Mazda Protegé

theparallax · August 2001

I doubt I'll be able to come to the MAPP this time around, unless it's located more in the southern area of the US, since I live in Florida. To whoever is taking pictures, just email them to me and I'll be glad to put them up on my Prototech website. That'll give me one more excuse to update it, since I haven't since April!

I had a friend teach me how to change my oil for the first time, since I'm not a big gearhead. It was incredibly EASY! The hardest part is crawling under the car and draining the oil, but other than that, it's a snap. Considering the fact that the dealer here charges $40 bucks for a sythetic oil change, I think I'd rather do it myself for about $21! ($18 for a 5 quart jug of Mobil 1 10W30 Sythetic, $3.20 for an oil filter, forgot what brand)

protegextwo · August 2001

I will go along with whatever is decided. However, the place we had the first annual MAPP, was truly "GODS COUNTRY"! BTW, Oct. 6 works for me. The pavilion was nice, the park rangers were nice, price was right. BTW, how about some Penna. Dutch Birch Beer and my famous fresh fruit Sangria.

-Larry

the_big_h · August 2001

a few days ago went to CostCo/Price Club (whatever they call themselves nowadays), and saw them selling 6 quart-pack of Mobil 1 for only $21. Was going to buy it, then realized 1) don't know how to change oil 2) just changed oil 1500 miles ago. So picked up a Cali. Water Blade instead...

and Meade, 10/6 sounds good to me, so count me in for MAPP as well.
I'm right in N. Va btw, Falls Church to be exact...

protegextwo · August 2001

Hope to be able to chat tonight!

-Larry

mdaffron · August 2001

Thanks for the Prototech site. As you can see in my recent posts, I'm making good use of it! In fact I just went to it to show a co-worker my totaled '92 LX.

Larry ... Ahhh, Birch Beer! I'm a big fan of the Sioux City variety, and I just remembered the big 2-liter bottle you brought last time! And the sangria ... tasty! Maybe I'll bring some of my favorite beer of all time ... Legend Lager, brewed right here at a Richmond microbrewery. Just gotta watch out for those rangers ...

And don't forget the cigars!

Paul (vocus) has conversed with me via e-mail today and it looks like October 6 and the same location are good for him. Larry, looks like you're in consensus. And I called my wife (after making these plans, like a typical man) and she said the 6th looks good to her and Sean too. So at least the original ... er ... "brat pack" will be heading for the hills again!

Now we've just got to drum up interest from everybody else. I haven't gotten over to the Pro5 topic yet, and I've got a meeting to go to for the rest of the day. Maybe one of you guys can drop over there and tell 'em to come check out the news here?

This is getting exciting again! Keep on zoomin' and I'll be back in tomorrow morning with an update on MAPP II ... The Sequel.

Meade

P.S. Looks like Paul's buddy can't make it this year, so no lasagna!!! We'll have to make do, somehow, without it. Tell ya what, I cook a mean pop-tart! Just kidding -- I do pretty well actually! But it looks like Jim's already got us in good hands!

vocus · August 2001

I am going to go over to the Prototech website sometime today, and try to get some interest drummed up.

Also, I might just get a good friend of mine to make me something interesting to bring to the picnic, since she is a pretty good cook and I am not. We shall see.

fowler3 · August 2001

Not sure about attending the MAPP this year. I have eye problems that prevent me from driving at night. Yeah, I know the picnic isn't at night, but I do have to get back home.

My e-mail is: jfmartin@nr.infi.net

I live in NC, although from VA, near Greensboro.

How about Smithfield ham biscuits? Sounds great!!

I'll look into NC BBQ.

fowler3

vocus · August 2001

You could always drive up, then stay at a hotel in the area until the morning. Something to think about..

fowler3 · August 2001

I just remembered, I have an annual business meeting with a client in Virginia every October. Maybe I could get them to meet close to the date of the MAPP picnic.

I'll see what they say.

In the meantime, want to see what a Protegé5 would look like with another manufacturer's front end on it. Check out this company's new model for 2002, only $33,150!

http://www.lexus.com/showroom/model/is_sportcross.html

and in MP3 laser blue....

http://www.lexus.com/showroom/model/is_sportcross_2.html

Butt-ugly steering wheel, but hey, they use the same kind of cruise control stalk the Protegé has. And buyers think they are getting Lexus quality?

fowler3

speedypt · August 2001

I say we plan a date! I suggest Busse Woods Forest Preserve as it's easy to get to and has a nice setting. Jstandefer used to live out here in Chicago I believe...wonder what ever happened to him...

