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Mazda Protegé

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Comments

  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    ask that again tomorrow... I'll have a number for you then.
  • groharlemgroharlem Member Posts: 59
    I can't recommend anything over the JVC SH99. SO if your trying to find a mp3 head unit, go with it

    I've had the Aiwa, and Kenwood, and they have PLENTY of flaws compared to the JVC.

    You can get it for like $250 off ebay right now.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Sam, thanks for the compliment. I just can't get enough of those guys.

    Pat, OK, enough is enough! I'll keep lurking over there and keep the commentary (over there, that is) to a relatively low roar. This is the Protege topic, and Proteges we shall discuss. But it is nice to see my friends here having some fun reading posts on other topics.

    Oh Lord -- if we can't talk about Daewoos here, and we can't talk about Proteges over there, maybe we need to resurrect the "Daewoo vs. Protege" topic ...

    As Mr. Bill used to say, "No! NO! NOOOOOOOO!!!!"

    ;-)

    Meade

    P.S. Pat, please, please forgive me for this ... but I can't help it. This from the "Daewoo Bankruptcy" topic:

    "a NUBIRA? Sounds like a Klingon warrior woman."

    HA HA HA HA HA!!!

    OK, I promise I'll be good now.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Mornin' everyone!

    What can one say about the Daewoo board? I won't post anything about it but it's pretty funny what's going on on that board. Let's just leave it at that as Meade said.

    So with this discussion done, we need a new topic/polls. Anyone? It's too early for any ideas from me.

    Later.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    So I'll start.

    Q. What's the most fun you've ever had in your Protege? (Let's keep our comments to the FRONT SEAT, please!)

    A. For me, it definitely would have to be taking my little 5-speed onto the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia last fall. The car begs to be tossed around the twisties, and this two-lane, limited-access road is full of 'em. (The views ain't bad either.)

    Meade
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Q. What is the next thing Paul (vocus) will try to change on his 2001 Protege?

    Extra credit: How long will Paul keep this Protege?

    ;-)

    Meade
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Oh good God. I said I wanted to change the name badge back at the MAPP II, so that shouldn't be a big surprise. And as you see above (via Newcar31) I am not the only one with the idea. Always gotta rag on someone. I tell ya. :)
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Why, oh why, can't you enjoy a car for more than a few months?

    (YOU get ragged on? What about me? Chasing sharks into the water with my tartar sauce and lemon wedge ...)

    While I'm at it, let me say that I cannot BELIEVE I found you on the Cavalier topic, telling everyone you are considering buying one for your dad. Are you not the one who flamed Cavaliers up one side and down the other not a year ago, after all the trouble you had with yours? And now you're gonna consider unloading one of these things on your own father? What family love you're displaying! You know, my wife's 1995 Cav is still in the driveway, and I can't WAIT until we can get rid of it! Geesh, only 52,000 miles and it's on its THIRD head gasket, SECOND alternator, THIRD factory stereo ... need I go on?

    Do you really love your dad, or is it more of a Hannibal Lecter/Mason Verger relationship?

    ("Is this Vocus? Well, hello, Vocus.")

    Meade
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I know, I was thinking about a Cavalier very, very briefly (and you don't miss nothing, do you?), but had a change of heart. They are a very old design and not that reliable, which is probably why they are so cheaply priced.

    On a side (and very fun) note, I went to the bank just now to make a deposit. On the way back, I had to get off the Capital Beltway onto Route 50 to come back to work. It's one of those up and to the left curve ramps that's rated at 35 mph I think. This guy in a Saturn SL2 (about 1993 or so) came beside me and just though he was going to pass. Not so. :) I rounded the corner at about 60 mph and clicked the OD off button as I went into it. Clicked again mid-turn, and hit it. What a fun time of ZOOM ZOOM that was! :)
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Man, you really shoulda gotten the 5-speed if you love to drive that way. Click off the overdrive? Heh heh -- I prefer to downshift to third and drop the clutch!

    (Better performance, plus I saved $800! Hee hee hee ...)

    ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM

    Meade

    (yeah zoomzoomzoom)
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I can't stop playing with the radio and talking on the cell phone long enough to mess around with a clutch. :) Just kidding. If I had a clutch, I would pull all my hair out if I got caught in rush hour traffic (which I do sometimes), so I just got an automatic and was done with it.

