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Comments
Chexi
After driving these other cars, he showed us this 1997 Mazda. It has 48,000 mi, and is loaded with everything - Leather, cd, heated seats, etc. I am not sure whether it is an 'S' or 'L' series.
I am now concerned after reading a lot of the posts about this car. This car is listed at $17,995, but most likely I would be able to get it for 15,000 or so.
Any advice or words of wisdom?
Kevin
Any slight bit of imperfections or "should haves" that I may have come accross are really insubstantial to me from a logical standpoint once I recant to the dollar to value ratio -
If you decide to purchase a later model, just review some of the "problems" that owners of similiar models/years have experienced, and carefully check for signs/symptoms of them in the model year Millenia you are considering - for what its worth.
It very difficult to identify each and every flaw or malfunction that a used car has/may be subjected to from a 20 minute test drive.
Regards,
of my local dealerships are keeping the exact release date on the "hush-hush" so they can remove all the 00' Millenia's of the lot first.
Although I can't manage to obtain an exact release date, the rumours that are floating around are uttering a release around the December, January time frame -
The problem is that I have also heard that the '01 will will release prior to the above mentioned date as well - Late September to October time frame.
The fact of this matter is that, the actual "delivery" date will be the same at all Mazda dealerships within CONUS, therefore, you couldn't have seen a '01 Millenia
Regards,
As for insurance, I realize this is a free plug, but I went to Youdecide.com and requested a quote for my 2000 Millenia S Millenium Edition. I've got all the basics required for a financed car and then some. I'm a 27 year old male with one nasty ticket still on my record. I ended up with a quote of $1180 per year (yes that's per year not per 6 months). This blew my mind, as I thought I was getting a decent deal at $1650. The best part is, when I said I would pay it all at once, they dropped it down another $115 bucks. For anyone out there who thinks they may be paying too much for insurance, I suggest you use this wonderful thing called the internet. It just saved me $500 per year. BTW, YOudecide just gets quotes from insurance companies, they do not sell or underwrite the insurance. Good luck all.
At the New York Auto Show. I remember walking away spitting, because I could not believe what they have done to such a nice car. The new grille and new sharp hood creases are ruining it now.
It was locked up so I don't know about the interior.
Eventhough the '00 Millenia has the similiarily exact body style as its predecessors, I think the subtle changes to it makes it standout a great deal. Especially, the rear fascia with its refined tailights and metallic trim, the front fascias clear/smoke coloured bumper reflectors refreshens the appearance a great deal as well.
The biggest quam that I have about owning the '00 Millenia, is that all us '00 owners will literally be "upside on our financing", because whenever a rebody occurs previous models tend to depreciate very fast - regardless of the price you paid for it OTD.
These did not have the leather and other goodies as part of the $2000 option package charged in the 2000 model. Apparently, these are included in the base price.
I wholeheartedly agree. I was considering the Maxima, as a friend of mine had an older model edition I really liked. The later models, however, are a monstrosity (especially the rear end. What's with those stupid tail lights?) I agree also about the 626. Another friend of mine had an older model 626 several years ago, and I really liked it. Now, I find the 626 quite plain. It's funny though, because the Millenia's differences from the 626 are only subtle (as far as styling goes), but I find the millenia to be an absolutely beautiful car. It just goes to show how subtlties can make all the difference.
Has anyone noticed that Mazda is starting to advertise again like mad. Of course it's for the MPV. I still haven't seen a Millenia commercial since 1995. Fine by me. I love having one of only a handful around. There's a sort of commaraderie in it. On those rare occassions I see another one on the road, I glance over and give a nod to the driver... the driver almost always returns the nod acknowledging that we both know a secret held by a select few... Millenia...
ecaf - I agree on all points, including your thoughts about Maxima and Q45. They looked so good in early 90's.
go for it,:-).
This product does not leave any of that greasy/oily sheen that many other products leave behind, I have been using this product for about 2 years now, and I can assure you that there is nothing better available.
And why does the 626 only have 170 horsepower in its V-6 when competitors have 20 more? Is a certain company afraid that a 200 horsepower 626 will caniballize sales of their 200 horsepower sedan they call the Taurus? Hmmm....
These provocative questions may be answered when Mazda introduces the refreshened '01 Millenia and '01 Miata Roadster (new projector headlamps, air dam, bigger wheels and 15 more horses). These are, in large part, Mazda designed, Mazda engined. Will these vehicles get the same (advertising) attention as the Ford-powered MPV and Tribute? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
I'm very happy with the years of reliable driving my older Millenia S has given me. But if rumors of a supercharged Duratec in a future Millenia come to fruition, I'm buyin' an IS300. Be careful, Mazda.
I'm leary of most upgrades because they are, in large part, "generic" parts that need to be custom fabricated to fit the S. All I have on my S is that K&N drop-in element (not that cone thing). I put it in at 40,000 miles. At 108,000 miles, I can barely feel any difference. That I 'barely' feel anything might be the placebo effect. At least I save money in the long-term since it's not disposable. Oh well...
You may want to try asking the folks at
http://www.jetchip.com
They may be able to reprogram your S 2.3's ECU. They do offer a chip upgrade for the 2.5 though. Millenia L 2.5/626/MX-6 owners take note. If this doesn't help horsepower figures much, it will likely help your fuel economy.