Early to mid-September is best for me. You guys?

Regards,

Pete

newcar31 · August 2001

I think I can do that, but I might be getting a new job soon and I don't know if I will be able to take time off this early. I know that I will be in the Chicago area sometime in October when the Vikes play da Bears. I will have to check on the exact date. I am thinking about a strut tower brace, and I heard that you have one. How hard was it to install, and does it make a difference that you can feel? Does anyone make a rear strut tower brace for this car?

edmund2460 · August 2001

It seems that the dealer service, from some of the posts here for 30K will set me back $500 or more. That sounds distressfully high. I've always taken my cars to other mechanics to do the basic stuff mentioned in the manual like trass svc and plugs. I don't want to pay a dealer for 'eyeballing' things under the hood when I can do that myself. By the way there are two types of trans drains. One by gravity and the other using a machine. I notice that dealers charge a premium of anywhere of 50-70 bucks to use the machine. Is it really necessary? I have found that dealers always recommend doing more things than the manual tells you to do. If it was needed why don't they put it in the manual?

jstandefer · August 2001

Sorry, but I have never lived in Chicago (unless you count three months of Navy bootcamp in Great Lakes). I've been down here in San Diego for the past 5 years... prior to that I was here, there, and everywhere during my tour in the Navy... before that I grew up in Ventura, about 50 miles up the coast from L.A. But, I do appreciate your concern. I've been a little less active in here as my '99 ES eats away at my wallet, but it's been good lately and still Zoom Zooms!!

newcar31 · August 2001

It depends on what kind of transmission you are talking about. You can't use a machine for the manual transmission, there is simply a drain plug and a fill plug. On automatics with a drain plug in the pan (like the protoge), most places just pull the plug and drain it out. It shouldn't cost more than $30 to do this. The downside of just draining the trans pan is that you only drain about 40% of the fluid, the rest of it is still stuck in the valve body, torque converter, and lines. That is why you would use a machine because it hooks up to the transmission cooling lines and flushes ALL of the fluid out. The only tangible things that the dealer actually does at the 30K service are: Radiator flush, transmission fluid change, new plugs, new air filter, and maybe a new fuel filter. Everything else is just an "inspection". For instance, they "inspect" the brake lines. That means they look at them, and if they are not leaking, they are OK. Geez, that's really tough to do. $500 is a RIP OFF for that. You can do all of that stuff yourself or you can have a garage do it for much cheaper.

laurakat · August 2001

I'm still interested considering I buy the Protege. I'm pretty sure that's the car I want. I'm just debating if I will buy the Pro or hang on to my Intrepid for 1 or 2 more years and hope it doesn't break down and cause an arm and a leg to fix! It's running good right now.

Excuse my ignorance, but where is Busse Woods Forest Preserve? Is that near Chicago? I'd be coming from the Twin Cities area and I'm quessing Chicago is about a 6 hour drive from hear.

Newcar31 - You sure seem very technically knowledgeable when it comes to cars. If and when I get my Pro, I'm sure I'll be seeking your advice.

Mike.

newcar31 · August 2001

I am in the Twin Cities also. Did you know that there is 0% financing right now on Protoge sedans? I couldn't think of a better time to unload that intrepid and get into a new car. Check out Walser Mazda off of 494, or Morries Mazda off of 394. I know that Morries has tons of them to choose from, I was just there the other day. No, I don't work for Mazda, and this isn't an advertisement. By the way, Chicago is only 5 hours away from the Twin Cities, if you are driving a Protoge.

laurakat · August 2001

Yes, I was aware of the 0% financing, but thanks for the tip anyway! The free moonroof and alloys on the LX is very tempting also.

