Mazda Protegé

mdriver · October 2001

So we shouldn't mention the Echo in this topic. I think there are way too many topics on this site with so much overlap it's rediculous. There should be one topic per car (maybe per trim level at the most) and then talk about anything you want about that car.

vocus · October 2001

But just because another car is mentioned in the text of a message here in the Protege topic shouldn't result in everyone getting carried away. Makes no sense. You should be able to talk about what you wanna talk about without being chastized like a little pre-schooler. That's what freedom of speech is all about.

fowler3 · October 2001

After looking at and test-driving other small cars I came to the conclusion that the Protegé LX was closer to what I was looking for in a compact.

#1. Big car styling, classic yet modern

#2. Two liter engine (never buy smaller)

#3. Large comfortable seats, plenty of leg room

#4. Nicely trimmed interior, bronze--not black--center pod

#5. Visibility from drivers seat, easy to backup and park

#6. Passing power on highway, city performance

#7. Fun to drive, quick steering

#8. Easy to get into and out of, higher seats, adjustable

#9. Pride of ownership in a neighborhood of Accords, BMWs, Camrys

In other words, a smaller version of the best mid-sized sedans available. And I did not want to get into the risks of a used car with its greater repair costs, higher interest rate, no warrenty, and usual wear and tear. Not to mention no pride of ownership.

fowler3

Sporin · October 2001

TireRack:

It took about a week for my stuff to arrive. I think any warranty issues are handled locally. Warranty is from the manufactureer, not TR. No road hazard stuff from TR, they might offer it, but I didn't ask.

Why I bought the Protege:

#1. Value for the dollar
(high levels of equimpent and content, low price)

#2. Had everything I wanted... stock
(Performance-oriented wheel/tire package, stiff suspension, CD player, etc)

#3. Performance for the dollar
(Decent power, GREAT handling)

#4. Interior room
(I'm a BIG guy, I need room, and I want to fit a baby seat in the back too.)

#5. Looks & Package
(Great looking small wagon... a true rarity)

#6. Reliability & Reputation
(JPN made of JPN parts, long-time critics fave, CR recommended, history or reliability)

#7. Exclusivity
(Not many on the road locally with only 1, crappy, local dealer,. I've only seen one other Pro5 around here)

krotine · October 2001

I'm having trouble sending the Mapp 2 pics to you...

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----

(reason: 552 Requested mail action aborted: exceeded storage allocation)

krotine

mdaffron · October 2001

But Edmunds is not a public commodity in the sense of allowing "freedom of speech." We subscribe to Edmunds and agree to honor their rules. What you're saying is like taking a gun to school and then shouting "freedom of speech" when you're arrested. Edmunds has the right to make its own rules -- it's not a democracy here.

But I do agree with you that in order to talk about one car, sometimes you have to bring up another one -- even if it is in jest. Hey, we all know that purchasing a car is about the stupidest investment you can make -- in fact it isn't an investment. It's emotional. And if emotions are part of it, then they're going to surface here.

BTW, I once applied to work as a motorcycle salesman. That's kind of like a car salesman, right? I got all the way to the final cut before I wasn't offered the job. Know why? The final test involved trying to "sell" a Honda Nighthawk 750 to the dealership's manager. I took the book home, learned all about it, and the next day told him why it beat the pants off its competitors, how advanced the engine was, and all about its features. As I was being let go, I was told, "You missed the main point. Buying a motorcycle is all emotions. No one really NEEDS a motorcycle. You didn't tell me how cool I'd look riding on it. You didn't tell me about the wind in my face."

I kind of feel the same way about cars. No one HAS to take the big bite and buy a new car. Heck, in my town it is possible to get around using public transportation. But time and again, Richmond proves it's a driver's town. Why? 'Cause it's cool to cruise around in your own set of wheels. Hell, why do we spend so much time talking about our Proteges? 'Cause we're emotionally attached to them. Why do we love Mazda's "zoom zoom" commercials -- and why did we get emotional when we saw an Echo owner trying to steal it? Emotions! What's my point? I forgot!

Meade

mdaffron · October 2001

That's the same reply I got. Oh well! Jason, are you going to post my photos on your site?

Meade

mdaffron · October 2001

Meade

chikoo · October 2001

my friend with a camry happened to take a ride with me in my '99 ES.

He was surprised that this econobox had sound quality equal to his premium JBL sound in his camry.

