Mazda Protegé

lindathomp2000 · May 2001

I have not had the CD player in my '01 2.0 ES skip at all and I have been over some VERY bumpy roads up here in the Adirondacks. If your CD player refuses a CD or skips, get the dealer to check it out. When I purchased my 1995 Pro, I had to have the radio replaced TWICE.

vocus · May 2001

So sorry, but I had to just go into that forum that you mentioned and give them a piece of my mind. I am not going to have someone knocking our cars like that. It's not like they're Civics, right?? Otherwise, it would be ZZZZ instead of ZOOM ZOOM!!!

lindathomp2000 · May 2001

newcar! How did you get a 2001 ES for $13,152?

jstandefer · May 2001

Don't worry... I'm relaxed. I certainly can hold my own in there... I just see it as a bonding exercise for us Protege owners! Zoom Zoom!

maltb · May 2001

I found this link elsewhere on the boards, but it's good enough to be copied here:

www.beaterz.com

Get a good look around the site. This guy has a great sense of humor.

theparallax · May 2001

Check this site out in the links section:

http://www.angelfire.com/nc2/mycoffeecan/

And while you're there, check out the nice 'spoiler' mod...

http://www.angelfire.com/nc2/mycoffeecan/page3.html

LOL!

maltb · May 2001

I love this stuff.

theparallax · May 2001

No problem - the first time I say that page I was laughing my [non-permissible content removed] off!

mpgman · May 2001

Test drove an 01 ES. For what it's worth:

Ride: solid, inspired confidence, tight turning circle.

Brakes: had ABS; did a panic stop from 50 mph; mostly kept to a straight line with the rear swinging out just a bit to the left.

Seats: nice and firm, although a VW type height adjuster lever would be a big step up from the dumb wheels that you need a wrench to turn when you are seated.

Dash: white gauges look great in daytime but the red is hardly the color to use at night. Wish they kept the LX green.

Center stack: neat and clean. The armrest, or what passes for one, is just about useless as it is too short and too low....again....look to VW's.

Leg room: great in back; not as good as some, like VW again, in the front.

Acceleration: zoomzoomzoom....nice engine.

Overall: got to be one of the best for the bucks.

Can't wait to see and drive the 5.

maltb · May 2001

Seems like a pretty fair review and no mention that the Accord gets better gas mileage. You must have had a full nights rest.

newcar31 · May 2001

I didn't get it for 13K. I put $3000 down on it.

fowler3 · May 2001

Ever wonder why there aren't more Civic owners on these boards? Honda has reportedly sold 10 million Civics in the past 20 years. Where are their owners? Did they pay too much for them and can't afford PCs? LOL

Civics dont zoom. Step on the gas and the engine revs, but the car doesn't go any faster. Honda safety feature.

fowler3

unmarkedcar · May 2001

Can anyone hear me?

panamaltd2 · May 2001

My friend and I recently traded cars for a day. Her's, a 1999 VW Jetta GLS. Mine, a 2000 Mazda Pro. ES. She needed convincing that my car was as good as hers. As it turns out these cars are very much alike which goes to show that the Protege possesses a great amount of German influence. In one of the previous posts someone said that the VW seat adjusters were better, but have you actually tried them!? They are not very user friendly as I could not get my hand down the side of the seat to reach the pump-style seat adjuster. Also the back seat of the Jetta has nothing on the Protege. The amount of space you get in the back seat makes it feel like a luxaury car compaired to the Jetta. Not as much pick up and a rather buzzy four banger engine also bring the VW down. I did like the more sustantial center arm reston the Jetta, and I would enjoy it very much if Mazda could find it in their hearts to give Pro. owners a remote trunk release from the key-fob. Over all I found the Jetta not worth the extra money when compaired to a Protege! Zoom-Zoom-Zoom!

P.S.- Is anyone else excited about this whole Mazda rejuvenation plan?! I think it is really cool to know about, and I can't wait to see that they next generation of vehicles are going to be and look like. I have a feeling that in about 3 years Mazda will be one of the cars to own.

unmarkedcar · May 2001

I think that mazda makes great cars.

