Used 1997 Mazda MPV Minivan Consumer Reviews
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1997 Mazda MPV 4WD
SnowMPV, 02/20/2006
1997 Mazda MPV LX 4dr Minivan 4WD
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
I have had a Toyota Land Cruiser, and compared to that it is agile and very fuel efficient. I used to get 8 MPG in city and 13 Mpg in highway with the Land Cruiser. The 4X4 MPV gets 14 MPG in city and 21 Highway. I have climbed off road areas that my brother with a 4WD Suburban could not keep up. Thanks to MPV's differential lock. This SUV/MINIVAN was never tasted good to car magazines' subjective taste without objective reasons. It is an outstanding low priced 4 wheel drive van with 4 doors.
Solid Van
MPV Driver, 01/03/2003
1997 Mazda MPV LX 4dr Minivan
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
We have had no significant problems with our MPV over the years. Heard of transmission problems in other vehicles but none in ours yet. Nuisance check engine light goes on and off occasionally, but mechanic has found no problems. Speedo error can be caused by different size tires, stock tires can be very difficult to find and if you can find them you won't want to pay for them. I am encouraged by the number of older style MPVs (3 doors) still running the road that make ours look new. Although the van has been very reliable, I would not give 5 cents for the maintenance department of the dealer where we bought.
1997 Mazda MPV for sale near you
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- ES Passenger MinivanMSRP: N/A2,689 mi away
A very reliable vehicle
grapemanca, 06/18/2009
1997 Mazda MPV LX 4dr Minivan
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
We've owned our '97 MPV since it was new. It's been a very reliable vehicle, and we've had no major tranny, engine or front-end repairs in almost 12 years (but we do follow the service manual). It can hold a lot of stuff, and makes for an excellent passenger and moving van. The only negatives are its weight, which leads to mediocre fuel economy and premature tire wear. Strange lean to the right as well, which I've noticed on other MPV's. A very solid machine that's taken a fair bit of abuse and kept on driving smoothly.
The original SUV crossover!!
SBlack, 10/16/2015
1997 Mazda MPV ES 4dr Minivan 4WD
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I LOVE my MPV. I wish they still made them like this (and not like the minivan they changed into in 1999 and on). I'd get a newer one if I could. I like that it's compact but can haul 8 people, it has 4WD, and it's high enough off the ground so you don't scrape. EVER. I like just about everything about this vehicle!! For hauling 8 people, it's pretty nice. With the middle row on the middle setting, you have adequate legroom. I sat in the rear seat and had enough leg room for a few hours of driving (I'm about 5'8"). The back row is exactly the same width as my Chevy Suburban's 3rd row. It handles great in the snow, but it does turn like a truck. My only cons are the gas mileage is a little low for a car this size (but not too far off the comparable vans of the day), not a lot of storage space in the trunk (also similar to vans in the lat 1990s and early 2000s), and the 3rd row is a bit tricky to access if you have car seats in the middle row and can't fold it forward. It's basically a 1990s crossover vehicle! We've got 145K on it and plan on going lots more!
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Sport Utility, Wagon, and Van All in One
AllSport4WheelDriver, 08/01/2002
1997 Mazda MPV ES 4dr Minivan 4WD
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Had to look high and low to finally find this particular MPV. Bought used with 28k miles, now closing in on 40k and have had no mechanical problems whatsoever. Went on a 4th of July excursion to Lake Tahoe/Reno/Carson City/Sacramento/San Francisco logging over 1,500 miles and the Multi-Purpose Passenger Vehicle ran solidly.
Great Car!
R, 02/05/2016
1997 Mazda MPV LX 4dr Minivan 4WD
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I bought my Mazda Mpv Sport 5 years ago and since has been a very dependable vehicle. The car is quite heavy, weighing about 3,500 lbs, however I have never been able to get the car stuck. The powertrain is pretty much bullet proof, with two solid axles connected by two drivelines. The power is dispersed at the rear of the transmission and the transfer case is gear meshed. With a 3.0 L 6 cylinder engine the van does reasonably well on fuel and plenty of power when needed. I used my van once for towing, and easily dragged a truck up an icy slope with its brakes locked. My only complaint is how packed the mechanical components are. Few repairs are a quick and easy fix, I personally work on it myself, but would recommend taking it to a shop if you don't have a lot of experience working on cars. I like how fast and easy the third row seat is to remove or fold down. This makes a big difference in space and I have used the van for hauling all kinds of things, from treadmills to couches. For 97 technology the van had it all, from the 6 disc cd changer to the electronic controls, but don't forget to grease the door locks and handles (I use white lithium grease). Overall I have been happy with the performance and comfort of my Minivan and would recommend this car to anyone looking for a good vehicle to drive through icy conditions. I live in Alaska and this is one of the best vehicles I have ever driven on the road. My wife loves it and I trust she will be getting to work safe and on time.
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Best MiniSUV/VAN
jerome, 08/05/2008
1997 Mazda MPV LX 4dr Minivan 4WD
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Great vehicle. Mazda had a great thing going, and now suvs became this type of vehicle. Wish they never changed the design, or change back and put in newer components and engines. This is a great style. Rear seats don't have much leg room, but when your kids start to get cramped back there, it means soon enough they won't want to be in the same car with you anyway, LOL. So good, I have been looking for another one and getting rid of my car.
Love my MPV
kclark987, 12/19/2002
1997 Mazda MPV LX 4dr Minivan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
We like the fact that this minivan looks more like an SUV than a minivan. The rear wheel drive is great for towing (up to 3500 lbs) and the handling is excellent. We've had absolutely no problems in the 57,000 miles we've owned it. In fact, other than the driver's side sun visor, I can't think of anything that's gone wrong.
Fun Van
s.d., 11/16/2003
1997 Mazda MPV ES 4dr Minivan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Our Mazda MPV has been wonderful. One of our biggest favorites about this model is the two back doors are 'regular' doors...not sliding doors. Also captain chair seats that recline in both the front & rear areas make movement inside similar to that of an airplane! A must with 4 children! Thanks to Mazda and Jim Ellis dealership for wonderful service over the years in keeping our great investment in such good shape. Would buy another in a heartbeat. SD
Sales Engineer
lee hendrix, 07/11/2002
1997 Mazda MPV ES 4dr Minivan 4WD
1 of 4 people found this review helpful
We found this vehicle's tranmission to be very expensive to repair and unreliable. The same is true with other engine components. The transmission cost almost $3,000 to repair. The catalytic converter is almost $600. Power window regulators failed and the speedometer has been off by 5 miles per hour since the purchase of the vehicle.
I can't believe it's rear wheel drive??
johnny marshall, 02/04/2004
1997 Mazda MPV LX 4dr Minivan
1 of 9 people found this review helpful
Bought it with load and people in mind. That's all I got.Constant rear passenger door locking problem, it locks when it shouldn't. In winter, all locks go screwy. I NEVER asked if it was front wheel drive when I bought it. Japanese DON'T make rear wheel drive anything anymore, right? WRONG! New winter tires on, it handles worse than my old GMC vandura! No confidence in this vehicle whatsoever. Even the Big 3 make front wheel drive minivans! What happened to these guys on this one? The fuel economy is aweful, I can't wait to change it! I think a Sante Fe will be better than this. What a shame!