Mazda Protegé

binden

the dealer salesman said that the only sunroof that is factory installed is on the ES GT package. All the other sunroofs are installed by apple autoglass( a local type windsheild store).

I pictured a bunch of 20 year old teens cutting a hole in the roof and doing a half-[non-permissible content removed] installation. If i was to get a sunroof id only get the model that has it installed in the factory.

fowler3

I think your dealer is full of it. The moonroofs are installed at the factory. And not, as vocus said, "before the car is even made." LOL!

vocus: Where do they put it if the car hasn't been made? Is the hole hanging from the ceiling waiting for the car to come down the assembly line? j/k

Aftermarket moonroofs are not as strong because the car doesn't have the additional roof support and frame modifications. They are simply holes cut in the roof with a rubber gasket around the glass.

Better to go with what you have and later trade for one with a factory moonroof. Instead of adding value it depreciates it more. Used buyers wonder if it leaks.

fowler3

vocus

I meant the sunroof hole is cut in the car's body before everything else is added. Funny face.

fowler3

Maybe some roof panels have holes punched in them before being welded to frames. That would seem more plausable. In that sense, they are made before the car is.

fowler3

dinu01

I had unidirectional tires (I think that's what they're called) before on my previous car. The installer MUST install them with the arrows showing the way the car's wheels will be turning when going fwd. This allows the water/snow to be channelled through in a way that eliminates these elements as soon as they enter the tire's thread. Make sure the tores are installed the correct way on the rim; maybe that's why your arrows don;t match.

sandman46

I went to the show on thursday, my birthday, and fell in lust with the Pro! They had a white ES and a silver LX and both were wonderful! I must admit that I preferred the LX over the ES. No one else was around so I probaly sat in the LX for about 40 minutes total. I compared it with the Corolla, which is my current ride, the Civic, the Focus, and the Sentra and the Pro left them all in the dust! Help me, I'm in love with an automobile! (Would this be considered adultry if my wife ever found out, LOL).
But really, you guys are quite lucky to be driving your Pro's. I've been lurking in your forum for months and finally understand why y'all love your Pro's so much. I'll keep dreaming though and one day soon, who knows...

newcar31

Jeez, I see you bought yourself a Jetta. It just seems kinda strange that you would get a VW after all that harping about the problems that you have encountered with your Mazda. I would have guessed that you would have gotten a Honda or a Toyota. I sure hope you're happy with it.

theparallax

Paul, how much did you get for a trade-in on the Protege? Hope you enjoy the Jetta, they sure are nice cars...looks great, put together well, solid as a vault, safe, great engine (1.8T), only thing I wish it had was a better handling suspension a la Mazda Protege.

bjewett

Anyone know what rental car companies rent Proteges? Is Hertz one? Others?
I'm looking to rent in Denver soon.

THanks..

pjd58

vocus

I have been found out. Sorry guys, but I drove that 1.8T Jetta with the Sport Luxury and I was hooked. I got $11,500 for trade on my Protege, and my interest rate dropped like 2% too. (The KBB value was $10,600 on the Pro, and mine had a cracked windshield and was scratched to hell.)

I had wanted a Jetta since they came out in 1999, and didn't get one because of the predicted reliability. I did get the 1.8T, which is a great and proven engine. Also, mine is a 2002 so the warranty matches the Mazda's at 50,000 miles. Also, I had problems with the Protege too, so every car has problems. I hope it will remain trouble-free though.

My friend (the one who accompanied me to the MAPP)jokingly said "no more Protege Picnics for you now". I feel kinda bad, because now I am kinda a rival. I won't be comparing the Protege to the Jetta though. They are both great cars, but have different feels behind the wheel of them, and are in different price classes somewhat (mine is a loaded GLS 1.8T, $25K sticker). Happy motoring in your Proteges, and I will still be here chatting about my experiences with the two Protege I had.

protegextwo

Be careful on excessive mileage, I've heard turbo's cost a LOT of money to fix and that 100,000 miles is there usual life span.

-Larry

protegextwo

No subcompact car that costs $24,400, should be compared with a $17,000 econo sedan, lol!

Paul, you now own a car, that is compared with a Acura Integra RSX or Subaru Impreza WRX! ;-) My only concern for you, is your happiness. Sounds like you made the right choice! Good Luck!

-Larry

ashutoshsm

Here's a toast to your new car, and hoping you enjoy owning it for many trouble-free miles! Which will be racked up pretty soon, knowing your average daily mileage!