    I manually shift it (but only up, NEVER down) sometimes, but not very often as I am scared of damaging the car. I hit 7000 rpm once by accident, and have to be careful not to do that as it's past the redline. I scared myself, and this funny smell came outta the engine for a little bit too. I hope I didn't damage anything inside the engine. But that was like 2 weeks ago, and I haven't had any problems.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    With Cruise 0000-88-C08_-KT
    W/O Cruise 0000-88-C07_-KT

    Either part should run you about $165 and are guaranteed to give you 5-10% HP increase due to the high performance yellow paint.

    I have swampland in FL for sale too.
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Just wanted to make sure everybody knows about this recall notice from the NHTSA website (www.nhtsa.dot.gov):
    NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 01V024000
    Component: BRAKES:HYDRAULIC:LINES:HOSE:NON-METALLIC
    Manufacturer: MAZDA (NORTH AMERICA),INC.

    Year: 2001 Make: MAZDA Model: PROTEGE Recall Date: 02/07/2001

    Type of Report: Vehicle
    Potential Number of Units Affected: 13000
    Manufactured: 07/2000 - 12/2000
    Defect Summary:
    VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME LEFT SIDE REAR BRAKE HOSES WERE DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY. BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE COULD OCCUR.
    Consequence Summary:
    BRAKE PERFORMANCE WOULD BE DEGRADED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Corrective Summary:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BRAKE HOSE AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE HOSE.

    Pro_fan
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    That recall came out back in February, but my 2001 was not affected, thank God.
  • duh_sterduh_ster Member Posts: 102
    was that recall for ALL trims of protege (ES, SE, LX)? this is the first time i've heard of this recall...
    'duh'
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Yeah, I saw that it came out in Feb after I posted it. Oh well...It was the first time I'd ever seen it, so I thought why not let others know, just in case.
    I believe it refers to all trims of '01's, Duh. Has anybody on this message board been affected by this recall?

    PF
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    My car was an early built 2001, made in December of 2000 and it was not affected. I was one of the first on the board to purchase a 2001 Protege (it's an ES), and no recalls as of yet. There was one TSB that the dealer fixed. The steering wheel was installed a tiny bit crooked, but that's been it.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Anyone have any squeaks or rattles yet? My 2001 ES is edging 19,000 miles, and have a little engine vibration, but think that's normal. Fine otherwise.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    ... coming from the center console. Turns out I caused it by not tightening a screw tight enough after removing the center console to do a mod a year ago. A quick twist about a month ago and the rattle was gone.

    I do occasionally hear a slight rattle coming from my fold-down cupholder. Seems the spring has gotten a little weak and doesn't hold it closed with much pressure -- allowing it to vibrate sometimes. I may have to put a little felt pad under it to keep it from happening.

    That recall, by the way, has been posted since 2000 and applied to late 2000 and early 2001 models in only a certain VIN range. You would have received a notice in the mail if yours was affected. My 2000 ES (purchased in May 2000) was built in March 2000 and wasn't affected either.

    Meade
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    How many miles do you have on your ES now? Something like 27,000? I will be catching up to you soon. :)
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    And Paul, I'm at about 27,500 miles. Man, you sure do rack up the mileage -- my car is a whole year older than yours -- purchased in May 2000!

    Meade
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    Check out the URL's below for a good road test on the Protegé5 and the Tokyo Car Show of the Mazda 6.


    http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=4250&sid=180&n=157


    For a better picture of the Mazda 6's interior.


    http://www.cardesignnews.com/autoshows/2001/tokyo/preview/mazda-atenza/index.html


    This third one shows the 2004 Miata. Now this is a really super looking car! Comparable to the Lexus SC 430 in styling. And check those 17" wheels!


    http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=3701


    fowler3

  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Interesting reading! A link off the main Car Connection page said the Mazda 6 will replace the 626 as a 2003 model here. Cool!

