Mazda Protegé

yooper53 · September 2001

I'm thinking of adding a modest amp with the $$ I save from not getting a strut tower brace.

)

Here's some of what this 53 year old is carrying in the car now: Lynyrd Skynyrd (pre-airplane crash); Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull, Crosby Stills,Nash and Young, John Fogerty, Blues Bros the movie soundtrack, Janis, Z.Z. Top.

I sure hope duh_ster gets his problem squared away. He got jacked around royally.

chicagopro · September 2001

Duh_ster: Hope you get the scratch/paint issue resolved. VERY frustrating, I'm sure.

Larry: Thank you for posting a question for us non-gearheads.

In the car right now are the following CD's: Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone, way old Aretha Franklin, Cranberries (Irish rock), Proclaimers (Scottish rock), Elton John, Leisure Dynamics (my brother's band), Jane's Addiction, Bach cello concertos, and the new U2 album (which I didn't like at first, but the darn thing is like crack--the more I listened to it, the more I wanted to listen to it, and now I've got practically all the songs memorized, even though some of them are just plain dumb!)

Regarding the stereo: Don't have a lot to compare it to, but I'm very pleased with the sound in my 00 ES. While it was in the shop a couple of months ago, rental place gave me a freakin Stratus. Now THAT'S a sucky sound system!

duh_ster · September 2001

advice yoop. i think i will take it to the shop of my choice to get it looked at. thanx for the support all! it really stinks how the lustre of a great car like the protege can so easily be tarnished by shoddy dealerships...*sigh*...i STILL like the car, even after all i've been through...

vocus · September 2001

I my glovebox, you will find Madonna, Janet Jackson, Tamia, Christina Aguliera, Gloria Estefan, and a couple 70s various artist CDs. I like a variety.

I got my first speeding ticket today in my 2001 ES! I am soooo mad! I was caught going 85 in a 55 zone.

The cop also blamed me for trying to illude him (I stopped literally 30 seconds after he turned on the lights), and said I was driving negligently. He only wrote the ticket for 66mph and not 85 though, and said it would be $70 and 2 points. UGH! Yeah, I need my insurance to go higher. It's already $200 a freaking month! I know, I know, slow down.

sfrat · September 2001

I hear they only check your record when you're policy is up, so if you have a yearly policy that comes up renewal every July, then they won't check and find out about the ticket until July. A bit of consolation there, though not much.

newcar31 · September 2001

I listen to Metallica, Dr. Dre (Rollin down the street in the Protege, sippin on gin & juice....just kiddin, I don't drink & drive), Snoop Dog, Too Short, Guns & Roses, Led Zepplin, Phish, Redman, Beanie Sigel, The Roots, Peter Frampton, The Doors, Eric Clapton (Protege, you look wonderful tonight) Tom Petty, Prince & The Time (local artists) Elvis, Curtis Mayfield, Frank Sinatra (The girl from Hiroshima), Fleetwood Mac, CCR, Run DMC, Rolling Stones, The DOC, jeez, I have just about everything but country but I won't list them all. By the way, how hard is it to hook up an amp to the factory deck? I'm afraid I will have to get new speakers soon because Snoop and Short Dog are about to blow these things up. Good luck with your car Duh-ster.

fowler3 · September 2001

Just kidding...I mostly listen to Soft Rock stations and..well, I won't say what else, but most of the music is 50's and 60's. On trips I listen to cassettes. Haven't even tried the CD player yet. Keep forgetting about it, though I do have a few CD's. CD albums are a new thing for me, bought two Aiwa stereo systems a couple years ago: one for the home office and a larger one for the living room.

I can't hear stereo, deaf in one ear, but do like it as Hi-Fi. What I hear mostly in the Protegé is the speaker in the right door and a little of the back speakers. The bass sounds good in the Pro I think. Much better than Honda audio, I agree.

