Mazda Protegé

protegenic · August 2001

I love my Protege, but I also like the Civics. Every car has it pros and cons, its give and takes. We are a pretty enthusiastic lot about our Proteges, but I think we all would say there are some redeeming factors with the Civic (I personally thought it sounded more solid than the Protege). There are other cars out there that aren't so lucky!

Meade, it sounds like you might have to put together an agenda for MAPP II! Lets see, you can have the waxing breakout session, the winter tire dilema session, the Protege vs. Daewoo roundtable...

fowler3 · August 2001

Sorry if I shook your cage. The comment was based on what I have read in the Civic boards here, namely, they bought one because everybody else does. Now, THAT is a lack of confidence in one's decision-making.

No, driving a Protegé doesn't make us James Dean. I doubt any of us even think about being any famous driver.

One of the odd things about a Protegé is the spacious interior, especially the big dash, giving the driver a sense of being in a larger car and equal on the road to Camry's and Accords. This sense of size is not felt in Corollas and Civics. IMHO, it's a major PLUS.

How you see a Protegé, I hope it is positive, and you decide to join us on the road and here in the forum. Come in tonight to the Mazda Protegé Owners Club chat, it's open to everyone. Great place to ask questions. 6:00PM to 7:00PM PT -- 8:00pm to 9:00PM CT -- 9:00PM to 10:00PM ET.

That's why there are so many cereals, not everyone likes cornflakes.

fowler3

mdaffron · August 2001

Thought my fellow zoom-zoomers might enjoy this little incidence of stoplight drag-racing I participated in yesterday evening in my 2000 ES 5-speed!

I had to pick up dinner on the way home, but I needed (ahem) to pick up a bottle of gin on the way to the restaurant. After securing said bottle of gin, I was at the traffic light in front of the shopping center when a fairly new Mercedes 300-class pulled up behind me. Now, I don't want to get racial here, but let's just say it had gold-plated accents, was piloted by a young driver who did not appear capable of owning such a vehicle, and the bass coming from this car was such that it was vibrating the fillings in my teeth.

This guy obviously did not agree with the casual way I made my left turn in front of him, so at the next light he swerved abruptly into the lane beside me -- leaving us next to each other and first in line for the light to turn green. I could see him in the corner of my eye -- even though he was reclined nearly to horizontal -- gloating over his superior vehicle.

Okay, I thought, this is war. I had to make a left turn at the next light, which was about a quarter-mile of straight road ahead. I could see the light ahead of me, and it was red too -- and there was no one in my lane, but two cars in his. So I knew if we were going to race, he would try to get in front of me at the next light. (He had no way of knowing I'd be turning into the left turn lane, so it didn't matter to me anyway.)

Sure enough, he started to roll forward (across the white line) and gunned his engine. I could tell he had an automatic -- giving me an edge. The light turned and I gave him the surprise of his life -- I didn't beat him by a whole lot, but I beat him! We both had our windows down, and I couldn't help but look right at him and laugh out loud. My little unassuming Mazda creamed a Mercedes!!!

Disclaimer: Professional driver, closed course. Do not try this at home. Contents may have settled during shipment. For entertainment purposes only. Affidavits on file. Results are not typical. Void where prohibited.

ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM!!!

Meade

P.S. Normally I do not engage people in drag races. It's dangerous. But some days ya just gotta vent!!!

mdaffron · August 2001

Guess I just proved I AM a James Dean!!!

black01coupev6 · August 2001

mdaffron · August 2001

A 2000 owner is offering for sale his 2000 ES 15-inch wheels and tires -- post 384 on the "Mazda Protege - Accessories & Modifications" topic!

Meade

fowler3 · August 2001

Meade the MB smasher! Keep in mind that boom coming from his trunk sapped his torque. LOL! The bigger they come the harder they fall.

fowler3

mdaffron · August 2001

In order to be equitable with our MAPP II agenda, I have decided to invite the Daewoo crowd so we can compare the Lesagna, Nuweirda and L'anus to the Protege. I therefore am heading over to the "Daewoo Bankruptcy" topic now to invite them all to MAPP II.

