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Not one of our better trips. The MPV made it easy.
Tj
Lov our PEEVEE...
Tj
Gotta find the blue highways....
Steve, Host
Anyway, I love reading your trip posts. I'm still waiting to hear what you discovered about overdrive?
Even though the trip up north that we take into VT is nothing compared to what you wrote about, I have to say that our loaded MPV with dog and kids handles the mountains and hugs the road like a sports car.
dave H2: Are you in CT? Just curious. I live in CT. Anyway, CONGRATULATIONS! Welcome to the MPV club! I have to say that at almost 4k miles, I still LOVE my MPV.
Heres a good laugh for everyone. I had a chance to drive a Viper the other day. I CHICKENED OUT! I'm hanging my head in shame! I took one look at it, fell in love, was offered the keys..........and ummmmmmmmm, chickened out. The truth hurts. =o [ On the bright side, it really resembled my MPV. As a matter of fact, I had to stop and really look closely in order to make sure I took the right car! ;o p
bottgers: I am sooooooooo happy that I didn't have to go and climb under my MPV. I would have done it but am happy someone had the answer for you. ;o p
Gotta go. Last day of school for the kids. Yipppeeeeeeeee! I sleep in on Monday! Yes, yes, yes, waka, waka, waka!
Leslie
Zoom-Zoom!................There goes that crazy lady driving her silver Viper/MPV. Hehehehehehehe!
Cabin filter for MPV, I just changed it,was pretty easy. It is located behind the glovebox. The old one was very dirty. Can't beleive this flimsy little filter cost $25. Also, if the filter works that good,what does that say for everyone driving around in cars without these 'new' cabin filters? Could this just be a new way for the dealers to make more money? My dealer wanted $56 for the filter and install.
Leslie
Please see below. 4/10 lemon is from Ford yet again
http://www.thewgalchannel.com/money/2273381/detail.html
Note the complaints about the Prius shutting off, which is entirely normal behavior, for example. Pass the salt.
Steve, Host
Tj
Heck you probably passed my on I40. I spent from Sunday AM until Tuesday afternoon hauling my BIL's stuff from Las Vegas, NV. And because I was driving a 26000# truck and trailer, I couldn't cross the Hoover Dam, and had to go down to Laughlin, NV and climb a good portion of that 7000' out of the valley.
If people think the MPV is underpowered, you should try those hills in a diesel powered 13ton truck. I vaporized 1 quart of oil with the heat the engine generated in the first 150 miles, OMG!!!
Anyway, I-40 is a nice drive, and I hit Albequerque at sunrise Monday morning after a stop in Gallup, NM.
But what the heck was so miserable about St. Louis???
TB
Mark.
Heat is your tranny's worst enemy and keeping good fluid in it is essential, imho.
Anyway, I would have to say that I can't see why the Subaru Legacy is on that list. For us, Subaru has always been an awesome vehicle. My DH drives (I've probably already stated this) 350 miles in 5 days commuting to work and home. This doesn't include personal use or trips to Vermont which he will start making every weekend. It's 500 miles round trip and average about 10 times this summer that he will make the journey. We live in VT in the Summer. He commutes. Now, our '92 Legacy has 180k on it. It asks for very little. Once in a blue moon something will wear out and we fix it but it's never left my DH or myself stranded. It also has AWD which in a Subie is, IMHO the best AWD around. We will probably trade it in at around 200k to 250k unless we get a deal we can't pass up. Oh and our Subaru Loyale '90 has over 200k on it and my nephew is driving it. Great car.
I have my issues with Ford and no matter what folks say, having a reliable Ford is the exception and not the rule. But I also can't stand Honda. Of course I have owned one of each. So go figure! ;o )
Gotta sleep! Not making sense.
Leslie
Zoom-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The MPV is NOT underpowered quite the opposite. You have to be careful with the throttle. The MPV cruise holds 80 across I-44 up or down the rolling hills. It is the most perfect engine/tranny match that I have ever driven... That is the weakness of American cars. They use one tranny for many engines. Results in terrible gas milage and poor pulling power and short engine life... The Ford and Dodge vans are pathetic jokes... The GMs are even worse...
