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Mazda Protege5
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Comments
If you want to really see what it looks like on the P5, I can email you a picture of my car with the rack and bike mounted. My profile has my e-mail address.
I am about to join your ranks, but am undecided between the pre/post-refresh versions of the car. Don't care much about tweeters in the door or leather accessories. The auto-stick seemed fun but I can only think of a few times when it would be genuinely useful - as a novelty it would be worth a few extra bucks but here is the question:
The normal a/t has been around for a while and thoroughly tested/refined - is this the first car Mazda has used this version of the sportmatic on? As a rule of thumb, the more complex something is the more it will break - does anybody know enough about the details of how this works/how reliable other similar transmissions have been to speculate on its durability compared to the older version?
TIA
In actuality, it is probably just the same transmission with different programming. It really is not more complex. All that has been added is manual control over the computer's shift-points. In other words, normally, the computer will send shift commands to the transmission... the Sport Auto does the same for Drive mode, but waits for driver input for the sport mode.
-Jerry
http://68.5.60.33:8080/pictures/Zoom%20Zoom/
Kad
Bruno
I know I'll still buy a Protege5.
Just from a different dealer.
But it will take longer now to find it and to go get it.
Complaining to Mazda would be hard and a waste of my time anyway, i'm thinking now.
oh well
Man they even gave me the keys.
that was a coool car.
I should be happy that I can afford one as a first car though, even though the first try at getting it had some problems.
Oh and what do you think about that price, 100 over invoice? Is it good or can I get better? I wantta know for monday when I go check out another dealer.
Don't know if you're looking at the re-fresh model and exactly what options you are interested in. You should check out Edmunds TMV and also CarsDirect.com.......that should give you a good idea about what a decent price is. You might even consider placing an order w/CarsDirect to see if they can find the car you want for you. I got mine that way and was very pleased with them....not too pleased w/the dealership....but CarsDirect treated me well.
Good luck....and don't give up!! It'll be worth it in the end.
Sharon
good thing you left before signing the papers. Should never let them slip by you like that. But I'm wondering, when you were test driving the car, did you check out the odometer????
anyway, 19,600 for a 'loaded' P5 sounds too fishy. I wonder if they 'manufactured' a fishy invoice price for you to see
it wasn't the refreshed one and it had these options:
OPTION: AB3 = ABS WITH SIDE AIRBAGS
OPTION: AW3 = 16in. POLISHED ALLOY WHEELS
OPTION: AT1 = 4-SPD AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION W/OVERDRIVE
OPTION: MR1 = POWER SLIDING GLASS MOONROOF
OPTION: CDC = IN-DASH 6-CD CHANGER
OPTION: CGN = CARGO NET
OPTION: FLM = CARPETED FLOOR MATS
OPTION: MND = MOONROOF DEFLECTOR
OPTION: PSL = PERIMETER SHOCK SENSOR ALARM
OPTION: WLK = WHEEL LOCKS
after doing the edmunds price thing i get
$18,730 invoice
$20,610 msrp
$19,659 tmv
so the invoice he showed me was a bit high
about 150 more
a lot of options i didn't want like the 6cd changer or security system, but i really wanted the moonroof and none of the cars came with the moonroof and not the other junk.
well i sent in a search at carsdirect, so i'll see how that turns up, maybe i'll find a car without all those stupid options
i'm kinda glad i didn't get the car now... maybe i'll find a better suited for me p5!
btw... the payment for the car was 390 in the end for 5 years at 2.9 apr and no down payment
thanks for your input people
be patient! I'm sure you'll find that p5 that fits your needs perfectly!!
They can be adjusted but it is a royal pain in the [non-permissible content removed].
Has Mazda fixed this yet? Anyone with a P5 built in the last few months have a different experience?
I'm in Canada for a couple of weeks and love the look of the p5 without any roof rack or roof rack rails.. is it possible to remove the roof rack rails on the American p5?..
Regards ~m
http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?brochure=981&location_id=540
that contains their "Timing Belt Replacement Guide".
In that guide, the 2001 Mazda 2.0L DOHC (Protege and 626) engine was indicated as being of the "Interfering" type.