When traffic gets heavy, rush hour stuff, I turn the audio off. Have to listen for somebody's horn; watch for cellphone users looking out the top of their windshields; and lane-change dudes making left turns from the far right lane.

fowler3

fowler3 · September 2001

You were talking about a lot of scratches on your ES, are there cats in your neighborhood? Cats love to get on cars and their claws can scratch the finish.

fowler3

fowler3 · September 2001

a car. I noticed the paint on my 01 LX 2.0, Sand Mica, is only on the external surfaces. The underside of the trunk lid is a different color without the mica finish. Lighter in color, almost a grey.

Honda paints underside surfaces the same as the external ones. If it's a metallic paint the undersides are also metallic,but not as glossy
as the external finish.

fowler3

elitees · September 2001

I am new here, but have been reading for a little while. Ive noticed that most posts are very enthusiastic about the Protege. I hope I dont seem negative, but this is a review site.
I recently purchased an LX 2.0 Auto w/ luxury package. Currently it is 2.5 months old, and has approx. 2200 mi on it. I havent exactly babied it in that Ive done alot of around town driving in it since I got it at 2 mi. brand new. The roads in Ohio can be pretty rough so theres plenty of hills, turns and just rough roads. I dont know what the deal is but since after like 1500 mi. it really has no pep at all between 1k and 2.5k rpm's. I havent really been pushing the car that hard. Ive hit the passing gear a a couple times just to see what it has. I have not been really that impressed at all by the cars power.
Its not NY or anything here but traffic is heavy here and like I said the roads are brutal. I need this car to perform and it just hasnt lived up to the zoom zoom that its billed as. Saturns, old American mades and even Corrola's seem to blow right by me. Possible reasons-I changed the oil early(1500) as it used like a quart in the first 1500 to Castrol GTX. That might have been a mistake. The dealer said the car is shipped with Quaker state. I think I might change it again now with quaker state. Ive also been using shell premium gas.But Just recently put shell 87 in it for the first time. I dont know but I may be crazy but I just think the car is losing compression already and the auto tranny seems weak. I hope things work out with this car as I got the extended warranty and planned on keeping it a while. If not. I will mostly likely move back to Chevrolet for good.

protege_fan · September 2001

Make sure you actually go to court and talk to the people there. You may be able to get a reduced fine or even have the demerits taken off and just have to pay the fine. But make sure you take the time to go down there.

In regards to the factory sound system, I like it a lot. I never turn it up past half and I think it sounds good.

Duh: My fingers are still crossed for you.

PF

protege_fan · September 2001

Sorry to hear that you're not having as much fun in your Pro as I have in mine, and as many others here have. Now let's be realistic here. This car is no BMW, but it doesn't cost nearly as much!! The Protege is an amazing little car. It is THE class leader IMO.

norcan · September 2001

elitees - there was a change in your car's performance? Doesn't that indicate it needs to be checked? I'm quite impressed with mine (01 ES with auto) and the car I traded in was a 6-cyl Chev. The only adjustment I had to make was to press on the gas pedal harder - which the car seems to like a lot.

I've got the six-CD changer, which I invested in because I get tired of songs quickly. I like retro alternative (alright chicagopro and jpd58!),
also Dave Matthews Band, Barenaked Ladies, Tragically Hip, Bjork, Sinead O'Conner,... and older stuff like big band recordings, Gershwin, Peggy Lee, etc. Anything but pop - I cannot listen to any radio station that plays N'Sync, Brittany Spearhead, or whatever. Apologies to the many fans of pop, it just isn't my scene.

syd968 · September 2001

I'm desperatly looking for a 2001 ES with a 5-speed. If any of you have seen one at a dealership please respond to this bulletin!
I hope to become a proud Protege owner like the rest of you!
Thank You.

chikoo · September 2001

the PRO does not have low end power....it's a known fact. In fact, the car really gets going 2500rpm and above. Till that time, you may feel it's a dog.
Be brave and push the gas pedal a bit harder....above 2500 rpm....you will not regret it....believe me.....I have 31,000 miles on my '99 ES.

elitees · September 2001

Thanks protege_fan and chikoo for your words of support.
I mean, I love this car. Its black, has the spoiler,sunroof and power everything. I think its styling blows anything in its class away. I mean, you look good in these cars!No doubt!
I just thought I have overworked it or something in the early goings because it seemed much peppier when I drove it off the lot. I thought I broke it in right. I guess Im just worried about it too much because I love the thing and want it around for a while!
Does anyone use and have opinions of Castrol GTX oil?? I think it runs a little thin. I had always used quaker state before and plan on swithching back over for good. Do you think Tranny service would be too early at say 6500 mi.?

