Mazda MPV 1993-2006Change

We bought this van used, and drove for several years, eventually giving it up when repairs became too costly.

The MPV was a good minivan for people who had minvans. The shorter wheel base made MPVs drive (and park) more like a car than a van. Drivers enjoy great visibility and few blind spots due to large, well-placed windows.

Now that we have owned several Mazda vehicles, we have noticed a couple of patterns in things that go wrong:

Power windows slow down and/or become unresponsive in cold weather. This is really not acceptable for Canadian weather. More than once a simple drive-thu pickup at Tim Hortons turned into a cold drive to the garage, or a half hour of waiting for the van to heat up enough for the window to work. We noticed this first on this MPV (1998), and again on the next MPV we purchased (2006).

We had similar problems with power locks on this van. When the temperature was at or below freezing, the doors would not unlock (or would relock after a few moments). Key was required sometimes to get in.

To be fair, the van usually started in very cold weather, so we could have been dealing with much worse problems than these.

And speaking of annoyances, the interior trim, especially door panels, did not fit tightly on this van, and/or became loose over time, so there was always one or more rattling noises that were hard to track down.

All in all, it was a good vehicle until the end, when expensive repairs began to pile up. It had 126k when we bought it, and we drove it to well past 200k.

This is my first Mazda. I bought the MPV about 2.5 years and 30 kkm ago. The van has probably received an average maintenance, and I had to fix numerous issues: alternator, starter, and auto transmission. These were bought from a company delivering used parts from Japan, highly recommend, never use rebuilt ones (old alternator and started were already "rebuilt"). I also changed front exhaust pipe (made in Canada, very nice) and other less bulky things. I did it myself - mechanic's my hobby. Now the van is almost perfect but the rust. I think Mazda makes the most rust-prone cars, at least those sold in North America, and especially recently made. I know I can fix anything but the body. So, I'll never buy a Mazda anymore.

We like our '02 MPV because it has many premium features such as power sliding doors with remote open. We have young kids and they would not be able to open the sliding doors, but a push of a button and they can get in and out by themselves. Or we can use the remote to open the doors for them. They also like have the power roll-down windows in the sliding doors. Its smaller than most minivans which makes it easier to maneuver and park and in my opinion it is safer than vans like the Odyssey in the sense that there is better visibility when driving and backing up. Suspension is a bit poor and road noise it higher than in other vans. When you consider the price differential the Mazda is a better value in our opinion. Rust is an issue, be sure to have it oil-sprayed. We are ready to replace our '02 and are looking at the 06' MPV, we sure wish Mazda Canada would import the later model MPVs that are sold in Japan. Mazda 5 just won't cut it for our needs.

We have owned three Mazda vehicles including two used MPV vans. This is the only Mazda to offer six seat belts and the last model year for the MPV compact van design (replaced by the smaller Mazda 5).

MPV is spacious inside, with lots of leg and luggage room, but it's shorter than most vans outside, so it parks like a car.

Recommended.

Every time I am in my MAZDA MPV 2002, I enjoy it even more! It has turned out to be a WONDERFUL choice for us!

One of the biggest pluses is the easily configured second- and third-row seating. I am happy to report that they actually DO
move around easily.
To change from a two passenger bench to two captains chairs you just pull a release lever and the right hand seat slides. You can also remove both seats if you needed the cargo room.

When the third seat is upright, there is a storage space in the recessed cargo well. That well is where the seat is folded into when you fold it down flat for more space. Again, this is very easily done.

Another thing that I really like is the Power roll down windows on the sliding doors! This is exclusive to the MAZDA MPV and so much better than just being able to either open them a crack or not at all! You can also open and close these doors with a button to the left of the steering wheel.

It has a wonderful sound system with a AM/FM/cassette/CD with a digital clock. There are speakers throughout the van and steering wheel mounted audio controls