Got 'em installed Friday, and what a difference in the road noise! I can actually hear the air around the A-pillar now! Can't really comment about the handling yet, since I haven't had the opportunity to drive on anything curvy. I'll post more when I do. All in all, I think they are a great tire for what I am looking for. I am willing to trade off some handling for added safety on wet roads, less noise, nicer ride and longer tire life.
Maryboo, I think I can speak for most of here in saying that you would not regret purchasing a Protege. Not only have the vast majority of us have had nothing but great luck with our cars, let's face it, the car just looks good. I have a '99, and the changes they have made in the past three years have just made the car more attractive. Not to mention we have one of the better forums here in my opinion. Good luck with your decision.
I took my Pro in for cooling system maintenance and overheard the sales manager telling the sales staff to get together for updates on new incentives. Have to check them out myself after this.
Maryboo, check to see if your employer has worked any group discounts with Ford. If they offer you the Ford X-plan, then they probably offer you the Mazda S-plan (too bad I didn't learn this BEFORE I got my '99 Pro, but hey, I know this for the next time), which typically gets you a little bit under dealer invoice.
Edmund's price calculator is pretty good at ballparking a figure by region. I'd check your offer against it. A couple hundred difference should be OK. Price sounds OK to me, but I haven't been shopping the ES (looking at the P5!). Does that include destination and any document fees?
I had to swerve quickly into the left lane on the highway today at about 70 to avoid someone who merged right in front of me (probably not looking; typical of the Cincinnati area....I'm getting tired of how careless drivers are around here). Have to say the car handled quite well and was easily controlled. I also credit the Dunlop Sport A2s I replaced the stock Firestone FR680s with. Other than a little noise (not squealing, more like the rumble you get when rolling onto the sidewall a little) from the outer front tire, they performed quite well.
Geez, I wish they'd put drivers through REAL driver's education and road tests. I can't believe how high car insurance is due to the clueless drivers here (cost comparable to CA coast or NYC area, but with much less traffic congestion).
Check out the S-plan before buying. The S-plan, if it is still available, lets you buy a Protegé for 1.5% under true dealer cost, plus the $480 delivery charge everyone pays. Also check with your employer about the X-plan with Ford.
To get the S-plan, you join the Experimental Aircraft Association at http://www.eaa.com and pay $40. There's an 800# to call and they will give you a PIN number. Then call your dealer and ask if they honor the S-plan, if not, call another Mazda dealer.
The best deals are usually at the end of the month when they are trying to make their quotas, and before new models come out. Some of the Pro owners here got good deals last April and May using the S-plan.
Where is the darn oil filter located? I've just been looking under the hood of my new 2002 Pro LX (2.0 L) and find that I cannot even see the oil filter from above. I assume it is to the rear, somewhere under the intake manifold.
Can anyone tell me if the filter is only accessible from underneath? Is there some part (or parts) that must be removed for easier access? Is a proper-sized cap type filter wrench the way to go in removing the filter? And is it true that Mazda uses a crushable, non-reusable washer on the oil drain plug?
Hello gang! Just bought my '02 ES and am looking forward to trading tips, repair experiences (which I'm sure will be few and far between), and zoom zooming adventures on this board. Although I'm new here, I'm actually returning to the Protege family (bought a new '93 LX and loved every minute of it until I totaled it with 90k miles in '98). I can honestly say that car never cost me a nickel above routine maintainence and was the smartest car purchase I ever made. I'm very confident that lightning has struck twice. I'm thinking I should invest in a moonroof deflector--obviously there are some good reasons to do so, are there any reasons not to? Will it add noticebably to wind noise etc. (I do a fair amount of highway driving)?
Took delivery a year ago today...I'm at 8100 mi now. I know that doesn't seem like much to most people, but that's practically 8100 mi more than I've ever driven in my life.
Who knew that I would enjoy driving so much? (I know, I know--it's the Protege that makes the difference!
Congrats and welcome! I'm sure you will love your new ES. I currently own a 01 LX 2.0 and couldn't be happier. I'm also a repeat Protege offender:) I had a 91DX and 96LX and both were flawless.