In the mean time , I'll try to keep up the zoom zoomin.
Thanks a bunch!

ashutoshsm · September 2001

From what I've read and heard, on should use the recommended grade of gas only. The Protege uses standard octane (about 86-89 depending on your location and time of the year), so use just that!

I don't know if using premium gas could be the reason for bad acceleration/performance, but the computer chips that 'learn' the right air-fuel mixture and ignition timing, are meant for and set up to be used with ONLY standard gas. High octane (premium) fuel ignites more easliy, and the ignition timing would be way (or atleast somewhat) off ideal if the system expects standard gas!

And its quite a fallacy that the use of higher grade gas does the engine any good, by washing or cleaning it out. All grades of gas have the same additives and cleaners, with the only difference being the octane rating.

In addition, I agree with veryone else's opinion about the engines in the Pro ES (and LX 2.0) being rev-happy and I encourage you to push down a bit harder with the right foot! Especially because I have a 95 DX, with the 1.5l engine (a bored-down version of the 1.8) and have yet to have ANY other econobox blow me away! Especially not a Corolla!

pjd58 · September 2001

call your local Mazda dealers and have them try to find one for you on their locator. I had my local dealer try to find me a Mill. Red LX 2.0 and he couldn't find one. So I called a dealer in Cincinnati( 100 miles away ) and he found exactly what I wanted in Southern KY. The Cincinnati Mazda dealer had no problem going to KY to get my car.

In my area the ES seem rare now, especailly 5 speeds. There seem to be more LX 2.0s around.
Hope you find your ES to take advantage of the 0% for 48. Good Luck!
Pete

yooper53 · September 2001

I'd be concerned enough to bring your oil consumption to the dealers attention. I don't see how changing oil early could adversely affect anything, nor changing from one brand to another (assuming both meet specified spec) for that matter. The reason some engines require premium is to prevent detonation caused by its design compression ratio, period. Your engine's c.r. does not require premium. You're throwing your money away!!

When I first got mine I was concerned about passing performance given its hp. This because up here in the U.P. we have only 50 miles of Interstate hwy, the rest being two lane roads. I was pleasantly surprised to learn it just wasn't a problem. I put it to the floor and don't lift til I'm back in my lane.If I think about it I usually crank the volume just before putting the pedal to the metal!

) You have to rev these to get the performance you want but they're designed to take it so fear not. Drive it like this for a week and see if you change your mind about it. Having said that I truly wish it had about 20 more hp, but not because I need it. IMO they should start offering at least 170 hp. Oh Lord would this little beauty scream. Sigh.

chicagopro · September 2001

vocus and fowler:

I agree with fowler about stray animals liking our cars (they know good design when they see it

. I've caught squirrels hanging around the ES; found nut shells under the car, and scratch marks on some of the rubber.

Generally speaking, cats and squirrels will leave a SET of parallel scratch marks, like two or three in a row, as opposed to long, single marks (like from a key). When the claws come out to climb up or down something, they ALL come out. Not impossible for them to leave single scratches, of course, but as a cat owner (with the scars to prove it), this has been my experience.

windowphobe6 · September 2001

Very few Mazda engines of any description have a whole lot of low-end torque, and the 2.0 is no exception - at 2500 rpm, it's just waking up. This is in stark contrast to the standard GM practice of giving you seemingly tons of torque with the slightest nudge of the pedal, only to deliver wheezing and suffocation if you dare to venture into the top half of the tach. Once you're moving, you have lots of power. In general (I drive a 626 with the 2.0, which has to lug around an extra 300 lb, and what's worse, me), once you get warmed up, 4000 rpm for the 1-2 upshift is actually very modest.

duntulm · September 2001

I saw new Proteges at my dealer yesterday. They had painted side mirrors new badging and 3 point steering wheel (like pro5). They say these are 2002 model. Isn't it a few months early for this? Anybody know about more changes for the next year?