Now, that is a compliment.

krotine · October 2001

ok, i'll post your pics... they should be up either today or tomorrow.

krotine

dinu01 · October 2001

You might wanna check the Kumhos out. Apparently the quality is the same as with the MIchelins, and they cost a less. I got a quote from a mechanic on 4 15" steek rims and 4 Kumhos for $700 Canadian taxes included. Saw the tires and they look like the pattern is pefect for grip (similar to what I had last year in the Civic for winter) and it works. I'll make some other calls next week to other garages and auto stores. Should I stay w/in the specs and keep 195/55 R15s or go for 14" with a larger sidewall (the 55 #)?

dinu01 · October 2001

Here are my reasons for the Pro:

1. Wanted something fun to drive with a stiffer than avg. suspension.
2. Interior and Exterior styling is excellent (luxury-sports-sedan type white gauges and chrome...) and the outside is is the best looking compact for 2001.
3. Seemed to be the only choice out there (don't like American compacts - reliability concerns) considering the Civic continues to be sold with 8.6% financing in Toronto and the Sentra didn't say "ZOOM-ZOOM" like the Pro does. Because it's NOT a Mazda.

Dinu

dinu01 · October 2001

I don't think they will succeed unless they price their vehicles like Daewoo and Kia are doing here now. My only concern is for Ford not to mess the quality of the Protege. I love it so much I'm already thinking about another Pro in the garage!

mdaffron · October 2001

We're looking at getting a Protege5 for my wife next spring/summer. Can't wait for the test drive! Too bad she only drives automatics, though ... but that DOES keep her out of the driver's seat of my 2000 ES 5-speed! HA HA HA HA!!!!

Meade

theparallax · October 2001

Info here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=128418&page=1

Looks GREAT to me!

krotine · October 2001

They are on my website, but the links to the full size pics are not working yet.

http://www.krotine.com

krotine

mazdafun · October 2001

So hard to choose....P5, RX-8, 6...good for Mazda, bad for me.

theparallax · October 2001

In Japan Mazda is selling 'Fieldbreak' edition versions of the S-Wagon, MPV, Tribute, and Premacy. I guess it's similar to Subaru's Outback versions of their cars.

http://www.mazda.co.jp

Click on Japanese, then click on the very top link w/ the date marked as 10/16.

sdayalani · October 2001

due for a change.
is it ok to use the extended life antifreeze on a 99 pro 1.8L instead of the regular one?

the extended life af/c conforms to GM's DEXCOOL specs. i was wondering if i could use it in my protege without any adverse effects. (i dont plan to go 5 yrs/250K miles though). i like the fact that it extends water pump life and its not much costlier than the normal af/c.

has anyone ever done this before?

pat · October 2001

... believe me! .... but this is the first chance I've had to get back here since I made my last post last night.

My point was that there is no reason to bash a Town Hall member who expressed pride in his vehicle in that vehicle's own discussion. He did not disparage any other Town Hall member, nor did he disparage any other vehicle. He did say something like "we know where the real zoom, zoom is" but so what? A member of this discussion replied to the contrary there, and that was fine, I saw no problem with the exchange in that discussion.

Then the disparaging comment about the TH member was made here. THAT is what wasn't necessary.

I thought that folks here would understand my point, but I see now that it would have been less disruptive to just remove the post and address the issue off-line.

My apologies - I should have handled it better than I did.

Now, I need to repeat what I said last night. We are not going to talk about topic management in Town Hall within this discussion. Please address me off-line if you have anything else to say on that subject.

Thanks.

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

pat · October 2001

That error means that the disk space available to the specific email account is not enough to accomodate the size of the email message that was sent.

I know this from experience. :-)

Hotmail, yahoo and those sorts of accounts generally don't allow you to use more than about 5 MB of space at any one time (at least for free), and it isn't hard at all for pictures - especially when there are several - to exceed that quickly.

Hope this helps.

pat · October 2001

You win your bet! How 'bout you just post the link, okay?

(queuing up recording now).... you can only use the img src tags to display pictures you actually own blah blah ... see Membership Agreement ... blah blah blah.

You know the drill. ;->

(who is going to pay you the ten bucks?)