I'll be following your posts and reports on the Jetta board too, as its among my top few choices for a new car, come mid/late 2002 :-) (Unless the Mazda Familia Sport Wagon with 180hp and AWD gets here, or the Mazda 6 Wagon!)

mazdafun

Since you got them from Tire Rack, they probably mounted a pair rotating in one direction and another pair rotating in the other. Just move the offending wheels to the other side and you'll be OK. For rotation purposes, you can only swap them front-to-back.

mazdafun

On a set of Borbet type "T"s. I kept the same tire size (185/65R14). I'll let you know what I think of them.

sfrat

I seriously looked at Jetta's too. Reliability and crappy warranty turned me away. Very nice cars though, I'm sure you'll be happy. I'm glad you were able to improve your financing. It made sense with the financing deals that were being offered

protegextwo

The lower interest rates being offered presently are truly awesome. However, it never pays to roll negative equity on one car into a new car even at 0% interest. However, if a person can't live with his present vehicle, I guess "rolling over" negative equity is one way out.

-Larry

black01coupev6

Just got back from a trip to Florida in my Protege. It really is a great highway car. I was averaging just at 30 MPG going between 75-90. I can judge a car's greatness by how long I am able to drive it without feeling sleepy or looking at my fiance jealously as he sleeps away in the passenger seat. I didn't get sleepy once and we usually switch drivers every 100 miles on long trips but I drove to the GA/FL border (about 250 miles from my house) before I reluctantly gave the keys up. The only other car I felt the same about was my 98 Civic EX sedan. I drove that car all the way to Wilmington NC (7 hour drive) without wanting to stop.

vocus: Congratulations! I hope you have better luck than some of the other 1.8T owners. They were having crazy problems with the oxygen sensor last year that kept them out of operation for weeks at a time while VW got the part. The Jetta also used to be on my list but the bad reputation (plus a few experiences of my own in driving later model VW's) kept me away from it.

protegextwo

Where did you go to visit in Florida, last week? The weather looks pretty rough today in South Florida!

I will check in with my friend, vocus from time to time for his feelings on the V-Dub Jetta's reliability and satisfaction. I truly love "German Styling". If I needed a new sedan today, the Volkswagen Passat GLS would be the first car, I would test drive. You can get a nicely equipped full size Passat sedan for under $25,000. The 2002's Passats come with the improved 50,000 mile warranty and they based on that awesome Audi A6 chassis! My concerns with any V-Dub,....poor dealer network reputation in North America and Volkswagens Passats and Jettas 2001 reliability has deteriorated to below average in Consumer Reports Owners Poll's.

-Larry

black01coupev6

We went to Clearwater/Largo. It was very nice there. Nice breeze. It does appear to be pretty rough in S. Florida. My mom is moving down there. She attracts hurricanes. My sister is soon to follow, they are both in the process of closing on their houses down there. Floridians beware! They moved to Wilmington a few years ago and that season they had 3 hurricanes threaten the Wilmington, NC area. Now my mom has been in Florida for a week and there's already a hurricane.

I loved the Jetta 1.8T when I drove it I just couldn't get over the quality issues. Same with BMW's and MB. I do not like making unscheduled trips to the dealer if it's under warranty and free any more than if I have pay for it out of my own pocket. If I needed a new sedan today I would probably opt for another Accord or the TL-S. If I just needed another car I would lean towards the RSX-S, CL-S, or the new CR-V.

vocus

Thanks for all your congrats. I appreciate it alot. And my Jetta is a 2002, so it has the 50K warranty on it (only way I would have it). As far as the dealership, I bought it from the largest network dealer in Maryland, who have won accolades upon accolades for their customer service, and the sales manager and dealer were very nice throughout the deal. Also, I didn't roll over any negative equity onto my new Jetta. I had to put down a healthy down payment though. And, my Jetta is financed for one year shorter as well than the Protege was. I am paying about the same for the Jetta as I would have the Protege, thanks to the lower interest rate, maybe about $2000 more. But it's a loaded GLS 1.8T too, so that's cool with me.

protege_fan

Congrats again. Hey what colour is your Jetta? Don't tell me you went for a black car again!!

PF

vocus

No, complete opposite. It's Cool White. But it does have black leather inside though.

maltb

hehehe...Congrats. At least you picked something else fun to drive. I came out of a Jetta with 180K trouble free miles before my 98 Pro. Unfortunately, many others never see VWs like that. Lets hope yours was built on a good day!

fowler3

I can't believe it, but guess you really did make the change. Don't you love the congratulations followed by bad news reports. Yeah, Paul congrats...as they stick the knife in and twist it. LOL!

Aren't Jettas made in Mexico now? You could drive it back to the factory if need be. Just like the Brits do with their Jaguars.