I actually test drove an LX 2.0 at the new Walser Chrysler/Mazda in Burnsville last week. It was very nice. I need to see what I can get for the Intrepid, either on the used car market or trade. I've had a nasty habit of going through cars too quickly and taking big depreciation hits. I bought a new '99 626 EX V6 and sold it a year later (August 2000) with 20k miles to get some extra cash to use for finishing the rest of my basement. That's when I bought the Intrepid used w/ 78k miles. Well, here I am a year and 20k miles later, itching to buy a new car again! One side of my brain is telling me to drive the Intrepid until the wheels fall off, spread the depreciation out, invest the $230 or so dollars a month into a 'car fund', and buy a new one at that time (2 or 3 years down the road). The other side of my brain (the fun side!!!) tells me to buy the Pro now, pay the $230 a month for 48 months (this is what I estimated the payment to be if I can get anything close to what Edmunds TMV trade-in price is for my Dodge), and force myself to hang on to this car for at least four years until it's paid for (is there any kind of group therapy for guys who cycle through cars about once a year?). Judging by the enthusiasm by the majority of people on this forum, I think I would enjoy the Pro for several years!

By the way, is that 5 hours to Chicago averaging about 80 to 90 mph? I had a ticket late last August doing 89 on Hwy 10 near Little Falls, so I need to watch it so my insurance doesn't creep up too far. Damn, I kind of miss that 626! It was a 5spd too.

Mike.

vocus · August 2001

I have that same kinda syndrome you have.

I have been through 5 cars in 4 years of driving! The one I kept the longest was my 1999 Protege DX, and that was for 20 months and 37,364 miles. Before that, my first car (a Dodge Aries K) lasted 3 months before it was totalled by a jerk who didn't know what STOP meant. Then came a 1996 used Chevy Cavalier (junk box). The Protege was next, then I bought a used 1993 Bonneville for my mother. She passed away in January, so I traded in the 1999 DX and sold the Bonneville privately (too much gas and too big a car for me), and got the 2001 Protege ES I have now. I have 11,600 miles and love the car. Plan to keep it for a good, long time.

maltb · August 2001

Don't talk to Vocus then...he's has an addiction similar to your's. Although, I can't say that the Pro is a bad move...especially with 0%.

jstandefer · August 2001

I just got an e-mail from Mazda with a link to their new RX-8 screensaver. It is available for both Mac's and PC's. It's pretty cool, although it is very graphics intensive and may slow down considerably depending on your computer. This particular computer I installed it on is a Celeron 333mhz with a Nvidia graphics accelerator and it comes across a bit choppy. But, I don't care. There are a lot of shots of the RX-8 here that you can't see in the RX-8 gallery. It seems to me this car is pretty close to production because it looks like the interior has been considerably "finished" compared to the concept car that was at the auto shows. Here's the link:

http://www.mazdausa.com/conceptcars/default.asp?screensaver=yes

edmund2460 · August 2001

Took my Pro to dealer for first oil change. They charge only $20 for a Castrol 10w-30 change.They have a 7500 service for $189 that is mostly 'inspect'. I noticed their trans service is currently $79 (didn't ask about method used). One thing they seem to want to do at 7500 intervals is an injection clean. I remmember the Car talk guys saying this was unnecessary with the additives in gas nowadays. I've never had it done on my Fords and they seemed to run fine (excluding the Ford induced problems). By the way does anyone here notice that if you read the Pro manual they don't recommend trans service AT ALL - unless you live in Chile. One of my pet peeves is that the owner's manual does not requie a lot of the things dealers want to do. My Taurus/Sable manuals didn't even mention a fuel filter change.

black01coupev6 · August 2001

My fiance and I should be charter members. 23 cars in 6 years....

1989 Ford Probe
1991 Toyota MR2
1987 Toyota Celica
1993 Acura Vigor
1997 Toyota RAV4
1987 Toyota Corolla FX16
1987 Toyota Corolla FX16
1988 Toyota Tercel
1990 Acura Integra
1994 Acura Integra
1991 Acura Integra
1992 Acura Integra
1998 Honda Civic
1989 Honda Civic
1993 Honda Civic
1999 Honda Accord
1991 Honda Accord
1993 Honda Accord
1993 Honda Accord
1991 Nissan 300ZX
1994 Lexus LS400
2000 Chevy Silverado (the oddball of the group)
2001 Protege ES