NOT!!!! Ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!

No, the gin didn't make it to work with me this morning. I guess I'm just getting a little crazy looking forward to our vacation in the Outer Banks of NC that starts Saturday! Talk about Jimmy Buffett, Larry ... all of his albums are coming with us, and my Protege's gonna get his sea legs! (Er, the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry.)

Meade

mdaffron · August 2001

... So that's "BOOM BOOM BOOM" vs. "ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM?"

ZOOM wins!

You were partially correct ... it actually was the weight of the 500-watt amp and the trio of Rockford Fosgate 15-inch subwoofers in the trunk that weighed him down ...

newcar31 · August 2001

Lesagna, Nuweirda, L'anus.......Lol

protege_fan · August 2001

Here's something to consider (if you haven't considered it already)----> in my area, the civic is THE most stolen vehicle. Insurance for a civic is ridiculous. Insurance was a big cost factor for me (I'm only 24 now), naturally, even though my driving record is clean, my premiums are higher just because of my age.
Also, I caught a nasty bout of zoom zoomitis. It caused me to go out and buy my Pro. Quite a debilitating disease actually...All you want to do is drive around in the Pro! Good luck in your decision Twist!

Regards,
Pro_fan

twistinmelon · August 2001

I appreciate the good humored responses.

Regarding the tire question...

I know tirerack.com has some choices available for the ProES, mostly more performance oriented than Chicago winters appreciate. And forgive me for refusing to do the seasonal tire switch thing, but it's 2001 and they have these things called all season tires now. I refuse to devote garage space, time, or money to a second set of tires. This is not my father's Oldsmobile and it's not 1974. Call me cheap, call me lazy...I'm a lawyer, I've been called much worse.

Beyond tirerack.com it's slim pickings.

For example, search the automotive department at sears.com, and you'll get this response:

0 item(s) match your search
We do not have your requested tire on our website, but our Sears Automotive Sales Representative can help you order tires which will meet your needs.

Search Goodyear.com and you'll get this response:

No tires were found for your vehicle. Please contact your Goodyear retailer to find the right tires or select another vehicle.

Search discounttire.com and you'll get this response:

The tire size you've selected is not stocked in your area. However, the national stock listed below may be ordered and sent to your nearby store in one to three business days. Call the store nearest you (use the store locator) for pricing and availability.

Should tire availability control my destiny? Of course not. Is it a valid consideration? I think so.

Maybe I should just get a labotomy and buy a Corolla. In fact, I think the local hospital is giving away free Corollas with every lobotomy. (the irony of my gratuitous slam on Corolla owners in light of my complaint against Mayor Fowler for his gratuitous slam on Civic owners is intentionally presented for your amusement -- see my chosen screen name).

twist

maltb · August 2001

....should have known.

All in good humor twist!

mdaffron · August 2001

Twist, you're a lawyer, right? Are times tough in your town? Where I live all the lawyers drive Lexuses, Jaguars and Mercedes. You're obviously not in the "personal injury" field where all the big bucks are ...

I've got an idea ... we've done little surveys here before -- I think the last one was to find out how old everybody was. Let's do a new one. What does everybody do for a living?

I'll start -- I'm Public Relations Manager for a state highway authority. (Zoom zoom is my business, you might say.)

Meade

vocus · August 2001

I am a researcher for a computer software company, specializing in public relations. You might say I am nosey for a living..