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

pjd58 · October 2001

-Third Protege, I've owned all 3 generations(91,96 & 01). My Wife has a 01 MPV and had a 95 626. Kinda loyal to Mazda.
- Reliability, all of my Protege's were flawless.
-Styling, the new Protege has style.
-Fit & Finish, put together like cars costing thousands more.
-Financing, can't beat 0% for 48.
-Value, for $15,000+ it's a bargain
-Ride, no other car in it's class can even come
close.
-Interior room, I have 2 kids and there is plenty of room in the back seat.
-Color choices of the Protege, better than Honda, Toyota and Nissan. Although, I wish the Protege sedan came in blue, midnight blue is rare and not a standard color. .

Pete

ashutoshsm · October 2001

Its a looker, and should carry on the Protege and miata tradition of doing the job its meant for while still being fun to drive and own :-)

I just started a new separate discussion for the Mazda 6. The Camry and Accord finally have yet another serious competitior, weeks after the new Altima came out!

Oh - and they have a retuned 2.3l 4-banger as the base, 160HP - how soon before it finds its way to th Protege, I wonder? I believe the V-6 will be the 'acceptable' Ford duratec 3.0, also used in the Taurus and the Escape/Tribute. I wish that Mazda would make its own 6-cylinder engine, though!

fowler3 · October 2001

Didn't you know that Emotion is the main selling point for almost all products? The main marketing plan behind all TV commercials, and why the car has to look good on film or tape. Although, there are many that do not and those companies are stuck with selling engineering. Did engineering ever convince you to buy a car?

Krotine: I suggest that you send pictures to a regular ISP email address. Make them .jpg images, but keep the sizes as small as possible. That means scaling them down in size, the overall size, such as 5"x 7" or slightly larger. And be sure to do Unsharp Masking on them. Unsharp Masking takes out unnecessary pixels and makes them look sharper. It would have helped the picture of your Protege5.

Over-doing Unsharp Masking can add white flares around edges, so keep it low at about 70%. You want pictures about 65k to 85K each. Most digital photos are already .jpg images,so all you need to do is scale them down. Do not put them in a folder, upload them individually, maybe three at a time.

Then you won't get that error.

fowler3

fowler3 · October 2001

First, I thought it would be 2003 before the page loaded. LOL Why do those taillamps remind me of lanterns on a caboose? You do remember cabooses don't you? Those red cars at the ends of trains.

I've seen one Protegé and several Civics with conversions like those. They don't look so hot. All that clear plastic! In today's traffic you need BIG brake lights. IMHO That's another reason I bought the 2001 Pro LX.

Two kinds of taillamps turn me off: The cars that have wall-to-wall red plastic with two little lamps on the corners; and cars with too small taillamps to be noticed in daylight, you think they are burned out.

fowler3

chicagopro · October 2001

#1...Amount of room on the driver's side. I also test-drove an Elantra and a Corolla. In both of those cars, the driver side door was right on my leg. True, my left knee often rests on the door of my Protege, but that's by choice. In the other two cars, there was no choice. Kind of claustrophobic.

#2...Reliability. Have family members who have driven Mazdas for many years (929, a couple of Proteges, Millenia) and have always been satisfied.

#3...Safety. Had the airbags and ABS I wanted at a price I could afford.

ZOOMZOOMZOOMZOOMZOOMZOOMZOOMZOOMZOOMZOOMZOOMZOOM

chicagopro · October 2001

I think I actually like the styling of the hatch and wagon better than the sedan.

tradrct · October 2001

I'm David, the David from CT who went to MAPP II.. finally popping in on the edmunds forum discussion for the first time..

I bought my 2000 Protege DX (w/ AC, CD, Cassette) for $12,345.. YES $12,345!! in May of 2000 with 19 miles on the odometer (7 miles of that from my test drive and moving it to and from the lot)

why?

#1 Very, VERY nice steering noted on my test drive.. it didn't feel like a front wheel drive car where it was steering me all over the place

#2 Revvy little engine, but unlike the honda engines the car actually moved with these revs.. I test drove a 00 Civic EX (granted it was automatic and my protege is 5spd), but the protege pretty much felt like it had the same power.

#3 Great shifter (I hardly knew stick at the time yet I felt like I've been driving the car for a long time..)

#3 Very, very nice stock stereo (which I ditched after about 6 months anyway for aftermarket) for a car in this price range.

#4 The fact that the Protege had cute small headlights out in the front that did the job and didn't break the front end look of the car.. a nice looking car altogether.

#5 The fact that one of my freinds who had been driving me around alot had a 98 LX (his parents, but still..) and it just seemed fun.. like a car I could keep forever.

