Mazda MPV Owners: Meet the Members

billmckinley · July 2001

If you keep the MPV for as long as you kept the 94
Villager [and you're gonna love the van enough to keep it at least that long], I don't think you need to worry about resale value. Any resale problems are likely to be felt in the first year or so. At the end of 7 or eight years, assuming you can bear to part with it, there isn't going to be a very big difference between the MPV and any other van.
Personal opinion? This thing is going to take on something of a cult status as years go by. You might even end up doing better in 2008 than you might have with an Ody or Sienna.

Relax and enjoy one of the best vans on the road.

RJ

rider69 · July 2001

Well, My wife and I just bought a new Black ES model. We have our first child on the way and thought we should get something a little more family oriented and easily accessible to the child seat. We also have 2 dogs that love the rear (when the seat is down). I hope we enjoy our van as much as some of you do. I will be around here and will try to add input wherever I can, so I just wanted to say Hi!

maryholmes · July 2001

Welcome to the group! I've had my LX for about 10 weeks (4000miles already) and really love it! I think it is always scary to take the plunge, you are always afraid you've made the wrong decision or got taken, but that feeling will go away quickly. Especially as you learn that those Zoom-Zoom commercials aren't all hype. I'm heading out on a cross-country trip by myself, and I'm looking actually looking forward to the drive. Enjoy!

pastorgumby · July 2001

In a strange way this townhall sounds like an AA group... but, quite encouragingly so! I bought our 2001 MPV LX in silver, last month (1500 miles on it) and we love it! Our 1st brand, new car... my wife is a good judge of things, and as soon as we test drove it... she knew! I, on the other hand, like to see other options. But, I love our new MPV. We're expecting #2 in December... so I had to sell the impractical sports car (Celica), but I don't regret it! I Look forward to sharing postings & info. Peace... Eusun

pastorgumby · July 2001

People have mentioned mpg... how do you calculate it? I always press clear on my trip odometer at each fill up... but, I don't know the formula to compute an accurate mpg rating. help...!

Eusun

rutger3 · July 2001

maryholmes,thanks for your welcome and encouraging thoughts.I really hope my mind set changes soon. I am a big numbers guy,and the financial side of things always stands out,and right now I think I made a huge mistake,like buying tech stocks a year ago,or buying our condo high in 1987,then selling low in 1996.

billmckinley,thanks for your thoughts.I probably will not keep this 7-8 years,more like 3-4 yrs.I probably should have leased it,and let the finance company assume the depreciation risk. Guess I wasn't thinking straight because it looks like my loan will be 'upside down for quite a while',something that would not have happened with the Sienna or Ody. My original thoughts were that people were somewhat crazy to wait so long and pay sticker for a Honda,but after my recent research on resale values,maybe they are the smart ones. In general,I do not like Honda dealers,but for $5000,maybe I should have waited too. Do I have just new car jitters? Maybe I made the wrong decision,at least financially. I most certainly need counseling.

rutger3 · July 2001

Even though I have only had the van 3 days,two minor items. Has anyone else noticed the relative lack of room on the front passenger side. I think this is because of how far the large dashboard juts out. The dash seems too close,my knees almost touch it.
Also,are the windshield wipers weird or what?
And for crying out loud Mazda,would it be too much trouble putting a power lock switch on the passenger door?

javadoc · July 2001

Pastorgumby,

The simplest way I calculate mpg is get a receipt from the service station, then write down the miles you've driven on that fillup on the receipt (then I put the receipt in my logbook). Then, I reset the "TRIP A" setting (I use "TRIP B" for service intervals). Then, grab a calculator and divide miles driven by gallons put in:

276.5 miles
----------- = 17.50 mpg
15.80 gals

You can also calculated gallons-per-mile, which is interesting too:

15.80 gals
----------- = 0.06 gpm
276.5 gals

rutger3,

Great to have you aboard. I know you've been laboring over this decision for a while now. I think you are going to be happy with your choice, and like BillMcK wrote, you seem to keep your rigs for a while (since you just let go of a '94 van), so resale value of the older car may be negligible. Two year old MPV-vs-Ody values may be drastically different, but after 6-7 years, the differences are going to be much less, and the lower initial price of the MPV will be better, for my pocketbook at least. Enjoy the MPV, you'll not be sorry you purchased one.