Through further contact with Gates, I have been assured by them that their data was in error, and said engine is the "Non-Interfering" type. They will be correcting their guide accordingly.
Sorry to have put forth misinformation, even if I did so unknowningly
Thanks
The fog lights can only be on w/ the low beams. Yes, that's odd, but what can we do? Their purpose is to light up the lane lines in the fog, which is why they're not aimed forward.
I did notice something though. The sport auto makes you flick the stick back to upshift and forward to downshift. Isn't this kinda backwards? I have a Jetta with Tiptronic, and it's the other (logical) way around.
Now I'm looking at another P5 at another dealer, and it has everything I'm looking for at more, except for the ABS and Side Airbags option. I wanted to know what you guys think about the importance of this option, especially to a new driver. The dealer said he'll give it to me for "17,866 this does included freight, destination, and all current incentives." So they probably already chopped of 750 instead of the interest option to make the price look lower. But I want the 2.9 financing for 5 years so the price will be more like 18, 500. That's with every option minus the ABS and airbags, leather, and the special mirror. Still a bit loadedd for me, but I'm finding that these cars either have it all, or jus standard features. And I REALLY want that moonroof. thanks for your help...
kad
edit: I just found out this is the refreshed model(because it says it has 2 extra tweeter speakers... whatever those are). should that increase the value any?
edit: I live in Chicago in case you didn't remember from the other post, and you know the weather is crazy over here. Heavy rain, snow, clear weather we get it all. So maybe that should account into my decision to get ABS.
As for the price...again I'd check the TMV and other pricing guides. I think I paid about $18,400...for a re-fresh model....leather, 6disc cd, sport-auto, floor mats, moonroof w/deflector ...no alarm and regular rearview
mirror.
Good luck!!
Just had to vent...
I think it looks better with the rack on, but I couldn't stand the wind noise. The driving improvement was a nice bonus.
ABS/airbag option is a good one i believe. I wanted that option too but the car didn't have it so i still got it without it. I believe ABS is smarter than your average bear, err, i mean person. an accident happens in a flash, how many people are gonna rememmber to pump their brakes. plus if there is not enough distance all you think about is stopping the car, not pumping the brakes, so you just "floor" the brake pedal.
If you can afford the option and can find the car, definatly? get it.
What color btw?
i really want silver
and i really want a sunroof
and that stupid mazdausa inventory page isn't working
i COULD settle with red
and i haven't seen a blue one yet
so that might look kinda cool
the stupid dealer i went to has a red one with every option and at invoice
but i think i'm too stubbbbborn to go back there
and i've decided to go with abs
so i'll probably go the chicago city dealer, and ask them to order one with whaat i want or install abs and raise the price up. ordering is better for me because i don't want the 6cd changer or secuurity system so that'll lower the price quite a bit.
I agree that many people do just slam on the brakes in emergency situations, but I think people can be trained to properly brake too. My wife, for example, grew up driving the snowy gravel roads of rural Alberta w/out ABS, so she is very capable of handling a car w/out ABS in the city. I learned to drive on gravel roads in Colorado during the summer, so my braking skills are, I believe, adequate to keep me from "needing" ABS in emergency situations.
but yellow and red a bit flashy for me
i don't like white much
so blue and silver is all that's left i think
i'm too lazy to have a black car, and it gets too hot anyway
i haven't seen a blue one, but it looks nice in pictures
and the silver one i've seen and it looks kickass
i can say that on this board right?
hehehe
The blue is very nice, but our OB wagon is dark blue, and the Impreza RS I traded in to get the P5 was also blue, so I was tired of blue cars.
The yellow is sweet, and very hard to find. That means it'll cost a bit more. It also seems hard to find a base model in yellow.
Red was my second choice, but the way I drive I need to deflect attention, not attract it.
Silver and white just don't appeal to me. Personal opinion. To each his/her own.
In terms of colour, the dark blue will be almost as big a PITA as black. Any dark colour is like that, although black is THE worst! My '01 black mica LX 2.0 shows dirt like there's no tomorrow. If a drop of water gets on the paint, you'll see it after it dries.