syd968 · September 2001

I have a dealer already looking for a 2001 ES five speed, but every time he finds one on his list it is already sold. The other problem is that even if he finds one, the other dealer has to be willing to do a trade. I'm just hoping that someone here has recently seen one so that I can deal directly with that dealer. Thanks for your reply.

pjd58 · September 2001

everything you described is on the 2002 Protege. Although, late 01's have the painted side mirrors.
I just purchased an 01 last Thursday and a car carrier was off loading a half a dozen 02 Proteges. This was their first allocation.

iamz · September 2001

Anyone have any experience with Michelin Pilot Alpin tires for winter snow/slush/ice driving? I am thinking of buying a set with new wheels just for the long Minnesota winters. My P5 currently has 195/50R-16's on. I have found a good deal on the Pilot Alpin's with new rims at Discounttiredirect.com. The one thing I don't like is that I need to step up in tire width to 205/55R-15's. Droping to the 15" rims though should help with frozen slush and pot holes.

pjd58 · September 2001

good luck finding your ES. Keep us posted!

Pete

newcar31 · September 2001

I don't know where you live where you cannot find a 01 ES 5sp, but Morrie's Mazda here in the Twin Cities has them. The have a parking lot FULL of Proteges, so many that they probably don't know what to do with all of them. I saw white, silver, sand mica, black, and classic red ES 2.0Ls, all of them were 5sp.

syd968 · September 2001

Is this Morries Mazda in Minnesota? I just want to make sure. Thanks for all your help. Are you looking to buy a Protege? or do you already have one?

newcar31 · September 2001

the Twin Cities are in Minnesota. I already have a Protege, a 2001 silver ES 2.0L 5sp.

syd968 · September 2001

Did you buy your ES from Morries? How long have you had it? Is their any dealer their that you would recommend?

newcar31 · September 2001

I bought it from a dealer in Eau Claire, Wisconsin because I was in Wis. for school at the time. If I had been here, I would have bought it from Morries. I have had it since the end of February. I don't really recommend any specific dealership. There are 4 or 5 Mazda dealers in the Twin Cities, Morries in Minnetonka and Walser in Bloomington just happen to be the closest to my house. I haven't been to all of the Mazda dealers in the area, but I guarantee that all of them have at least a couple 2001 ES 2.0L 5sp cars. That's why I don't understand why you are having trouble finding one.

gnl · September 2001

Hi everyone. I don't usually hang out in this forum, but just yesterday I helped a friend buy a car. His options were Honda Civic, Protege, and Nissan Sentra, and after test driving all three, decided the Protege LX 2.0 was the best of the lot. He essentially put in an order for one equipped as follows: AT, AC/mats, and keyless remote, in Sand Mica. Price was just a bit less than $14,700, including destination. This was a cash price so also included the $1,000 rebate. The dealer claims he can get the car tomorrow (probably going to do a trade with a store about 10 miles away, is our guess, since both have same owner). Has anyone else bought recently? Does this sound like a fair price? It's basically right on the nose for Edmunds TMV, and then subtract the $1,000 rebate.

Any comments or suggestions on what to look out for at delivery?

syd968 · September 2001

Thanks for the info. I live in Central Illinois and their are none to be found. I've tryed dealerships in st louis and chicago and have had no luck. The salesman that I have been dealing with has been searching a four state area and is having no luck. I don't think he has been searching in Minnesota though.
I might just have to drive 500+ miles to get my protege ES. Thanks again for all your info.

protegextwo · September 2001

very discriminating music lovers with a varied and eclectic taste in music! Speaking of eccentric Mazda Protege types, Meade should be returning from vacation, tomorrow. All interested in the Mazda Protege Picnic (MAPP #2) scheduled for Sat. October 6th need to get ready for an awesome time. I have already sent Meade, a list of food and other stuff; I will bring to the reunion picnic! I'm really juiced up to meet the Mazda Protege Owners and get to visit with Paul(Vocus) and Meade again! I plan to get a motel room and stay overnight Sat. and return home Sunday A.M. I'm sure we can get a group rate at one of those "Sleep Cheap/Motel Hell" kind of places, hehe. Sooo, if your interested in staying overnight, let Meade know that, also. BTW, does anyone planing on attending, have a Digital Camera?

