Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
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Super Deal!!!
Mark. : )
Anyone have an opinion on the Goodyear Regatta 2 tires?
We used the Costco buying program (highly recommended!). Basically, they hook you up with a local dealer and the program has a fixed (low) price. In our case, the Costco price program was $50 over invoice. We also get all incentives, rebates, etc. . . The dealer didn't have the exact car on their lot, but had one close. They took off some stuff we didn't want (6 disc player) and split the cost (invoice) of others we didn't really need but were nice to have (auto mirrors). So, all in all, we got the car about $50 below invoice without any hassles. And we got a great car. At the least, we had a max price we were going to pay going into the process. Maybe some of you should check it out! Definitely makes the process much less painful.
thanks for welcome
Steve, Host
I hope this helps.
Being that you are in Va. (our destination in 03) I would definitely get the rear A/C. We don't seem to miss it here in Upstate NY. We only have others in the 3rd row a few times a month. In our climate only those in the 3rd row suffer from no rear A/C IMO. We had rear A/C in our 97 Quest and used it infrequently. The rear heat function is much more worthy for our needs.
Good Luck!
Mark. : )
We are getting 21mpg in city driving in our 02 MPV at this point. It has 3,500 miles on it. We have not experienced the sulphur smell, so I can't comment on it.
The engine is not as smooth as the 3.0 in our 97 Quest, but it has a much sweeter power band IMO. The Duratec really only gets loud above say, 4,800 rpm. Below 4,500 it is as smooth as anything out there, IMO.
The 5-Speed auto is manufactured by JATCO in Japan. These are very reliable units used by Mazda, Nissan, Jaguar, Rover and others.
Good Luck!
Mark. : )
it is interesting to see how many people on this board either switched from quest to mpv or have both.
1. you love the vehicle your buying
2. The dealership has a good local reputation
3. the salesperson is helpful, informative and professional..
4. You feel comfortable with the price.
If everything is a yes, you did great and enjoy your new van...you picked out a great van.
I feel really bad at giving up on the MPV. There was so much about it that I liked, and I tried so hard to persuade myself that the transmission and the intermittent stench were a small price to pay, but in the end, it just got too much for me to deal with.
Oddly, I feel even worse at leaving this board. I've met so many truly congenial people, truly fine people here. Java, Tboner, Alex, MAltb and the rest, I'm gonna miss talking to you. Your advice was invaluable and your moral support was appreciated. You lightened my day more times than I can count.
Take care, yall.
RJ
Besides engine power, the gearing available (transmission and differential) will make a big difference. The best way to find out is to take an extended test drive - with the same kind of load that you expect to carry, if possible. That's what we did with the Subaru.
For what it's worth, all non-turbo engines lose power at altitude - it's roughly 3% for every 1000 ft above sea level. So at 10,000 ft, the engine will be making 30% less power than it's rated for (ratings are for sea level).
Personally, we're less concerned with the performance at 10,000 ft, since the only time we're that high is when we're actually crossing a pass. We "play" at more like 8-9000 ft. At 8,000, the MPV with the 3.0 engine will make a maximum of ~150hp. With a 5 speed, that'll get the job done comfortably (DC minivans made 158hp at sea level just a few years ago - with 4 speed tranmissions).
You weren't planning on rally racing it in the high country, were you ? :-)
Mark. : )
Also I've not seen the new MPV financing of 0.0% for 48th months posted here. This is the link for those of you interested. http://www.mazdausa.com/zero_percent/default_03.asp?vehicle=mpv&zip=&did=&state=
The Forester has plenty of power, and I'm sure the MPV will do fine as well. The MPV actually has a slightly higher power to weight ratio than our Subie does.
Good luck and let us know how the test drive goes. :-)
-brianV
Thanks in advance for any help.
I don't know about NJ but here in the Atlanta area there is a 1500 rebate. We are picking up our van tomorrow.
Blink
Thanks.
I just looked on the mazda dealers site and it's
$1,500 Dealer Cash 12/03/02-01/02/03
or 0% for 48 months.
i dont know if mazda has state to state incentives or what. about holdback, the dealer makes about 600 on the car at tissue net, so at tissue plus 200 they are really making 800 on the deal. but good luck trying to chisel at the holdback, they might budge on this if it is in their favor, a little mileage, color , power door with moonroof,,in my area that is, simple jane lx with roof and rear ac they are getting tissue minus 1500. es with moon and power doors they will go at tissue minus 1950.
Thanks.
Our 2000 MPV with four people inside, (luggage for three females, if you know what I mean) a TV to watch and a 15 cubic ft Sears carrier on top of the van full of outlet mall booty and we were able to go 90+ up the mountain. (Passing DC vans, a Sienna, and a 1999+ Honda Odyssey) Of course, I'm not afraid to rev the engine. Yes we were slowed down to ~50 at times, but was still able to get back up to speed.
The downside? I got nabbed for ~80 at the top of the mountain by TN finest. (I had slowed down once I had proven I could do it.) The girls were playing right behind me and I was asleep at the switch when my radar detector went off.
I'll post this over at the other MPV board with my e-mail address so everyone can paypal me some cash for the ticket, LOL.
TB
Has bad luck driving the MPV
MB
She then looks at me and says "I'm sorry daddy - you're not unique anymore, are you?"
I miss the days two years ago when people (especially die-for babes) would want to sit in "Red" to see what it was like.
Oh well, the good ol' days....
A new TSB has just been released to correct the issue. You can get details here: 09-015/02: Accessory rear view mirror temperature display inaccurate.
Some more discussions on the issue can be found here
be careful who you try to "nail" with mis-information.
Like blinkito, I came into the hunt with the idea that the Honda and the Toyota were going to be the front runners. I love Hondas and Toyotas because of their reliability track records. However, though the Odyssey and Sienna still have fairly good relability records, they aren't up to the usual standards I'm used to seeing from Hondas and Toyotas.
These are the aspects most important to me, price, reliability, features, and size.
The Honda scores high marks for features, and size. It scores fairly high marks for reliability, and low marks for price. Because it's in such high demand, it's almost impossible to get one without paying an astrnomically high price. Even the used ones are priced ridiculously high.
The Mazda scores high marks for features, fairly high for reliability and price (it's the least expensive of the 3, however I still think it's slightly overpriced), and low marks for size.
The Toyota scores high for size, fairly high for reliability, and low for price and features. I know style wasn't one of my original criteria, but with the Sienna, it has to be factored in. To be frank, this van is boring! It has no style whatsoever, especially when compared to the Honda or Mazda. Having a removable rear seat instead of one that folds into the floor like the Honda's and Mazda's is also a huge drawback for me. Removable rear seats are a total pain in the ars. Come on Toyota, get with the program!
I guess my next step is test driving. It's hard to say how I will decide before driving them, but I have a feeling if I can live with the smaller size of the Mazda, it may end up being number 1. I have a strong feeling that I'm not going to be able to find a Honda priced at what I'll be willing to pay.