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Mazda Protege5
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Comments
There are so many screws and nuts back there though, that I am afraid to just start twisting them till I find the right one.
My old Volvo had 2 white, knurled knobs you could just reach down and turn with your hand... very easy to adjust.
Some cars have very sharp torque curves, while others have smooth torgue curves.
Case in point: the 1989 Mazda 626 GT (turbo). While it was only rated at 145 hp, it had 190 ft lbs of torque and a very smooth torque curve. What this means is that the engine delivered good torque across all rpms. For 145hp, this car was a bullet. Mazda actually published the torque curve in their borchure - it was pretty level from about 3,000rpm to redline rps.
Just another view of hp/torque and their affect on acceleration.
yes, torque curve certainly is an important factor. But IMHO, a flat-torque-curve engine is less dynamic than a flat-power-curve engine. In the second case, even greater percentage of maximum power comes already at low RPM, whereas a flat-torque-curve engine will give a power curve almost lineally proportional to RPM. A flat-power-curve engine usually characterized by a maximum torque reaching at very low RPM. Turbo engine and Diesel engine usually have peak torque at low RPM. The new 1.8Turbo engine on the 2002 VW Jetta has peak torque at 1950RPM, and I think it's one of the best engine out there. Unfortunately, less and less commercial brochure publish these curves. BTW, anyone ever seen the brochure for the P5?
Bruno
BTW, I've seen about 15 P5 on the road since we bought our black P5, most of them are silver and white.
If anyone looking for Protege MP3, I saw one at a Mazda dealership in Glendale, CA.
zoom-zoom
Sporin
The passenger side headlight has a high cutoff that angles upwards towards the right. It always looks high and some drivers think you have the high beams on (I have the ultra-white lights in mine, so you can imagine what I put up with). If you are concerned about the headlight alignment, take it to the dealership. It is an adjustment issue and is covered for the first year or 12,000 miles. They should check the alignment and re-aim them to factory specs as needed. Should you get a ticket for them, at least you'll have the paperwork saying that the dealership aligned them to factory specs.
Thanks. :-)
I just wanted to let y'all know that I bought my new Blue P5 yesterday. It is so wonderful. Thank you so much for y'all helps.
Alana
Otherwise, I am absolutely positive that we will see a forced induction system that will be available for existing 1.8L and 2.0L Protege's.
What are those forced induction system?
Looks First then performance for me!
I have no idea what forced induction systems will become available. I have heard that there are a few companies working on a turbocharger for the '99 and '00 ES models with the 1.8L engine. It wouldn't be that hard to modify it for the 2.0L engines (if any modifications are required at all).
boopoppa
Thanks
I don't know what is the best polish/wash for P5, but I guess P5 paint is not much different than that of others cars.
I think more important is doing correctly the waxing procedure, i.e, you need to perform the following: wash you car, clean the paint, polish it, and then wax it. Never do it under direct sun light and hot temperature. A good care requires about 1-2 waxing per year.
Bruno
- avoid brutal breaking
- not hard acceleration
- not staying long on high RPM,
- not cruising at the constant speed (alternate with different speeds).
I guess you can go over 50mph. I was cruising mine in the range of 60-80mph for its first 600 miles.
Bruno
Bruno
The only time you need to use a polish is if your paint is oxidized.
so far, I've managed 100% dealer stickers..LOL
Rich
So, you are cheating them?
I think those dealer stickers are rediculous and i got lucky. My yellow did not have one. They put license plat holder/frame in place in the back but its the kind that does not cover the plate in any way, so it does not contain the dealer name or any stuff like that.
Financing.
THE DEALER FINANCE DEPARTMENT WILL SCREW YOU OVER. EVERY MONTHLY PAYMENT THAT YOU MAKE IS AT LEAST A $1 MORE THAN IT SHOULD BE. SO in 3 years you paid the dealer ripped off from you another $36 bucks if you are carefull, more if you are not.
I guess its not a lot, BUT THE FACT IS THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF.
In 4 years, (i am 21) I have not had one late payment to my credit cards and always pay my balance off monthly. My credit report and grade? is above 700. I think/believe 700 is average.
When I went to see the finance guy he tried pushing me 9.9%. This Jamaican guy WILL BE fired from Marlin Mazda. If it wouldn't be for my dad i would have slapped him back to ...