Respectfully,
Larry

pjd58 · September 2001

I just purchased a 01 LX 2.0 last Thursday for $15750. Options were AT, Comfort PKG(AC & Mats),Rear spoiler, Keyless and free moonroof and alloys. So it sounds you're in the ballpark since I went with 0% for 48 months.

Your friend will do better putting $14700 in a 6% money market for 4 years and take the 0% financing.

Just my 2 cents!

Pete

gnl · September 2001

They mentioned 3.9% financing, not 0, so it seemed like the $1000 rebate was better. Sounds like our deals were comparable. Since the car has yet to arrive, can't say for sure, but it is not supposed to have the spoiler or moonroof.

twistinmelon · September 2001

umm...there's a lot more than one set of twin cities in the United States. syd968 was probably thinking you might be referring to Bloomington-Normal, or Champaign-Urbana, two sets of college-town twin cities in central Illinois.

Hey, what does the new badging on the 2002 Pro's look like?

twist

pjd58 · September 2001

it's 0% for 48 and no rebate, as long as your friend can qualify. This is only for the 01 Protege. Make sure your car will have the Moonroof and alloy discount for $1100.

grubbs1 · September 2001

If your state offers it, go to 'traffic school'. You spend one day watching driver's ed movies and getting lectured on what the consequences are when you violate traffic laws. This will keep your record clean of any points. This happened to me, failure to stop at a stop sign (I'm innocent, I tell ya!). My insurer never new what happened. I did have to pay the fine, though, along with the cost of the traffic school.

My music: Nirvana, INXS, CALO (mexican pop/rock), Aerosmith, The Outfield, B 52's, Midnight Oil, ...........

chikoo · September 2001

>>>Does anyone use and have opinions of Castrol GTX oil?? I think it runs a little thin. I had always used quaker state before and plan on swithching back over for good. Do you think Tranny service would be too early at say 6500 mi.?<<<<
Quaker state has lots of WAX...there for feels thick..not good for the engine...build lots of sludge.

Tranny service at 15,000 is the personal opinion of my service foreman...he does it on his car.

tomciviletti · September 2001

I remeber reading a very positive review of these tires, but I'm not sure where. Possibly it was Consumer Reports.

I've used lots of castrol gtx and found it fine. I've been warned by several people about Quaker State, but don't know of any documented shortcomings

elitees · September 2001

Well, after the input of some experienced Mazda drivers in here, I did a little evaluating on Sun with was a pretty long day of driving. Went to see my Bengals play(BTW dont, laugh cause we are gonna shock the world!).Traveled about 35 mi and I drove just like suggested with a quick rev to 2000/2500 RPM. I have to say that I have had a change of heart! This car runs smooth!! You just have to stand on it and it rides like its on rails! Also, I think I agree on Quaker state in that I ran it in my Pontiac Sunbird(which was already a heap when I bought it and its performance did not ,well lets say ,improve.LOL! It clunked out miserably. Im gonna stick with Castrol. About the car using a quart of oil in the first 1500, it may have been a quart but it was close, and the dealer told me that its normal for a new one to use some oil in the early goings. BTW I heard someone talking about a Cincinnati Dealer, which is where I got my LX(Premium Package-paid 16,500"ouch" but its loaded). Not Kings Mazda, but Kerry Mazda of Florence Ky. The might have an ES? Well all is well, and I love my car. Commense the ZOOM ZOOM!!

PEACE

mdaffron · September 2001

... is GROSSLY overstated. Hi again everybody! You should've seen the media blitz down on the Outer Banks last week! I got some cool photos of Coast Guard helicopters flying down the beach carrying on covert "shark-spotting" operations ... hee hee hee!!! Geez, that woman lost a finger, a foot and an entire buttock down to the hip bone! YOUCH!!!

