Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
I thought your post on replacing your ex-Protege ES's taillights with those from the Protege5 was the best. Now what you said in the Jetta forum comes close.
"...maybe buy an alloy wheel for my spare tire (instead of steel). Not sure yet though."
I predict another new car in six months.
I am also glad to know that I am "tracked" around the Edmund's website, and about every word I say (in no matter what forum) is reverberated in some way by another poster. Makes me feel important.
Also, at least I would have an option to buy different taillamps for my Jetta if I wanted them. I had to tint the lights myself on the Protege, due to its narrow aftermarket conformity.
Next...
"Would you like your Altezza tail lamps in Clear or Carbon Fiber?"
At this point, I'm ready to just order new ones. I don't know if I really have the time/energy/space to play with cleaning the yucky one.
Take it easy!
--Dale
The nicest, most enjoyable small car we have ever owned. Nice to see all the familiar posts again.
Regards,
Mark. : )
can I get your autograph?
Well I can tell you have a 93 Mx6 4 cyl 5 spd with 128k mi on right now, and it runs well, except for some squeaky brakes, but that was the fault of the mechanic, not the car. The interior is fine, no rips or tears, everything works fine. The power antenna makes a lot of noise going up and down. I broke the grill covering the front door speaker upgrading that speaker, but again, that was my fault, not the car's. The door lock freezes kinda too easily, but the little door that keeps water out of the lock is broken, so it's always back instead of opening only when you put in a key.
The paint was in poor shape (I bought it with in 1999 86k mi from a dealer in Maine while I was in college). It was dinged up with rock chips and not too shiny, so I repainted it a year ago. It burns no oil, and looses no coolant. The gears shift roughly when the car's cold, and I sometimes hear some grinding when I shift (like the clutch is engaging a little even though I'm pressing the clutch in all the way). The car's still on it's original clutch, and local mechanics tell me I don't need a new clutch just yet.
I never said Civic's are crap. They are great cars, 300 000 people a year can't be wrong but they do have their faults. Rusting out is one of them.
I don't think I'm being biased. 1 faulty auto transmission out of all the people who have posted here about the 3rd gen protege is hardly evidence that there is a problem with it.
Why are you so Pro-Civic anyways? Don't you have a Protege? Go trade it in if you hate it.
About the hockey thing again...in case you didn't know, this is only the second time where pro athletes competed in the winter olymics. All good Canadain hockey players play in the NHL or are working towards that. We don't have a good college system like the US. The team that won the gold medal 50 years ago was actually a minor league team from Edmonton. Anyways, we won you guys lost and that's the bottom line.
Anybody know who i should contact, dealer, mazda PR about getting a free warrenty for my lemon like car?
fowler3
Meade...just couldn't resist the comment. Not trying to start anything but it was too easy a comment to resist! Friend of mine used to say this about "beauty-challenged" people... "Looks like they were beat with the Ugly stick". I know you are good sport for a pot-shot and can take it in style. :-)
I remind to illustrate Protege reliability...my old service manager had a 1st Gen Protege'. Had over 280,000 miles and looked and ran like new! I'd still own my '92 LX if I hadn't been able to get so much for it when I sold it! 68k miles and I got $5500.00 CASH!!!! Sold it in May of 2000.
Regards,
Pete
Mazda Protege vs. Volkswagen Jetta
-Larry
Drop us a post from time to time!
Meade
The hospital was a 15-mile trip -- most of it on a local expressway -- and thank goodness the traffic was light. I was amazed to see that people still do seem to understand what it means when a car comes screaming up the left lane with its flashers going and its lights flashing. My 2000 ES didn't let me down. I averaged 90 the entire expressway trip -- even screamed through a toll booth at about 70 -- thank God the gate was up and I had an electronic tag!
Anyway, to the most important part -- Sean, now aka "Hard Head," checked out fine. We do have to watch him for 24 hours to make sure he's coherent and stuff, but it's been 12 hours now and he's acting just fine. So we thank God for that.
But dammit, that's twice in my life I would've enjoyed a police escort and I haven't been noticed! And to put the icing on the cake, we saw a state trooper running radar on the expressway on the way home!
Meade
Hang on tight!
Meade
P.S. Anybody want to see him? I've put a great photo of him and mom in my folder in the Yahoo! group.
Ron B.
I just want to avoid messing the door up because the car is so new. I took off the rear door skins on my wifes MPV but they were very easy as there was nothing like this in the way. I'm beginning to seriously weigh paying the $38 to have the fronts installed. I don't want to screw anything up, but I also have serious reservations about just how careful the Best Buy installers will be with my baby as well. I don't think they'll be as gentle as I will be.
Thanks,
Ron B.