yooper53 · August 2001

AT fluid change at 7500 miles? I think this falls under their "extra profit" policy. Not mentioned at all in owner's manual. The manual for my Ford Contour doesn't mention trans change 'til 30K. Which brings up a question. Are you better off w/just changing 40% of the fluid or should you find a place with a machine that pumps all the fluid out (via cooler lines)? I called a place without the machine and he said the problem with that is that it can pump any crud into the valve body and thats why you're better off with a partial change?! Opinions,facts on this greatly appreciated.
Injector cleaning..on my last car once or twice a year I'd put a bottle of injector cleaner in the gas only when I knew I'd be burning a full tank of gas that day, my theory being that the cleaning is continuous until its all used and at highway speed the cleaning is more vigorous and its not left to soak any seals,gaskets etc. My two cents.. Dennis MI

protegenic · August 2001

I hate to clutter up our forum with off-Protege chat, but does anyone know what are the current incentives for the 626? Edmunds doesn't show any for my area, but I doubt that they don't have any at all. Any help would be appreciated.

newcar31 · August 2001

That is why you got the answer that you got, because they didn't have the machine. What kind of crud is going to be in the trans fluid with only 30K on it? There shouldn't be any crud in there, and if there was, you have a problem. That guy was feeding you B.S. because he didn't have the machine and he wanted your business anyway. The machine works best, plain and simple. I think that a partial drain would be fine though too, as long as you do regularly. Edmund2460, I wonder what they mean by an "injector cleaning". 7500 seems awfully frequent. Do they actually take the injectors out and clean them or use an injector cleaning machine on them or do they pour an additive in the gas tank? I'll bet they pour an additive in the gas tank, something that the owners manual tells you NOT to do.

edmund2460 · August 2001

You are in a good position to compare the PRO, with all those cars, looking forward to your comments. BTW, someone once caluclated that if you buy 2 fewer cars in your life you could retire some 5 years early. You must be well heeled but you could be retired by now!!!

edmund2460 · August 2001

The flyer the dealer had said they 'instal' injection cleaner, whatever that is. Instal doesn't sound like a flush, maybe they throw something into the tank, I'll find out thanks for the tip. I wouldn't do an injection clean every 7500 - if I did it would be at 30.

pro02 · August 2001

...as a replacement for my '99 B2500 truck early next year. I've enjoyed driving Mazda trucks for nearly 5 years but can't any longer justify the convenience of a truck (picking up flats of flowers and bags of mulch once a year and the occasional hauling of miscellaneous items)when weighed against the atrocious gas mileage. I like the Protege as a stand-out in the current pack of "economy" cars and think it would answer my need for decent gas mileage coupled with a satisfying "grin quotient." I've been lurking around the Protege forum for awhile and have seen that it tends to draw and interesting crowd of devotes. (I've had hours of entertainment reading the postings!) It sounds like the car is very solid.

A Protege would serve as our "in-town" car - and get me to and from work with verve and economy. It would also be the vehicle I would use to pull my small sailboat and trailer (combined weight 400#) to and from the lake. Which raises a few questions:

1) Is there any reason you think the car would not be up to the job?

2) Does towing do anything untoward to the warranty?

3) Do any of you have a trailer hitch on your Pro, and if so, what brand did you install?

4) Any changes on the Pro '02?

I have pulled this boat & trailer combo with an 88hp. '94 Escort with no trouble, and my truck has about 120 hp., I think, and it does fine. I'm used to moderate acceleration when towing and grew up driving cars with smallish engines, so I'm not expecting anything blindingly fast. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks and may you all Zoom-Zoom happily.

Pro02

sunbyrne · August 2001

Pro02, if you're replacing a truck, you might want to look at the new addition to the Protege line, the Protege5. This is a wagon/hatchback version of the ES. While it certainly won't haul what you could in your pickup, it will haul more than a standard ES, ether in the cargo area with the rear seats folded, or on the roof rack. It is otherwise very similar to the 2001 ES, except that it has more aggressive exterior styling.

However, if you're determined to tow, you may be out of luck. The owner's manual for my Pro5 says "Never tow a trailer with your Mazda." However, the car does produce 130 hp, and if you could tow the light boat with an 88hp car, it might work for you--I'd check with your dealer AND a mechanic.

pro02 · August 2001

I've been drooling over the P5 and thank you for your observations regarding its cargo-carrying capabilities over the Pro sedan. At this point I'm unwilling to fork over the extra $$ over the cost of a sedan, but don't think for a minute that the Pro5 hasn't turned my head.

