Mazda Protegé

pcalvin · February 2001

Edmunds did one; here it is http://www.edmunds.com/roadtests/firstdrive/2001/mazda/protege/44875/

jk111 · February 2001

I use turtle wax vinyl.. it cleans and leaves a shiny tint afterwards. I haven't had any problems with it. Come to think of it, I should clean it again when it gets warmer.

rancor · February 2001

I owned a 2000 Protege LX with auto, comfort package and remote key less entry until last week when it was totaled in an accident. I just wanted to say that I loved this car and reccomend it highly to all of you.

I was struck in the front passenger-side wheel area by an early 90;I Old Cutlass Sierra that was travelling about 65-70 mph. The Protege did a 540 on the road, and like I said was in real bad shape (as to be expected I'd say). However, I walked out of it with a bruised knee and hip, In many other cars this would have been a very serious if not near fatal accident.

In addition as I settled the insurance claims, I truly realized what a deal I got: I paid 12,488$ for my Protege 12 months ago and it was valued at 12,800$ with 15k miles on it!

Still, I most happy that I'm alive and excited to go shopping for a new Protege next week.

mdaffron · February 2001

My '92 was totaled when I hydroplaned (thanks to the Bridgestone POORtenza tires that unfortunately still come on the top model) at only 28,000 miles. I hit a Volvo station wagon squarely in the rear at a traffic light. I was going about 40-45 mph. 8-month old Protege totaled; I walked out! (No air bags back then either; just those darned "passive restraint" motorized belts.) And to top it off, my insurance company wrote me a check for full replacement cost!

Wanna see my totaled '92? Here ya go!

http://www.geocities.com/negatize/media/specialty/meade92_totaled.jpg

Meade

theparallax · February 2001

I'm glad to see that you are OK. Do you have any photos of the car after the wreck?

You sure did get a good deal on your Protege! I have a 1999 LX w/ Auto, comfort package, and keyless entry, and I paid $15,100 for it!!!

OWNERS CLUB - I vote YES for an owner's club!

theparallax · February 2001

I also agree the Protege has a good track record for crashes. If you go to www.copartfinder.com, you can search for any make and model car. Search for Protege's, and you will see that most, if not all, have safety cages that are still intact!

nikecar · February 2001

Let's settle this now folks...

Part 1) who wants an owner's club?
Part 2) who shall be the 2 spokespeople?

1)yes
2)Meade, and if Pete's out of the running who else?

fritz1224 · February 2001

Were you going that speed at impact? If so, I think wet performance of the tires are a minor factor. Maybe a little late applying the brake or going too fast for the road conditions had something to do with it as well. Anyway hope everybody was OK. How did the insurance company view your explanation of bad tire performance when renewal time came around?

pcalvin · February 2001

It sounds great, however what exactly is it?

protegextwo · February 2001

M.... Most
A.... Always
Z.... Zooming
D.... Delightfully
A.... Along

Hehe,....I bet someone can improve on that one if they try!

1.)I vote for a owners club.
2.)Meade and a new 2001 Protege owner.

-Larry

the_big_h · February 2001

influenced by vocus, plus with a weather forecast that has no wet stuff in sight for a week, I went and got my car washed today at lunch. After removing more than 3 months' worth of dirt and road salt (and some bird droppings) my midnight blue mica ES once again sparkles under the sun, looks awesome!!!!!

sfrat · February 2001

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to introduce myself. I've been lurking around reading the posts for the last three weeks or so, and on Monday night I became the owner of a Sand Mica 2001 Pro ES 5spd, with the premium package. Out of all the cars I looked at, it represents the best value for the money, I think. Its my first car. It was tough finding one that was configured like that, but I got lucky and found the car at Russell Mazda in Maryland, their price was reasonable, and I was able to get the 0% financing. So far, I'm very pleased, work is becoming a real chore because I can't wait to get home and drive it. Wish the weather would improve here in MD as well.