I still look at cars even though my '01 Pro LX 2.0 has only 4,489 miles on it. I don't know what I would trade for, but it would not be a Honda because of the dealers here. Bought Hondas for 13 years prior to the
Protegé.

My only real complaint about the Pro is the seat hurts my back. No lumbar support! My original complaint about the ride has more to do with the rough neighborhood roads in NC -- patches and potholes everywhere.

fowler3

vocus

Yeah, I did notice how everyone congradulates and then stabs. That's kinda messed up, but that's cool. I can take it. I know I like my car alot, and that's all that matters to me right now. If I have problems, the dealer is really good and also, the warranty is the same as the Protege's was, for 50,000 miles or 4 years (one more year, but I drive alot so it will be 50K).

I have lumbar support in my Jetta, because I got leather heated seats. You wouldn't believe the difference in driving dynamics between the two though. I didn't know it would be that different. I got the 17" wheels and sport suspension, so it handles the same or better than the Pro did, and the ride is better as well.

mdaffron

... had to pick myself up off the floor. And I can't believe all you guys are so congratulatory of Paul. Got better financing? Sure! But what a hit he took in the wallet! How long did he have the car, six months? Paid something like $17K for it, and got $11,500 in trade? What a stupid waste! And he had his 1999 DX for only two years before trading it in on this one. Or was it that long? How long ago did you ditch the Cavalier, Paul?

Geesh Paul, you never will get out of living with your dad as long as you keep digging yourself a bigger and bigger hole. I'd be interested to know how much you're paying a month for your Jetta. $450? $500? More?

But I guess I'll have to ask you over on the Jetta topic. Since you don't own a Protege anymore, nor are you shopping for one, according to the hosts, you're not welcome here anymore.

You really have flipped, Paul. What's next year's car? An Audi? Saab? BMW? You're climbing the ladder I climbed in the mid-80s -- only yours is much steeper -- it's the ladder that I finally reached the top of in a Saab, and when reality kicked in, all I could get financed for was a $7,100 Hyundai Excel -- and then only when my dad co-signed.

Good luck -- you'll need it. You calling us "funny face?" I've got one for you -- "FICKLE FACE!" Oh -- and "LOAN OFFICER'S DREAM."

Meade

maltb

sucks to be meade's friend today

protegenic

Every time Paul says he is going to drive a car into the ground, it is Vocus-code for he is going to buy a new car! The Jetta is a nice car, but no car is worth going into the red like that, IMO, especially for such incremental gains between the two cars. I have been paying on my 99 ES for two years and am just now beginning to get close to not being underwater! To each their own I guess. I am glad you finally got what you have wanted for a while, Paul. I hope it gives you many miles of happy motoring.

Meade, I think you need to take off the gloves and stop sugar-coating your opinions so much! Ouch!

mdaffron

... or I'll bring up my truck again.

;-)

Meade

mdaffron

I actually had to delete several lines after I typed them. Paul and I have known each other for more than a year ... actually a year and a half ... and I never thought he could be that stupid. Yeah, Paul, stupid. STUPID!!!

Meade

vocus

I got the Jetta because I wanted it. No one else pays my car payment, the last time I checked. I will say the payment didn't go up that much, but will not tell what it is because it's no one's business unless they are paying it.

And as far as the hosts, I will be coming here as much as I want and reading and posting like I always have. As long as I don't flame (which I don't think is proper anyway), then there shouldn't be a problem.

And why go for an Audi now, when I got all the atrributes in a car that was a couple thousand less? I am happy with it and that's all that matters.

mdaffron

... you could have spent the same money and bought the Audi! It's one thing to have the Jetta; it's quite another to be financing the equivalent of an Audi just because you can't control yourself!

Why not go for an Audi now, Paul? I mean, you've had the Jetta a couple of days. Aren't you getting tired of it yet?

You know, Paul, you were more than happy to share how much you paid on your previous two cars with us ... I think the REAL reason you're not sharing that info now is because you're too embarrassed to admit what a financial [non-permissible content removed]-whooping you just took. I'll bet you're paying close to $500 a month for that Jetta. Which is more than half our mortgage, LOL!!!

Meade

P.S. I'm going to start a "Paul's Quote of the Day" message. Here's Paul's quote for today:

"I am happy with it and that's all that matters."

