1993 Mazda MPV V6 2WD from North America - Comments

Almost everything, in a one year period. I'm never buying a Japanese car ever again. Journalists and people brag about how good Japanese cars are and so I decided to buy an MPV as a second car. I sold it less than a year later. I've driven GM's since I got my driver's license and have never had problems with them. I had a Cavalier Station wagon before this and I loved it although it was getting old and I felt it was time to try a Mazda out since people have told me how great they are. Well wrong, don't buy this van, the V6 is slow and and extreme gas guzzler. My 2002 Chevy blazer has a bigger engine and gets better fuel economy than this piece of junk had. Also, someone backed into the bumper while we were inside at the store and when we came out, the bumper was cracked and some pieces were on the ground, and a mechanic friend of mine said that the guy couldn't have gone more than 4-6 MPH. And since it needed so many repairs, it would cost me hundreds of dollars. Let me just say that if you buy a GM, you pay less in repairs and even buying the car, and since they're winning all these quality awards, I just bought the new Grand Prix GTP and I love it.

Japanese cars and an extreme waste of time, I'm sticking to my GM's, they at least know what quality is.

You're right about Japanese cars being overrated. Some models, are very reliable, but they have their lemons - and the MPV is definitely one of them. GM is probably the most under-rated car company. I've also mostly driven GM cars and they're generally so reliable, though sometimes they get a little rough looking sooner than you'd like. I usually buy my cars about 10 or more years old, very cheap. Ford and Chrysler really are much worse than Japanese cars though. When you factor in the added repair prices and higher used car prices, Japanese cars are a distant second cost-wise to GM cars.

GM and Quality... two mutually exclusive concepts. My current car and the previous ones were both GM. The 02 Cavalier had more brake problems than any other car I have owned. It also developed a rust spot on the roof and would rattle over every minute bump. My current car, an 04 Malibu just had it's steering linkage replaced at 8600 miles and the fuel gauge is shot. In GM's defense I must say that the dealer was more than accommodating with each visit and went out of their way to make sure I was satisfied. But I would think long and hard about another GM Product.

American cars are basically poor in quality not because of the design, but because of how its assembled. Any car manufacturer has lemons, that's a fact. But in terms of probability american cars will have most lemons.

My dad bought this van in november '90, since then (14 YEARS) absolutely no problems except body rust, but we had a lifetime warranty on that, so no problem there. Alarm still works, excellent engine, RWD something I definitely love, the sound system is AWESOME, this van was so advanced for its time by offering dual A/C, dual heating, speed-sensitive power steering, 4WD, sunroof, power windows, power mirrors, power brakes, power steering, rear wiper, and I could go on forever. This van's cruise control allowed you to accelerate with the push of a button, using intelligent acceleration that saved gas without using the accelerator pedal. Plus, this van was awarded one of the ten best vehicles of 1990/1991 by J. D Power (i think that's what they're called I forget the initials) I don't think the middle seat is hard to remove at all with two ppl, I even managed to do it on my own a couple times. good storage space and towing power. this van's acceleration is so strong that I have beaten out so many ppl at street lights or merging lanes. It has a "POWER" switch to request immediate horsepower/torque for passing or for towing heavy loads. The aluminum rims we have are awesome, they came with the van. I had 18-21 mpg in the city, and 20-26 mpg on the highway, so definitely not bad mileage. Even in winter the mileage was respectable, (14-16,17-19) considering it's a minivan. It came with a CD player and two woofers for amazing bass. extremely good low-end torque. close to 100% of the torque is available at 2000-2500 rpm, and the engine redlines at 6000. never had trouble starting it up in winter. They aren't that hard to control in winter if you use common sense. overall I LOVE THIS VAN. I hate the new models they are making of these. I only like the '91 '92 and '93 models. so far mine has 160,000 miles and no problems yet. I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT.

In defense of Japanese cars, they are generally better than domestic cars in build quality and reliability.

You must understand that the Mazda is owned by Ford. Ford motor, transmission, etc. If you had owned a Toyota, Honda, or Nissan, you'd be singing a different tune about Japanese cars. Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Isuzu aren't that great of vehicles. Being that these three are partly by GM and Ford, it doesn't come as a surprise that they aren't that great.

If you want a car that lives up to the reputation, you must own a Japanese car owned by a Japanese company. Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are the only true Japanese car companies out there. They are so good that your GM used to sell Toyota Corollas as Geo/Chevy Prizms - rated the most reliable GMs ever built. Not only that, GM's Saturn division uses Honda V6 motor and transmissions in their top-selling Saturn VUE SUV since 2004.

Not only that, Saturn reps will look at you in disgust if you call their cars a Chevy product. Saturns are so reliable that they refuse to be recognized as a GM product. Coincidence? I think not. Also, Toyota parts are generally cheaper to replace than comparable GM parts. They are also easier to work on than new domestic cars in general.

Japanese cars have EARNED their excellent reputation for reliability! Nothing from the USA comes close to Lexus or Infiniti for quality!

In the case of the MPV, I'm sorry you had to buy it. They are utter garbage and an embarrassment to the mazda name.

Not even the steel wheel-rims are worth re-using for trailers!

My wife and I bought a 1989 MPV for our two kids back then.

It worked flawlessly, and I mean flawlessly, even up until just a few days ago when we traded it in for our new 2008 Honda Odyssey EX-L.

There were no unscheduled trips to the dealer, no mechanical problems AT ALL, and I stand by that statement, as I was the one who inspected and watched over it through the years.

Loved that car.