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Mazda MPV Owners: Meet the Members

Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
edited March 2014 in Mazda
Please introduce yourself!

My name is Karen and I'll be your host in the Mazda MPV Club. Some of you may remember me? It hasn't been that long since Vans was my stomping ground. :-)

Let me know what discussions you would like to have included in this folder. Perhaps take a look at the already established Owner's Clubs for ideas? Anyone care to be a representative/Community Leader for the club? Let me know!

Looking forward to meeting everyone!

KarenS
Owner's Club Host
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Comments

  • blondemom1blondemom1 Member Posts: 90
    We've heard for a long time now about getting our own owners' forum, and the day is finally here. Thanks Karen.

    I'm Blondemom, a.k.a. Linda. I am a soon-to-be 40 year old mom of 2. I've been married for 19 years to my husband Jim, who I affectionately refer to as Saltandpepperdad, for those who don't know.

    I've had my van for 14 months, and 34,000+ miles, and I've loved every minute. We train race horses for a living, but I live for coaching softball.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    I'm T and on my second MPV. No problems with either other than trying to get the kids to keep their crackers and pretzles off the floor and the hands off the windows.

    I'm married with an awesome wife and 4 good (most of the time) kids.
  • hloadhload Member Posts: 27
    Call me Scott,

    Our 01 MPV has 1900 miles on it. Of course I don't get to drive it very much.....
  • msgjvhmsgjvh Member Posts: 196
    I am John, We baught our MPV last May. We LUVRMPV. It's been one of the best decisions ever. The kids love it, their friends love it and of course the wife loves it. We are at the 19k mark and have few problems to report. I'm 40 with two kids Groan (a girl) 15 and Moan (a boy) 13 and of course my wife who is gracious enough to leave us the van on my days off. Well, see you here!

    Hasta La Vista Baby!
  • alexv1nalexv1n Member Posts: 248
    Hi there,

    I'm Alex from Ottawa, Canada. Our '00 MPV is 6 months old (well, it's 1 year old but it was on the lot of the other 6 months). It's Silver LX with Sports package (in Canada the packages are slightly different, so the van has US's 4 season, security and touring packages). Now it has 12,000 km and no major problems. The engine coolant seemed to be leaking but on inspection it turned out to be an air pocket in cooling system. Letting air out of the system cured the problem. Now the breaks are squealing and I'm going to have them looked at during next oil change.

    Other than that we (myself, my wife and 4-year-old girl) love the van and all our friends are very positive about it (which is good, right?). The power issue is a non-issue :-) as the van cruises at 150 km/h with 6 adults on board with no problem at all and would go faster (please, don't tell RCMP :-)

    I'm reading Townhall since May 2000 and it was the main source of inspiration while I was deciding on the van purchase. Thanks folks, you were (and are) incredible. Special thanks to javadoc, tboner, blondemom and many other members who seem to live on the Townhall all the time out of the van... :-)
  • cmunizcmuniz Member Posts: 604
    I'm Carlos and have had a 2000 Red MPV ES for about 14 months without any problems. We enjoy using it for traveling and have about 15,000 miles on it. We live in the mountains of western North Carolina and are satisfied with the performance on the interstate and in the mountains. We have gotten between 20 and 23 mpg since day one. We have received numerous compliments on the looks and interior design. I have been reading and ocassionally posting on this forum for over a year.
  • sandesdriversandesdriver Member Posts: 15
    I have a sand ES from December 1999. To date about 9300 miles since it is primarily used to shuttle between Las Vegas and Southern California. Mileage: about 18 in the city, 22-23 highway. No problems. Runs just fine in the desert climate. My only complaint is the lack of aftermarket filters.
  • jb03jb03 Member Posts: 31
    Hey Everyone,

    My name is Joel and I purchased a Silver LX with Touring Package back in August 2000. It's been a while since I last posted but I visit the MPV message boards often. I currently have 7,800 miles on my MPV with very minimal problems experienced to date. This vehicle is definitely not the typical minivan and it definitely handles better than anything else in its class. Power is not an issue and mileage has been typically in the 21-23 mpg range (although I have noticed a 2-3 mpg decrease this winter possibly due to fuel additives here in Michigan).

    I have been married for nearly 7 years to my beautiful wife (Shell) and have two of the greatest kids ages 3 and 5. I am a registered professional Civil Engineer who designs water and wastewater related projects in and around the Detroit Metro area. I enjoy spending time with my family and actively participating in the ministry that we attend.