LARRY -- my "friend" -- I was just reading through the 210 messages that have appeared since I left, but when I got to the off-hand "tartar sauce and lemon wedge" remark by a certain PERSON, I had to jump forward and post this! Yes, I'm a big honkin' fella! But let's turn the mirror around and look backatcha! Man, if that ain't the pot callin' the kettle black!!! I wear my tonnage proudly; it took three laborious, slave-waged years as assistant manager of a Domino's Pizza to pile on my layers! At least I got out of the food biz! I forgot, what do YOU do for a living ...?

Hey everybody, I received a few more e-mails from prospective MAPP II attendees while I was on vacation. Give me a few hours to catch up on what's going on around here at work, and I'll shoot off an e-mail update to everyone. If anyone else wants to be let in on the fun, e-mail me at:

mdaffron@the-rma.org

Zoom zoom zoom!!! (Now, back to catching up on messages ...)

Meade

Sporin · September 2001

>>> elitees <<<</b>
The 2.0's torque peak is at 4000 rpms, the Horsepower peak is at 6000 rpms. I find that I need at least 3000 rpm's for brisk acceleration. Also, take ashutoshsm's advise and stop giving it more octane then it's designed for. I think we'd all agree that putting in a LOWER grade then recommended is bad, so why do we insist that putting in a HIGHER grade is bettter? :-)

Cars are designed to run on certain octanes, the computers, how hot the plugs burn, etc. are all designed for that octane. So going with a different one "can" effect performance, as well as the life of your engine.

As far as the oil is concerned. As long as you are using a quality brand, in the CORRECT WEIGHT, there should be little to no difference in engine performance. That said, I still prefer Mobil1 products as I have had nothing but great experiences with them, both dino and synth.

btw-- your Bengals beat my beloved Patriots this weekend. congrats.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

>>> iamz <<<<</b>
TireRack sells a package that uses 15" steel wheels with 195/55R-15's. That's what I'm going with for my Pro5, using Arctic Alpins.

iamz · September 2001

The Tirerack has always shown that no 15" wheels that they carry are available for the P5. That's why I ended up at Discount Tire Direct.

vocus · September 2001

They have a set of 16-inch wheels and tires on EBay from the Protege ES/5 for like $250 plus shipping. I was thinking about getting the second set of wheels, because I am sure the set of tires for the ES will cost about $250 anyway. This way, I would get free wheels. Just a thought.

I notice that turning on the AC in the ES when driving sucks a noticeable amount of power from the engine. I can feel an instant kick, especially around 4000 rpm, without the AC running.

I stopped at the local Mazda dealership on Sunday to peruse their lot, and they have a loaded P5 there with auto., sunroof, ABS, and even alarm. It was the dark blue color. Glad it was not red, silver, or yellow or I might have been there today after work inquiring about a trade.

vocus · September 2001

Did anyone hear that the 2.0 DOHC engine will become standard on all Proteges in 2002? Cool!

Sporin · September 2001

I noticed that... I want steelies and 15's for the bigger sidewall. I think I will have to call them. I'm not buying until early November so maybe they'll solve that problem by then. In thier lates magazine ad (C&D, newwst issue) they list a package for the ES 2.0/Protege5 with 15" steelies. maybe they just don't have any take-off alloys?

I really don't want to run 50-series tires in winter. I'm in VT, so we get a lot of snow, slush, ice, mud and bad roads for 3 or 4 solid months.

newcar31 · September 2001

Sorry about the confusion. I understand that there is more than one Twin Cities in the US, but I was talking about THE Twin Cities. If I lived in Bloomington-Normal, I wouldn't refer to it as the "Twin Cities" when talking with people from around the country and expect them to know what it is. There is also more than one Minneapolis the US, but when I hear Minneapolis, I think MN, and its not just because I live here.

vtcoach · September 2001

I have a spec sheet for all the changes for the 2002 model Proteges. The 2.0 is the only engine now (dropped 1.6), the DX gets 15" wheels, air and keyless entry are standard on the LX now (previously LX comfort package), bigger gas tank (14.5 vs. 13.2 gals), body colored mirrors on LX and ES, some minor interior trim changes on the ES and a new steering wheel (3 spoke) on all models. And thats about all for 2002 models.

Mazda Protegé

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