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Comments
Regarding my certificate, I called MAZDA at the following number, 1-800-236-2871, and was told that instead of the stated 4-6 week delivery time for the certificates, it would be 14-16 weeks. If you're waiting and thinking that MAZDA forgot about you, well it may still be on its way. Anyway, you might want to hold on to the above phone number if you don't hear anything.
Happy zooooming to all of you Tribute owners.
Be assured you're not the only one... I guess some of the engines act differently than others... I myself with 3 tankfuls am averaging about 18.75 mpg. I've heard of lots of people getting around what you're getting.
Some things I've learned about the Tribute since it's been released is that the best results have come from following the suggested octane to be used for the tribute which is 87. For the second tank I actually used 89 octane and got significantly less gas mileage.
The manual says that "there is no typical way to break in the engine and just to vary speeds during the first 1000 miles." I've also been told be several people that the only thing about breaking in is that you shouldn't work he transmission too much. You can go fast but no constant cycle of accelerating or decelerating... Consider the overall break in period the first 5000 miles though (or when your manual says you should perform the first oil change)...
I've also heard several reports of owners who were going through the same problem as you are for the first couple of thousand miles or so. Then suddenly, those people were getting twice the mileage that they were getting prior. They assumed that they had broken the engine in due to their recent results...
Otherwise than what's stated above, the only thing I can think of that may be hindering the engines performance is the way you may be driving the truck. Maybe too hard, too soft. I've been doing about 75 on the highway and am getting good results with that... No cold starts and remember to put as low stress on the transmission as possible...
That's all I can offer...
HTH
does indeed auto-off after 10 or so minutes. as stated before, its kind of a pain as the infamous shifter sits right in front of the defroster button light......maybe mazda service can fix it without breaking something else:):)
we have 1 white ES available with the luxury package. let me know if you are interested.
If you'd like to see the results of other 2001 SUVs already tested, you can find that at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cap/cars/2001SUVs.html
The recalls are a bit disheartening about the car but they're in the past and have been taken care of so far with no casualties. Who knows if there will be any recalls in the future but assuming that there are, I'm sure Mazda and Ford will address them as quickly as possible (as they've been doing so far). Just to mention, the past recalls have only affected a small percentage of the actual units built (except for the windshied wipers). Also, news is brewing that there will be another recall to fix the problem of the fuel smell some people are experiencing.
As far as the handling is concerned. I greatly enjoy driving it. At first, I have to admit that I was scared to push it into corners and such but once I did, I was really surprised!!! It handles better than any SUV out there and the handling is comparable to a family sedan (it's not a sports car though)...
I am thinking about buying a Tribute using this S-Plan.
Has anybody used this plan??
Be advised that Mazda has given dealers discretion on allowing S-plan purchases of LX/ES Tributes due to the current popularity of those models right now. In other words, they don't have to honor your S-plan eligibility on an LX/ES Tribute if they don't want to. My dealer did, so I guess I got a pretty sweet deal: $22,322 (4wd LX, Tow, ABS, Moonroof, Mats). The MSRP on the window sticker was $24,540. They gave me $13k for my '99 Miata, so, after tax, title and license and with my trade, the difference to me ended up being around $9.9k.
I didn't really care about or want the ABS or Moonroof but after reading the forums and discovering how many people want these things and how hard it is to get them on a Tribute right now, I'm now glad mine has them for future resale value.
Good luck.
For the recalls, if you check out the NHTSA site, the recalls were really more line stopages, with only a few hundred cars recalled for each (except for the wipers, which were a bit more I think). The recalls, although a little troubling, were NOT massive recalls that affected many people.
For the cheap interior parts, as well as the stupid shift lever, got to agree. You get used it to though, and keep in mind this is an entry level SUV, not a luxury one. You want nice parts, fork out another $10k and you got it. For the money though, the Trib can not be beat - not even close.
Thanks
It's bright yellow ..... I'm going to use it as a poop bag for my dog when I take him in my new Toyota 4Runner to the park for a walk. Maybe I should post it on Ebay....some idiot wll probably bid $50.00 .
I am 6'3" ( my wife is only 5'4"). When I was buying my Tribute I was happy with the leg room in the drivers seat. It has as much leg room as any other vehicle I can think of. I was worried that with the roof being lowered to accommodate the moon roof, that perhaps I should order a Tribute without the moon roof.
Well I liked the moon roof so much I took a chance and ordered it anyway. I am happy to report that there is enough headroom with about 2" to spare. Without the moon roof there is probably about 5" of clearance.
With regards to back seat space, the leg room behind the drivers seat ( which I must keep all the way back in order to drive) is fine for a child or an adult on shorter trips. My wife can move the passenger seat forward and this allows plenty of room for an average sized adult behind her. The problem in the back seat is that the lowered roof is definitely a problem. The width is suitable for 3 children. I drove for an hour once with 3 adults in the back and they were rubbing hips all the way.
Cargo space isn't the greatest even with the rear seats folded, but it is suitable for our needs. Mazda claims you can carry an 8'x4' sheet of plywood and that is true. However 3' will stick out the window, and I don't believe your wood can stack more than 1" thick because the window opening begins to narrow from the base to the top.
Rick
If you are eligible for the A-plan, you are eligible for Mazda's equivalent E-plan. On Mazda's Invoice, both the E-plan and S-plan are printed, on Ford's only the A-plan is printed and X-plan is calculated at 4% above that price. E-plan is about 5% below invoice.
That's not entirely true. My understanding is that the dealers have to accept requests for Mazda S-plan and Ford X-plan purchases, but only on DX Tributes and (I'm guessing) XLS Escapes.
It's currently at dealer discretion whether to accept S or X plan purchases on LX/ES Tributes or XLT Escapes because of the present hot seller's market for those models. Once supply catches up with demand, I'm sure the restriction will be lifted.
I know I didn't have much difficulty buying my LX at the S-plan price. One dealer said he would be happy to sell me any Tribute I wanted at the S-plan price, in stock or otherwise. Unfortunately, he only had DXs in stock at the time and I didn't feel like waiting. I got lucky and found one remaining LX close enough to what I wanted at another dealer who sold it to me at the S-plan price.
Thanks in New York
Does anybody get a similar impression??
I hated ABS on the van. On rainy days, or when driving on loose gravel, I had to be very careful that I never applied the brakes hard enough to activate the ABS. Once a rear wheel locked up, it seemed that brake pressure was released to the rear wheels and suddenly the front wheels did the breaking for the entire vehicle. I could actually feel my vehicle accelerate ( defined as a decrease in de-acceleration) when the ABS activated.
Needless to say I was not to keen on getting ABS again, but since I wanted the moon-roof and premium sound system I also got ABS.
I am very happy to report that the ABS in the Tribute is vastly improved over the MPV. I live in Ontario and I have experimented with braking distances in the snow. I beleive I can still stop quicker at threshhold braking (i.e. maximum brake pressure just prior to wheel lockup) than I can by stomping hard on the pedal.
In other words there is nothing wrong with having the new ABS, and others could argue that there is some losses involved by having it. The argument about having steering control during panic stops is a good one, but at higher speeds we all know that we can't make sudden steering changes without applying the brakes, so ABS can't change the laws of physics .
Rick
Some time ago I read about Mazda giving some type of gift to those waiting a long time. Anyone know anything about this (what is a long time?)?
Hope good things happen to those who wait.