You'll have to get that oil filter from the bottom. It's the same engine as the 626 which can be removed from the top, but the Protege has less room between the firewall and the intake manifold. You're right, it's under the intake manifold. You can use a small cap, band wrench, or claw, they'll all work. The gasket that Mazda uses looks just like an aluminum Honda crush gasket. You don't have to replace it every time like Hondas though. I noticed the gasket that came with the car is different than the ones that the dealership parts department sells (they sell the Honda knock-offs).
"Hi everyone, this is my first Town Hall post. I come from a loyal Nissan family, but I'm considering the Protege ES. The car I'm looking at has: Automatic Transmission, Premium Package, and Wheel Locks. MSRP is $18,160, and I was quoted $17,403 for this car with 0% 48mos. financing. Is this a fair deal?" -maryboo19
Well, Mike the good folks at Edmunds' offers a service that calculates a True (fair) Market (price) Value on new and used cars. I checked out this info for you. Now, to be completely accurate, I needed to have your zip code and the color of your intended Protege purchase. Nonetheless, I used my zip code, the color white and the prem. package, wheel locks & auto tranny options. Results: Edmunds.com's TMV = $17,356. Keeping that in mind a dealer offer of $17,403 AND 0%-48 is right in the ball park. I could live with that price!
"I am in the New York City area, which may be a factor. I checked out Carsdirect.com and they had the same car for about $1,000 less because of a manufacturer to dealer rebate that ends on 4/1/01. Can someone please let me know if I should go ahead and sign the papers. -maryboo19
Mike, I would take a copy of the Carsdirect.Com print out into the dealership your currently shopping and ask them to match it. I will tell you that the Edmunds'.Com's TMV is supposed to include all customer and dealer rebates. So, I'm not sure why the Carsdirect.Com price quote is so much lower? Nonetheless, thier quote might be a great bargainning tool! Tell them you are a no nonsense shopper and you are ready to buy today, if they can beat their current offer. Mike, give it a try and send me a check for half of what you save, from the first offer! LOL!!! ;-)
ChiPro: Happy B-DAY to your PRO! Did you do anything special for it?
Alternator: Definitely from under the car...
Maryboo19: I prefer the PRO to the Sentra b/c it handles better (sportier suspension and cornering ability), the interior is well done (check out the ES in black!), and it looks much much better. Spoiler is mandatory though.
#7: Welcome to the family . Join us for the weekly PRO chat on Thurdays at 9.00pm eastern. It'll be fun!
Mazdafun: Glad everything's fine (except for those drivers out there of course)
No, I didn't do anything special...I may be a geek, but hopefully I'm not THAT big a geek yet! Did give it a much-needed bath yesterday, though...looks as nice as new!
Regarding the 'mandatory' ES spoiler: I was able to get my 2000 ES (with moonroof, side airbags, etc.) without the spoiler (which is actually the way I wanted it). It was the one on the showroom floor. Not sure why there was no spoiler, but it worked out well for me--color I wanted, too. Who knows, maybe it was a fluke.
It's always nice to see new faces on the Mazda Protegé boards and, hopefully, they will join us on Thursdays in the chat room. The hour goes fast and it's a lot of fun.
For those interested in the new Mazda RX-8 coming out in 2003, here is a good Sneak Preview article with photos:
The interior shot is interesting. Is it the photograph or will the steering wheel really be squared-off at the bottom? Square steering wheels, Nah! Couldn't be.
I wish Mazda had given the RX-8 a more exciting body,something exotic with some character lines on the sides and a radical grille design unique to the car. It's rather plain body may hurt sales.
For something really NEW, even if you are a PC user, check out Apple Computer's new iMac - it's a stunning example of industrial design and what I hoped car manufacturers would do at least by 2002. As they are, most cars are no different than what we have seen the past 10 years.
as exciting to look at as the F-16 fighterplane. Many sports car buyers have said they really want a car that is an F-16 without the wings and tail.
To compete, to create a huge demand, a new product has to grab people's imaginations and run with them. Taking their minds off everything else.
Sheet metal can be stamped out all sorts of ways and not cost any more than a plain, dull-looking body. In other words, it doesn't cost anymore to design a beautiful car than it does an ugly one. Our parking lots are full of plain, all-look-alike, ugly cars.
When you go shopping and park your Protegé, don't you get a *rush* when you see it as you come out of a mall? It stands out among all the drab cars you wouldn't have.