To all the new members, welcome to the Club!

--javadoc

j2kbarlow · July 2001

Hello! Thanks for all the great info here; it's helped with my withdrawal symptoms from our traded in '98 Subaru Outback! My wife and I just bought a 2K1 Rainforest Green LX. She loves it. So does our 2.5 year old; each morning he wakes up and says, "we have a minivan!" I doubt he'll be so excited when he's 12 :O) I've also been a Miata owner for 8 years running - hope the MPV endears itself to us as much as it and the Subie have done! It's off to a good start. In fact, I'm rather used to revving engines to get things under way - I think we'll be pleased with the 2.5. Loved that engine in our '95 Contour, don't like the 3.0L version as much in the in-law's '98 Taurus.

su_a_ve · July 2001

Hi there...

We picked our 2001 White LX with Sec, 4 Seasons, fog, dual AC, and roof rack last week. We love it. We originally wanted red but no dealers in NJ seem to had it. So we went for the white, though again seemed like only one dealer had it.

Great price (240 over invoice) plus the $1000 AND 4.9% for 60 months.

Now, I do want to get the zoom zoom song (not the original, but the Mazda commercial version) any ideas ?

Also, I heard there's supposed to be a 'welcome kit' Does Mazda ship that out or you need to get it from the dealer ?

TIA.

billmckinley · July 2001

Rutger3
Rider69
Pastorgumby
J2kbarlow
su_a_ve

All new owners--
All in the last week or so--
Gang, I think the word is beginning to leak out.

Big hearty welcome aboard, newbies.

Happy miles!

BTW Rutger3, have you tried moving the passenger seat back? I'm 6-1 and I can stretch my feet out almost straight in the seat [just did it on a 2000m trip]. If you do this, you can also move the second row back a few inches for additional room there, too. And if by windshield wipers, you mean that looneytunes control stalk, I'm with you. I still haven't fully mastered it after almost 5 months.

RJ

pjd58 · July 2001

your welcome kit should arrive within 4 weeks. It has some nice items...touchup paint, a small handy index on the MPV's features. Only 2001 owner's receive the welcome kit.

Red is a tough color to find, I've only seen one red and one Sapphire
Blue in the past two years. Sand Mica, Rainforest green, and Silver seem to be the most popular color choices in my area.

I love the Zoom Zoom song also, some people would rather have root canal than listen to it. Call Mazda USA and ask them where you can obtain one. While you are on hold you can listen to it.

Glad to hear you love your MPV and welcome aboard.

PJD58

alexv1n · July 2001

Just a note, there is a lot of different calculators and converters on MPV web site: http://www.vakcer.com/mpv/ just click on the Tools in the left-side menu. You can just enter distance traveled and the amount of fuel burned and get MPG and L/100 km values...

su_a_ve · July 2001

I did call Mazda... My 4 year old loves it and dances to it, but nop.

The dealer said they used to have some tapes for advertisement, but then again, once you sign all promises are gone... I did manage to get a hold of one of the original commercials but it's not the long version, and too much talking... I might edit it...

rutger3 · July 2001

please see my alarm question on regular board.

garyjwms · July 2001

I just posted that loong message on the general list bragging about my new MPV. Glad to be one of the newbies, and glad to see that there's a crowd of enthusiasts for this vehicle. Great source of info, and also advice when needed.

Little more info on me: 34, married with a 5 year old son and a daughter that turned a year old yesterday. I live in So. California, but grew up in Maine. I got turned on to the practicality of minivans 5 years ago, when we bought a 96 Dodge Grand Caravan. At that time it was the only van with the driver's side sliding door. Too bad it was so poorly built. I sort of detest SUV's and the whole SUV mindset. Particularly here in SoCAL where there's ABSOLUTELY NO NEED for such an impractical, gas-hogging vehicle. If I were back in Maine, I'd want a Subaru w/4WD like I used to have, or like my brother's Outback wagon.

Sorry for the small rant . . .