I hope to be contributing regularly to the discussion.

Best Regards,

Steve

cosmo19 · February 2001

Two questions about the hatch back/wagon/5 door coming this summer

1. How similar is it to current models being sold overseas?

2. How much Ford parts/design will it have?

browntrout1 · February 2001

I would agree that the RE-92s are not the best tires bridgestone makes but I think they are one of the best tires that come stock on a car in this class. I think the Sentra SE has those crappy Firehawk tires. I don't understand why people [non-permissible content removed] so much about these tires. I live in Canada and have them on my protege. I have no problems driving on ice or in water with them all winter. I'm very carefull in bad weather, no matter how good the tires you have are, if you are driving too fast in [non-permissible content removed] weather, you're f#@*ed if you have to stop fast.

I think the new Dunlops on the Protege will kick [non-permissible content removed] though. It's one step up in tires. I'm going to replace my Potenza's soon since I know they wear fast. This is my only beef with the RE-92's. I plan on replacing them with either Dunlop SP9000's or maybe Toyo Proxes. Not sure yet, both pretty expensive. I know that I want to try and put 215/50/R15's on the stock ES 2000 wheels. The overall diameter of the tire should be the same this way, it will just be wider. I like the ES rims so I really don't want to spend 1000 bucks on new mags so I can put wider tires. I know a few people how put 215's and even 225's on the stock Sentra rims.

protegextwo · February 2001

I must be "off the hook", I forgot.......nikecar, the parallax, glideslope, tom C. or jk111, all good people. Very capable of leading an owners club! If I missed any regular members of the Protege Posse, please forgive me, I am trying to function on 3 hours sleep today, lol! Luckily, I love coffee.

Respectfully;
Larry

unmarkedcar · February 2001

The owners manual says not to plug anything into the cig lighter ( electric shaver etc...) Has anyone pluged a radar detector into this outlet on a 2001 protege? ...my old truck had a cig lighter socket and a 12V socket.

gamejunki · February 2001

I've been reading your forum all day! It's distracted me from work but...wasn't doing much anyway. I plan on buying either a 2001 Protege ES or LX2.0. I am gonna get one before April when the $750 rebate is over. This is my first car that "I" have purchased. My previous cars were hand-me downs from parents. I have called the dealers in my area and was quoted the MSRP for both the ES ($16.095) and LX2.0($15,395) but that is all they will tell me. My question is for all those 2001 owners out there, what is a good price range to look for so I won't get ripped off by the dealer on one of these. My best estimate is between $16,000-17,000 for ES and $15,500-16,500 for LX2.0. Also, I currently have $2000-$2500 saved for purchasing this car. Will this be a good enough or should I just save more and wait till April? Any tips on financing would be great too.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

The first thing that you want to do is to get pre-qualified through your own bank or credit union. It makes the purchase a lot easier. You will also save time by not having to argue with the finance company. Here is what I did:

I was upside down on my truck.

I paid around 17,000 ( fo the car ) + 4000 (upside down) amount. My total out the door was just under 21,000.

I bought a 2001 LX 2.0 Automatic. I would say the $17,000 is a fair price. The dealers in my area have a mark-up ( supply and demand ).

If you do not have good credit, make sure you go through your bank or credit union.

hkchan · February 2001

Wait. What area are you in that warrants a mark-up? And how much did you pay relative to the MSRP (excluding any dealer-applied additional sticker) or invoice (as available at Edmunds and elsewhere)?

gamejunki · February 2001

I forgot to mention that I will be co-signing with my parents on the purchase and was hopeing to finance through the dealer since they have a 4.9 APR for 48 months and 6.9 APR for 60 months. That is much lower than what my bank is offering. My bank offers a 10.35 APR for new vehicles. The lowest APR I have seen from a bank is 7.35% through an online bank...think it was e-loan or something like that. Is there a catch to this low APR? Seems too good to be true.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

I call it a markup....but it is really called something else ( cant remember )....the dealer also adds what they call ( apperance package) god knows what that is...but I still did pretty good.

