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Mazda Protege5
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Comments
Otherwise it's possible to buy online 195/50R16 Michelin winter tires.
Bruno
Just my $0.02's.
The only knock is that as they wear down they get louder. Since that is true of nearly every performance-oriented tire, including the Dunlop SP5000's, that is really no biggie.
I'll be going for the popular "+0 upgrade" to the 205/50-16 btw.
Bill
I'm sure it's a cover your butt issue. I had one local shop tell me they wouldn't mount anything other than OEM size. They just don't want the wonderful attorney's to come calling if something goes wrong.
If you want 205, get 205. I think there is enough experience on all the varios boards to show there isn't a problem.
I'm pretty confident I've seen P5's with the car seat placed in the middle, but i could be mistaken. Or maybe different model car seats have greater success fitting in the middle? Do you think this is a safety hazard for your daughter, or just an inconvenience?
Overall, how has the P5 faired in terms of getting you, your family, and your family gear around places? I'm sorry for all the questions. My wife and I are having our first child (also a girl) this November, and I think we made the best decision in buying a car that was small urban-family friendly, yet not a bore to drive, and I guess I'm hoping that your experiences can confirm that...
...or maybe we should've gotten the mini-van ;0).
thanks.
ant
The current Protege sedan is better looking and seems more solidly built than the current and previous Civic sedan, both inside and out, and the P5 is even better than the sedan. The utilty of the P5 over the Civic sedans and the little two-door Civic hatchback is clearly superior. Automagazines praise the driving pleasure of the Protege over the Civic (and other competitors), and according to Consumer Reports the Protege line has proven to be extremely reliable.
So wouldn't it make sense that sales of the P5 be comparable, if not superior, to the Civic? I don't dislike the Civic, or the Corolla (which is so bland i barely acknowledge it's existence). I sincerely just d n't get why P5's aren't as abundant on the road.
The P5 is my daily commuter. We bought a CR-V in December for the family. We have 2 dalmatians that we generally drop off at the kennel when we travel and they won't fit in the P5 with the kid, the wife and the luggage. It really was quite a bad situation for a guy that HATES SUVs. It makes me smile when people say the CR-V is nothing more than a tall wagon, that's EXACTLY what I wanted.
Anyway, I drive my little girl to day care every morning on the way to work and we have a great time. (She's 5 months old.) If we had to use it, the P5 would make a good family vehicle. It does in Europe and Asia. Of course it won't be as peppy loaded to the gills but, who cares?
There are so many things for the baby though. You'll learn how to pack like a dad! You've been practicing your entire life...right?
After realizing that so many people buy a mini-van, suv, or large wagon when starting a family, I started having second thoughts about trading my Pathfinder in for a smaller car. Still, I finally admitted to myself that I wasn't the type of person to ever go off-road, and I couldn't justify the ridiculous amounts of money I was spending on gas with a baby on the way. So I stuck with my initial decision to get a more fuel efficient car.
People were telling me to keep the SUV for lugging around the baby's things, but I just couldn't imagine a stroller, diaper bag, playpen, and a couple of bags of luggage NOT fitting in the P5's hatch area. And my wife really wanted a smaller car that she could drive and park more easily. So we decided anything bigger would be unnecessarily excessive, and the P5 was the best small wagon available.
So, unless I grow three inches (I'm 5'9" and 26 y.o.), my wife miraculously loses her allergy to pets and decides she wants a dog, or we find out that the ultrasound was wrong and we're actually having triplets, I believe our baby will be sitting in the middle of the bench where I can keep an eye on her, and all our things will comfortably fit in the back of our P5 (after I learn to pack like a Dad).
We bought the P5 a month after our first child was born. It has proved to be a great baby mobile.
When the car seat was rear facing in the middle of the back seat I was a little short on front legroom. My infant seat (a Fisher Price Stay-in-View) actually fit in between the front seats so that I could move back a little bit. So it was a little tight for a while, but nothing that we couldn't live with.
Once he hit a year, and we turned the seat to forward facing, we haven't had any problems. I put the toddler seat in the outboard passenger side and it fits in perfectly.
We haven't had any trouble hauling gear either. I put my Radio Flyer All Terrain wagon in the hatch along with the assorted stuff for a day at the park.
We were in need of a "family" car and the P5 has proved to be that and much more.