The MPV strikes me less like a minivan and more like a high-profile sporty wagon. More nimble and flexible than traditional sized minis. The size is no mistake, since they market the same vehicle in Japan and Europe, where everything is smaller and more compact.

And, as I said in my long post -- got the best deal from Carsdirect.com, and the the entire experience was pleasant -- a big surprise! The rep was extremely helpful, knowedgeable, prompt, and flexible. He really went out of his way to accommodate us, answer our questions, and explore alternatives. We paid about $2000 below invoice, and I'm still scratching my head about where they made money on our deal. I think they split the 2% holdback with the dealer(Irvine Mazda) where we picked up our vehicle. The dealer rep told us that in order to get their 2% from Mazda, we need to complete the customer survey that Mazda will mail to us, and rate the dealer all 10's down the page. Otherwise, the dealer loses money on the deal. Interesting . . .

Well, I look forward to swapping stories about our MPV with all of you -- glad to be here!

Dr. Gary Williams
Gardena, CA

maltb · July 2001

Glad to hear that you like your MPV and I agree with you about the size; it fits us well. I have heard many good things about the sales department at Irvine Mazda so I wouldn't hesitate to give them the 10s(it's more of a total average than your individual vehicle). However, their service dept. has trouble keeping people happy, like my brother who seems to never learn.

pjd58 · July 2001

welcome aboard. You won't need to visit the service dept. very often. No question, the MPV has the best reliability of any new van. Too bad you owned a 96 Caravan, it was a terrible year. The 96's had major tranny and engine issues.

Again, welcome aboard and enjoy!

Pjd58

garyjwms · July 2001

Glad to get such a speedy welcome -- Yes Maltb, I plan to give Irvine Mazda a perfect rating -- they were great, and I do want to see them get paid. It appears that they're the preferred dealer for Carsdirect in the area. The other mazda dealers close to me are Don Kott in Carson, Browning in Cerritos and Culver City Mazda. I got the feeling that they (Carsdirect) don't like to do business with Don Kott, but that's just a guess on my part.

And pjd58, the engine & tranny problems is what scared me enough to get rid of the Caravan. My mechanic estimated that between 40-50% of the caravan he'd see with that body type had transmission problems. Luckily not mine, but I did have problems with electrical system, braking system, and it was hemorrhaging oil at the rate of about 1.5 quarts per month by the time I sold it. From the looks of things, the oil leak was coming from the head gasket, which is an expensive problem to fix. I got a relatively good price selling it privately, enough for a decent down payment on the MPV. One of the more annoying problems was the driver's side power window suddenly dropped into the door while my wife was driving in a rainstorm. The new bracket and guide assembly (flimsy plastic) cost almost $300 to replace. Glad to be rid of that vehicle!!

javadoc · July 2001

It's great to see these new cyber-faces and hear about their new MPVs. I keep seeing more and more on the road now, which is good. The van seems to fit lots of people's lifestyles well.

Look forward to hearing new and excited stories from you new owners.

again, welcome.

--javadoc

pastorgumby · July 2001

Thanks for your pointers.. alexv1n & javadoc. I will see what i come up with... i suppose you have to wait till the car is completely empty before making this calculation.
I tend to see the gas meter as half empty, not half full, so I always fill it up.

Thanks for the pointers.

Pastorgumby

maltb · July 2001

It matters little how much fuel you have left before re-fill. Your reference point is a full tank, so you are only concerned about how much it takes to bring the tank back to full and how far you were able to go on that amount.
I hope I didn't make it more confusing.

pastorgumby · July 2001

I looked at my owner's manual, and there was no specified info on changing the timing belt. The Mazda brochure boasted that it has a "chain" belt and never needs replacing... is it true? I hope so...

javadoc · July 2001

I believe the Duratec motor has chain-driven camshafts (versus belts), so there would be no timing belt to replace (since it's a chain. Generally, the chains have tensioners that keep them adjusted correctly for longer service lives.

To add to Maltb's wise comments on your mileage calculations, you're only calculating on fuel spent for the miles driven, and the "half empty" thinking is just dandy ;-) ...if that clears it up any.