    Many of the posters here on the message boards helped to greatly influence our decision to purchase the MPV. My family and I thank each of you and we believe that our decision was a wise one.

    On a side note, our MPV was officially inducted into the "scratch club" about four weeks ago when another vehicle hit a pothole on our wonderful Michigan freeways and launched a sizeable piece of asphalt onto the hood. Although we were traveling near 70 mph, thankfully, the asphalt caused only minor damage and avoided shattering the windshield.

    Well, just thought I'd check in and I look forwarded to participating in this forum.

    Regards,

    JB
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    Hey there Karen! Long time no read. Thx for the cross posting over at the other MPV forum! Great to see you about again, since I was just wondering where you'd gone to.

    cheers!

    --javadoc
  • kosinskikosinski Member Posts: 6
    My name is Jim. I purchased my MPV in August of 2000, based in large part to comments i read in the MPV, Odyssey, Windstar, Caravan and Sienna forum's. At one point, i actually had folders for each van with copies of applicable posts from each forum. While the other vans are larger, we preferred the MPV's attributes overall. After discovering that our 4-year monthly payments would be equivalent to 5-year Honda or Toyota payments, we selected the Mazda. When we purchased the van, it seemed to be a good deal (200 over invoice with 2.9% financing). Based on posts since our purchase, i believe there may have been a manufacture-to-dealer rebate that should have put the price below invoice. When negotiating the price, the dealer convincingly argued that a rebate is not available if special financing is selected.

    Like most, i have no problem with the engine's power and enjoy the van's handling characteristics and stereo. After 2000 miles (yes, we have used the van very little), mileage is still around 18.

    My only concern is about the van's size. We have a 4 and 6-year old and are expecting a baby in 6 weeks. Before purchasing the van, we felt that there was sufficient room for five. After installing an infant seat this afternoon i am starting to wonder.
  • kbamfordkbamford Member Posts: 4
    Hello my fellow MPV owners. My name is Kevin and we have owned our 2000 LX since January 25th 2000. Just turned 5700 miles today, no dents or scratches, but I do have a few chips on the hood. My wife is the primary driver and the MPV is usually in the garage, but every so often I'm privileged enough to drive it! I'm still in the habit of parking way out in the lot when shopping at the mall. We love this van and are so glad we discovered it on Edmunds while dealing on a Nissan. Thanks to everyone on the forums for all of their insight and suggestions. See you all later!
    Kevin
  • blondemom1blondemom1 Member Posts: 90
    You don't really think you are going to get off that easy, do you? Tell us a little about the java-life, and your mocha-van, OK? :)

    Howya doin' anyway?
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    Great to see so many are excited about the MPV Club! And also nice to see some familiar (type)faces.

    Since you have already established the MPV Cruisers discussion, would you be interested in having it reside in the Club folder?

    What other discussions would you like? I'll get a couple going, but please don't hesitate to suggest more!

    KarenS
    Host
    Owner's Club
  • cinka1cinka1 Member Posts: 30
    Thanks to all of the posters late in the year, I became an MPV ZZZZoomer last November. Sometimes I find myself driving down the road in a silly giggle cuz I just love the van and it's 'best kept secret' status. We have the white ES 2000 with moon, 6cd, 4season. It is perfect for my family of 5 (three teenagers) and 5 big white dogs. I've managed to put 5000 miles on it in the past 2 1/2 months - it was sooo easy to do :) This is my third minivan but favorite one of all. I was heavily influenced in my purchase by what I read on this web site. I visited all mini van threads and found the happiest minivan'ers right here. Thanks a bunch from Oregon!
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    Great! Glad to hear the Town Hall was helpful.

    KarenS
    Host
    Owner's Clubs
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    Special Event Chat with Ed Hellwig

    Tues., Jan. 30th, 5-6pm PT/8-9pm ET


    Ed Hellwig - Associate Editor, Edmunds.com.

    Associate editor Ed Hellwig came to Edmunds with a diverse automotive background that included stints as a gas station grease monkey, automotive spy photographer, and ice rink Zamboni driver. Ed spent five years making sure he hated cold weather at the University of Colorado in Boulder where he somehow earned a degree in American history between beer runs and football games. Upon returning, he proclaimed "snow sucks" and forever pledged his allegiance to the Southern California sunshine. Prior to joining Edmunds, Ed toiled under the iron fist of Tom Lindamood at A&M Specialists, a press vehicle logistics company, as a road-tester and delivery driver. While tooling around in Bentleys and Porsches was less than grueling, Ed just couldn't shake the editorial urge and jumped at the chance to join the Edmunds team. He's now responsible for writing road tests, editing our "Future Telling" column, and assisting in performance testing.