A few years ago (3 or more), I was looking at the protege., but I did not see the appeal in it. The car looked like a econo-box. The dealership in VA, was also not very interested in making a sale ( I guess the money from the miata's was keeping the stomach's full ).

Mazda has just recently started to improve the look and appeal of their cars. Mazda still needs to work on improving its dealerships.

I think that mazda will be making cars for a while to come. But they still have to "GET WITH THE TIMES". The new line looks a lot more appealing, but the advertising still needs to be more widespread ( if they plan to be around ).

I also see that, ford could have a negative effect on the future of mazda. As most people know,the protege is one of the last JAPAN made cars.I would hate to see this car change into another focus. I think that mazda needs to do whatever it takes to keep this car built in japan. I can not see this car being what it is now, if it is built with the TOUCH OF FORD. I have never been interested in any ford products. I associate the word "CraP" with ford.

The FORD built protege, will have as much value as a hundai. They will have to offer extended power train warranties just to sell them. The diehard MAZDA fans, will not buy into a ford product very willingly. At least I will not.

vocus · May 2001

I was one step away from buying a VW Jetta before I looked at the 2001 Protege ES I have now. The Jetta's front seat does go back a little further, and I love the telescoping wheel. But, the seats are hard, the engine is noisy and underpowered, it uses too much gas for its power level, the price is too high, and VW's warranty is a joke. Overall, I think the Protege is a better car. Better power (from comparable engines), better economy, longer warranty, way lower price, and more room inside too.

dannyg · May 2001

My mother picked a Pro over a Jetta a couple of years ago, too. She's still loving her 99 Pro LX auto.

On the other hand, I saw the Jetta wagon at the NY Auto Show. It looks great, with all the usual VW pluses (styling, quality feel) and minuses ($$$).

I hope Mazda releases a "regular" version of the 5door wagon at some point. I'm all in favor of sports wagons, but personally I'd prefer a classy wagon like the Jetta over a "go-fast" looking wagon like the 5door. Just my thoughts.

maltb · May 2001

...of the 626 will most likely have an available wagon. From what I have seen/heard, it promises to be a very nice vehicle. The drawback is that the 626 is long overdue for a replacement and the next version won't be out until the 2003 MY.

vocus · May 2001

Believe it or not, if you load up a P5, it's not too far away from a base-level Jetta (same equipment, almost). I saw my first Jetta wagon on the street, and it looks very nice. I am wishing I would have waited now, for the P5. There are times I could use a wagon, to haul things from the hardware store, etc. in. It would be easier in a small wagon than in the ES 2.0 I have now. Maybe a trade in another 2-3 years (right before the Protege goes on the FOCUS platform).

roninjouten · May 2001

Interested in driving one.

As for the Jetta Comparisons...um a 1.8T is in a whole different league from a Protege. Leather, torquey engine, excellent interior. But for that kinda equipment one is looking at spending 21k compared to the Protege's 16k.

newcar31 · May 2001

I don't think the people here were talking about the 1.8T. Like Vocus said "better power from comparable engines". That means N/A 2.0L vs N/A 2.0L. Unfortunately, Mazda doesn't give us the turbo version and if it did, it would have more power than the 1.8T. If the Jetta was a little less expensive, had a better warranty, and a better reliablility track record, and 0% financing, I would have bought one because they are very nice cars. I liked the idea of chipping a 1.8T to make gobs of power and torque, but that voids the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty and VW engines are not cheap to replace.

unmarkedcar · May 2001

FART FART

newcar31 · May 2001

did you have a burrito for lunch?

unmarkedcar · May 2001

no it is just boring

roninjouten · May 2001

Voids the warranty? Only if they a) discover it, b) determine it was at fault, c) the mechanic is a jerk. Every dealer I spoke with point blank said, "If you chip, just don't tell us and your warranty will be fine."