Meade, congrats on whooping the Mercedes. I usually never drag race, but seem to always get those big trucks on the highway trying to push me around on the streets. But with a push of the pedal and a flip of the steering wheel, I just wave bye-bye and keep on ZOOM ZOOMing.

newcar31 · August 2001

I am 24 years old. I just graduated from college. I am almost embarrased to say it, but I work at, uh, Jiffy Lube. I am assistant manager there, so I don't have to get too greasy. I have worked there through school and I haven't found a real job yet. That is why I consider myself unemployed.

vocus · August 2001

Question.. Since you are close to my age and have the same car (I am 23), how much is your insurance a month? I have 50/100/50 coverage with 200/500 ded., and I pay $195 a month. I also have one speeding ticket and live in Baltimore, Md., in the heart of the city.

newcar31 · August 2001

I have the same coverage that you do, my deductable is $250, and I pay about $124 a month. I also have 3 speeding tickets and a reckless driving that happened about 3 years ago. (ahh...the Mustang 5.0L days) I live in a suburb of Minneapolis. I think living in the heart of Baltimore is your problem my freind. If I lived in inner city Minneapolis, my insurance would almost definately be more.

maltb · August 2001

I'm 30 and work for a company that sells widgets, cool widgets.

yooper53 · August 2001

I need to clarify my stand on snow tires. I too drove many winters using all season radials with nary a problem. It wasn't until I got my first car with low profile tires (60 series)that I HAD to get low pro snow tires for reasons stated in an earlier post. Believe me,I could think of a lot better ways to spend the snow tire $$. I also lived in Milwaukee, WI for 10 years and believe me, we got some winters that would have made low pro snows necessary!

twistinmelon · August 2001

I'm in house counsel, not in private practice. I'd be up for partner this year if I'd stayed at the firm. I'd also need a new liver from all the drinking I'd have had to do to get through the day.

As an in house lawyer, you make decent money, work great hours, get great benefits, encounter little sleaze, have no obligation to learn how to play golf, and wear casual clothes 95 percent of the time.

My car choice is a matter of priorities and practicality. The less expensive my car is, the nicer and newer my wife's van can be (we love our Odyssey), the more stuff we can buy to fill our new house, the sooner I retire, and the quicker the boys' private grade school gets my tuition checks. It's really a great feeling to walk into a dealership to buy a car knowing that the monthly payments will not affect your lifestyle.

Besides, I ride commuter rail into downtown Chicago. I really can't justify spending big bucks for something I will not be driving much during the week. For example...my 1992 Accord has 65k miles on it, of which 25k were put on in the first two years. That means an average of 5k a year for the last 8 years I've been at this job.

And, of course, when you can get a really nice, loaded car for $16k or so from our buddies at Mazda or another manufacturer that shall go unnamed -- a car that can beat a Mercedes to the next red light, apparently -- it's not too hard a pill to swallow.

twist

sfrat · August 2001

I just waded through 60 some posts, I guess I need to start checking more often. Its great to see there are so many people here, and that no one is ticked off at their Protege this week. :-)

Anyway, I'm 24, and living in Chevy Chase, MD. Up until about three months ago, I lived in a suburb outside of Baltimore with my parents. I graduated from college a little over a year ago, and since last September have been working for the Office of the Federal Register, part of National Archives & Records Administration in Washington DC. I'm a Writer/Editor, and I work on the Public Presidential Papers and legislative stuff (assigning public law and statute numbers) to the garbage that Congress passes.

I'm looking forward to taking my 01 Protege ES on an extended trip this weekend up to New Jersey. Its my first trip over two hours with the car since I went down to North Carolina, during which some of you might remember, a sewage truck overturned on 95 between DC and Richmond, and I sat in traffic. I'm hoping everything goes better this time, and I can actually zoom.

mdaffron · August 2001

Todd, schedule me an appointment for, lessee here, what's the driving time like from Richmond ...

Just kidding!

Hey, there's nothing wrong with management no matter where it is! There are perks!

And twist ...

I agree wholeheartedly with your reasoning. While my son isn't in private school (hey, he's only 3 months old), we do have a house and another car. I could've stomached maybe 10 grand more but I got "LIFESTYLE SHOCK" (lol) when I started looking at $400-plus car payments. So I did some soul-searching and some test driving, and like you, I decided -- back in May 2000 -- that another Protege -- decked out to the hilt, of course -- would be fine. Add on extended warranty coverage to 7 years/100,000 miles, and I'm paying $284 a month for a sporty little green car that thinks it's a lot more than it is -- but acts like it too.

Happy zooming!