As far as the low interest rate, the credit would have to be perfect. The other thing is this, they may not give you guys the low apr if you add your name to the deal...it may make the credit score go lower.

hkchan · February 2001

I thought Mazda's offering 0% for 48 months or $750 in rebate. What are are you in? Where did $16,095 (ES 2.0) and $15,395 (LX 2.0) come from? Are they for specific cars on the dealer lot? They don't look like the base sticker prices. Try to read back maybe three weeks of messages and look for the "S Plan", basically 1.5% under invoice. Tell us what options you want on the car (ES or LX).

hkchan · February 2001

Pardon me for sounding skeptical, but please explain how you did "pretty good". Exactly how was your car equipped and how much did you pay?

vocus · February 2001

Congrats on your purchase. You bought your Mazda from the same place I bought my 1999 DX back in July of 1999. Who was your salesperson? And also, what was the selection like there? Thanks.

nikecar · February 2001

the new 01's ES comes in Sand Mica? aarrrggghhh.

And for bridgestones, these are good sites to get the speed and size difference.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html shows % speed change and tire overlay image

http://pw1.netcom.com/~sgalaba/tiresize.htm#ustires shows the exact speed difference at inputed rates.

I don't know but i would think 215's might be a little too wide and rub abit on hard turns or u-turns.. interesting to know exactly. I want to upgrade our R92's for the 730's but I'd have to go to at least 205/50/15's which are slightly faster.

pcalvin · February 2001

I purchased my '01 ES for $16,200 in San Diego. CA Three day's after it came off the truck at the start of January. The Invoice was 15,749. So that's just under 3% over invoice (never ask or care what the MSRP is-only work from the true INVOICE price). This was one of only 2 01 ES's in the entire San Diego County area. They still don't have many (if any) more. So I don't see how supply (very low) and Demand (high) made my price go up. It was my first car loan ever (I'm 24) and I got the 0% from MazdaUSA credit. Don't let the dealer F*#@ with you. Only give him 3% over invoice with the 0%, or 3% over invoice MINUS the 750 rebate if you don't take the 0%.
If he won't deal, walk away and try another dealership. My car had the cassette, moon roof and floor mats. Oh, I only put down $1,500. At 0% I might as well invest that money and make 6%!

protegextwo · February 2001

Steve, welcome aboard my friend. Congrats on the new PRO!

-Larry

protegextwo · February 2001

I have not heard from you lately. How are you? I saw you post that, the Philly Mazda Dealer corrected your issues, how is your PRO-ES running now? Stay in touch my friend!

Respectfully;
Larry

unmarkedcar · February 2001

I had a 2000 Nissan Frontier. I owed 16,200 on ( I only had the truck for 6 months). I bought a 2001 Protege lx 2.0 Automatic. The out the door price (including upside down amount) was 20,899. Now you do the math. I also did not put down a dime ( went through my credit union ). My truck sold for around 14K ( if I sold it myself ). Trade in value based upon edmunds is around 12K. So all things considered, I did not do bad. No dealer could have made these numbers work at the payment I wanted to stay at. The only people that made this work was my credit union. I was paying $375 a month for my truck...I now pay only $54.00 more a month but have a much better car.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

Try getting out of a car after only 6 months, without a downpayment. The dealers will not even talk to you. Most banks and dealers can not finance anyone that is upside down too much. It is a big risk...that is why I was luck to be able to make these numbers work.

gamejunki · February 2001

The price I quoted for MSRP is for cars they had on the lot (here in Dallas,TX). As far as options for the ES or LX2.0. I really didn't want to add options cause of the added cost but I wouldn't mind having the moonroof and manual.
S-Plan? I looked through the posts and it sounds good but not sure if my dealer offers that. I will find out today.
In reply to pcalvin, I would choose the 0% APR if I had any credit, but since I am a first time buyer I dought I would get it. Like someone said in an earlier post, your credit must be next to perfect to get that 0.0 APR. Hopefully, if I co-sign with my parents, my rate will be lower than if I sign alone.