    Meade
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I hope it's as promising as it looks to be. I would love to be able to upgrade within the Mazda line when it comes time to trade in the Protege (in about 4-5 years or so).
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Ford will take the 6 and put its engine in the Taurus body -- kinda like what they did with the newest-generation 626. Have you noticed that? "Our" 626 isn't the same as the rest of the world's. That sucks. Ford, keep your stinkin' hands off our Mazdas.

    Meade
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Just for the heck of it, I decided to go looking for my first post on Edmunds. I found it, back on May 20, 2000 in the archived Protege 3 topic. I was shopping for my 2000 ES. My next post was on May 25, 2000, the morning following my purchase of my Protege the night before. I kept reading the next few dozen posts to see how Paul, Larry, Jerry, Pete and others welcomed me to the topic.

    Kinda brought a tear to me eye. ;-)

    Then, for fun, I checked out the "Daewoo vs. Protege" topic. I happened to enter it right in the middle of all that debate over "gaps." Remember those crazy times? I had a good laugh. Hey -- there's no need to keep Pat and others upset by rehashing the Daewoo stuff -- it's all been said already, dozens of times over. Just go over to that archived topic and read a few posts whenever you need a good laugh.

    Meade
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I just did the same thing. My first post was #205 in "Mazda Protege 2" in November of 1999. Kinda cool going back and reading the old posts and stuff. :)
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    On EBay Motors, there is a black 2001 Protege with like 3900 miles on it just like mine for sale. It has leather seats though, and special wheels. The starting bid is $16,000. I wonder why they are getting rid of it so soon though?
  • nematodenematode Member Posts: 448
    Where is the Protege MPS? When is it due, if ever?

    Does Mazda have an AWD system either in production or in development?

    All my personal opnion:
    The MP3 is nice exercise but it just does not cut it for me. The current street racer out-of-the-box benchmark is the Subaru WRX. AWD, 227hp, 0-60 sub 6 sec range. Its also well below $25k. Its only problem is that, in my opnion again, it looks like the [non-permissible content removed] child of a 1996 Dodge Neon and a late 80s Renault Alliance that had a butt tuck. BUT in terms of performance thats what I'm looking for in the MPS. Anything more than 10% short of that from Mazda would be a dissappointment. Its gotta have RWD or AWD too. I think any more than 160hp/160ft/lb in the current FWD chassis is a recipe for torque steer unless they convert it to RWD/AWD which would solve the problem either way. I just like cars that are balanced during take off and in the curves. Having trouble as to what exactly what I'm getting at: Just imgine your Protege ES just as it is with RWD and 200-220hp. Now that warrants the (S) Sport badge. Any thoughts?
  • sfratsfrat Member Posts: 208
    I can tell you why it's for sale. Black car, with black leather, in Texas no less. And I thought my car was hot in the sun. That's got to be miserable.

    Incidentally, did anyone notice the pieces of carpet that were being used as floor mats. I can't believe someone would pay for the leather seats, and be too cheap to spring for the floormats.
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    The WRX goes for about $35000 CDN. That is a huge price difference compared to the MP3 which is about $25000 CDN.
  • duh_sterduh_ster Member Posts: 102
    sad, but true...personally, i think the wrx is overpriced...one of the main reasons i got a protege was cost! great car at a great price (well...reasonable price...)
    'duh'
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    I thought that the 2.0 L/130 hp engine was going to be standard across all the trim levels. According to the Canadian Autobytel's website (www.autobytel.ca) and Mazda.ca, the '02 SE still has the 1.6/103 hp engine in it. Can anybody verify this? I this another case of Canadians getting completely different things than in the States?
    Thanks.

    Pro_fan
  • nematodenematode Member Posts: 448
    Lou Fusz has the WRX for $24.5k USD. The same dealer has the MP3 for $18.8 with the alarm and cargo net. The Subaru Impreza RS is $19k and gives you ABS, cruise, AWD, and 165hp......The problem? The suspension is a little soft AND its ugly too. If anything, I felt the price of the MP3 was a little inflated relative to others in that range but not totally out of line.