Up until seeing an ad in the paper in late April of 2000 I hadn't EVER thought about a brand new Protege. the dealership simply had an ad for $2000 off ANY year 2000 Protege (and the model year was hardly up!) so I decided to take a look on a Sunday drive up there.. I only had the choice between a black mica and an emerald mica in dx.. or spend a couple hundred more for a midnight blue lx.. shoulda got the LX for the power stuff + cruise but I'm happy I got the lighter of the 2 cars (for the handling side of course, ahem)

Now I've got.. lets see.. around 26k miles on the car with ZERO problems, just been doing regular oil changes (mobil 1, whichs expensive but I love the pride in it..).. I just went through my first set of tires very quickly and did the brakes early on.. no maintenance at all!

I've spent a good deal of money on the car and I'm trying to settle down on more mods now, this winter I've got alot of things lined up for my ride, hope to see you guys all at the next MAPP (yes I'll drive to WHEREVER!!!).. trying to make the headlights brighter (H.I.D. lighting kit in the near future), make it more of a highway car (adjustable struts for comfort), make it look prettier (side skirts..).. ah I'm so happy I have a REAL Japanese car!

(I'm only ranting because its 2am and I'm gonna stay up a little more I'm all excited now!)

David..
'00 Protege DX

groharlem · October 2001

i don't know what the poll asked but it said something about buying proteges.

I bought mine b/c i liked how the first gen's sounded, handled, and accelerated (my friend had a 90 LX auto) and i couldn't afford a honda civic (like $7k at the time). I wanted something with a built in tach, decent powered motor, preferably with a sunroof, A/C, and cruise control so i bought a 93 LX for $4000. Now you can get them for $2500 or so if you look which is a FRIGGIN STEAL!!!

groharlem · October 2001

I was actually thinking of buying one just a couple months ago. If you really look at them they don't look that bad. If you paint the side rockers the body color, put some rims on it, lower it like 2" and put some eyebrows on the headlights it would look pretty sweet

.

Oh and just about ANY ricey wing would look great on them

.

THey also ARE FASTER THAN A PRO. they run the 1/4 mile in 16.5, the pro is like 16.8 last time i checked. You can also supercharge them pretty easily which would make for a great sleeper

vocus · October 2001

I actually looked at an Echo before I bought my 2001 Protege, because I commute almost 70 miles a day and the fuel economy would have been great. Unfortunately, I drove the Echo for 10 miles and it hurt my right leg. I couldn't stretch it out correctly, and it was totally uncomfortable. Oh well. Happy with what I got though.

maltb · October 2001

"If you really look at them they don't look that bad."

It doesn't take a hard look to understand that a car that's not proportionate will never be proportionate. I can't believe I'm hearing this in the Protege board. Maybe the Subaru boards...

vocus · October 2001

Well to me, the Echo doesn't look that bad either. I like cars that are styled differently and funky, and the Echo definitely qualifies. I think that might be the reason Wil liked it as well. And he also said it was easily modifiable. Anyway, back to talking about the Protege now.

protege_fan · October 2001

Ok, I know that we're not supposed to talk about (read slam)other cars here, but IMHO the Echo is just plain butt-ugly. As my g/f's dad describes it, "it looks like a beer-can somebody tried to smash on their forehead."

BTW, why is it easier to modify than the Pro? More parts available?
Thanks

PF

vocus · October 2001

Aftermarket support comes from Toyota itself, from their TRD division. (Toyota Racing Division I think). Mazda has Racing Beat, but TRD has alot more stuff available. I didn't know about a turbocharger for the Echo though. That was news to me.

protege_fan · October 2001

Yeah, when I went to take my friend over to the Toyota/Lexus dealer to get his '96 Camry repaired, I quickly checked out the Parts area. In comparison to all of the Mazda dealerships in the area, the Parts department for this Toyota dealership was amazing! They had all sorts of mods and Toyota collectible things (hats, etc.). The Mazda dealerships couldn't even compare! TRD logos were everywhere, whereas there was no sign of Racing Beat anywhere in these Mazda dealerships.

bjewett · October 2001

I'm with you, ashutoshsm. If Mazda has such an engine - even slightly detuned - that would definitely bump the Protege/PR5 line up a notch and bring in new buyers...like me...

The Passat is very nice but the handling is very soft. The A4 would likely have the tighter suspension...or check out the rumored '02 Protege MPS.

the_big_h · October 2001

come join our weekly random mindless rants about proteges, tonight 9pm ET/6pm PT...

