Thumbs up for Mazda!

Thumbs up for Mazda.
The Millenia is a very well engineered automobile that was marketed to compete with the Lexus ES300, and the Infinity J30 in the mid- luxury market. Although the Millenia comes a little short of meeting these standards, I can assure you that it is truly a fine automobile and also an incredible bargain in the used car market. You see, the Millenia is kind of an obscure model that has depreciated much faster than the Lexus or Infiniti, and it can be purchased for a song in the used car market compared to the Lexus ES300. Although there are a few luxury compromises, I can attest to the fact that the Millenia is a fine vehicle in the used car market and a tremendous value as well.
We purchased an almost new Millenia in 1999. It was a 1997 model "L" series with the highly recommended 2.5 liter normally aspirated v-6. When we purchased the vehicle, it had around 20k miles. Since that time, we have put another 65k miles on it with absolutely NO problems other than replacing tires at 45,000 and replacing the battery at around 60k. Other than that, we have encountered absolutely no problems at all with this vehicle. Our vehicle is equipped with all options with the exceptions of the "miller cycle" engine (thank goodness,) and regretfully it did not have the premium Bose system.
The downfalls of the Millenia are as follows:
This particular model did not have the premium Bose system, and the sound quality was definately lacking.
The drivers and passengers front seats are rather uncomfortable.
The body of the vehicle seems to dent rather easily.

On the other hand, the postive aspects of this vehicle are:
The vehicle is incredibly reliable.
The quality of this vehicle is outstanding.-- It is hard to tell if the engine is running because it is so quiet even after 80k miles.
The vehicle handles very well, and the steering is very responsive and predictable.
The suspension is firm, but not rough.
The interior wears well with little signs of wear.
Although the power is not overwhelming, there is ample power when you need it, and it is delivered very smoothly.
Gas mileage is acceptable (27hwy, 22 city).
The vehicle is solid after 80k plus, with no squeaks, wind noise, or rattles.
Transmission always shifts smoothly, even after 80K miles
I could go on and on. There are no problems with this car. I would probably steer clear of the Millenia (S) with the miller cycle engine,as I have heard that there have been some problems with them. Also, if you purchase a Millenia, be sure to have the transmission serviced at the recommended intervals, as I understand that there have been some problems with the transmissions with earlier models. I hope that this review has been helpful to you!