--javadoc

j2kbarlow · July 2001

The Duratecs do indeed have timing chains rather than belts. The chains don't have to be replaced. These chains are also the reason some say that the engine is "noisy". I'll deal with the "noise" rather than changing a timing belt in a FWD car any day (and I actually rather like the sounds the engine makes)!

garyjwms · July 2001

Javadoc uses the two trip odometers exactly as I do -- ODO-A gets reset every fill-up, and ODO-B lets me know mileage to the next maintenance interval. The odometer in my Camry (the car I drive every day) is set up the same way, and I keep it set pretty closely. I also have a habit of writing the mileage on every gas receipt, so that all the data I need to calculate MPG is right there on the receipt.

My wife did the first fill-up on the MPV, and it was quite a challenge explaining to her how to reset ODO-A while she was at the pump on her cell phone. (She's Japanese, so English is her second language)

But I was pretty happy with the initial result -- 21 MPG, with mixed driving (freeway, commuting, and running errands, moderate A/C use). When possible, I prefer cranking down the windows and turning the A/C off.

BTW Javadoc -- love your website -- lots of interesting info, and I liked the piece you wrote about the Caravan you rented for your trip to SoCal recently. It looks like you live in a beautiful part of the world.

garyjwms · July 2001

And I forgot to mention that I loved the story of how your MPV came to be named the "Mochavan"

We're still thinking of a name for ours. So far, my son calls it the "Natto-van" -- Natto is the name for fermented soybeans in Japan -- it's usually eaten over rice at breakfast (and very healthy), but lots of Japanese don't like it because it smells bad. The color of our van (Sand mica) reminds him of a certain variety of natto --but I think we might come up with a better name than "smelly soybeans!!" LOL

javadoc · July 2001

I'm blushing...and embarrassed 'cuz I haven't updated in so long. Houseguests (darned family/tourists!) have been sleeping in my soho so no time to work on the site, let alone play on my computers...I'm sure I'll have time soon, between fishing and all that. thx for the nice remarks tho!

--java

pjd58 · July 2001

glad to have you aboard. Recently, there has been a large influx of new owners. You guys and gals won't regret your choice. My Wife and I have had our LX for almost 4 months and love our van more than ever.

The MPV is our first minivan. We never liked minivans until we saw the new generation MPV. I have always loved Mazda products and knew the MPV was right for us.

For the life of me, I never thought I would be sooooooo excited about a minivan.

We are so lucky to have the greatest group of owners on this forum.

Happy and safe miles to all!

Pjd58

Karen_S · July 2001

Glad to see this board picking up, but missing a few regulars. Where is blondemom?

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

javadoc · July 2001

I think she's still around...prolly busy enjoying her MPV tho, like everyone else.

--java

pjd58 · July 2001

maybe Blondmom has been busy driving her MPV to Softball tournments. She has mentioned she travels quite a bit during the summer.

pastorgumby · July 2001

Thanks for all your responses... i feel happier about my MPV by the minute!

Question to all...
Did everyone receive a welcome package?
i.e., w/ touch up paint, and info?
I never did...

If so, i will call my dealer- your responses will be appreciated.

PastorGumby

pjd58 · July 2001

is only offered to 01 MPV buyers. It took about four weeks to receive ours.

garyjwms · July 2001

Pastorgumby (interesting screen name, BTW):

Just got my Welcome kit today -- it came in a gold/yellowish box and contained the following:

Welcome form letter from Mazda North America/Irvine Mazda (where I got my MPV)

The MPV Accessories Brochure (which I have already)

A neat file folder welcoming me to "Mazdatown" with Zoom-zoom written all over it.

A copy of "Zoom-Zoom" Magazine "exclusively for Mazda owners" as the title page declares (aren't you all jealous yet?)

And the little bottle (0.44 oz.) of touch-up paint, although mine came in the wrong color -- I got silver, when my van is Sand mica. I told them that in the little survey that came in the box, and hopefully they'll send me the right color.

And, I got my dealer survey in the mail today too. I need to check all 10's or else the sales rep doesn't get his 2% holdback from Mazda.

And strange, but for some reason I have difficulty posting to this list from my home PC, but no problems posting from the office. Perhaps it's an issue with the firewall I have installed. Hopefully this gets through.