Thanks for the heads-up about Mazda's prohibition against towing. I suppose if there were a warranty problem, say the tranny, the trailer hitch would be a bit obvious and might lead to trouble.

Thanks for your words of wisdom,

Pro02

wickedmuslim · August 2001

Is a 97-98 protege a good buy? in terms of reliability and engine problems and such, as well as a/c and miles per gallon. Or is the corolla or altima a better buy as well as the civic. I hav my heart set on a protege but im not sure about a used one.

jstandefer · August 2001

Here are what I believe the be the current 626 incentives. To be absolutely accurate, call your local Mazda dealership or call Mazda directly at 1-800-222-5500. Their customer service hours are located on their website.

2001 Mazda 626 Incentives:
Free Luxury Package (LX)
Free Premium Package (LX-V6)
4.9% APR for 60mos (maybe 48mos?)

jstandefer · August 2001

The '97-'98 Protege is an excellent buy with good reliability and fuel mileage. The best model to get is the ES with it's Miata-based 1.8L DOHC engine. Power and smoothness is outstanding, but it does sacrifice some fuel mileage. However, with a 5-spd you should still get 30-32mpg on the freeway. A/C systems should be strong on Protege models. Resale value on the Protege is not as good as the Civic or Corolla, so it makes an excellent used car to buy... a lot of vehicle for the money. ES models are hard to find... which is why I'm surprised my favorite dealership has two '98 ES's in stock right now. One's a dark blue/tan interior manual with 30,837 miles for $9,490 (Blue Book is $11,910), and the other is a white/gray interior automatic with 35,993 miles for $10,450 (Blue Book is $12,045). LX and DX models are excellent used cars as well, but the small 1.5L engine is best suited for the manual transmission. MSN's Carpoint rates with '94-'98 Protege (all models) with outstanding reliability.

Are you going to finance this vehicle? Remember, the 2001 Protege has 0.0% financing and payments are not too much more than what the used Protege will run for:

1998 Mazda Protege ES 5-spd*
$9,490
8.9% APR
48mos loan
$0 down
$235/mo

2001 Mazda Protege LX 2.0 5-spd*
$14,695 (MSRP minus a conservative $700)
0.0% APR
48mos loan
$0 down
$306/mo

*Applicable state sales tax and state licensing/registration fees must be added.

For that extra $71/mo, you are getting the 3yr/50,000 mile warranty plus 24-hour roadside assistance. Plus, it gives you the peace of mind that nobody has abused this car before you. Hey, if someone is willing to let you borrow money for free, I say take it!! BTW, that price I gave you on the 2001 Protege includes all of the equipment of the LX 2.0 (AC, power windows/locks/mirrors, 2.0L engine, cruise, CD, tilt) plus the remote keyless entry system ($100), power moonroof (free), and 15" alloy wheels (free).

vanderwe1 · August 2001

I have a question pertaining to how dealer incentives and rebates work. I will use the protege 5 as an example in my hypothetical. The invoice is 17,000 and the MSRP is 19000. There is a $1000 dealer incentive or rebate on the protege 5 and I buy the car for invoice $17,000 after the rebate or incentive. Does the dealership make money from the MSRP dealer hold back plus $1000 or would they just make money from the MSRP dealer hold back? Basically is the incentive offered by the manufacturer, and does it have an effect on the dealers profit?

Thanks
Andrew

jstandefer · August 2001

Rebates are a manufacturer customer-cash program. In other words, it's $1,000 from Mazda directly to you. Most people apply it as a down payment. The rebate is applied after taxes have been calculated on the selling price of the vehicle, therefore it is like a cash downpayment. If you want, Mazda could send you a check for $1,000 instead (this takes about 6 weeks).