Good luck with the new baby Antonio.
Up until I recently lost 68 pounds (and counting!) I had my seat back almost all the way... never an issue. I guess a lot of it depends on the shape of your child seat. It varies widely by brand.
We've found or P5 to be an excellent family vehicle. We added a small XPORT roof-top box for added storage, but otherwise, it's been perfect.
Just hitting 40k on mine ('02, 5spd, base) and it's been near perfect. Other then scheduled maintenance, I've had to put on new rear brake rotors and pads due to a sticking caliper. This is a common problem up here in the great white north. I know now to keep the caliper lubed.
Parts are expensive through the dealership and ogften backordered. i found calipers at a very good local Foreign Auto Parts place that cross-referenced them, but pads were tough. You need the clips as well and the only way to get them is to order the pads from Mazda. I had them overnighted from http://www.mazdaformance.com/protege.htm in Houston. Very helpful and good prices.
The dealership in Concord, NH (nearest to me) wanted nearly $400 to fix my brakes. Yikes! I did it for less then $200, but it was a bit tricky to get it all back together. I need a thrid hand and smaller fingers.
I run 195/55-15 Michelin Arctic Alpins on 15" steel wheels from about Christmas, through late March-early April. Still, I'll need to be replacing the stock Dunlop summer rubber next year. As the tires have worn, wet grip is down and noise levels are way up.
I intend to go to the 205/50-16 or 205/45-16 Kumho's when I change off my snows next spring.
Great car, couldn't be happier. It will be in the family a long, long time.
That's funny!
Ever since we bought the Escape I've become accustomed to folding the rear seats down and just throwing everything in without a care in the world. It was just the two of us so why not? Back when we had the ZX2 and Civic (both coupes mind you) we frequented IKEA and had to get very creative on their loading docks. I'm proud to say that we never had to have anything delivered!
My how things change.
I guess I had better start practicing again. Is there a class I can take somewhere?
I figure with the 60/40 split seat, you'll have plenty of room. I'll tell you though, there is so much more to haul around than I ever expected. BTW, if you're looking for a nice diaper bag, Eagle Creek makes a back pack that's nice. It's not too girly so I don't look any sillier carrying it than I do without it.
Tonee you said you'd be okay as long as the ultrasound didn't show triplets, are you having twins?
And, as far as I know, there is only one baby on the way (knock on wood).
Ant
I also hit 22,000 miles today - Wild! The tires supposedly have 10K left on them, and I have definitely rung some G's out of them.
My only issue with the car are the engine, it still seems rough even though it usually shows some punch, and the weak stereo. My next car will fix those issues.
Of course, picking on Camaros in twisties is easy. They corner horribly; they're pretty much straight-line cars. What a bore. |0....
Sometimes I feel like I'm being a little too anal, since it really is a very small knick.
Thanks.... Terri
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Also, for future reference, you will find direct links to your last 5 messages on your user profile page. In the left hand column of any of the Town Hall pages, click on the link that says "My Profile."
Good luck, and please keep us posted on your purchase.
To boggse - Thanks for your help. ;-)
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
Ant
Bruno
I don't regret switching the oil - I moved to synth and it idles noticeably smoother and quieter - but the benefit from a flush-that-initial-debris-out standpoint was nonexistent to the point of being ridiculous. I'm talking about the new M6 4-cylinder here, though - so YMMV!
With my P5 I waited until 3,800, then went to Mobil1 5W30.
Do yourself a favor and take it somewhere to get it changed the first time. I just learned the hard way. Man did I learn.
I had a hard time getting the oil filter off my Protege the first time, but I couldn't even budge the one in the P5. They tighten them on pretty hard at the plant, it seems. Eek. Let the dealership service department remove it the first time. I ended up refilling her oil with regular without replacing the filter. Next oil change (which I'll do from now on) it'll get converted to synthetic too.
I see that this size is very difficult to replace.
http://www.toyo.com/
So for day to day driving I'm very happy I went with that size. Performance in the rain (which has been almost every day), has been very good.
Price was good too. Bought online at tires.com and paid $80 each with free shipping and no sales tax. Costco charged me $11 to mount and balance the new tires and discard the old tires.
Another member whose wife drives a P5 followed my lead and bought the same tires, also from tires.com.