Mazda MPV (1999 - 2004) 2.0 5d (02) (2002/52) Owner Review
Want to know everything there is to know about this car?
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Summary
What does this car say about you?
No imagination, scared to stick my neck out........
What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?
Love it, space/comfort.
Would you buy this car again and why?
Not if I got it for free. This car belies completely the myth of Japanese reliability
What are you likely to buy next?
Renault - I had 3 x Scenic's before this, and none, none, gave anything like this much trouble........
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Buying experience
Type of dealer you bought from?
Independent
Did you buy this car new?
No
What price did you pay?
£5,000
When did you buy the car?
September 2007
Did you get a good deal and why?
Good deal, probably because it wasn't pristine, and is a bit of an oddball on the used car market.
Is there any special reason why you bought this car?
Mazda reliablity was the key driver - I didn't want a knackered Galaxy etc, and I have an MX-5 for years, which has been the epitomy of reliability. I sold an 07 Galaxy (which has it's own issues...) to buy the MPV
What was the dealer like?
Fair enough, sole trader.
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Driving it
What's it like to drive?
effortless, smooth, quiet.
What's it like to park?
A trifle large - could do with sensors, but you get used to it..........
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Living with it
Have you had any problems with the car?
Do you want a list? Engine management issue, gearchange cable (which turned into a nightmare - the whole dash/heater/air con/steering rack and gearbox had to be removed to fit....) A Eur140 job turned into a Eur750 very quickly... One month later a rattle turned out to be a big end bearing and crankshaft for the bin.....and whilst the engine is removed, the Dual Mass Flywheel and clutch was also found to be in need of repair. Quote to repair to this fsh, 85k mile 'quality' car, is Eur 4500...... Today I met another MPV owner..........and his Dual Mass Flywheel on an 03 car also went, and cost 2k to fix. His car also uses oil - he'd better save for a crank, then... breaker's yards have told me the flywheels 'all go' in them, and very, very hard to find a secondhand engine for it.....
What's most practical about your car?
Space, ease of driving, comfort.
Favourite gadget, option or accessory?
Hasn't got any, to speak of. Except the sliding doors - fabulous !!