Maybe you were the dude I rolled into that hairpin turn with. That dude was one hell of a driver. He was good. Our margin of error was in inches. If the MPV suspension had bottomed DW and I would be dead. We were pulling some Gs. I missed the warning sign otherwise I would have backed off. The truckers are God's Childern.. That is the hardest job in the country.. We would starve without them... Isn't I-17 a miserable road? It works a poor trucker to death.. Going down to Phx those long grades you got to keep her at 25 with the Jake and pray the breaks don't smoke when an idiot four wheeler cuts you off...
Keep the petal to the metal and the dirty side down and God speed...
Tj
So when the OD OFF light flashes there is 2 possible problems. 1. you are in the wrong gear for the speed you are driving.
2. The tranny has a serious malfunction....
This is a neat feature.. You can damage a tranny by driving in the wrong gear....
Lov our PEEVEE
Tj
http://www.carbc.com/Car-News-370.html?POSTNUKESID=b93ded1d40da3c- - 1f9c29e0eaf0c03dc7
http://www.subaru.co.jp/index.html
http://www.apexjapan.com/
"You did fine...Let us know how you like it after you get a few miles behind the wheel."
Will do, Rich.
“What dealership??? We do alot of swaps with dealers in your area, I'm just curious.”
Country Mazda in Huntington. So far, I am happy with their approach and attention to my needs.
#5867 of 5879 Hey y'all by lsinc Jun 20, 2003 (7:29 am)
“dave H2: Are you in CT? Just curious. I live in CT”
Yes, I know you live there. How could anyone not at this point? ;-) (just kidding with you)
I live on Long Island, just across the sound. Where exactly in CT do you live (without being specific, of course.) I visit there a lot. We often take family trips to Mystic, New London, Stonington and Norwich (to see the Navigators). Are you in upper or lower CT?
“Anyway, CONGRATULATIONS! Welcome to the MPV club! I have to say that at almost 4k miles, I still LOVE my MPV.”
Thanks for the congrats. I am pleased to be a member of the “MPV users group” ;-)
I plan on breaking my new PEEVEE in, on a trip to New London on July 11-13th. Perhaps I’ll pass you on the roads.
Zoom Zoom
But I do have a greater respect for what truck drivers go through on the roads after my cross country trip.
I will agree that some of the traffic here is insane. I cross the Poplar Street Bridge (carries I64-I70-I55 and I44 essentially ends right there) every day, althought I come from I64.
But I can tell you I've been to worse places. Entrance to the Calahan(sp?) tunnel going to Logan Airport in Boston.
Fortunately I've always had a rental car, so I was just as brave as the taxi drivers who felt the stop signs were just suggestions
TB
I want to check out the Mazda pickups and of course take a Mitsy Eclipes for a drive. I think I am going to buy one..... Don't tell DW... Hope their trannys are as good as the MPV tranny....
Lov our PEEVEE
Tj
Hey Isinc are you growing web feet yet????
So while it's not the end-all, it is another tool in your arsenal.
Steve, Host
Mark. : )
dave h2: Did I tell you that I live in CT?
I have tons of respect for truck drivers. My brother is a long haul trucker. I have never run into problems with them. The only thing I do is get out of their way. 9 times out of 10, it's 4 wheelers that cause problems for 18 wheelers. Time is money, so just move out of the way!
Gotta go put conditioner in little ones hair.
Leslie
Zoom-Zoom! Quack-Quack!
Ok, gotta run!
Leslie
Ohh .. Would that small town be Meridian ? (You don't have to answer that one too!) I used to live there for about 6 months before I moved to Milwaukee, WI. The one thing I hate about the MidWest: Flat landscape !! CT was very scenic and beautiful. Love the mountains, maybe we should move further west :-)
Back to MPV shopping: Hopefully, this week will see the back-to-back test drive of MPV with the competition ...
Ace - nice to see you were a "tri-stater" as well. Haven't decided on your PeeVee yet? Can't wait to pick up mine.
audia8q - I hear Glastonbury has a great music festival every year. Oh, wait - that's Glastonbury *England*
Actually that's what I love about the east coast (and especially CT) - all the towns named after places in the UK.
Will keep a lookout for your fishing boat.
As I "zoom zoom" on by.