    KarenS
    Host
    Owner's Club

  • brantybranty Member Posts: 53
    Hi! Bill here. Had our Black ES since November 1999...absolutely love it and have had no problems. Carries our 2 teenage boys + friends on weekend stints to the cottage - never any problem with power (although sometimes there is a problem with the amount of gear they want to bring along - calls for creative packing!). I often have to watch the speed carefully as it creeps up quite easily - this van loves to cruise!!

    Previously we had a '90 MPV and the 2000 MPV is certainly far more versatile! Very easy to carry large loads that the older version could not handle (rear seat didn't come out- at least not without tools).

    We have pulled a tent trailer plus all the gear that goes with that sort of trip with no problems. Put 4 Pirrelli Winter Ice tires on this year and it certain has made a difference in the snow.

    Anyway just love to drive it!
  • jcroftsjcrofts Member Posts: 7
    We bought our '00 MPV ES in March 2000 and have rolled up around 12,000 miles so far including a 3,000 mile road trip last summer with the wife and two daughters. No problems at all with the van, Mom and Dad love the handling, girls love the 9 speaker cd changer (woof!).
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    We've had our Sand Mica LX for 7 months now and are very pleased with it. It rides and handles very nicely, the engine power is a non-issue and it's still the best looking mini van available. Looking forward to the warmer spring and summer months so it won't be such a chore keeping it pristine!!
  • deanc3deanc3 Member Posts: 5
    Thanks to all the members. My wife and I (and 2 year old twin boys) are now owners (as of 1/31/01) of a Sliver LX with the 4 Seasons Package, Security Package, Roof Rack, Rear air, and 3 in one radio. We got a great deal at Young Mazda in Easton, PA. Invoice and the 1750 dealer incentive. They also gave me more for my trade then anyone else offered. No hassle at all. The invoice matched Edmunds to the penny. Thanks for all the info.

    We already love it!
  • dbs2001dbs2001 Member Posts: 46
    I'm Dennis & my wife is Pat and we live in Silicon Valley. We're empty-nesters with 3 daughters & 2 grandkids (one's a boy-finally!).
    We finally took the plunge Sat 2/3. We went to an auction Sat where they had a couple of 2000 MPVs - 1 DX & 1 LX (with 24k miles). We were only interested in the LX which ended up going for $19.5K! I had dropped out long before that. I then surprised my wife (it's going to be her vehicle) & we went down looking at new ones. We ended up with a Rainforest Green Mica 01 ES with 4-seasons, roof rack & foglights. We are switching from a piece of junk - '91 Grand Caravan.
    I've been lurking for 9 months in the various van groups and want to say thanks to all - especially you long-time posters (you know who you are) who helped me make up my mind (what's left of it)! Of course, Pat already had made up hers. She likes a minivan because it allows her to see traffic as she is um-built low to the ground shall we say? Her main reason for wanting the MPV is the roll-down windows in the doors! I have a few more reasons. I really like the handling, large amount of glass meaning no blind spots and, of course, the maneuverability of the 2nd & 3rd row seats. The awesome sound system is a great bonus! I had confirmed this was the van for me when we went to the Edmund's test drive track in San Francisco where we got to try out 7 vans. If you missed last year's event, go this year. It's a great experience.

    Obviously, no real history yet. Took it out Sun for a short drive on the freeway. Runs great--no pulling to the left, lean or vibration. Very quiet & enough pickup to get on the freeway at a comfortable speed. We had compromised - she really didn't want leather (she believes it will be too hot in the summer) but wanted that color. I didn't want a fully-loaded unit, but did want 4-seasons & the upgraded radio & speaker system. She's happy & so am I. Will post again after next weekend. We will be traveling from San Jose to Mariposa (near Yosemite). That should be a reasonable test.
  • julyarjulyar Member Posts: 35
    We have been a proud MPV owner since 1/31/00. No problems to date, and enjoying the Emerald Mica ES very much. Just went over 10,000 miles and getting 17-18 mpg for mostly city driving, managed to get 21-22 on the freeway. We are a family of four with children ages 5 and 1 1/2. The van has been a perfect fit for us, and all the features are great and the size just right.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    Nice to see you here!

    Would any MPV owners be interested in your own chat? Edmunds.com would be happy to set one up for you! Just let me know!