I calmly told him about 4.9-60 months and 1.9 for 36. He was like "oh, yes i forgot". Then he started giving me 4.9% for 36 months. Dude, are you stupid or something. Finally he told me the right monthly payment at 1.9% for 36 months. And it was a little more than it supposed to be. I had computer prinouts with me. Generally if the monthly payment they give you is $2 over what its supposed to be or less that is good. There is nothing you can do THERE to show them that its wrong. If its more than 2 bucks they are screwing you over. And don't get that stupid gap insurance if your ins. cover the car when you drive it off the lot.
There are programs on the internet for free that do the computations for you and you can change all the variables like down, term, rate. Run it. Print out all the diff combinations so there in their office you can see what is better for YOU. Bring the forms with you. If you don't, god help you.
Never trust the finance guy. ITS YOUR MONEY. My sales guy was good but still an airhead.
Oh yes, check your credit report when they finnish printing it out. At this point the sales guy will point out how good it is and some of its features. If it is good you should get the 1.9 or 4.9. If not tell them to show you why its not good.
BTW, Mazda offers coupons on its Mazda.com -> My Mazda site. Oil changes, brake jobs, and 10% off parts and accesories. I didn't have a chance to go back to dealer so I don't know what accesories they have for PR5. Anybody has a list? Thanks, Dima
try to find a zoom-zoom sticker at your local dealership..LOL
What does the zoom-zoom sticker looks like? Anybody has a pic?
BTW, went to Gunther Mazda in Ft. Lauderdale. They did not have any accessories for p5. Protege winshield sun blocker is $24 (That's not cheating?).
The guy did not know anything about the paint that could be bought. Told me to get the part from the door. Isn't that his job? I tell him what I want and he finds the part # and the part? Am I missing something.
To audia8q:
I guess you work at the dealership. Any tips/hints on how and where to get one of those protege5 posters sales guys hang in the cubicles? Thanks.
Would anybody in this group be interested in posting to a usenet discussion newsgroup if we had our own?
ugh too much tension in the air these days..
Anyways.. I now have 725 miles on my silver manual p5 and I'm loving every mile!! It's so much fun to drive I actually go out of my way on the way home from work and explore new areas of my neighborhood. (recently moved)
I was looking for a 4 door car that was
- around $16k
- fun to drive
- reliable
- good looking
- got good gas milage
- and had plenty of cargo room
and now I find myself smiling as I drive, happy in the fact that I found everything I was looking for!
Thanks for everything Mazda!! (except for the dealers who make you beg for stickers)
-Mark
From what I can see (and I don't claim to have done a thorough comparison), the differences are:
- EGT has more options (leather?)
- EGT has slightly more power
- EGT is cheaper
- EGT is uglier (IMHO)
- EGT is made by Hyundai - cheaper make, but with the longer warranty...
I'd be interested in what other owners, or hatchback shoppers think about the two. I'm more than happy with my P5, and don't regret it a bit. But since the EGT is a few thousand less I believe, I can't help but wonder whether I would have got as good a car and been able to afford to do a few other things with the cash I saved...
Thanks!
There are two different ways to "polish" your car really. You can use an all-in-one "cleaner", polisher, waxer. I believe Nufinish is one such product, but they are also made by Mothers and Meguires and are called Cleaner Wax. These types of all-in-ones usually contain mild abrasives (or sometimes chemical cleaners which are supposed to be gentler). These types of products are meant for those of us who don't care about keeping their car absolutely sparkling 365 days a year. So they are meant to be used 1-4 times a year to clean off contaminents that don't come off with regular washing, and give your car a protective coat of wax.
The second way you can protect your car is to use a "system". Both Mothers and Meguires have a traditional 3-step system. Step one is a cleaner, which only needs to be used 1-2 times per year. The second step is a polish, which really makes your car shine, prior to the third step which is applying the coat of wax to protect that nice shine. The shine gained by using this system is usually superior to the all-in-ones.
Hope that helped a bit. I personally used an all-in-one about a month after I got the car. Probably wasn't necessary to wax at all, and it definetly wasn't necessary to use a product with a built-in "cleaner". But I was lazy, so that's what I did. Quite frankly, water beaded up quite nicely on the paint before I waxed, so I'm sure I could have waited a few months, until winter was near.
At a bare minimum, I would recommend washing your car once a week (by hand using cotton terry towels or touchless car wash), and waxing with an all-in-one twice a year. And get any bird crap or road tar off immediately! By following those simple rules your paint should be protected reasonably well with a minimum effort.
If ya need more info, take a look at the waxing forums in the Maintenance & Repair section.
Pocahontas
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Our Mazda E-care score(dealer CSI) us one of the highest in the zone so I guess trading sticker for sticker is a good business practice... i am only basing this on the results of our many buyers. BTW: We are also the #1 sales leader for the P5 in our district...
Rich