Meade

mdaffron · August 2001

Wow, cool job! I majored in Mass Communications and worked as a newspaper reporter and editor prior to "crossing the fence" to PR work. Your job sounds very interesting!

I certainly hope you can make it to MAPP II October 6. (You got my e-mail, right?) Now we have even MORE to talk about!

And to think you passed right through my town ... and I'm looking at I-95 from my 11th-floor perch here right now. Dammit!

Meade

laurakat · August 2001

Infrastructure analyst for an information services company. Age? I've been 29 for the last 5 years!

newcar31 - What Jiffy Lube to you work at? I should stop by for an oil change when I'm due. I normally wouldn't take a new car to Jiffy Lube (no offense), but since you're there, I'd trust you'd make sure they do a good job knowing how much you like your own Pro.

mdaffron · August 2001

It's not just PR people who goof off on the Internet at work!

Meade

newcar31 · August 2001

Hey buddy, we do more than just oil changes. Free radiator flushes, manual and automatic transmission fluid changes and flushes, gearbox fluid services, air conditioning recharges, fuel system cleanings, air filters, pcv valves, wiper blades, breather elements, and soon fuel filters, for all edmund's Protoge owners. We even have Mobil 1 synthetic fluid for all you manual transmission owners. No offense taken laurakat, I wouldn't take my car to Jiffy Lube either unless I was the one working on it. Seriously though, not all Jiffy Lubes are bad, you have to find one that you can trust, just like anywhere else including dealerships. I have found that my location is more professional than the Morries Mazda dealership. At Morries, they don't even use a flush machine for the radiator, they don't have a transmission flush machine, and they don't even know how much oil my car takes....I asked TWO different people and they both told me the WRONG capacity. These are mechanics we are talking about and they can't even get something as simple as an oil change right. I would consider Jiffy Lube because of the thousands and thousands cars that they work on, they rarely screw something up. If you want to be 100% positive that nothing will be screwed up, you have to do it yourself....or let me do it, but bring your own oil filter, a purolator, purolator pure 1, motorcraft, or a mazda filter. I work at the Edina location on 50th and Vernon, a couple blocks from the Minneapolis border

yooper53 · August 2001

Good of you to point out that "they have these things called all season tires now." You've undoubtedly saved a lot of money for folks who might otherwise have foolishly bought snow tires. Keep up the good work.

mdaffron · August 2001

Your spelling of "Protoge" (just a typo, I'm sure) reminded me of something you all might find humorous ... and since I'm still at lunch (yeah right), I have time to type this:

Back in 1987, while in college, I bought a Hyundai Excel. (OK, OK, stop snickering. It actually served me well -- almost 120,000 miles in four years driving for Pizza Hut.)

In order to try and do something to make my car more personal, I went to my local tire and wheel shop and ordered some American Racing "Stingray" alloy wheels for it. The guy at the counter had never seen a Hyundai in his shop before (they'd only been in the country a few months.) I stood there as he got on the phone to order these wheels from his warehouse. After asking me to repeat again what kind of car it was, he said to the guy on the other end of the phone, "It's a HON-DAY."

The wheels came in a few weeks later and I had them installed. I drove the couple of miles back home and washed the car. About a week later I had my first opportunity to take the car on the interstate. When I reached about 55 mph, my steering wheel started shaking violently. I drove back to the dealer and told him my new tires were not balanced or one of the tires was out-of-round.

He found one that was out-of-round and replaced it. The problem didn't go away. Then he tried rebalancing all the tires. No difference. Then he tried spin-balancing the tires on the car. Nada. He then ordered a new set of wheels thinking the wheels were defective. A few weeks later the new wheels came in. We swapped one by one and test drove -- no difference.

To make a long story a little shorter, this went on for about six months as we ordered new wheels, changed out tires, etc. (Hey, I was in college -- I didn't have all the time in the world to hang out at the tire store, chew tobacco and scratch my head.)