    KarenS
    Host
    Owner's Clubs
  • blondemom1blondemom1 Member Posts: 90
    Long time, no post, huh? Good to "see" you! Glad all is well with you, your family, and your MPV.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    I spoke to Dana/Community Manager and they are trying to get all the Club chats set up on

    Tuesdays: 4-5pmPT/7-8pmET

    -or-

    Thursdays: 5-6pmPT/8-9pmET, 6-7pmPT/9-10ET, 7-8pmPT/10-11pmET (This last time would be kind of late for East coast, but is available if you want it.)

    The first scheduled chat would be March 6 or 8.

    Let me know what time works for you!

    KarenS
    Host
    Owner's Clubs
  • julyarjulyar Member Posts: 35
    I have been around and reading but haven't had much to contribute so few if any posts lately. I have also been sick along with the rest of the family, nasty flu strain here in CA. I will always be hovering around here, so just know I am there even if I don't post too much. Have a good one. later.
  • rjr425rjr425 Member Posts: 53
    I'm RJ. Late 50's, a high-school teacher with a ten mile suburban commute.
    I'm a happy owner [since 2/10/01] of a Sand Mica LX. This is my fourth van since '86. Two Nissans, both of which I liked, and a '94 Voyager which I really liked but whose handling annoyed me.
    So far I'm really impressed with my MPV. I find the acceleration more than adequate, and the handling is unbelievable. The thing tracks like a cat in any situation.
    The only problem looming is a slight vibration from 55-70+. I'm starting the solution drill with checking the inflation. Even if I can't fix it, it's really pretty minor. Everything else is great.
    And by the way, thanks to a lot of the names I've already seen on this site for steering me to the Maz in the first place. Look forward to talking and reading about the car in the future.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    The Edmunds.com Drivers' Opinion Panel has just launched. This initiative will further establish Edmunds.com as the voice of the consumer by becoming a key source for automotive market research. Through this initiative Edmunds.com will send traffic to the Opinion Panel promotion and registration area. Members of the panel will participate in key market research studies for Automotive OEMs and related companies on-line as opposed to more traditional market research methods.

    To become a member of the panel, please visit

    Drivers' Opinion Panel

    KarenS
    Host
    Owner's Clubs
  • ckjjpennckjjpenn Member Posts: 1
    In post #21, a $1750 dealer incentive was mentioned. Did that incentive bring your price below the invoice?
  • marti77marti77 Member Posts: 22
    I'm Bob M. otherwise known as Marti77!!! I'm 69 years going on a 100 and since I 'm over the hill, so to speak, my favorite object of affection is my Sand Mica DX MPV which I've owned for over a year now and have nearly 10000 miles on it with nary a complaint!!! I've been married to a wonderful and understanding woman (she would have to be to stay with me over these past 45 years) We, out of neccessity, have nicknamed her Marnie since she has a neice of the same name and she doesn't exactly dig being called Big or Old Mary Lee!!! We have a daughter living nearby in Mars, Pa and a wonderful son, Tom, living in Tampa, Fla. but, alas, no grandchildren, yet!!!
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    Missed you on the forums for a while there, it's good to see you back. Don't let Marnie know your main squeeze is your MPV. I'm accused of that transgression too often by Mrs. Javadoc with Rolf (our Volvo) and Maxine (our race car). I just tell her that if she smelled as good as the fine Swedish hides in the Volvo, she'd move up on that ladder, lol.

    --javadoc
  • blondemom1blondemom1 Member Posts: 90
    ... that was pretty mean! LOL I'll bet she didn't grind your beans for you after that! :)
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    I'm having a hard time resisting the urge to make a pun in very questionable taste. ;-)
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    Please take a look at Owner's Club Changes to offer your opinion.


    KarenS
    Host
    Owner's Clubs

  • blondemom1blondemom1 Member Posts: 90
    Sorry, but I beat you to it..... the pun was intended!! :)
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    Can't say you don't speak your mind, roflmao. I have to say, the missus can hold her own against my quibs any day.

    -javadoc
  • julyarjulyar Member Posts: 35
    Hey dude!

    where have you been? It has been a long time. Well.... welcome back.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    Some of you will notice that your messages from yesterday no longer exist. There was a major hiccup in the system last evening. Edmunds.com apologizes sincerely for the difficulties this situation poses. Please rest assured that every effort is being expended to rectify this matter as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.