Chexi
Regards,
Even if you decide to go the custom route, your car should be fine with the upgrades - just do some research first! There are a lot of young kids out there who would love to your use car as an experiment.
Peace
Check them out at: http://weapon-r.com/ I had them make one for my last car.
Regards,
They were probably confusing the times with protege'.
Chexi
And I will tell you, that the guy in the Si had his Civic screaming to its redline from the sound eminating from his engine - from an exterior assesment, this guys Civic was completley stock with the exception of a aftermarket muffler.
Another point that I should add is that I didn't even utilize the "Hold" feature on my Millenia. From what I have seen, the majority of these 0-60 times on particular vehicles appear to be an average time, with variances.
Don't get me wrong, comparing the speed of a Millenia S vs. a Civic Si, is like comparing apples and bannas,. but for my particular situation myself and the civic owner obvious had a desire/urge to see which car had more "juice"! I certainly did, because I have always heard of how well the rev happy Si's engine can haul [non-permissible content removed] and I wanted to see if this Miller Cycle Engine can perform.
Regards,
It's easy to debate my response to your comments by saying, that neither myself or the Civic Si driver knows how to drive; my response to that would perhaps the folks at C&D or MT can't driver either!
Regards,
Regards
Can't wait to see Chexi's acceleration figures.
Regarding the Millenia's HOLD feature for the 4-speed auto transmission: it's a very lame, cumbersome feature that doesn't befit a car with an otherwise excellent drivetrain. For example, dropping to second requires that you 1) shift down one, then 2) hit the hold button. A far more elegant setup would be like the one in the Acura TL, where you simply select "D2". That's it -- all in one step. Daimler-Chrysler also has a better thought out solution with its "AutoStick". Simply nudge the shifter left or right for a lower or higher gear. Porsche/Audi's Tiptronic is nice and simple, too.
Now, let's talk about the tranny itself. It's apparently the same Jatco transmission as the Nissan Maxima's and I30's. The current 4-speed doesn't do the Miller Cycle motor justice. First, it lacks the smoothness of the typical Lexus/Toyota automatic. Second, the gearing isn't spaced quite right to keep that Miller Cycle cookin'. What it needs is a five-speed auto, six-speed manual or both! Frankly, 4-speed autos have reached obsolescence in cars like this. Lexuses (Lexi?), Acuras, BMWs and M-Bs now use 5-speed autos that essentially take out much of the performance advantages that 5-speed manuals have.
Geez. Now I'm making myself look like I just complain a lot. I'm actually quite happy with my car. Really.
-Ecaf
Here is what I want...
A 3.0 supercharged, dohc v6. The car runs good now but could use more torque. 210HP was pretty respectable back in 1995, not anymore.
An option for a 5sp manual transmission.
Sportier seats that hold you in place better.
Turn down the power steering boost already.
Saturn type dent proof door panels.
Side impact air bags.
The stainless steel scuff gaurds for the door jam should be standard.
Steering wheel mounted radio controls.
Garage door opener holders in ceiling.
HID headlights.
Don't screw up the looks.
If Mazda isn't willing to ante up on most of the items above they might as well stop pretending to compete with Acura, Lexus, Audi and BMW. They should go ahead and just drop the base price down to the 25K everybody ends up paying for them anyway and compete with the Camry, Accord, Passat, and Maxima.
I guess it all equals out though, because if they did have all of the above features they really would sell for 30K and I wouldn't have been able to afford one. OOOOh the humanity!
I don't know if my car is defective or what, but when I hit the HOLD button it does Drop Down a Gear. So my HOLD button is really a 1 gear downshift. I did not know this until the other day when I let a good friend of mine test drive my new 2000 Millenia S (M Edition). I told him about the hold and he tried it while we were doing about 60. Sure enough the car downshifted (with only a touch of the hold button) and we started to take off. I tried it later and it works. If it's a defect, man I'm not getting it fixed!
Also, as for Toddster's comments on the seats. I don't know about the leather, but the synthetic suede seats really hold you in place. I didn't think I'd like them, and I don't... I love them. They wrap around your sides just enough, and the grip of the suede keeps you in place.
As for the tranny, well it could be smoother. Soon I'll put some Redline tranny fluid in and see if it helps. If the tranny is the same as the Maxima, I wonder if one couldn't drop in the Maxima engine (in case anything really bad happens to one's Miller and they don't feel like shelling out the mooola to replace it with another Miller).
I'll try to get those times this weekend. I'm seeing my friend with the equipment on Saturday.
Chexi
Discuss.
Each comment has also reported that these features are far from capturing the feel and performance for a basic 5/6 speed manual gearbox. It's impossible to replicate (capture) feel of a maunual transmission using a automatic even with the use of an extremely refined automatic transmission - in my opinion.
As far as the Millenia S "Hold" feature goes it truly increases the cars high end torque. What I really like about it is that, it isn't as gimmical like its competing features; the Millenia's features captures more effectiveness vs. creativeness. But I also agree that this feature should have been coupled with 5spd automatice transmission and at least 30 more hoursepower - so that the engine can be worked more thoroughly. -
I have had once situation where I redlined and caused the engine expierence a retard effect - nothing negative accumulated from this but, I was that the engine does this upon reaching its redline.
My HID kit consist of Philips Ballast, Philips D2S Xenon Bulbs. Installation took approximatley 30 minutes and did not require any modifications with the exception of drilling two holes in the light bulb Dust-Caps; to run the wiring.
Regards,