As a last resort, the factory rep from American Racing wheels was called in. I met him and the store manager one afternoon and we went through the whole swap-out-and-test-drive thing again for a couple of hours. After nothing worked, we were all standing around scratching our heads when the guy from the warehouse happened to stop by. He asked what we were all doing and the manager said, "We're trying to find out why these damned wheels won't balance on this damned HON-DAY."

The warehouse guy turned real red and said to the manager, "'HON-DAY?' I thought you meant 'HONDA!'"

I'd been rolling around with HONDA wheels on my HYUNDAI for six months, FCOL!!!!

Meade

sfrat · August 2001

I got your message, and yes I'm planning on attending.

Yes, I like my job a lot, especially the Presidential papers, because you are doing something of historical value, and its pretty interesting. Processing the laws is not nearly exciting. I've actually only been working in this section for about two weeks. Previously, I worked in another unit in this office, editing docs for the Federal Register which comes out every day (barring weekends and fed holidays, can't have that!) which is a collection of notices, meeting announcements, proposed rules and final rules and regs.

jstandefer · August 2001

I'm off the computer for a whole 10 hours and I have to wade through 45 posts!!!

Hey Meade. You are being absolutely hilarious this morning!! I've been LMAO for the past fifteen minutes. Congrats on your Mercedes victory!! I, myself, never engage in stoplight drag races or twisty mountain road speed challenges. But, I do have about 100 little Civic's painted on my fenders as my little war trophies...

I am 25 and live in San Diego. I'm a Tech Management Support Specialist for a Fortune 500 Research and Development defense contractor that produces software and equipment that can be found in the space shuttle down to an army backpack. We are especially proud of our winning America's Cup hull and sail designs. Everyone here knows I have a love/hate relationship with my Classic Red '99 ES 5-spd, but I can't imagine driving anything else. I think I will give the Protege another chance (mine is an early production model) and get the turbocharged 2002 MP3!!

newcar31 · August 2001

jstandefer · August 2001

I have to agree with you that Protege ES tires are a bit on the scarce side. However, I have found that going with 205/50R15's instead of the stock 195/55R15's severely opens up the options and lowers the price range. For the 2001, you will better luck finding a good all-season tire in the 205/50R16 ranges, rather than the awkward 195/50R16. Give it a try... Then go out and buy your Protege ES and come join the family!!

giasol · August 2001

hey all!

vocus- thought about getting the one protege on the lot with the cassette installed, but seafoam green is just not my style

the poor dealer spent a good hour looking for another one in silver, but they always came with extras i just didn't want. anyways, just called cartoys and their range of cassette players fall far below the dealer's $275 quote. Should be around $150 with installation. Not too shabby! Now I just have to hold back on getting any extra stuff.

just to join in-- law student starting my third year. currently in seattle working for a law firm.

why mazda- a recent post jokingly referred to lawyers with luxury vehicles. seems that way-- i have friends struggling through audi payments. i never even considered it! you should see my loans--astronomical. i can't count that high

(maybe if i could i'd be in business or med school). anyways, i'll be stretched thin for the next couple of years, especially because i'll be clerking for a judge for a year after graduation (low pay, great experience, or so they say). so getting a mazda wasn't a compromise. it was an investment on a great, long lasting vehicle with lots of moxie and pep. plus, given the recent posts, i might just have a better performer--zoom zoom!

mdaffron · August 2001

Hey, it can't be much worse than my first job out of college in 1991 ...

A starting newspaper reporter at a small-town daily paper ... $16,900.

OUCH!

Ah, the good ol' days ... if I remember correctly, planning dinners was an adventure ... "Let's see here -- if I combine the leftover spaghetti sauce from last night's dinner with some week-old ground beef, and use those rock-hard biscuits from breakfast yesterday, I can have Sloppy Joes! Sort of ... Wait a minute! I get paid tomorrow! That means I can write a check! Tonight's gonna be a Hamburger Helper feast, buddy!!!!"

And I was driving a brand-new Mazda Protege back then. Go figure!