Regardless. I guess if one is comparing 2L engines, then it makes sense. And yes the protege is gobs better than the VW then. The VW 2L engine is one of the worst on the market. It's the main cause for so many Jettas coming back to VW as lemons.

fritz1224 · May 2001

Anybody noticed their brakes squealing when coming to a stop using moderate to light brake pressure? My 2k ES started this at about 4k and the dealer deglazed them(rubbed them with some steel wool I imagine). Now at 6k they are doing it again. Only happens during slow stops, but is annoying considering it's a new car. Dealer blamed it on the new material being used for the pads and shoes(no asbestos anymore). Is this normal?

vocus · May 2001

It happens sometimes. But get the rotors replaced this time, within the one year/12K warranty. That should fix the problem.

newcar31 · May 2001

Although most chips are undectable by the VAG diagnostics tool, all it takes is a simple drive around the lot to find out that it has been chipped(a 45 hp and almost 90 lbs-ft of torque increase isn't that hard to notice). The only way to avoid this is to purchase another ECU (big $$$) and swap it everytime you take it to the dealer. As soon as the dealer knows that you have a chip, they will find a way to link it to many engine/drivetrain related problems. Believe me, I have looked into this extensively.

maltb · May 2001

....chipping becomes more difficult. The new Ford WDS(world diagnostic system) integrates so well with the PCM that they store all the vehicle info in there. The WDS will tell you the exact version of programming in the PCM and the PCM even carries the VIN of the vehicle with its specific build specs right down to the tire size. When you replace the PCM, you have to download the vehicle info from the original and then re-install it on the replacement. Some tricky stuff for the garage mechanic.

newcar31 · May 2001

I dont think you need to do that on the current VWs.

jstandefer · May 2001

I had my front pads replaced and the rotors turned at 32,000 miles on my '99 ES. For those 32,000 miles, they never squealed once, even in the rain! Now I have these cheap Midas pads on it, and it squeals at EVERY application of the brakes. It is quite annoying!!! I should have spent the extra money and had the dealer install factory pads instead!!!

roninjouten · May 2001

Wow, every dealer I've spoken with mentioned chipping as the logical thing to do with a 1.8T and that as far as they're concerned it's no big deal.

jstandefer · May 2001

You know... for $750 more than the 1.8T, you could get the smooth VR6. Then you won't have to run premium fuel like you do if you "chip" the 1.8T and you won't have any warranty worries.

Of course, one could deck out a Protege ES, or even get the MP3 for less money than either of these Jetta's. Or for real performance and about the same money, one could buy a tire scorching 1995 RX-7 twin turbo... the "chip" for it bumps this screaming 1.3L to nearly 300hp!

roninjouten · May 2001

Old RX was a fun car...but it didn't run well.

I'm definitely gonna check out an MP3. are they out? Mazda's website leads me to conclude so, as does Carsdirect, but I haven't heard back from a dealer I contacted about it.

BTW, the Jetta with the VR6 you do have to use premium and you have a car that's burdened with another 120 lbs. on the nose, thus making handling quite unwieldy. I drove the two back to back. First the VR6 and then the 1.8T, both with the obligatory sports suspension. It was night and day for me. The VR6 felt sloppy and the nose plow was quite evident. Plus the reliability of a VR6 compared to a 1.8T is huge. The 1.8T is a robust, well made engine. The VR6...I don't wanna get flamed.

newcar31 · May 2001

Bottom line is this: It VOIDS your warranty, no matter what the salesman told you. If something powertrain related comes up under the warranty period the first thing they will notice is the "chip". Most dealerships are very picky about this kind of stuff (especially a mod that makes a huge boost in power), I don't see how VW would be any different. I wouldn't want to waste a 100K warranty based on what someone told me. Look in your owners manual at the warranty section.

pappysf4u · May 2001

what is this S plan. please explain it to me thanks

vocus · May 2001

I took my car to Goodyear to get the brakes replaced at 26K (my DX I mean). It took them 4 HOURS to do the job! They ended up having to go to the dealer and buy the pads from them, because they didn't have anything in stock to fit them.

As far as Midas, I took my mom's Bonneville there and the brakes were never right again. Between them and Mineake (sp?), they both suck butt. Take the car to Goodyear or the dealer for the pads. Or simply buy the factory pads from the dealer, give them to the shop, and tell them to put those on there.

gitarzan · May 2001

Does the overdrive-override on the Pro Automatic tranny change shift points at 1-2 2-3 or does it just truncate shifting to 4th?

I've noticed that just about "anytime" I click it I downshift. But that might just be from 4th to 3rd unless I'm really crawling. Also the car seems a little beefier with the OD off. Again that might also be lack of the top gear.