(back to lurking mode)

ashutoshsm · October 2001

I suspect I'll miss joining an excited lot, what with Mazda's exciting new offerings! And the prospects of a 160hp in the Protege family soon!

But I'll be off for a nice long drive (50 mile round trip) to watch a free screening of what promises to be a good movie when it releases next weekend - K-Pax with Kevin Spacey, a Sci Fi flick.

Anyone ever figure out why they hand out freebie movie passes on college campuses for movies playing at least 15-20 miles away? I'm not complaining - I get to Zoom Zoom there (with great company) and test out the road-legs on my new Pioneer CD Changer :-)

Have a fun chat!

groharlem · October 2001

I didn't say the echo was easier to modify than the protege. I'm pretty sure the protege has a bigger aftermarket right now since it's been out for over a year longer than the echo. What i meant was the echo is MUCH lighter than the protege...something like 500-600 lbs lighter. The motor that comes with it stock accelrates quicker than a protege, but the car does have that "love it/hate it" styling. I would love to modify one just b/c not many people would. I like a challenge, and the echo isn't all that bad looking of a car. Just imagine it lowered with 17" wheels, and it'll look MUCH better

.

Since i can't fund paying $13k for a echo right now, i'm going to buy a Ford Festiva and put a few engine mods and exterior mods on it and use it for a daily driver while My protege is getting its BP-TE motor swap performed

Don't laugh, the festiva weighs 1700 lbs....comes with a 1.3 liter 63 horsepower motor and still accelerates 0-60 mph in 9.8 seconds......all while getting 37/48 gas mileage and costing $1000 or less. (thats why i'm doing it really...heheh, i'm only 19 and hardly make any morney

)

panamaltd2 · October 2001

Here is the link to that pic I was talking about. It is the wagon version. Tell me what you think. I really like it.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/guest/newnews/openpic.php3?f=media/1-2456.jpeg&w=738&h=382

groharlem · October 2001

EWW!! I don't like that at all. the front is all big looking like an SUV and the rear reminds me of the new RX8. I REALLY HOPE they don't use that concept to replace the protege.

It looks like a Focus/Axiom on crack lol

black01coupev6 · October 2001

Geez.

On the Echo, my fiance loves it but only if it has the fender flares...I don't really care for the looks of it or the center mounted gauges. And once you put some decent options on it you are in and around Civic and Protege territory, which to me are 2 much better cars.

So far my Pro has 3500 mile...she just had her first oil change with Castrol Synthetic and a Mobil 1 filter. It may be my imagination but she seems to run a little smoother.

One problem, I seem to be going through some kind of Honda withdrawal. I would kill to have my Accord back about right now

But it will pass... I hope. With the depreciation on this car it's a bit early to start wanting another car

But on the plus side it drives great and after the recent wash I was staring out of my window to look at it

sunbyrne · October 2001

Go out of town and the board explodes...

I'll answer the poll, trying to contain to the original three reasons, taking the car class as a given and in no particular order:

(1) Rear seat space. The Corolla loses badly here, and this eliminates other competitors like the Jetta.

(2) Reliability. This and #1 means there are two cars left: Civic and Pro.

(3) Handling/styling. Pro wins easily over Civic there, so it wins overall. Simple...

dinu01 · October 2001

Does remind me too of Lexus styling, which is not to say that it's the worst thing in the world; Echo-type styling would be. NOT a fan of that car at all. The pic looks good; like the big rims and low profile tires and the front appearance, but I think the back triangle-shaped window should be extended to follow the back contour towards the hatch. I like it!

mazdafun · October 2001

Uh...yuck.

Looks like a locomotive steam engine. Hints at lots of straight-line power, no manueverability.

mazdafun · October 2001

That wagon concept is hideous, although, I have seen worse.

Makes me wonder if there's a "mole" within the design works. I think the same of Cadillac's recent concept vehicles.

mdaffron · October 2001

Well, that new Mazda is the SHOE that goes in the shoebox! Add a few laces to the roof rack, a big ol' tongue lapping up the windshield and a Nike "swoosh" on the side, and you've got a large, wheeled track shoe!

Meade

black01coupev6 · October 2001

My fiance worships that Protege5. He tried to talk me into buying one when I bought my Protege but not only was it not available with the 0.0% they didn't have a silver 5-speed with a roof. He says that he is going to buy one when they go down to 0.0% interest. Probably trade my car and keep his Civic and LS.

Mazda Protegé

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