Factory build sheet
1997 Mazda MPV
Build JM3LV523-V · 3L 6cyl · Four-wheel drive · Minivan
VIN positions 1 through 8 read JM3LV523 and position 10 reads V. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.
Every MPV whose VIN starts JM3LV523 and carries V in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 26 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 26 known VINs
Factory specification
As filed by Mazda with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.
Engine
- Displacement
- 3 L
- Cylinders
- 6
- Configuration
- V-Shaped
- Engine model
- JEE
- Engine manufacturer
- Mazda
- Horsepower
- 137 hp
- Fuel type
- Gasoline
Drivetrain
- Drive type
- Four-wheel drive
- Brake system
- Hydraulic
Body & chassis
- Body class
- Minivan
- NHTSA body type
- MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE (MPV)
- Doors
- 4
- Series
- Wagon
- Manufacturer
- MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
Weight rating
- GVWR class
- Class 1D
- GVWR
- 5,001–6,000 lb
Gross vehicle weight rating is the loaded ceiling set by the manufacturer, not the car's own weight.
The same build, other model years
Mazda used the VIN pattern JM3LV523 for 3 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
- 1996 3L 6cyl Minivan · 22 vehicles code T
-
1997 You are here code V
- 1998 Wagon 3L 6cyl Minivan · 44 vehicles code W
How this VIN pattern is read
A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.
| Positions | Characters | What they encode |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | JM3 | MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION · World manufacturer identifier |
| 4–8 | LV523 | Model, body style, engine and restraint system |
| 9 | × | Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build |
| 10 | V | Model year — 1997 |
| 11 | × | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | ×××××× | Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle |
26 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to JM3LV523-V shares the specification above.
- 26 Known VINs
- JM3LV523 4V0819935
- JM3LV523 XV0825030
- JM3LV523 9V0823284
- JM3LV523 3V0822048
- JM3LV523 9V0821051
- JM3LV523 4V0829607
- JM3LV523 5V0818860
- JM3LV523 0V0821438
- JM3LV523 0V0819169
- JM3LV523 6V0818642
- JM3LV523 4V0816159
- JM3LV523 4V0824410
- JM3LV523 3V0829131
- JM3LV523 3V0830831
- JM3LV523 6V0824036
- JM3LV523 7V0818374
- JM3LV523 1V0824946
- JM3LV523 5V0831124
- JM3LV523 XV0819468
- JM3LV523 7V0825115
- JM3LV523 8V0822143
- JM3LV523 4V0820552
- JM3LV523 XV0827490
- JM3LV523 XV0817168
- JM3LV523 3V0817528
- JM3LV523 3V0819022
Neighboring configurations
Other factory configurations of the MPV, each with its own build sheet. The set is fixed by the VIN patterns themselves, so it does not shuffle as prices or inventory move.
Keep going
Where this data comes from
Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.
Vehicle counts come from the 26 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.