OK, stop yer snickerin, everyone. Let's wait and see how long 'til he JETTAsons this car.

vocus

I am not sharing because of the sheer nastiness that's been in the past couple posts. I am trying my hardest to be nice here, but it's getting pretty hard. I don't need anyone to tell me how stupid I was to get a Jetta. I know it wasn't the smartest decision, but I made it nonetheless. And the car payment on the Jetta is $30 more than I was paying for the Protege, which was $425. Since the interest went down, I saved some money on the financing.

groharlem

I would choose a VW jetta over a Pro if i were to buy a new car . VW doesn't bs around like mazda does with the specs of the cars. when they say 170 hp, they mean it, they don't say 130 like mazda when they should be saying 115-120. (put your 2.0 on the dyno, you'll find it getting 100hp to the wheels...i highly doubt the tranny soaks up 30 whp)

protegenic

It is your business and it isn't any of ours. But then we wouldn't be your friends (or virtual friends) if we didn't give you some grief about it! After all, that is what guys do, right?

After saying that, I'm glad your monthly payments didn't go up too much. Are they doing 7 and 8 year loans now? Sorry, couldn't resist!

Paul, as long as the Jetta floats your boat, then you are going to have to take our taunts for a few days, and just smile every time you get behind the wheel knowing you are satisfied in your decision.

vocus

Actually, my term shortened to 4 years from 5 for the Protege. So I am saving some money.

mdaffron

You SAVED MONEY? On whose planet?

I'm paying $284 for my 2000 ES, fully loaded with a 7-year, 100,000 mile extended warranty! So you were already paying almost exactly 50 percent more for your Protege than I did for mine.

YEEOOOWWWWCHHHH!!!!

Hey, I try to be nice too ... but I'm just floored by this. I thought you had more sense than that. $455 a month for a $22,000 car? How in the world did you get it financed?

Meade

protegextwo

>"Yeah, I did notice how everyone congradulates and then stabs."<

>"Don't you love the congratulations followed by bad news reports. Yeah, Paul congrats...as they stick the knife in and twist it. LOL!"<

I really hope you guys were not referring to my posts? I have been a solid and loyal internet friend to Paul for over 18 months. The fact that he purchased a different make of car changes nothing.

>"I will check in with my friend, vocus from time to time for his feelings on the V-Dub Jetta's reliability and satisfaction. I truly love "German Styling". If I needed a new sedan today, the Volkswagen Passat GLS would be the first car, I would test drive. You can get a nicely equipped full size Passat sedan for under $25,000. The 2002's Passats come with the improved 50,000 mile warranty and they based on that awesome Audi A6 chassis! My concerns with any V-Dub,....poor dealer network reputation in North America and Volkswagens Passats and Jettas 2001 reliability has deteriorated to below average in Consumer Reports Owners Poll's."<

The above post speaks for itself, NO back stabbing in site? Just praise of German Styling, unabashed admiration of the V-Dub Passat, and the hope that Paul, will help dispel the perception of the poor V-Dub dealer network and a less the top box reputation for Jetta reliability.

>"Be careful on excessive mileage, I've heard turbo's cost a LOT of money to fix and that 100,000 miles is there usual life span."<

Paul already stated that all vehicles have there problems. V-Dub Turbo's can cost a lot to fix and are not useually associated with work horse automobiles?

Furthermore, my post to Steve Frat was just a discussion on rolling over negative equity. Never did I suggest Paul made a financial miscue.

-Larry

mdaffron

I was the one who suggested (OK, outright SHOUTED) that Paul made a financial miscue. I admit it!

(And sorry, after knowing a few folks who've had VW products of late, a VW is NOT the first, second, or third car I'd test drive right now! Hmmm, lookie at all those New Beetles on the used car lots!) Love that European engineering, flair and PARTS PRICES!!!

(Spoken from experience -- quite a SAAB story, in fact)

Meade

vocus

Yeah you did downright shout. I am not a child and don't enjoy being shouted at either. If it's going to be like that, then I will not visit this board anymore. Also, my car stickered for $25,000. It's loaded with everything available. I paid $800 under MSRP for it, or $600 over invoice. And you say we have been friends for 18 months? Then why are you flaming me about my car choice and telling me how stupid I am? Think about that.

Larry, your posts were not the ones that were offensive, at least not to me. And I will probably get an extended warranty when the car gets older, to cover the turbo in it. It is a very nice car though, and I like it alot. It feels like a luxury car when driving it. It's also dangerously (for me) fast. I need to learn to watch my speed. Caught myself going almost 90 yesterday in it, and it felt like 50.

pcalvin

My CD player just ate another CD on Saturday. IT is a completely normal CD without any labels. I remember a post a while back about how to get the CD out by just cutting the hard-line power. I would like to know how to do that without disconnecting my battery. It is at the fuse box like in older cars? My only experience with wiring car stereos is in a '70 Impala, so I'm not up-to-date with my wiring specs.

mdaffron

Because only friends can say things like this to each other. I don't hate you; I just think you did an incredibly stupid thing. And I think anyone here would agree. You just don't buy a brand-new car and trade it in six months later. You're going to reach a point, if you haven't already, where you can't afford to eat, live or enjoy life because you're hopelessly upside-down in an astronomically huge car payment. I'd say "Bravo" if that huge payment was going toward something it was worth ... but you just paid Dom Perignon prices for a six-pack of beer (nice German beer, I'll admit).