Thanks for your help. You didn't mention having to remove anything to access the filter so I will assume that is not required. I had read somewhere on the web that changing the Pro oil filter was extremely difficult. I've only logged 350 miles to date, so I haven't needed to find out for myself yet!
For those who are interested in car-air-filtration, I offer the following: I bought a Holmes HAP220 HEPA Air Purifier for $30 at Target and a 75 watt inverter for $25 at Wal-Mart. Inverter plugs into cigarette outlet and sits under my passenger seat. Holmes unit plugs into the inverter and sits on the floor behind my passenger seat. I don't use the included "ionizer" (there are safety concerns about ionized air), but I run the air purifier section full-time at low-fan setting (Holmes unit is sized to serve a small room, so will easily handle a car interior). I can't vouch for the quality of the HEPA filter system contained in the Holmes unit, but even minimal HEPA filtration should handily surpass the effectiveness of the air filtration systems now being included on some high-end cars. If applied correctly, HEPA filters will remove more than 99.9% of particles in sizes down to almost atom-sized (far below the 0.3 micron size sometimes referred to as being the limit for HEPA filters). Allergy sufferers please note!
Wow, this forum is a great resource for Protege owners as well as potential owners. I've decided to take the dealer's offer. It's right in line with the TMV, and this dealer has a very good reputation.
Dinu01: They're both great cars, but my mother has an '01 Sentra SE and I wanted something different. Comparing the two, Protege is definitely roomier and better looking inside and out. I think handling is about the same. The Sentra does have better pickup, and a superior sound system. I'd rate build quality and reliability the same.
I drove every car in this class, and I was set on the Elantra GT until I drove the Protege. The 0% financing sealed the deal for me. Protege is definitely tops in this class, however I think the new Corolla may be right there with it.
Congratulations chicagopro. How many owners can say the feel all warm and fuzzy about their car's anniversaries? We just love our Pros that much.
Speaking of which, I just HAD to take my car in to a DIY car wash. Sprayed what I could, and removed a bunch of that disgusting salt and road grime. Can't wait for spring so I can give it a good hand-washing. Vacuumed out both my '99 Pro and my '89 323 today. They needed it bad with all the sand and stuff that got tracked in. Even did my wife's '91 SL2.
Welcome to the group oldnumber7. I was on the chat for my first time last week. It was enjoyable. Nice group of people here.
Fowler, when I initially saw the photos of the new iMac, I was kind of put off by its looks, even though the spec sheets are excellent at their price points. I made the mistake of looking at one in person Saturday (we even have an Apple Store in town...lucky us!) and now I'm all hot to get one to replace my desktop G3. It's a much nicer-looking machine in person. That all-digital display is beautiful! Ugh. I just got an iBook last summer. Have to save up mucho $$$ for one of these.
I expect the first RX8s will go for above MSRP for those who need to be the first to have one. I'd have to try one on for size. I'll be disappointed if I don't fit into it (just like any other sporty coupe or convertible I like that I've come across). If I do, I'll probably wait at least one year for prices to return from the stratosphere. Of course, by then, Mazda might increase the MSRP. I hope it sells well.
If the RX8's styling is off-putting, bear in mind they intend to bring out something more in the spirit of the old RX7. It'll likely be more sporting in looks. I think the RX8 is intended to be a true 4-seater with practical cargo space (although I haven't seen anyone mention the capacity...too distracted by the looks and the rotary, I guess).
Nope, you don't have to remove anything to get the oil filter. I don't know where you read that changing the oil fitler is difficult, because it's not.....when you are under the car. The filter is mounted horizontally but tilted slightly up on the engine block underneath the intake manifold and above the axle. I think the filter is tilted up because when this engine was in 626s, Probes, and MX6s you could get it from the top.
Far quieter and certainly more comfortable than the RE-92 Poortenzas 195/55/15.
The sidewall is nice and thick which gives me the advantage of not having to destroy my alloy wheels when I get a flat, unlike some other tires which has very thin & flimsy sidewalls.
Glad they are working out so well for you! What is that? A black '99 ES. Same thing I have. Nothing like nice new shiny tires to make it look really sweet.
chickoo: Nice looking tires! I like wide tires on cars, gives them that big car stance.