Gary

garyjwms · July 2001

It appears that resetting the router did the trick!!

garyjwms · July 2001

At the risk of getting kicked off this list for non-related content, this is a cool flash presentation sent to me by a friend:

http://www.sfdt.com/flash/movies/pics/296-kungfu.swf

javadoc · July 2001

Don't worry about being booted for off-topic posts. We've been using the "Meet the Members" thread as a haven for off-topic conversation for the past few months...so feel free! Nifty flash pres, btw.

--java

garyjwms · July 2001

I decided that this little flash pres should be renamed:

MPV's KICK [non-permissible content removed]!!!

LOL

http://www.sfdt.com/flash/movies/pics/296-kungfu.swf

pastorgumby · July 2001

Thanks for your responses... i get feelin' my dealership is not all too happy to hear from post-sale. I'll definately bug 'em for the kit.
PastorGumby
01 MPV LX- silver

rutger3 · July 2001

I know I'm the critical type but a few thoughts on inexpensive items left off the MPV.
-light under the hood, come on Mazda
-flip open rear hatch window, this was handy on my last van
-more room under the middle seats
-how about a split 3rd seat
-power rear windows for the 3rd seat even if only to flip open.
-seatback pockets for the middle buckets
-rear a/c control switch for the middle seats

Don't worry,if I think of anymore,I'll let you know.

maltb · July 2001

I'm glad I'm not that picky, it must make life tough.

rutger3 · July 2001

maltb; Yes my life is tough thank you,but in all fairness I should list the items I like about the MPV.
-styling,the best of all minivans
-dependability-the 2nd best of all minivans
-handling
-overall design
-3rd row stow away seat
-heated outside mirrors
-nice sound system
-sliding middle bucket seat
-roll down middle windows
-not like everyone elses minivan
As I find more,I will let you know.See,I'm not always negative.

pjd58 · July 2001

no such thing as the perfect Van. I'm sure there were some features lacking in your Villager. Life is too short to worry about what you don't have. Enjoy the outstanding features of your new MPV.

blondemom1 · July 2001

I haven't been here for a while. We've been busy this summer, as usual, with softball tournaments. The season is winding down, with only the National Championships to go. I've also been busy at work dealin' blackjack on most nights.

But, I wanted to give a quick update. My van rolled over the 50,000 mile mark yesterday. No major problems as of yet, and only a couple of small ones. My cup holder/ashtray drawer rattles when it is pushed in (annoying). If I put a piece of cardboard or something in it as a tightener the noise is gone. I think there is another small problem, but the fact that I can't think of it right now makes me think it isn't too important, right?

All is well here, and I hope all my friends are doing fine also. Talk to you soon! Linda

billmckinley · July 2001

That has to be some sort of record for a less-than-two-year-old MPV. I'd wish you Happy Miles, but apparently, you've had quite a few of them already.

Oh well, many happy more!

RJ

pjd58 · July 2001

Blondemom. Glad to hear your MPV is doing well. Wow!, 50K on a 2000 MPV, your letting all of us know the long term reliability of the MPV.

Good luck at the Nationals!

alexv1n · July 2001

We have another long-runner MPV owner on the "other" forum who uses the MPV as a taxi cab. He drove over 50,000 miles since September 2000. If I recall correctly, he reported only that he's at thrid set of tires and second set of brakes... But this is mostly city driving, stop-and-go, so probably that's normal...

drblake · July 2001

Just wanted to say hello! We just bought a 2001 MPV a couple of days ago (first minivan and first 'new' car purchase) after tough deliberation between the odyssey, MPV, and the sienna and so far, I am very happy with my choice...especially due to the fact that It was much easier to negotiate a good price with mazda!!! We'll keep y'all posted on life with the MPV!
DrBlake

toby_lai · July 2001

My name is Toby, me and my wife just bought a '01 silver MPV few days ago. Acutally I have a question for you, is the extended warranty worth getting for the new MPV? I believe the original factory warranty is 3yr/50,000mi. If it's worth getting, how much should I expect to pay for it? Thanks.

Mazda MPV Owners: Meet the Members

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