1999 Mazda Millenia S 2.3

Summary:

Great car, but does get costly to repair

Faults:

My car has been running great since I got it in 2001.

Two engine mounts were busted and had to replaced at a cost of 780.00 last year.

The car is around 136000 KM and I am starting to get a numerous amount of vacuum issues. Recently replaced the T shaped vacuum and ABV Solenoid at a cost of 330.00. This was causing the TCS light to to turn out and causing the car to jerk violently and not rev past 2500 RPM.

The engine light came back on again recently, and it's back at Mazda to replace two more vacuum's at a cost of 240.00.

General Comments:

The supercharger is the best thing about this car. It's the best when accelerating on the highway and the supercharger kicks in gear. Awesome sound and power, definitely a fun car to drive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 6th August, 2008

1999 Mazda Millenia S

Summary:

Car is very unrealiable, and to much $ to fix!

Faults:

I have had to replace.

Spark Plugs- 112.00- 124,000

Coil Packs- 400.00 124,000

Valve Cover Caskets- 750.00- 124,000

Exhaust Manifold- 500.00- 120,000

Drive Shaft- 75.00- 120,000.

This is not including labor, my brother is going to charge me for labor LATER!!- Thank God!

General Comments:

I have owned 3 cars my whole life. This car has by far had the most problems I have ever had in a vehicle. The TCS is so messed up. I have spent more money on this car recently in 3m than I have ever on a car my whole life! I will never buy another mazda in my life.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd February, 2008

1999 Mazda Millenia 2.5L V6

Summary:

Love the car!

Faults:

New water pump and timing belt at 120,000miles

New upper control arm on driver's side at 158,000

New rims at 164,000 (factory alloy's split, 2 broke within 1 week!)

New ball joints at 165,000

In the process of replacing the knock sensor, fixing a coolant leak, and cleaning the EGR. Also getting the brake rotors machined and installing new pads (167,000 miles)

Suspension repairs were not cheap. Had them done at the local Firestone store and they worked really well on the vehicle.

General Comments:

Loved the handling when I got it, gradual wear on suspension has loosened it up a bit now

Excellent gas mileage, 27mpg on the highway!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd April, 2007

1999 Mazda Millenia S 2.3L Miller Cycle

Summary:

Comfortable, Powerful, but Flawed

Faults:

Bose stereo CD player quit working almost immediately after purchase. Replaced with after-market unit.

Check Engine light at 75,000 miles due to a T-coupler in the vacuum lines that melted and threw off the Air/Fuel ratio. $150.00 to fix.

Rotors warped at 80,000 miles and needed replacing. Along with brake pads total cost was about $800.00.

Front passenger wheel bearing went bad. $230.00 to fix.

General Comments:

When my daughter was born, it was clear that I could no longer afford the luxury of owning a pair of two-seater sportscars. After agonizing for some time I sold the Miata and kept the MR2. In exchange, my wife and I bought a 1999 Mazda Millenia for $8500.00 in a private sale. I'd seen the car in parking lots and fell in love with the styling. When I researched it on-line and learned about its Miller Cycle engine, I realized that I just *had* to have one. I had my heart set on a white Millenia "S" model, but settled for a tan (or gold, or whatever you want to call it) Millenia that had obviously been well cared for. I've made the mistake of buying a poorly maintained car before and wasn't going to make that mistake again, especially given that I'd read about spotty reliability with the Millenias.

I believe that when buying used, your principal and primary concern, above all else, should be to find a car that's been well maintained. If the owner has service records, then all the better. That was the case for this Millenia, and I don't regret it at all.

As for my impressions of the car itself well, let me just say that this is a very comfortable and very enjoyable highway cruiser. It's a great car for road trips, smooth, quiet and quite pleasant to be in. I should note, though that this is my first and only "near-luxury" car, and so I have only ordinary Japanese compacts (Honda Civic, Subaru WRX) to compare it to. Soon after I bought the car, the Bose head-unit died on me. A local independent stereo shop was able to interface a JVC head-unit to the stock Bose amplifiers and speakers, though. Now I have a unit that sounds very nice for a stock setup, but also plays MP3 disks and includes an interface for my iPod. Even if your stock Bose headunit works fine, this would be nice upgrade, IMHO.

The Miller Cycle engine is a technolgical marvel and really provides this car with some satisfying punch. On the highway I've never wanted for passing power, and merging into fast traffic is a joy with the power I've got on tap. At 3700 lbs, this is a heavy car, and it really feels like you've got more than the advertised 210 HP on tap.

Gas mileage is OK, but not spectacular. I've logged 22 mpg over multiple tankfuls in my daily urban commute. on the highway I seem to get something closer to 26 or 27 mpg (a bit less than the advertised 28). To be honest, when I replace this car, I'll probably go back to a fuel efficient, frugal compact. It's no fun pumping $36.00 of gas into the car every time I have to fill up.

Reliability is this car's Achilles Heel, unfortunately. I've been lucky enough to avoid major repairs, but I've read plenty of horror stories. My most expensive repair so far has consisted of a complete brake overhaul (new pads and rotors) but honestly, that's not unexpected in a large car with 80,000 or so miles. Pads and rotors are basically wear items. I've had a few other niggling issues and learned how valuable a good independent mechanic can be. I've saved hundreds of dollars over what the dealer wanted to charge me for certain repairs. Luckily my transmission and supercharger seem to be holding out just fine. Those are both tremendously expensive items to replace, and I'd probably just buy a new car if either of these two items went south.

Over-all, I'm enjoying this car a great deal, and if I get a few more relatively trouble-free years out of it, I'll feel like it was $8500 well spent. I don't think I'd pay much more for one, though, and I probably would pass on one that had much more than the 65,000 miles that were on mine when I bought it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd September, 2006

9th Apr 2010, 02:33

What was the model of the JVC you had installed?

1999 Mazda Millenia S Miller Cycle

Summary:

Exhilarating, but an expensive car to keep on the road

Faults:

Catalytic converter needed replacement at about 45000 miles.

O2 sensors have been replaced 3 times (and these babies are $$$).

Front suspension bushings have been replaced twice. The bushings are integral of the lower A-arms (hint-hint).

General Comments:

The Miller Cycle engine is a fantastic feature of this car. The car has a "heavy" feel that holds the road when accelerating in a turn. We do not drive this car very hard, but it will muster an aggressive attitude when you want it. Because of the performance package, almost all repairs cost twice as much as the standard Millenia. If you use high performance tires, you get road noise from a set of tires that cost $800 to $1000...and they do not last long. Oh yes... the Miller Cycle engine only burns 92 octane fuel (or higher), and a tank of gas in So. California will currently cost you over $30...and goes dry in about 225 miles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 3rd March, 2005