- Holdback (2 to 3% of MSRP)
- Mazda Elite Program (??)
- Dealer Commission (What percentage ?)
- Admin Fee (How much ?)
- Mazdatown (??)
- Gas Charge (Is that for the first gas tank ?)
Could you clarify the above things for me ? If any of these are things are ones which you have sworn never to disclose as a dealer, that's okay then :-)
Also, since the S-plan base price includes all of the above, is there room for still negotiating the price down from the S-plan price ? Or do the dealers pretty much stick to the S-plan documented price ?
Thanks, Ace
Hey! I am still a "tri-stater" .. of the MidWest, that is :-) I think I have decided to go for a loaded ES (What the heck!) with all the S-plan pricing eligibility, $2K rebate till 07/31 (which I hear will go up to $2500 in August ?)
My problem ? We don't really need a minivan right away so have not even begun the test drive phase (although, I am already sold out on the MPV). But I need to go through the motions of driving the competition and highlight every single fault and then turn and highlight every nice aspect of the MPV .. just for a "feel-good" factor :-)
Keeping fingers crossed for July 2003 purchase ...
I actually live close to Meriden. I live in a small town named Cheshire after Cheshire England. Yes, New England towns are named for villages/towns in England. When the English settled here, they decided to form a New England. Hence the name. =o ) It's actually pretty funny but I'm a New Englander through and through. My ancestors on my fathers mothers side left England and settled in Mass. and then CT. What's funny is my father came from South Dakota (born and raised) and my mother from New Jersey (born and raised) and here I am in CT. I was born in New Jersey but raised here. Oh I guess I'm getting a bit off the MPV topic............ummmmmmm....Sorry! =o +
Cheshire is a "bedding town" of NYC or "bedroom community". It's a good 2 hour and 20 minute commute from here to NYC Grand Central Station. My sister-in-law lives in the Upper East Side of Manhatten. We spend alot of time in NYC.
audia8q: Do you work for the dealership in Hartford? You don't have to tell me the name, I'm just curious. We basically went to every single Mazda dealership in the state. There aren't really that many. We bought ours in Thomaston. I like the name of your boat!
Anyway, must be off. Zoom-Zoom!
Leslie
Again, the S-plan price is for "partner" firms. Mazda employees get the E-plan pricing whose equation is:
E-plan price + 5.3% = S-plan price
So, what happens when a vehicle is sold under the E-plan ?? Does the dealer take a loss ??
IMO a chain in a properly maintained engine should be good for at least 150,000 miles, if not longer. The trend in new engine design is to go back to chains from belts. The trade off is slightly increased noise with less scheduled maintence.
My mother has a 93 Lincoln Town Car with the Ford Triton OHC engine with a chain. She has 175,000 miles on it.
Mark. : )
As a fan and previous owner of a Subaru I have been hanging out on the Subaru boards in anticipation of a new car. However, with a new baby, dog, and hopefully more kids in the future, we have recognized that we may have to suck it up and really look at getting a mini-van.
Have heard really good things about the MPV and the price looks great. However it does appear to be top-heavy and I noticed that it did not score to great in the IIHS roll-over ratings which concerns me a bit.
I would love to hear some thoughts from current owners on this topic as well as additional positive or negative comments on owning an MPV.
Looking to purchase in Aug/Sept.
Thanks
Barkley
Leslie
Maybe Tomj will have some input. He has taken his MPV to the ends of the earth and back and has some really awesome stories in some previous posts. You may want to try and find them and read them.
I really like my MPV. Good luck.
Leslie
I created this chart long long time ago and posted it on MPVClub site:
This was done back in 2001 so it doesn't show anything about the new Sienna or Quest but still it shows my point.
Also none of the vans would roll on an even surface even when skidding sideways, so there is no way you can roll it during cornering. The only way is if, while skidding sideways, the wheels hit a curb or get on really uneaven surface.
I hope this helps.
Thanks for the thorough explanation. I was initially surprised to see the rollover rating because a lot of people have said that the MPV handles great. Your rating scale explains it much better. Thanks for the input.
Barkley
And the probablity to roll over doesn't really affect handling in a normal sense. So the MPV is the best handling minivan around, especially 2002+ with retuned suspension.