Meade

jstandefer · August 2001

I found this link today that goes into detail on how Mazda designed and engineered the "K" series engines (1.8L DOHC V6, 2.0L DOHC V6, 2.5L DOHC V6). I am pretty impressed, although I am sure the other manufacturers go through this same thing. Since this engine was designed in 1991, I can't imagine what they go through now.

http://www.highlandsun.com/hyc/sae920677/

hmmm... 2.0L DOHC V6... I bet with a really big shoe-horn and if I remove the hood...

mdaffron · August 2001

I'd like to read that report for our 4-cylinder engines!

By the way, I did a little snooping around the guy's site where you got that from. He posted a photo of the window sticker from his Ford Probe GT. More ammo for why I hate Ford -- take a look at all the stuff he had to pay extra for! LOL, Ford nickel-and-dimed him to death!!!

http://www.highlandsun.com/hyc/probegts.gif

Meade

duh_ster · August 2001

i've always been one to jump on ban wagons, so here goes...

23, fresh out of university, currently working for local power company as an engineer (not a very good one, mind u, hence the name...)
purchased black 5 spd ES 2.0 w/ GT package (spoiler, sunroof, 16" alloys, white-on-black gauges, foglights, 4 wheel disc, ABS w/ EFBD). pick it up 2morrow!!!! wanted a nice car that was fairly priced (still have student loans to pay!)

for anybody near calgary, how much u paying for insurance? i think i pay astronomical rates! o yea, and are we supposed to have lock nuts with the alloys?? i looked at mine at the dealer and it didn't have it! i should try to get him to throw a set in...

'duh'

weisbe · August 2001

Hi there,

I have a loaded ES 2.0 (in Canada - that is top of the line) with 8,000 KM - so far amazing..has got to be best in class!

I have noticed at low city driving speeds the car tends to veer to the right slightly..at highway speeds, the opposite occurs - the car tends to veer slightly left!!!!!

I am not so sure this is even a problem - it is quite subtle - maybe they make these cars this way to compensate for some kind of under/over steer factor at different speeds!?

Any thoughts on this?

sunbyrne · August 2001

You'll have to pardon me for being so far behind--you've all been posting like mad lately...

First, twist, on Civics. Good car. When my wife and I were car shopping for her, the two cars we came down to choosing between were the Protege and the Civic. We went with the Pro because it was cheaper, handled better, and two of our friends had also just bought Civics and we were already tired of them. The Civic does get better mileage, but the Pro just seemed more fun. Both solid cars, though, and I felt much better than anything else in their class. (We were none to impressed with the Corolla, actually, because of the really dinky back seat and I didn't like the road feel, or lack thereof.)

Of course, after owning one, when it was time to buy a new car for me, I went immediately to a Mazda dealer to pick up a Protege5, for which the Civic has no answer. :-)

As for occupation, I'm a professor at Rice University. For some reason, a lot of the other junior faculty drive Honda CRVs. Man, does a Pro5 look good in a lot full of boxy CRVs...

protege_fan · August 2001

I too just graduated from University. I obtained a BSc in Earth Science (I am really into dinosaurs), but I've decided to head towards a career with the City Police. Currently, I work for an arm of the biggest phone company in the Western Provinces. Good job for now, but I'll hopefully be working for the police in time for the G8 summit!!

Duh,
Where did u goto school? I went to the U of C and convocated just last June.
I'm 24 and I pay $128/month for comprehensive insurance. The deductible is 500 dollars.
Not sure about the locking wheel nuts. Didn't get any with my car and I don't have alloys. I think they're a good idea though. My Uncle's car had his wheels stolen right out of his driveway a few months ago!

Weisbe
Never had a problem with the car pulling. Since it's pulling in two different directions, I would have to say that it's most likely due to the road being crowned and not necessarily an alignment problem.

vocus · August 2001

They are selling sets of wheel locks on EBay for like $6 or something. I ordered a set, and they just came today. They are from a 1999 Protege, so I hope they fit my 2001. I will find out tonight.

It's really intersting to see what everyone does for a living, besides playing around here at Edmund's Town Hall.

Steve, you seem to have the most interesting job of all. Any more openings?

