Well, the time has come for a minivan. Even recently, I swore I would never own one, but times, they change. SUV's suck, too heavy, expensive, and they get crappy mileage, plus I never go off-road. Wagons are TOO SMALL. I currently have a Volvo 940 Turbo wagon and it just isn't big enough. The minivan is what I need.



I know the Honda Odyssey is the best choice, but the MPV is selling quite a bit cheaper. It has a crappy Ford 3.0 V6 in it, and the transmissions are prone to failure. Am I crazy to consider it?

The old man had 3 or 4 Ford Galaxy's one after the other - they were the benchmark 7-seater but I still hated being seen in them https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683785.gif He's come to his senses now though and has a 270bhp Soarer.



EDIT: it just dawned on me you may not have them over there - this is what they look like:

http://www.autoluttre.be/images/ford_galaxy.jpg



Mark

i wouldn't go with the mpv.. i have 3 friends that own one.. all a headache..



just buy the honda.. not only are they more reliable, they have much higher resale for when you get rid of it.

What kind of problems are they having?



Resale value not that big an issue with me. I kept my last new car for 14 years. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683329.gif

2 had tranny issues that they kept bringing into repair (never ever were fixed right)... both with under 50k on them, and were in the shop multiple times.



and the other one i think he said something about the dummy lights on different things like overdrive or check engine kept coming on at under 20k or so...

Town and Country, enough said. If you say anything bad about it, please explain why. I sell them for ****'s sake. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png



1988RedT2- If you want a really good deal, let me know. I can talk to my General Manger. We have 05 models left and we try like hell to move them. I just sold one the other night, and sold 3 of them last month. They are really good minivans.

chrysler's suck. especially if you ever get a chrysler with "Chrome" wheels...the chrome falls apart in under 20k miles, the WHEELS, not the tires, THE WHEELS start leaking from some weird ass corrosion that all of a sudden explodes onto the wheel. Ples with the trend im seeing with new dodges, coming in for severe brake service in only like 25k miles, im saying theyre heading downhill (chrysler) at the moment. Plus the interior is like a million years old design.



I'll buy a chrysler with chrome wheels from you rowtareh on one condition, if they start crazy corrosion **** in under 30k miles i get a full refund plus interest and get to keep the car. oh and if the wheels dont break the balljoints will fall out https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png (actually havent seen any vans with balljoint issues...every truck they make tho is like a rolling money pit)



Honda odyssey is an awesome vehicle, cant see ive even had to service many, plus theyre pretty peppy, for a van, youd enjoy driving it. Oh and its probably one of the most stylish vans available.



Oh and about the Mazda MPV, so far i think 2 or 3 cars in the current mazda lineup have come up with "burst into flames" recalls...dunno if id buy a new mazda any time soon. not saying the MPV has the same problem but the quality has been seriously lacking for a while now.



kevin.

those town and cuntys are alot of money



It would be safe to say that any vehicle you get that your going to keep for 14 years a transmission rebuild is highly likely unless you take really good care of it



Ford has that new van out, but I think the Honda might be the best bet

That is strange, and I have noticed some of the T&C's coming in, that there is **** all over the wheels. And it sure as **** ain't brake dust. I don't know though, I have had customers who have bought T&C's for years, and they love them. Best vehicle they ever had.



The new Ford joint looks like an SUV/MV cross breeding!

we've had a couple mpv's as shuttle vans. they drive nice, plenty of power.



they are mazdas though, so the check engine light will come on here and there, and you can also expect some other random thing, but other than that it should be fine. we have done a few trannies, but like 3-4 this year not like the older mpv's where we did 3-4 a week.

not offense but ive driven a couple of chrysler vans and if thats the best car you've ever owned you need to get your head examined

Well, I did it. Bought the Mazda, that is!



The factory was offering up a big rebate, like $4000. and the dealer came down a little more, so I've got a new '05 MPV ES in the garage. It's pretty sweet.



The newer MPV's with the 5-speed auto are supposed to be better than the older ones.



I haven't talked to any Dodge/Chrysler owners who haven't had major trouble with their minivans, so I eliminated them long ago.

cool, in the wet it will spin the tires in the bottom 3 gears!

congrats! did you get the joint where the sliding doors have the power windows? that is the coolest thing in the world with MV's.

Yup. The sliding doors also have the power open and close feature, which I wasn't too wild about, but my wife had to have it.