The customer-cash incentive (rebate) has no effect on the dealer's profit. Don't let a dealership tell you otherwise. When you are dealing with the dealer, deal as if there was no rebate involved. Once you come to a price you are satisfied with, tell them you want to use the rebate as a down payment. That rebate is money in your pocket. The dealer can't touch it. My question is: When did they start a rebate on the Protege5? From my understanding, only the sedans have the rebate.

scooti · August 2001

On Friday 8-3-01 we sold our beloved 97 Protege ES automatic to my nephew. What a great car that was. Very dependable and mileage between 26 & as high as 38 if we took it easy on the highway. To ease the pain, we bought a 2001 ES 5 speed at dealer invoice and got 0% financing for 4 years.
So far (after only 131 miles) we are very pleased with this new car. It is quiet, stereeo is ok (our 97 Protege's sounded better). The new car has moonroof, ABS, and cassette. It will take some getting used to the red lights of the dash gauges at night. The 5 speed shifts so smoothly. Will provide further updates as the car gets broken in. We have bought quite a few Mazda's since 1985 and they have all been very reliable (with the exception of a 94 B-4000 4X4, which is a Ford anyway). We expect this new Protege will be very reliable, and fun to drive to boot.

Bill

fowler3 · August 2001

Welcome to the Mazda Protegé forum, hope you enjoy your new ES as much as the other owners enjoy theirs'. Continue to come to post to the forum and attend our LIVE Protegé Owners Club chats on Thursday evenings at 6:00PM to 7:00PM PT -- 9:00PM to 10:00PM ET. We look forward to your following comments.

This is a great forum and you will find all kinds of advice and help here, if needed.

fowler3

scooti · August 2001

Thank you for the warm welcome!

Bill

ashutoshsm · August 2001

Would you believe it?

A good friend, who was leaning towards buying the Civic EX, bought a Seabreeze Green Protege ES with the S-plan pricing and the 0% rebate, with the premium package (were people aware that the sunroof is currently being offered for free?).

She felt it was better value for money, and a much more fun car to drive, go figure ;-). I did more of the convincing than the car dealership, literally! One place had no ES's and had her drive an LX 2.0, and she (rightly) felt the Civic EX would be a better choice! But when I insisted she go to another dealer, much further away, and try the ES, she enjoyed driving it so much, that she changed her mind! The better warranty, roadside support, one-year replacement plan, price, and APR may also have had something to do with it!

Thanks, to people who posted info about the S-Plan, I passed that on to her - and she got a great deal (300 below invoice, I think).

Can people post some info about extended warranties? Buy from the dealer, buy yourself, or wait for a while (but buy before the manufacturer's warranty runs out)?

newcar31 · August 2001

Although engine power has a lot to do with a vehicle's ability to tow something, it isn't the only thing to consider. The reason why the owner's manual recommends that you don't tow anything with your Protoge is because the suspension and unit-body are not up to the task. I guarantee the 120 hp Ford Ranger pickup that you mentioned can tow better than the 130 hp Protoge because of its body on frame construction and heavier duty suspension and chassis (rear leaf springs with a solid rear axle). I think you will put considerable stress on a Protoge by attempting to tow things with it.

binden · August 2001

Is this S-Plan thing avaible in Canada?

pro02 · August 2001

Thanks, newcar31, for your take on towing w/ the Pro. I appreciate your insights. I understand the suspension & vehicle frame differences and why the truck makes a better towing vehicle. I do want to emphasize that the boat/trailer package only weighs in at 400# and the tongue weight is not over 25-30#. I wounldn't even consider pulling a heavier load w/ the Pro or any small car. Does the manual for the Pro "prohibit" or "not recommend" towing? Thanks. pro02

black01coupev6 · August 2001

I now have 400 miles on it and I love it more every day. The engine and 5-speed tranny are well-mated and the car is awesome on the highway. I am getting about 32 MPG with a mix of city and a little highway driving.

edmund: The Protege is quickly moving up the list of my favorite cars. I loved my Accords but the size of the Protege is a little better since it's just me and my jerk/fiance. The highway ride is hard to beat and after sitting in a 01 Civic EX today I couldn't be happier with my decision. The Protege has WAAAYYYY more personality. If the car holds up well and doesn't depreciate tooooo much then I might have to put it in first place. I like this car that much.

Add the 0.0% financing in and you have yourself the best small car out there. It has the drive and personality of a VW Jetta but with a lower price and better reliability. I am a diehard Honda fan but Honda dropped the ball with the new Civic and I am disappointed.

Now if they'd just offer the 0.0% on the Pro5 and we'd have 2 Pro's in the driveway..

Cindy
01 Pro ES 5-speed

speedypt · August 2001

Was not too bad. The only problem was that I needed to modify the a/c mounting bracket to get the bar to mount.