    The difference is about $5k between the WRX and MP3. For that $5k you get AWD, ABS, cruise, and close to 3 seconds faster to 60mph while maintaining similar fuel economy and reliability (probably). I think that easily covers the $5k difference. The WRX is a lot of things but I dont think its overpriced for what you get. I decided on the Protege ES over the WRX simply because the WRX is ugly to my eyes in just about every way possible. The difference between the ES and the WRX on the other hand is about $8000. Now thats a chunk of change that gets my attention.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    It's a nice thought, but it will never happen. Wait for the RX-8.
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    completely different...check out the Toyota iST on this URL.


    http://www.cardesignnews.com/autoshows/2001/tokyo/preview/toyota-ist/index.html


    Except for the ugly dash and Echo-style instrument placement, it's a really nice concept ready for production.


    You can view larger pics by clicking the photos, and download them. On PC's right-click, on Macs hold the pointer over the image, a pop-up appears, click Save this image.


    fowler3

  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    That carpeting is kinda ghetto in a car with leather interior and all. Maybe they have the real floormats, but didn't wanna mess them up. If the car came with the Premium Pkg. (which the options hinted that it did), it had floormats. I have my floormats down, but bought cheap plastic Wal-Mart floormats on top of them to preserve their new look/life. Maybe that's what that carpeting was for.
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Well like I said, here in Canada the price difference is $10 000 CDN. That's very substantial. Heck, the price between an LX and an ES GT package is like $5000 CDN.

    BTW I (mostly) like the way the WRX looks. The headlights are a little "buggy," but I'll bet the ride is amazing.

    I'll bet that the RX-8 will be way too much when it comes to Canada. :(
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    OMG! That would be HOT anywhere. My neighbor has a black BMW 528i with black leather and she has to use towels on the seats in the summer, especially with the sunroof open.

    fowler3
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Here in the US, the WRX is priced at around $26,000 with automatic. I would prefer to spend that kinda money on a Maxima. I would never use the max performance provided by the WRX, so that amount of money spent on that car would be a waste to me.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    My car is black on black, and I had to have the windows tinted a little dark to cut down on the heat buildup, and that was with cloth seats. I can just imagine how it would be with leather. I don't like leather anyway, especially without seat heaters. It's hot in the summer, and cold in the winter. Ugh.
  • bjewettbjewett Member Posts: 62
    I've heard persistent rumors that Mazda will release a '02 MPS with more power, possibly a turbo. I'd take a regular Protege ES or PR5 with that engine, but dunno what Mazda is thinking.
    The ~160 hp 2.3 litre I4 from the Mazda 6 would make a nice protege engine....
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    from what I've read, the 2003 Pro gets the 2.3L. I like the thoughts of whislting better.
  • pjd58pjd58 Member Posts: 366
    from what I've heard the Protege name will be bye-bye after the 02 year. Maybe they will call it the Mazda Mentor:)
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Ford didn't put the current 626's engine in the Taurus. The new 6 however WILL have a Taurus engine, at least one based off of the Taurus engine. Not to worry though, it will be Mazda tweaked with their variable valve timing. The Ford 3.0L duratec engine is actually a pretty good engine and I am not disapointed at all. From what it looks like so far, the new 6 should be an excellent car; I'd bet money on it.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    from what I hear, Mazda has a mentoring program for their employees. However, those being mentored are called mentees, so that it's not confused with the car. Maybe your idea isn't far off. LOL
  • twistinmelontwistinmelon Member Posts: 90
    Didja know there is no such word as "mentee"???

    We call the folks we're mentoring "tyros".

    They hate it.

    Which means we love it.

    How about the Mazda Tyro?

    twist
  • black01coupev6black01coupev6 Member Posts: 195
    My Accord Coupe was black over black leather and it wasn't too bad ... that car had awesome AC. It actually seems as if the Protege gets a little hotter inside.... can't quite figure out whether it's truth or fiction yet.

    3700 miles on my Protege and it's doing great although there are a few sporadic rattles but turning up the stereo takes care of those :)
  • pjd58pjd58 Member Posts: 366
    did you see the wrecked MP3 on eBay?. It only had 250 miles and is totaled. Looks like there is some roof damage and doubt it is repairable. Such a shame......only 999 blue MP3's left:)
  • boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    If anyone is interested, there is a yellow MP3 on the lot at Millenium Mazda in Durham, NC. I really like the extra HP and the wheel/tire combo is very nice, but I could live without the ground effects and wing. Still, a very fun ride.
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