contacts in Ford Europe that there is a better crankshaft damper for the Duratec. It is nick-named the dual mode damper and it attaches at the crankshaft where your accessory belt attaches. This new damper does a better job of preventing crankshaft whip. The original damper would protect against a single frequency. The dual mode damper actually protects against more occassions when crank whip occurs.
What is crank whip, basically those little squeezes and bangs (the 4 cycle combustion cycle is suck, squeeze, bang and blow, you'll never forget it when learned this way 8^) ) tend to "bend" the crank a bit as the engine runs. This in turn tends to damage the bearings, causing the oil holes in the bearings to become closed. Instant oil starvation.
The dual mode damper supposedly does a better job of protecting crank whip.
I really doubt it is a problem for most MPV drivers, as I doubt you run your vans to 7K RPMs, but the way I drive my SVT Contour, it is a concern for me.
I'm looking into it, and it is relatively easy to change, so I know I'm going to do the SVT, and probably do the MPV as well.
OBTW, those light weight, undersized crank pulley set ups are really bad for your engine, if they don't also have a built in damper. Even those that have you use the existing damper outside the new pulley can make the damper ineffective. From what I hear, they are fine on a I4 engine because the forces are better balanced, but on a V6, the damper is critical.
Let's not get into another wide tire hydroplane discussion. My physicist pal (PhD in Physics, BTW) says a wider tire hydroplanes easier. The information about dampers and such is just what I've read.
I don't think Mazda uses the dual mode damper on the 2.5L or 3L Duratecs.
TB
FWIW, 82,000 on a 2-3yo car is a ton. Mazda_guy's right... was this a Taxicab? I'd pull a carfax on it b4 I deal on the van, and pull the service records from a dealer (give them the van's vin) to see what's been fixed and who/what company has owned the van.
OTOH, I've had some very rewarding high-mileage rides. I bought an '86 Saab 9000T that had over 200k on it after 4yrs, and I put another 250k on it, so high-mileage isn't always a bad deal.
I'd imagine you could get it for less than 11.5k, TMV is $13k (dealer) and change for a 'clean' example, with only $10k trade-in. What kind of condition and options does it have? What does the hood look like? Glass or Beruit on a bad day? That'll tell you if it's city or hwy miles. Above all, if you're halfway serious about buying it, pay a good mechanic (not their's) $100 to go over the van w/a fine tooth comb.
/javadoc
So, if anyone has any preliminary info, I'd really appreciate it. If Mazda gets smart, and adds that color, we'll wait until the fall. More color choices would really make the best minivan out there, even better.
Thanks! -TB
As an interesting sidebar, there's a lot of discussion on Edmund's regarding oil-based vs. water-based paint. Since the MPV is built in Japan, I think I'm safe to assume that the paint is oil-based. In the U.S., enviromental laws mandate a water-based paint. Since many Japanese auto-makers now build their cars here, they're getting water-based paint.
I'd still like to know any info or updates for the '03 as they become available to share. Thanks! -TB
It's only REALLY hot from the middle of June through the beginning of September, so it's worth it for three months to put up with waiting an extra few minutes for the vehicle to cool down in order to have a beautiful car, as opposed to a boring one. Everybody has white or silver in Phoenix, and we never "follow the crowd." When I trade my Jimmy in on the all-new '03 4Runner next year, it'll be black! Call me crazy... )
Oh, and by the way, man that new MPV is sweet. It is so much different than the used one that I test drove. The power was much better. It seemed to handle better and the styling is so nice. I hope now that we can fit it in to our budget.
Pjd58
http://www.mazda.com/publicity/public/200204/0416e.html
You can't tell exactly what the shade of red is, since the pictures been heavily retouched, but you can tell it is a bright red. Looks like you can have red if you're willing to move to Japan.
To those more familiar with the technical specs, are these basically the same improvements that were made to the 2002 US models (except for some obvious exceptions like the optional engine and the new colors) or are these things we can expect to see in the future here? Can anyone tell if this is the same 3.0L engine as in the US MPV, or is it the one in the Mazda 6?