BTW, I do live in Alberta and ABS is great IMO. I've only had one situation where it couldn't help, but no amount of braking of any type could have helped in that case.
Also, people will say, "you don't need ABS, just threshold brake." Umm...ok...how are you gonna apply *just* the right amount of foot pressure instantaneously? IMHO, in a panic situation, most people will jam on the brakes. Where ABS "fails" is when people don't steer and just stomp on the brake.
I had a couple opportunities this spring to try and use them in the fog and they simply didn't help as aimed from the factory.
subyaudidude, if you have found that they are aimed correctly on your P5, maybe Mazda has fixed their assembly line. When was your P5 built?
Life is short. Don't waste your time dealing on a car you don't really want. Keep searching for the P5 you want or place an order with a dealer you like and wait for it to be shipped.
Your buying a new car for a fair bit of money. You don't want to always have regrets that you settled for the wrong one.
And my 2 cents on ABS; If your going to find yourself driving on snow or ice, get the ABS. ABS has helped me out on a few occasions here in MinneSNOWta.
i'm gonna get what i want!
hehehe thanks
The black car I had was a 2001 Protege ES2.0, and I had to get the windows tinted to keep the car cool inside. It was that hot in there in the (95-100 degree) summers we have in Maryland. I will never buy another black car again.
The easiest to keep clean is white, because it's hard for the car to show dirt. The second easiest was silver, which also helps hide small scratches.
I must say that I didn't think I would like white....but since seeing a couple....think they're quite nice....and you don't see as many of them which is nice.
Like someone posted before....the car pretty much looks good in all colors....just each has a little different slant to them I guess. Soooo....basically ...you can't go wrong!!
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but you can read many, differing, informed, pro and con opinions in this discussion about ABS...
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=387490
My 2 posts from that discussion:
------------------------------------------------------------
My random thoughts on ABS...
• I've driven 4+ months a year in crappy weather for 15 years. Only 1 car ever had ABS and it never kicked in. Learning how to properly stop and steer your car, even in panic situations, isn't an option in the Northeast, it's a requirement. At least if you want to avoid accidents.
• If it came with the car, great, but I won't pay extra for it. Especially when manufacturers bundle it with other crap I don't want/need like side airbags and moonroofs (the only way to get ABS on my P5, thus no ABS).
• I think it's far more useful in larger, heavier vehicles then in light, FWD cars. The less connected to the road you are, the more likely you are to lock 'em up.
• It's ridiculously expensive to fix when it breaks. I plan on keeping this car for a lllloooonnnngggg time.
• I'll take snow tires and no ABS over all-seasons and ABS any winter day.
• Murphy's Law disctates that my lack of ABS, and my opinions against it, will someday cause me to wish I had it.
------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not pretending to be some superhuman-Mario Andretti-like-uber-driver... but I learned how to drive in the worst of weather. I also never had the benefit of ABS until recently.
So I learn to drive in rural New England without ABS. I learn how to stop my car, quickly, and under control, in ALL sorts of situations and conditions. So why exactly do I suddenly NEED to be able to just tromp the pedal and steer around all these accidents?
I've been lucky and careful enough to never be in an accident, but I've had my share of close calls. In none of them was "steering while applying full braking" an option. Stopping as quickly as possible has been my #1 accident avoidance maneuver, and I suspect that is so for most folks.
Say I'm flying down the highway and the guy in front of me starts spinning, I am doing 1 of 2 things. 1. Stopping as quickly as possible. 2. Hoping to get around him, in which case, I'm not trying to STOP my car while doing this... heck... I might even be accelerating.
If you want it great and good for you. I'll take it if it's on the car I buy. But if I have to pay extra for it and it's bundled with even more crap I don't need or want... forget it.
------------------------------------------------------------
Just my opinion. :-)
At least you can get an idea of what they have before you call or visit. Personally, I look for "stripper" versions: no ABS, no moonroof, no 6-CD changer, MT. Since even the non-optioned ones are basically ES trim level, they're very well-equipped. I'd probably add a cargo mat, cargo net and floor mats, but that's about it.
I do note that most have a few options (moonroof & ABS being amongst the most common, chromed wheels seem to follow shortly after).
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