hkchan · February 2001

No one can confirm whether the deal was any good without knowing what other options the car has besides the automatic transmission. The dealer mentioned supply and demand when explaining the additional dealer markup, packs etc., making it look like they want more than the factory sticker. Having the trade-in commingled with the purchase of the new car makes it even worse (to decipher the deal). I don't have any experience with trading in an upside-down car, so maybe you had no choice. I guess the 0% financing was not available because of your trade.

hkchan · February 2001

pcalvin said he was a first-time buyer and he got the 0%. If the dealer you're talking to does not participate in the S Plan, call or email other dealers. I doubt you can beat the price unless for example you run into a particular salesman on the last day of the month needing to sell one more car to get a big bonus.

chikoo · February 2001

yep!

He adjusted the idle speeds again this time and the a/c jerk is felt only sometimes..like after the engine is running at high RPM and suddenly somes to idle(and EEC is still trying to adjust the idle speed..2 second time-frame)...but I guess a minor jerk at idle is common with the protege(maybe too powerful an a/c for the engine) after observing your cars and others at the dealership.

Now I am looking for EXTRA sound deadening for the firewall and the floor...make my ES run like a LEXUS!!!

any ideas what would be best for the ES as sound deadening material (and cheap too!) (and no hassles)

regards,
Chikoo/ NickG

unmarkedcar · February 2001

a/c
carpet floormats
cruise control
color keyed side molding
power window, doors and mirrors.
driver and passenger side airbags.
cd player
tilt steering
auto
LX 2.0 engine

sfrat · February 2001

vocus: They had three, two now. One was a silver ES auto without the premium package, and the other was an LX 2.0 auto. That's what I recall, anyway. I dealt with Lynne Shipley.

gamejunki: I paid 16920 for an 01 ES 5spd with the premium package and cassette player. Then I got a $400 recent grad discount and the 0% financing. I'm a first time buyer too, although I had to sort of fight for it.

Thanks for the warm welcome from all.

Steve

vocus · February 2001

Why did you dump your truck so quickly? Just curious...

SFrat.. Thanks for the info, but don't think I will be getting another Protege. Drove a 2001 2.0 LX and while it was powerful and good handling, the seats were not comfortable at all.

hkchan · February 2001

Of the items you listed, only the AC and floormats (LX Comfort Package) and automatic transmission are options on the LX 2.0. The MSRP is $16,095 [$13,885(base)+$480(freight)+$930(LX Comfort Package)+$800(auto. trans.)]. The invoice is $15,092.

Assuming the trade-in was actually worth $12,000, this is how much you paid for the car:
$20,899+$12,000-$16,200=$16,699.
I assume the $20,899 includes TTL since you called it out-the-door price.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

I have a serious problem with trading cars....I tend to get bored with cars quickly. Here is what I have owned:

1997 Bought brand new Toyota tercel

went to:

1998 honda civic DX 3 door (brand new) gave old tercel to my dad..he took over payments.

1999 gave my dad honda civic and took tercel to dealer...traded in tercel and got 2000 HONDA civic EX 4dr.

2000 took honda to dealer and traded to Nissan Frontier XE king cab auto.

2001 took truck to dealer and traded to MAZDA Protege 2001 LX 2.0 auto.