It's also got the 4-seasons package with a tranny oil cooler, heated mirrors, and a bunch of other stuff. The interior is dressed out pretty nice in leather. Also has a six-disc CD changer, power seats, 17-inch wheels with Dunlops, etc. etc.

Sweet deal man. I like the MPV's alot. I just wish that our MV's had that **** with the windows on the sliding doors. It would sell alot better.

MPV = Multi Problem Vehicle.

yeah dude, go with the honda, its worth the extra $$$$

did you bother reading the topic? he already has the new mazda mpv in his garage.



good purchase, im sure youll enjoy it....even tho it is a minivan. i swear minivans have some crazy pickup, could probably beat some ricers https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png.



kevin.

Haha. Thanks. Yeah, the thing does okay with the 200 HP six. Pretty torquey, and gets off the line nicely. And even though the Honda has 44 more horsepower, it also carries around another 400 pounds or so. Mazda has a good warranty, so I expect I'll be happy for the next four years, at least.

Actually, I did some checking. Turns out the Honda is like 600 or 700 pounds heavier than the Mazda. I guess they need those extra 44 horses.



BTW, the Honda 3.5-liter V6 was downrated this year to 244 from 255.

Update! 5000 miles on the clock and it's still on the road. Ha!

Seriously, once we got the crappy OE Dunlop tires off and replaced with Michelins, it's been smooth sailing. It's very comfortable, and they got the details right. The only thing that bugs me a little is the placement of the transmission gear selector. It blocks your view of some of the dash controls. But that's a pretty small gripe. I was hoping to get better than 22 mpg though.

i dont understand how they put the heater vent right next to the steering wheel either.



22mpg? seems lowm but then we dont keep track of the shuttle van https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...#>/biggrin.png

when i was yougner my dad had a early 90's mpv the thing ran with no major work done to it untill 280k when the oil pump gave out and he sold it...

I had an ex whose mom had a toyota sienna.

Did you do her? The mom, I mean.

to get the wheel warm, cold steering wheels suck ass



in case you forgot- some parts of the world are COLD!



heated steering wheels are a much better idea they came out with then heated seats

I recently bought and MPV and the only real problems I have had with it is fixing a leaky sunroof and needing an intake hose. I guess the intake hoses are prone to failure (cracking and spliting). Duct tape is fixing the cracks in mine at the moment because all of the ones I have found at wrecking yards were in worse condition than mine was. Maybe I will finally buy a new hose off of ebay. I have been happy with mine. The 3Litre V6 was probably the best V6 Ford ever made (at least in my expirience, and my Dad's expirience as a Ford Master Tech). I believe the transmission that was used in the MPVs was the same auto transmission that was sold in the FDs.

What year is your MPV?



Mine doesn't have a sunroof, so I will be spared that particular headache.



The '05 has a 5-speed auto. Not sure if it's just a redone old design or a new tranny.

the 5 speed trans is actually from jaguar. its pretty good for an automatic, and for a ford its amazingly reliable.

For real?

yeah. good luck with the van. i am one who ownes a 90 mpv. gotta sayu it's been a pretty good van. got 250,000 + on the think and no major problems. yes the check light is always on, but i can't pull no codes from it. the trannys been great with no problems. only thing i hate is the rear air adjust shocks went out so everytime i stop it sounds like i have a flat tire.if you don't know about it , here is a forum for these things with a good amount of info. http://www.mpvclub.com/forum/index.php?sid...1354b5682fe156e

Hey, thanks for the link.

yep, the 626 4 cylinders from 94up used a ford trans, and they had a hard time lasting to 30k! the mpv ones do a lot better

i don't remember exactly where i saw it at. but the 90 mpv's auto trans are the same ones used in the FD. was always thinking that i could (when the van goes) figure out some way to transfer the drivetrain into a fb and have 4wd . would be weird.

yep, also the pathfinder of similar vintage, 929 etc.

Over 8000 trouble-free miles and it still runs!



My biggest complaint would have to be the tranny. 5 speeds and it won't give you a gear unless you put it flat on the floor. It's okay from a standing start, but it would be nice if it would downshift sooner when you give it some gas. Makes the so-so Duratec 3-liter seem even more of a dog than it is.



Everything else is peachy!



Drove the LX model yesterday (service loaner) and I like the 17" rubber on my ES a lot better. Handles much more securely than the 16" rubber on the LX. Might have something to do with my Michelins vs. the crappy OE Dunlop eggs too.