What does Oppo think of the Mazda Millennia?

"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg) 07/17/2014 at 22:19 • Filed to: None

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There are some cars that are noticeable and rare. You never see them, and when you do, you sit up and take notice. Then there are cars like the Mazda Millennia. You don't see them often, even more rarely in good condition, and when you do, chances are you don't notice it. Which seems like a shame to me.

This car was originally the stablemate for the epic !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and the successor to the even rarer 929. But the Eunos brand didn't take off, so the Millennia was sold under the same old Mazda name in the U.S., and not as a Eunos or an Amati or whatever. While not quite top of its class, it received overall positive reviews. The Millennia could be had with either a 2.0 or a 2.5 V6, producing 140 or 170hp respectively. However, the party piece was the top engine, the supercharged, 210hp Miller Cycle 2.3 V6. I don't know enough to explain this engine, but I believe it is the only production car to have this style of engine. You can read more about it !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

When people on here recommend a cheap, used entry level luxury car, they seem to tend towards cars like the Lincoln LS and Saab 9-5, or just say "screw it" and recommend an E36 3-series. Again. Nobody remembers the Millennia, which I think is still a decent car. I've never driven one, mind you, so I could be way off. You tell me. Is the Mazda Millennia a good bet? Say, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , although I admit the seller may be a tad bit delusional on the price. Or is there a reason that no other production car ever had a Miller Cycle engine, and very few Millennias were sold/survive?

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wkiernan > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/17/2014 at 22:21

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Mazda and they funky engines! Otto cycle is so bo-ring! Funky funky Hiroshima!

Big Bubba Ray > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/17/2014 at 22:21

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I like them, especially the supercharged variants. IMO they're some of the best looking Mazdas, besides the new 5.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/17/2014 at 22:31

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I like them because it's basically a newer version of this car:

HammerheadFistpunch > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/17/2014 at 22:32

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i digg em, even though their interiors are hyundai 5 years ago and they aren't fast. I've tried to figure out the miller esque cycle engines (not a true miller) but i still can't quite wrap my hear around it

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 07/17/2014 at 22:32

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Eh, kind of.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/17/2014 at 22:45

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Shh..

kevinw > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/17/2014 at 22:47

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It was there flag ship for awhile. Definitely good looking. They do a complicated series of vacuum operated solenoids that can become an issue. The solenoids are fairly expensive and come in packs of three. See if you can find a photo of an engine compartment and look closely. That being said. I would still rock one if I needed a 4 door

mazda616 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/17/2014 at 22:49

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My stepmom had a '99 Millenia S. It was awesome. Pretty quick and had an awesome factory stereo. It eventually blew up, which was fine with me, because I hated my stepmom (and the feeling was mutual). Lol

Jagvar > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/17/2014 at 22:53

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I can appreciate their interesting history. The Millenia was designed to compete with Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti because it was meant to be the inaugural halo car of Mazda's Amati brand (or Eunos in Japan, as you mention).

Unfortunately, the Millenia is plagued by reliability issues. More often than not, the automatic transmission shifts harshly, and tends to blow itself apart around the 100K-mile mark. And parts are damn near impossible to come by.

I love seeing them. I'd just be afraid to own one. But here, since it's somewhat related, have a very pretty 929 that lives in my neighborhood.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 07/17/2014 at 23:01

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No.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Jagvar 07/17/2014 at 23:03

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I remember seeing when you posted that. Very cool car.

Captain_Spadaro > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/17/2014 at 23:05

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Can't speak for the reliability of the 2.3, but my family had a black 98 2.5L that I learned to drive in that was alright. Just be careful with the tranny service, the fluid has to be drained, not flushed, otherwise the the tranny gets borked.

DetroitIron > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/18/2014 at 03:06

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It's a Ford. The engine is great- but the chassis is worth 100K miles at best. So it's actually not better than a late model 9-5 which go 150K.

Takuro Spirit > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/18/2014 at 09:01

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Another low production Japanese luxury car that didn't get the attention it deserved. Either from the public, or the aftermarket.

Millenia Only suspension setup means parts are expensive (they have a goofy two-link upper design both front and back), and if you find an S with the 2.3 Miller.... just run away. Even changing a valve cover gasket means removing most of the supercharger and intercooler piping. Many emissions and vacuum solenoids and hosing on them as well (and the 2.5, but not as bad) so they can be fun to diagnose problems with.

Other bits like interior and exterior are bespoke, and demand high dollar if even still available from Mazda.

But, like the 929, its a quirky big Japanese luxury sedan. But only FWD, unfortunately.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > DetroitIron 07/18/2014 at 09:07

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It was from around the period that Ford had shares in Mazda, but I don't know how many components it shares. The T platform was, I believe, unique to Mazda, and the Miller was unique to that car only.