My first mistake was giving up my 4 door civic...I should have just kept it. I went to the truck and later found that the room was too small. I only had the truck since AUG 2000 and had only 9000K on it. The only reason I got the truck was to save on insurance...I was paying a lot for my honda. This time I am keeping this car till it dies...I have wasted soo much money on cars that it is not funny.

hkchan · February 2001

So was the new loan 8.5% for 60 months? It'll still be up-side-down for the first 40 months.

hkchan · February 2001

"This time I am keeping this car till it dies.." I'll believe it when I see it.
How much did you save on insurance? Nissan truck vs Civic EX.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

HKchan: I saved about $200 over months, but lost all that money...it was VERY VERY VERY stupid of me. I just wanted a truck for some reason. And yes I did get around 8.5%....My payments are $429 a month VS $375 for my truck...It is worth it....I could not see paying another year on a truck that I would not be keeping. I need to stop wasting money on cars...I am very happy with the protege and will not switch for another 5 - 6 years. Just think of all the cash I have wasted on cars...It is crazy!!!

hkchan · February 2001

Just to rub it in, the $200 you saved on insurance over months probably was not enough to cover the extra fuel you bought to feed the truck.
BTW, even without the 0% financing, there's still a $750 rebate. So you paid $17,449 (includingTTL but before the rebate) for a car whose invoice is $15,092 and whose MSRP is $16,095. How much was the TTL?

Providing that the S Plan is available, you would've paid $14,873 + TTL - $750.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

You sure know how to spoil a good thing...My truck was not bad on gas...I got 22 mpg. It had a 4cyl 145hp engine. After dealing with 4 dealers, My credit union was the only one that could finance 4k worth of negative equity...the good part of all this is that I have had a chance to own a few cars and have learned a lot. I just need to stick with this protege.

brownai · February 2001

Just my 2 cents. I bought a Protege LX 2.0 with the comfort package + auto tr. + Keyless Entry for invoice price @ 15,172 plus taxes etc. I got some great tips from this and the other discussion groups abt the Protege. Thanks eveybody! I'm the proud owner of a zoom zoom that really zooms!

vonnyvonce · February 2001

Earlier post about why Corolla/Civic fuel economy much better than Protege. My only guess is transmission gearing. Automatic LX at 60 mph is rpming about 2600. 99 Corolla same is 2000 rpm or so. Don't know about the Civic.

hkchan · February 2001

Hey, yours is the exact same car as unmarkedcar's plus keyless entry. It's a great deal but only if the price was before the rebate or you took the low-rate financing.

unmarkedcar, there lies your "potential problem". You buy a new car every six months to a year to make yourself feel good. It's a good thing as long as you thought the deal was good. BTW, don't just accept what the dealer tells you as facts without verifying them.

You said you save $200 on insurance over months. I assume that's the whole six months of your ownership of the Frontier. The EPA estimates on the Frontier 4-cyl with auto. is 20/24. It's 15/19 for the 6-cyl. It's 28/35 for the Civic. Assume yours was the 4-cyl. It would be 22 mpg vs at least 30 mpg for the Civic. You drove the Frontier 9,000 miles in 6 months. That's 410 gallons. The Civic would've used only 300 gallons. That's a saving of 110 gallons or $165 assuming $1.50 a gallon. So I was wrong. You saved more on insurance than wasted in gasoline. That's assuming the Frontier was a 4-cyl.

hkchan · February 2001

I doubt very seriously the Corolla's turning at 2,000 rpm (too low) at 60 mph even with an automatic. I need to check on that.

sfrat · February 2001

vocus: No problem, happy to help. That's too bad that you find the seats uncomfortable, I wonder if there is a difference between the seats in the LX and the ES. I didn't even look at the LX myself, because I read so many good things about the ES. I'm 5'4", and find the seats to be very comfortable, with lots of adjustment.

Also, question for all. Has anyone ever considered setting up a Protoge owners distribution list? I know there is one for the Miata, and for other cars as well. I'm finding that posting and reading messages is a bit cumbersome, but hopefully I'll get better at it. The big drawback would be losing this forum to convince possible protoge buyers.

davewilloughby · February 2001

FYI:
I read today that the FOCUS will be redesigned in 2004, and the Protoge will share the body.
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Mazda Protegé

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