I've always taken the slow, careful approach. Take each step slowly, and don't put undue force on anything! In pulling apart several cars' door panels (not my Protege's, unfortunately), I've learned that they're usually pretty flexible and forgiving.
One piece of advice -- pick up a handful of those whatchamacallits -- those press-in nylon fasteners -- before you start the job. Usually, once you pull one of those out, the "teeth" in it are damaged and it'll never hold as well as when it was new. Replace all of them with new ones when you reinstall and your door will be as tight as new.
Meade
She cut her head and needed several stitches, but turned out fine otherwise. I too, took a very rapid trip down the expressway to the hospital. Thankfully, during mid-day, most folks drive in excess of 75mph.
But I can go on and on for days about what I've seen and you can go on and on for days about what you've seen but historically Hondas and Toyotas hold up better over the long run. I don't think we've just been "lucky" all those times. I'm not saying I don't like the Protege, I'm just saying that you shouldn't frivolously down another make to make yours look better.
You like stories .... how about this ... fxashun came to my job one day all excited. I asked him what happened. He went on to tell me about chasing a new (2000'ish) Maxima SE down I75 doing about 120MPH. He was redlined in 4th gear for about 5 miles. How many of us with our Protege's anemic-after-70 engines would try that?
The bottom line is that the US won more medals overall. Yes Canada won hockey (finally) BUT!! overall we won more medals so we're still better It's almost like the Protege and a Civic. Sure the Protege comes ahead every now and then but we all know the Civic would win any contest about reliability, economy, durability, and most performance tests. But the Protege is cheaper, has 4-wheel disc brakes, and stops on a dime. It can also be argued that the Pro has a more distinctive look. See I'm not completely biased against the Protege I just realize there are some things the Civic does better.
The plastic fasteners used in the door panels are designed to be reusable, so you won't need replacements if you're careful (and they weren't damaged at the factory). I discovered one wasn't correctly placed in the trim panel, so that it allowed the panel to vibrate freely. Got rid of that particular rattle.
Once you have all the screws removed, you just pull on the rear/bottom corner and then work the edge away from the door until you've popped all the fasteners. The trick on putting them back is making sure everyone has been popped back into place.
Speaking of performance tests, how about my 105 mph one last week? Or more recently, last night's 15-mile run to the hospital at 90 mph? I'm not sure what you're talking about when you say "anemic-after-70." Maybe you've only driven (you HAVE driven, haven't you, to be so informed) Proteges with automatic transmissions. My 5-speed comes into its own at high speeds. I cruise the 19 miles home each afternoon with the rest of the work traffic going about 75, and a quick downshift to fourth and I can fly by anyone. I don't want to appear reckless, but I frequently have my car up in the 80s just because it's such a joy to drive at that speed.
That's why I bought my fourth Protege last month. Great car!
Meade
2002 Protege5 auto
2000 ES 5-speed
ex-1992 LX 5-speed
ex-1992 LX auto
I was very surprised by how loose it felt because the car handles very well at lower speeds. I may be a bit biased in my higher speed feelings, but I don't think so. The Pro replaces my '83 Porsche 944. Now, the Pro handles not that far in limits from the Porsche. It certainly handles different, being a front driver, but in all honesty, I have to say that 19 years of chassis technology has come a long way and I don't believe there is that much difference in the ultimate handling ability of the 2 cars in stock trim. But the feeling of driving both at 85 is worlds apart. The Porshce feels stable and completely in its own element. My new Pro, was ok, but I definitely felt like if anything were to occur on the road it would not take much to completely upset the car. That I assume is the difference between a car that in 2002 cost me 16,600 and one that in 1983 cost over 20,000.
But, having said that, the Pro is a great car for what it is. And for being one step above entry level and in fact being entry level for Mazda, I believe it is hands down the best of the group. For the price, the handling is unmatched by anything in its price range for a new car. Plus the Pro runs circles around the Porsche in the wet. Unfortunately, we haven't had any slushy stuff here in NY since I bought it, but I'm sure the same would hold true in the snow and slush.
I looked at them all, and I'm happy to be zoom zooming around. On the plus side, because the car is so eerily quiet to me, mechanically, I can't wait to get the new speakers into it. The stereo should make the loss of all that mechanical symphony the Porshce offered a little easier to deal with.
Ron B.
Zooming, but now much more cautious above 70!
Thought it was just me...
--Dale
btw I think the protege vs jetta thread is dead for good. bad idea Pat, bad idea!
Not having driven the Pro much at speeds above 70 yet, I could be wrong. Maybe at higher speeds the Pro is fine, but with more body roll and a bit more busy and unrefined suspension than I'm used to. But, only time will tell.
