3rd Jul 2007, 15:34
I bought a 1997 millenia S with 90k miles on it and it drove fine for about 2 yrs. The only problem I had was the timing belt which I replace with the water pump at 100k ($900). The car still runs good, but something is still wrong with the timing. However, a new problem has come up. The car burns all of the oil. I have to refill the oil every week and when I start it in the morning, I get a lot of smoke from the exhaust. But the car looks great and is very fast. I'm thinking about getting another one.
10th Aug 2007, 13:22
Our Millenia is a 96 and we got it used with about 20 k on it in 98 maybe. I guess you could say that it's been OK since we still have it, with 110 K miles, but it's mostly been city driving. Our problems with the car have been cooling system and ball-joints.
The final frustration is the factory alarm which has been going off at random. We were away for a weekend and the neighbors were not amused. My local mechanic couldn't fix it and now the Mazda Dealer says he can't fix it so I think this may be the last straw. Does this sound familiar to anyone.
14th Aug 2007, 14:14
Man, I wish I had found this site before buying. I just purchased a 1996 Millenia. Car is in great cosmetic shape, and the gentleman I bought it from had all the service records.
I have only driven it about 100 miles since buying it, and while driving down the road today the TCS light came on and the check engine light came on, and it started doing the sputtering thing. I stopped and then started again, it was OK for maybe 5 minutes, then stopped. I am not feeling too good after reading all the comments here.
I guess I will have to take it in and get it checked, see what my mechanic suggests. I did see a bill from the prior owner where the recommended a couple of new gaskets and such. Hopefully that might be the answer, but not sure.
8th Feb 2008, 14:50
1997 Millenia S, bought in Y2000 with 40k miles on it. Now has 140k on it. Great car. Too expensive to maintain and way too expensive to fix. During the course of ownership of this money pit, we have replaced the timing belt ($600), spark plugs ($Oh My gosh! since they have to take half the car apart to replace them), rebuilt transmission ($2800) at 125k miles, O2 sensors on 2 occasions at $150 each time, precat 1 time, a cracked wheel, CV joints at 125k miles, water pump at 115k miles, plastic pan under engine 2x ($120 each time). Steering wheel adjustment motor broken... too expensive to fix so I did not do it.
The other precat and O2 sensor is now bad. Both are connected to exhaust manifold. Also vacuum leak. (quote by dealer to fix both...$1600). Starting to blow smoke at startup which means supercharger is going bad...$1650 for rebuilt part, not including labor to remove/install. $4k if deal does it with OEM new part.
The car only left me stranded 1 time, and that was when the waterpump went bad.
Great car, but not worth the repair costs and headaches. By the way, it still looks great, inside and out. Black exterior with tan leather interior. Cannot complain about style, fit and finish. Mechanicals are the problem.
27th Sep 2008, 21:04
Hello All, Well I would like to say that I'm the proud owner of a 97 Milly S. My mechanic has had it now for SIX months today. I only had it six months prior to that! Replaced the timing belt, ABS, ball joints, fuel injectors 2-3 of them, plugs, valve guides (smoke on start-up) alternator/starter and re-built S/C. And of course all the "other" belts/hoses. Now today I went to pick it up and, guess what? It's "stuck" in Drive! So hopefully the solenoid for the tranny is on the "outside" where we can un-plug it and/or replace it with ease. I guess if I could go back in time, I would have stayed with Nissan Maximas, my car of choice. Much cheaper for parts, easier to work on, and not nearly the "problems" this car is known for. If I had done some research on it, I probably would NOT of bought it. But right now, I guess you could say I'm getting "buried" in it. Now I plan on giving it a brand new-hyper black paint job, already have the new wheels/tires. Looks great, but WOW!,so expensive to maintain! I think my BMW, no make that I KNOW my BMW is cheaper to work on than this little "tiger"! I love the looks, but will probably pass on the next one! I even heard Mazda has problems with their Mazda 6 model, so go figure. If these cars are properly maintained then you may be OK. But sooner or later...
2nd Dec 2008, 14:01
My 97 Milly has had 4 superchargers (1 rebuilt & 2 used) and now needs another one + ABV valve. Great car to drive but I would never buy one again. Only has 111000kms. I'm claiming it as a dependent on my income taxes. Sucks.
5th May 2009, 18:12
I just bought a 97 Millenia S, and I'm scared after reading all of these comments... I have only had the car for one day, and I paid 900 for it. There's a new water pump, tune up and oil change, and a brand new inspection on the car... are there any things that I should be aware of??
8th Sep 2009, 14:55
What is a fair charge for replacing the timing belt and water pump assembly? I was quoted $900. Seems high to me. I thought it was about a $500 repair.
15th Apr 2010, 02:26
I am a proud owner of a 97 Milly. I upgraded the rims and the car turns heads. With the issues I have had, I would still consider this is good buy. I have 288km on the engine. With no engine light to date. The car does burn oil and the tranny is going. Rough idle is also obvious. The car has a great body style and the 210h is great. I just wish more people knew how to work on them.
17th Apr 2010, 00:16
I just bought my 97 Millenia a couple weeks ago, then fixed the O2 sensor a couple days ago, so the check engine light went off, and now it's back on, and when I take off, the car kind of hesitates. Does anyone know what up with this??? Please...
21st Jun 2007, 18:31
I bought a 1997 S model just a few weeks ago. It was spitting and sputtering at take off unless you eased into acceleration. Once you got going it seemed to level itself out. I've replaced three broken vacuum tees, replaced all six plugs, intake hose was cracked- replaced that, exhaust manifold gasket- new, dropped the exhaust down pipe-in case of clogged cat's, tried to run it--same problem, but worse. Plenty of exhaust coming through pre-cat's, so I know that they are not clogged. But the car won't go over 2500 RPM. Someone please give me some clues. I'm stuck!! chriswilliamsfl@yahoo.com.