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Mazda Protege5
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Comments
We are thinking of purchasing an ad vehicle for $15, 738. It has the polished alloys, side blinker thingee, standard CD, keyless, etc. Not a bad deal at all. (We think we can get the credit on the polished alloys since we don't really care for them, no offense to anyone who has them) :-)
Don't forget that Mazda is doing 48 months at 0% APR in lieu of $750 rebate. This is a national offer they are running. It's good til Sept. 3rd.
Meanwhile I'll zoom zoom zoom around in my 2000 Proto. ES
Silver 5 speed with only pinstripping - $16,150
Blue 5 speed with moonroof and mats- $16,900
Red 5 speed with moonroof, mats, perimeter alarm - $17,350
All in all, pretty good pricing for a good car. My last question is whether the Protege5 can fit a set of golf clubs or two without knocking down a seat. Thoughts?
Thanks for all your help. May be buying tonight... waiting on a couple of dealers to give me quotes on what's in their inventory.
Mostly I have 2 bags and a stroller when my wife and I go to the driving range. I was very happy to have that work out.
The prices you quoted seem a bit high. We got our black P5 with only floormats for around $15,800/$15,900.
This is in Chicago area, so that may be affecting prices somewhat. Fortunately there are may dealers in the area!
Bruno
We are going to wait a few weeks.
Does anyone know when the 2003's will be coming in? That will allow the most flexibility for dealers to want to get rid of 2002's. Any changes for 2003's? Or did they do that mid year with the wheels and side blinker?
Thanks all
And for non-houston people, anyone get their moonroof tinted? Why they made that clear glass, I don't know...Oh, and anyone has a caveat or two in general, I'll take those too. Thanks a mil, people.
He made a good point about not going too dark. He said, "What's the point of having a moonroof then?"
I guess if you HATE having it clear, you could go 5% tint and block out 95% of the incoming light.
I though of that few months back here and getting dogged by ... whoever dogs me! Either I open the moonroof, either I close it completely. For me tinted the moonroof is just a waist my money. Oh yeah, tinted windows help greatly in Houston (well at least when it's not raining like last 2 weeks.)
Bruno
Bruno-the-uncompromise
My two favorites:
bagck-plagck...turned out to be spark plug.
ehsaw....turned out to be air shocks.
http://byrneweb.com/sunburn/newcar/
Also, my tint band looked like it was coming off the edge of the windshield when I traded the car in at 20K miles (tint was done around 10K).
I don't think you need ActiveX or animated GIFs.
Usually, I find that I need Java and scripting on for most web sites that are interactive to work. If I manage to keep ActiveX off, and scripting off, I find most of those pop-ups don't pop.
If you are in Chicago area, I recommend contacting as many dealers as you can in your area and others. I ended up buying from Muller Mazda in Highland Park, yet I live in western 'burbs. Seems like many of the dealers still don't get the whole internet thing as less than 60% returned my request for information on their inventory despite telling them that I was planning to buy in a week or less...
Oh well, their loss. If you are interested in a Protege5 in Chicago, I would recommend contacting Mike R. at Muller. Second dealer that worked hard with me was JacobsTwin. All others were average with those that didn't respond (Bill Jacobs and Rosen among others) below that.
One day, dealers will realize that 70% of car buyers use the internet for research before buying a car (according to Chicago Tribune). These numbers will start to use the internet and dealer sites/email to negotiate as well. Those dealers that work this way will profit early and sell more cars IMO.
We have not been able to order P5's for more than a month because the plant has more orders than they can build for the model year.... and they are not accepting any orders until the 2003 change over. The P5 plant builds for all markets, including P5's that are rebadged in other markets as Fords.... So this is a double edged sword...sales are great but we dont have enough build capacity.
Second...I've filled up about 4 times now....and my MpG is only aroung 22mpg tops....ranging from 19 something to about 22. It is a sport auto...and I do drive somewhat hard I guess....quick starts....and fast at times. Nonetheless this seems low to me...Any thoughts? Can I expect an increase the more miles I put on?
As far as mileage goes, I know many people here have complained about decreased mileage. Obviously, hard driving will decrease your expected mileage, as will having an auto tranny. On the flip side, other people have had no problems meeting or exceeding the EPA estimations. On our P5, a base manual, we've been getting between 23 and 26 m.p.g. with mostly city driving. We've only got around 1600 miles on the car, so like you I'm hoping that our mileage gets better as the engine gets broken in.
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
I think the load rating for both body types is 850lbs for passengers and cargo.
Proteges as a whole have been very reliable. Better than the new Civic and Corolla, I think.
I think Protegetech.com has a review of the sportshift auto. Basically, it takes about 1s to execute a shift command, will let you redline the engine, and won't let you do something silly like dropping a gear when already close to redline (it'll basically ignore). Expect economy close to the regular auto. For the extra $100, I'd get it for the additional fun factor and also the ability to hold a specific gear.
The ride is stiffer in the Pro than in the Civic and Corolla, but coming from a sporty sedan, that should be OK with you.
All because the refineries need to pay for the investment into that equipment. It's a crazy world.
On the right-hand side is an article on mid-year changes. He talks about the new sport-shift auto.
Also, I think the Protege is more than worth what I paid for it. It's a great car IMHO.
BTW, I love my car!
Bruno
The other big differences are in fit and finish and general build quality. My Pro is way ahead of my GTP. The GTP, by the way, has been in for repairs 10 times - very disappointing. One time was to have the tranny rebuilt.
One thing to consider on Pro sedan vs. Pro5 - the Pro5 is currently much hotter than Pro Sedan, at least in my area. The end result is that the Pro sedan, being less expensive to begin with, can be had for closer to invoice to boot. Plus, incentives (rebates, etc.) may be better.
EDIT: From MazdaUSA.com:
"Get 0.0% APR for 60 months and make no monthly payments until January 2003 on Protegé and Truck.*
Get 0.0% APR for 48 months and make no monthly payments until January 2003 on Protegé5, 626, Millenia, Miata and MPV.*
Get 0.0% APR for 24 months and make no monthly payments until January 2003 on Tribute.*"
Anyway, the internet guys (Mike Hui and Fred Wurt) were really helpful and informative, and weren't pushy at all. And I really appreciated that on my first "new car" buying experience.
So far so good! Plus I seem to be getting "normal" mileage unlike a lot of new owners, but we'll have to see over time.
One question, though - when should I do the first oil change? I'm thinking that I shouldn't leave the "break-in" oil in until the first service period, but should it be changed at 1500, 3000, 5000, what?