Please tell me this ... If the car really did sticker for $25,000 (funny, I priced it through VW with the options you posted on the VW Jetta topic and it came out to $22,740), even if you paid $800 less, you still were upside down in the Protege after trade-in. So how did you wind up with four years at $455? It doesn't add up. You should be way over $500 a month. Unless you put down a whopping big down payment -- but if you had had that money laying around, you would've put it toward your Protege, wouldn't you?

mdaffron

Yeah, there's a fuse. I don't remember which one, but if you pull the cover (near your left leg) there's a diagram. But I don't know if disconnecting the power will eject a jammed CD. My player wouldn't read a brand-new CD I bought at Best Buy on Sunday; then I had an idea -- the CD player had been in direct sunlight for an hour and was very hot to the touch. After 15 minutes of driving, I felt the front of the player again and it was cooler. I popped the CD in and it played fine!

Meade

vocus

My car is a 2002 Jetta 1.8T GLS with Sport Luxury Pkg., Leather Pkg., NE emissions, Tiptronic, and Monsoon. The sticker was $24,8xx on the window. I put down $4000 from the Protege's negative equity to cover it. I am paying either $455 or $485 (can't rememeber right off) for 4 years. It's the Driver's Option though. So I can turn it in after 4 years, or refinance the remaining which is $6000. So I am paying like $30,000 altogether for the car. I would have paid $25,500 for the Protege $424.95x60 months) and wanted to mod it to the tune of $6000. About the same money right there.

I know I shouldn't have done it, but I have this thing that you can't die with money so why not spend it? I can't ever move out of my dad's (he needs someone to take care of things around the house and all, and I am the only child), so I will never have a house payment unless something happens to him. All I have are credit card bills, which are paid off now. So that's it, car payment and insurance for me. I can handle the extra payment, so I am not worried about it at all.

I think you were very harsh in previous posts though. I appreciate you trying to make me understand the concept of money, but you still came across very harsh.

chicagopro

Ok, so I don't know either one of you personally, but I feel that I've gotten to sort of know you over the last few months through the board. Hope you don't mind my two cents here. (And if you DO mind, I'm sure you won't hesitate to let me know:)

Paul, I think you showed great patience today...patience beyond your 23 years, if that's really how old you are. Many other folks would have flamed Meade right back and told him where to get off.

Meade, of course you have a point. I was a little surprised, too, when I heard Paul had traded in a car that was less than a year old, but money and cars are very personal issues (THAT WE OBVIOUSLY ALL FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT). There's really no accounting for everyone's actions in these areas. I have tons of credit card bills that are unpaid, but I still spend money. I bought a new car instead of used (much to the chagrin of my family) because a new car is what I wanted.

If Paul made a mistake, then I'm sure he'll realize it somewhere down the road...in the meantime, though, I hope he'll still feel comfortable posting here.

And how many cups of coffee did we have today, anyway?

Hugs and kisses to all,
Chicagopro

sandman46

I sat in a Jetta at the Miami Auto Show last week and it is indeed a great car. Loved the way the seat goes up with that funky ratcheting lever. Enjoy it for however long you keep it. I also had the opportunity to spend some time in the Pro. I liked the LX better than the ES, go figure. I love cars so much I wish I could have one for every day of the week. IMO, to each his own. Enjoy what you drive or get what you really want, life's to short and precious!

vocus

Yeah, I am really 23. I tried to be nice, but I was about to go off. I can admire brutal honesty though, because I am like that myself. A couple people gave me grief about the car, but surprisingly my dad (the only family I have left) didn't. He was very supportive and very proud that his 23-year old son was able to afford not one, but two, new cars in one year. He loves the Jetta too. So much, he even offered to wash it for me anytime I wanted. Of course, I will be doing that myself.

pjd58

the 180hp turbo is sweet. My friend has a turbo Jetta and it MOVES! He let's his turbo cool down when he arrives at his destination, by letting the engine run for about a minute. Heat is a killer for turbos, but fun to drive.

BTW, only YOU have to live with your purchase decision! Hope your happy! Good luck!

Pjd58