It didn't change a lot but it did "lock down" the front end and seems to keep it from following grooves as bad. On corners it seems to sharpen the feedback from the front end slightly, I noticed it mostly on highway onramps. I usually take onramps at or near the fastest speed I can...being that they are so much fun!

Sorry Jstandefer...maybe it was suchismit that was from Chicago...I've been off the board too long! ;-)

Busse Woods is near Highway 53 and Route 72 in Elk Grove, Illinois, or about 40 mins NW from downtown Chicago.

I'm going to see if my local Mazda dealer will let me post flyers for the CAPP if we decide to have one.

Regards,

Pete

protegextwo · August 2001

...but, my wife wouldn't let me! What a nice day, Sunday in Southeastern PA.! The weather was awesome. My "honey Do" list was long, very very loooong. I started very early! Here go's.

1.) Snaked the clogged toilet and retrieved my sons's 4 inch action figure toy from the trap. Funny how a 4 inch toy will not pass thru a 3 inch sewer line? :-(

2.) Sanded, primed and gave 2 coats of paint to our mail box post. Went to Home Depot and purchased a new mail box and installed. This little deal took most of the afternoon. Did get to see bits of the Indy NASCAR race. :-)

3.) Installed a new lighting fixture in the dinning room and the kitchen. This project only cost me, most of my IRS refund check! :-(

4.) Took the wife and son to the pool. Well, I did have a great time at the pool! However, I missed the end of the INDY race. Not so bad though, because I really hate Jeff Gorden! Now, if Tony Stewert or Dale Jarret would have won, I would have been hissed off for missing the end. ;-O

Well, at the end of the day, I did not get to Zoom Zoom(except the short ride to the pool) and did not get the chance to wash and detail my "mistress's", lol! Hopefully, I scored enough brownie points for next week?

-Larry

vocus · August 2001

I took my 2001 black ES to the car wash yesterday, as some birds had too much fun with it on Saturday.

I washed and blow-dried it at the local car wash for like a total of $4, myself. (Yes, they have a hot air "wand" that dries the car.) I also bought some color-match polish for it, as I have a couple really bad scratches (just noticed two more yesterday).

Next on the list for me is going to be getting the windows tinted (black inside and out doesn't do well in 100 degree heat), and maybe having the 6-disc CD changer installed from Mazda. I would love to get the Sport20 front bumper/headlamp conversion, but Corksport has them listed for about $1500 combined (not in the budget for a long time).

I went to the dealership the other day, and they had a silver P5 automatic with everything but the alarm. God, how was I tempted!

I might even go back and stop by there today just to kill my curiousity...

sunbyrne · August 2001

Here's the _complete_ entry from my Pro5 owner's manual on towing:

"Never tow a trailer with your Mazda."

Apparently, the people who wrote the manual are not paid by the word. It doesn't really discriminate between "not recommended" and "prohibited".

Still, I have a hard time imagining that if you could tow your light load OK with your '94 Escort that you couldn't with a new Protege...

jstandefer · August 2001

You probably could tow your small trailer with the Protege/Protege5. However, that entry in the owner's manual will keep Mazda immune from lawsuits and warranty work related to towing. Another reason they don't recommend towing are the brakes and suspension. Certainly, the Protege can move the load. But can the Protege stop and control that load?

momgray · August 2001

Yes, I'm sweating the details.

A Protege LX (not 2.0), with auto, comfort group and moonroof is invoce 14875 + 480 destination charge.

Is the S-plan pricing off of straight invoice, or invoice and destination? (okay a difference of maybe $7, but just curious...)

Does tax apply to the destination charge? Doc Fee? Title? License?

In Illinois cars under 15K are taxed one way, over 15K another; ie, under 15K and a new car the tax is 390; between 15-18K it is $750.

TIA for any input.

Thanks ...
Julia

pro02 · August 2001

Thanks jstandefer & sunbyrne for the more detailed info on towing w/ a Pro. Looks like that little darling is out of the race as a contender for replacement of my truck. Breaks my heart, but I'm not willing to jinx the warranty w/ a trailer hitch and possible sequel. Thanks for your help. Happy zoom-zooming!

pro02

Mazda Protegé

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