E-mail me at lanhamdata@yahoo.com with details.

duh_ster · August 2001

pf...i went to the u of eh? (an in, the university of alberta). sorry...i'm not a red-blooded calgarian...just a cold-blooded edmontonian!) that's why i was sooo worried about the winter care here! i always thought calgary winters = edmonton winters (like -30 winters...w/ windchill making it feel like -40). if there's frequent chinooks, i guess that won't b TOO bad in terms of washing the car...

o yea...who's your insurance provider?? i got a quote from ama for about 2400/ yr! and i have no accidents or tix! (but, i've only been driving for 4 years...)

bluong1 · August 2001

Mike,

what's a nice surprise to discover that you are professor at Rice. I use to go there running around or playing tennis with some friends at Computer Science department. What exactly do you teach?

Despite being mathematician, I'm working for Schlumberger, an oilfield services company that does all kind of measurements underground. This is my first job after my graduation from University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble France.

I bough in a hurry a Civic EX when I first came here in Houston in 1997, though it must be good car as anybody else drive one, and I like the look of the Coupe. I am pretty much disappointed afterward, it's can not even hold a candle next to my older Citroen ZX in France, from engine to handling, to confort. Since my Honda sank after the Allison storm last June in Houston, I was in a market for car again, and decided to do it correctly this time. I end up with a manual Protege5, and totaly satisfy in zoom zooming with it.

Bruno

protege_fan · August 2001

2400 for the year? Wowzers! I went thru my dad's insurance provider in Banff, but in the end it's ING Western doing my insurance. I've been driving for about 7 years, but I don't see that much of a difference. They mainly look at age. AMA actually quoted me $131/month but the guy I dealt with was a complete jerk, so I went with my dad's provider for 3 dollars less/month.
Yeah we do get chinooks frequently, but not nearly enough for me. I love the heat. Man am I in the wrong part of the world! Last winter was good in terms of low amounts of snowfall, but that didn't stop them from dumping salt everywhere!
How long have you lived in Calgary? I'm actually from Banff (born and raised!), but I moved up here permanently last year. I almost went to U of A for Paleontology, but the thought of living in Edmonton wasn't appealing (no offense). Anywho, have fun in your new Pro.

Mike

jstandefer · August 2001

Yep. That's exactly how I remembered it. I wanted a '97 Probe GTS for so long!! There's nothing like taking that Mazda 2.5L DOHC V6 up to redline with each shift. What an awesome car!! But, they do nickle and dime you to death. However, there are customers out there that like that. They want to be able to choose individual items, rather than having everything thrown together in a trim level like the Japanese do. Personally, I prefer the way the Japanese do it, as it lowers cost because they can run the assembly line for days and build the same car with the same options. It also makes ordering them a lot easier. $21,540 is not bad for that car. It was just about as top-of-the-line as you could get. A Mazda MX-6 (identical except for sheet metal) of the same year with the same options was $24,000!

Alas... In 1996, I went to the Ford dealership to buy a Probe GTS, test drove a Mustang V6, and bought a Ranger 4-cyl. Hmmm... to this day, I still wonder what happened...

bharatp · August 2001

How can I get a new Protege-DX 2000? What should I pay for that year old model?

duh_ster · August 2001

ouch is right! i tried ING too...they quoted me 2200 and then said the underwriters had increased the rates to 2600!!! man, i'm in the wrong occupation...=Þ

i've only been living here for about 3 months, so i still get confused with the fact that there's 2 10 streets! (gotta remember which quadrant u want!)

protege_fan · August 2001

A new girl just started at work here. She's also from Edmonton, and she was just saying the same thing about the streets being confusing. Let me know how getting your car goes!

PF

fowler3 · August 2001

I'm an artist and graphic designer, have done and still do freelance work for clients, advertising agencies and publishing companies. I have been working for over 48 years and enjoy it every day. Past experience includes contract work for Apple Computer and American Power Company.

Current main client is Kyanite Mining Corp., in Virginia, which I have been serving for the past 14 years doing company display ads for trade journals in six countries.

fowler3

Mazda Protegé

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