    KarenS
    Host
    Owner's Clubs
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    I think we've move the "off-topic" ramblings over here, so as to not detract from the otherwise blissfull exchange of MPV-related knowledge on the other MPV threads.

    Now if this caffiene headache would just subside and I can watch those MPVs that are for sale on ebay...

    --Javadoc
  • blondemom1blondemom1 Member Posts: 90
    ... but not for long. It is bowling night tonight. We only have 2 more weeks, so that means we have to be serious tonight since it's position night. I bowled a 671 a couple of weeks ago, and am on top of the money piles. That is a very sweet spot to be in at this part of the season.

    I figured we all could ramble on over here, and this way, we don't let the Odd owners think that we are having lots of trouble with our vans if they see the number of posts in our problems topic.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    what would you do with two anyway? Rolf would have nothing to do.

    :)
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    I could pick the one up in Portland in May, instead of flying into John Wayne and renting one for $500...then I could a)sell it at the end of my vacation (hahahah) or 2)drive it to Seattle and ship it home.

    Neither of these is a reality, but what the hey, right? Well, if these two rides are going on the cheap, I'd wanna know. Haven't bought a vehicle on ebay...yet. I've been shopping for a Porsche for about a year online, and prices are pretty good there, usually.

    --javadoc
  • blacklxblacklx Member Posts: 60
    Hey Java, You could visit me when you pick up the one in Portland. (It's actually in Newport on the coast right now) I have a feeling it's one that we could have bought at the end of February but ended up getting ours in Salem which is closer.

    I saw that they also have an Ody for sale on e-bay. (I contacted them about an Ody and they suggested I look at the MPV's, glad that they did.)

    Oh to keep on topic here, I'm Colleen and have a 1 yo and a 2 yo. (I don't know if I like the MPV baby boom going on, I will be giving birth to a bouncing gall bladder probably next week does that count?)
  • billmckinleybillmckinley Member Posts: 167
    RJR425 no longer exists. I, his evil twin Skippy, have taken over his identity and life! Muahahahaha!
    . . . . Sorry, been watching soaps on my free day again.

    I've changed my user name to reflect my van's username (what the heck, I have no life anyway). But fear never--I'm still as ruggedly handsome and boyishly charming as ever I was before [which I figure leaves me all the wiggleroom I'll ever need].

    RJ
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Has Doc been sharing some of his "funny" coffee with you?

    :)
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    Gimme back my Jamaican beans and you won't be hurt!!

    :-P

    --javadoc

    ...actually, I'm only on one cup (from home) today, so I'm in withdrawls. The water cooler is empty, and the tap water is...well, lets just say that if the engineers won't drink it, neither will I.
  • billmckinleybillmckinley Member Posts: 167
    If it's not Kona, it's not Koffee!
    This from the addict who guzzles a full cuppa every day--two on Saturdays. On Sundays I lose all control and drink THREE FULL CUPS!

    Good grief, I'm such a hedonist. ;)

    RJ [or Bill--I'm easy]
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    Since we are terribly off topic...as if there was a topic...the Missus got me this mug that has a very sleepy looking Goofy on it. Says, "There's nothing sweeter than that first cup," which is all fine and well, except the cup accepts an entire pot of coffee. So, I guess I'm just a cuppa day also, lol! I rarely use it, except to scare the engineers. They know what happens to the 'doc after "the big cup" has been swilled.

    Oh, and I secretly switched their usual Yuban sawdust, er, grounds, with some high-test Jamaican Estate coffee! I put the Yuban in a ziplock and filled the Yuban can with my Jamaican estate ground beans! Let's see their billable hours go thru the roof!! I see a banner month of chargeability coming!

    Oh, to blacklx...I'd look you up if I were in PDX, but I won't be stopping there on my annual pilgrimage to D-land, sorry!

    -java
  • billmckinleybillmckinley Member Posts: 167
    who had his own private coffee pot. He never used a cup. He'd sit at his desk and drink it straight from the pot--black, no sugar. And he'd make three pots a day. He could never understand why he always seemed to be getting into fights with his classes--especially his afternoon classes. We'd just go up to his classroom after school and peel him off the ceiling and send him home. lol

    Topics? We don't need to show you no stinkin' topics!

    RJ
  • blacklxblacklx Member Posts: 60
    Boy I'm missing out on all the "buzz" I'm not a coffee drinker. (I hope that doesn't mean I'm banished.)

    My sister has an espresso stand does that help my case any?

    Java, sorry you won't be going through PDX. Maybe next time.
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