I will say that handling aside, the braking is what sold me on the Pro. I could not believe how hard it was to get a car for the price with 4 wheel discs. The ES had me. but, I wish that braking ability had increased more over the last 19 years. While ABS is great, my 944 on stock 215/60/15 tires makes my Pro feel way slow to stop. I have braked the Porsche on track from 120 and it is stable and does not fade. The Pro lacks the brake feel and does not in any way brake as smoothly.
Again, that's the difference between a sports car and a great sports commuter. Mazda did a wonderful job with the Pro. I think a few minor tweeks and I'll cry much less over having sold the 944. THAT says a lot about just how good the Pro is and just how much more the competition has aimed at cushy ride over sporting feel. Honda and Nissan have good hanlding Civics and Sentras, but just look at what they want you to pay for them!
Bravo Mazda! Maybe I should keep my mileage low and see what I can get trade-in wise on one of the anticipated turbo models due soon?
Ron B.
As I see, ZoomZoom is still trying to shove the Civic down our throats (or something like that). Give it up. We like the PROs and while Civics have lots of good qualities, the >>OVERALL<< package did not fit our needs, hence we drive PROs.
Hank, I will take a look at that nice topic you created, but before posting, I think we all should go drive Jettas to know what they're like. Maybe Paul can help?
Meade: Glad Sean's ok. I took needed my head patched-up after hitting a table when I was a few mths old (or a few yrs old). I guess that's why I can't remember when
Older PROs were reliable as many said. We just have to wait and see how these ones will turn out, hopefully very well.
In other news, I have decreased the mileage in my PRO significantly for about 2 weeks now. Nevertheless, I am expecting to welcome a PRO, MX 3, NX, Celica or Paseo in mid May.
Dinu
As far as power, the passing power of the 2.0 Protege was ok, but not outstanding. It ran out of power above 5000rpm or so.
Meade, you have to remember that the 2.0 engine is not as rev-friendly as the 1.8 it replaced. They should have just kept the 1.8 and called it a day.
The Protege ES does have less body lean than a standard Jetta. But with the sport suspension and 17-inch tires in the Sport Luxury Pkg., it can out corner the Protege. The lean is still there though, but it was in the Protege as well.
The interior of the Jetta does feel like an Audi. Totally classy. Not like that in the Protege, although it's nice enough for the class of car it is. The Protege's interior is smaller than the Jetta's in the front. It's the other way around in the back though. If you have the front seats way back in the Jetta, don't count on putting anyone back behind you. They will hate you after like 20 mins.
That's my summary. Any other questions, feel free to ask.
Let me also say stability has a lot to do with your tires too. What kind of tires did Mazda put on your car? My car handles much nicer at 90 with the Dunlops I just put on it than it ever did with the Bridgestones that came on it. Check your tire pressure too.
Sure, my Protege doesn't feel like it's glued to the ground on rails at 100, but I'm not white-knuckled and sweating at that speed either. Maybe it's got something to do with the 1.8 and the 5-speed transmission, I dunno -- but the car is much more poised at speed than my old Saab 900 ever was. And you'd think just the opposite.
Meade
Is there a way to turn down the steering boost?
Of course, none of us should be driving that fast anyway. :-)
Steve
Don't laugh -- slight changes in aerodynamics CAN make slight differences -- especially when there's wind going over your car at the speed of a hurricane.
Anyone?
Meade
My ES came with the Dunlops. Great tires. I think it's mostly a matter of what you're used to. I am very used to the vault like feeling of closing my doors on the 944 and I sort of laughed at one magazine review that talked about how solid the doors and trunk felt on the Pro. I bought one, so I agree it's a good car, but "carved from a single piece of steel" is not a phrase that comes to mind.
In the end, you have to compare apples to apples. For what it is, if I thought there was a better car out there for the price I wouldn't be driving my Pro. If Mazda does offer a turbo engine or the I4 2.5, sure the car will get better performance and probably an upgraded suspension as well. But it will also get an upgraded price tag and therefore comparisons to the standard Pro will be meaningless. For the 4-6,000 increase in price, I had better be getting a better car! Remember, in this price class a 4,000 increase in price is about a 25% increase. You ask that of the consumer, you'd better deliver or else you'll have a lot of extra inventory. Look at Audi and the S4. The S4 is a wonderful car, but the performance edge it had over the A4 has been greatly reduced. If you're going to ask a buyer to pay a lot more, you'd better deliver a lot more.
Ron B.
BTW Ron -- that last paragraph of yours sums up to a "T" what I was trying to explain to Paul in the new "Jetta vs. Protege" topic. Paul, if you're reading this, go up a post and read what Ron wrote.
Meade