I know that with today's electronically controlled shift points, etc. it would be easy for a maker to set an auto with two different personalities depending on whether the button is in or out.

Am I imagining things again? Or does this seem to be the case?

roninjouten · May 2001

but every VW owner I know in my area with a chipped 1.8T has a list of the dealerships to take your car to in order to avoid any warranty problems. To fret over something like this is sorta silly as the 1.8T engine is the only well made part of the car.

Off topic though. Still want to drive this new MP3. People keep telling me it'll make me happy, but I must admit I'm not convinced by the specs. Fearful it'll be too slow for my liking but have nice handling.

protegenic · May 2001

But of course, were we expecting anything else? Someone needs to post this review in the Civic forum!

Not to run the 1.8T subject in the ground, but I had this engine in my last car, an A4. It was a good little engine, although I didn't like it with an automatic since the small amount of turbo lag is much more apparent, especially when trying to dart into the Atlanta traffic! I considered the 1.8T Jetta, but, to me, getting an engine that requires premium fuel, and gets only 21-24 mpg on average, just wasn't worth the 0.5 sec decrease in 0-60 time compared to my ES (to say nothing of the cramped rear quarters and the much higher price). If I were interested in a VW, I would step up to the Passat. I saw the 2001.5 the other day and it look really sharp.

fowler3 · May 2001

Its my understanding of the button on the AT tranny that it locks out D4 so the Pro won't hunt between D4 and D3 on long grades if the driver lets the car slow down somewhat going up hill. And to hold D3 going down mountains. It also lets the driver downshift and hold D3 for passing at highway speeds.

Some drivers use it around town staying in D3 for faster stoplight getaways.

Great feature since Hondas Grade Logic feature doesn't work all that well. The Accords and Odysseys still hunt.

fowler3

Sporin · May 2001

I have the 1.8T in my stock '99 Passat and it moves right along with the manual tranny. I get between 27 and 30 MPG on premium fuel in mixed driving. But I drive like a Granny compared to most auto "enthusiasts." :-)

I'm looking ot save some money on my next car and the Pro5 is my #1 choice at the moment, with the ES sedan second.

Sporin · May 2001

Are there any UBB-based discussion forums for Mazda like the VW Vortex or Fresh Alloy are for VW and Nissan?

vocus · May 2001

There is one called Prototech. It's http://go.to/prototech and it's pretty cool. There is another, but it's saved on my favorites list at home and cannot check it now (at work now). I will post it tonight though, when I get home.

mdaffron · May 2001

I replaced the brakes (front and rear) on my 1994 Mazda B2300 pickup with Meinekes and ran the truck another two years. I was very, very pleased.

Last year, we replaced all four brakes on my wife's 1995 Cavalier with Meinekes. Again, very pleased.

I'm also pleased with the "lifetime" replacement warranty Meineke offers -- I guess they figure by the time you replace your brakes once, you're not going to keep the car long enough to do it again -- and the warranty doesn't extend to a second owner. You know, they stand behind their work. If you guys are having trouble with Midas or Meineke, you should take the car back and give them a chance to make things right. I've had nothing but good luck with Meineke.

Now, if you wanna talk about Firestone ...

Meade

Sporin · May 2001

thanks!

jstandefer · May 2001

I called my favorite Mazda dealership last night and spoke to some of my friends there to see when the MP3 was coming in. They said they didn't know, but that I should come down anyways and bring a camera. They said I would be very pleased. And I was!!!!!!!!

This last picture of the MSRP didn't come out so well. I believe the price was $18,380 or something like that. This Protege5 had the automatic, power moonroof, and floor mats. It was absolutely beautiful!!! Much better in person than in the pics!!! And that yellow!!! Blinding!!! Striking!!!

Sporin · May 2001

OH MAN! that is shweet!

May I quote your post in another forum with proper credit jstandefer?

jstandefer · May 2001

Sure, No Problem!!!

These pics are free to the taking for anyone who wants them!!! Use them however you want!!!

Sporin · May 2001

Thanks!

Feel free to check out this discussion I started on the Pro5 in the VW Vortex's CAR LOUNGE.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/vwbb/Forum1/HTML/017221.html

Mazda Protegé

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