Meade: Yep, they say the iMac looks great in person. The best one is, as usual, the top end. I'm in the same boat, bought a G4 last January and stuffed it with 704MB. Still working on making it my main graphics workstation. But I would love to get an iMac eventually and a load of RAM.
OT: But hey, if we didn't have PC's and Mac's we wouldn't be here, right. And it's our PC's that upload giant tire pictures.
Many thanks to David and Larry several posts back for answering my questions. Great of you to take the time.
Took my daughter's 1.6 Pro out for a little spin today after I gave it a good cleaning. Somebody has to put gas in it, you know. Drove it about 20 miles and noticed pretty consistently an off center steering wheel and a pull to the right. There wasn't a lot of wind here today so I don't think that was the problem. I noticed this before I bought the car, and the dealer took it to have it aligned. Is it possible that a program car(17,000 miles) may hardly ever have had its tires rotated?I'm not good at telling, but could the tires be cupped and causing the pull? Anyway, nothing drives me crazy more than an off center steering wheel. Our main car is an '01 Maxima so I'm used to a car that steers like it's supposed to. Am I expecting too much from the Pro? Anybody else have trouble with pulling to the right?
Also, does anybody know of a good product that will take scratches out of interior plastic( like the part around the ignition or the dash)? How about a good product for exterior scratches?.....sorry this is so long. Thanks in advance for any replies>>>>
Most Protegés have painted dashes so those scratches won't come out by cleaning. The pulling to the right could be the steering or the dealer did not do the alignment. Have it checked at some other shop.
I hate cockeyed steering wheels too.
If it was a program car, was it a rental like Hertz, or a leased car?
I have been looking for a compact as a second car. The used car dealers in my neighborhood have a lot of 2001 Protege Rental Returns with miles in the range of 10,000 to 15,000. I took a Protege for a test drive and found a problem. When the RPMs were somewhere between the 2500 and 3000 Range, I could hear a noise that sounded like something was held between rotating fan blades. This noise was not heard outside of the 2500-3000 range. Has anyone ever had such a problem or was this problem related to just this particular car ?
Then it would be wise for those expecting to trade in a year to sign up now. Join EAA even if you don't trade, you never know, and when the Mazda 6 comes out you may get the trading bug -- really bad.
I have a 2000 protege es (silver)... several months ago I was transporting a propane tank (the grill kind) which I set on the floor in front of the front passenger seat. After I took a couple turns on the highway I noticed that as the tank was sliding around a bit it was actually scratching my glove compartment. It isn't too bad, but there are some minor scratches (one about 3 inches long and a couple other real small ones - they are not very deep, but cannot just be rubbed out).
Any thoughts, or is it a lost cause?? I saw a commercial for that "liquid leather" stuff that claims it can be used on dash boards, but I doubt that would do anything for me... right?
I never used that liquid leather stuff, but I think it's for softer dashboards, and that area is of the harder variety. If you can't rub them out, you might consider replacing the glovebox door if it's a problem. If not, then leave it as is. I don't think it's that expensive to replace the door though. You might wanna check at the local junkyard or with your dealer about it.
After an alignment, the steering wheel should be checked for centering and adjusted if necessary. Sounds like the dealer didn't do so. If the alignment is good, you may have a messed up tire or a bent wheel.
Hi there, thanks for the response. I have a question, what do you mean by "I'm thinking of goin to 205/55-15 cause I don't want to increase revs in 5th gear"? Are you saying that going to a 205/50-15 from a 195/55-15 *would* increase revs in 5th gear? Sorry, I'm a tire newbie.
It was probably just that car. I haven't noticed any noise like that from my car's engine. Then again, I have a 1.6L and not the 2.0L. But if owners here with the 2.0L heard such a sound, they'd definitely mention it!
Regarding the pulling. I'd take it to an independent shop and have them check the alignment, as fowler3 mentioned. Have them make sure the steering wheel is properly centered while they're at it (mine came about 15 degrees off clockwise). I'd also ask them to check tire diameters. If one side is more worn than the other, there'll be enough of a difference to cause your Pro to pull to one side. Even different tires of the same size will create some pull, due to differing grip and roll resistance. I assume you've already driven on both sides of the crown on the road to make sure it's not that.
If an alignment doen't work and the tires check out OK, I'd check the chassis. If it's not "square", they may have sold you a vehicle that's been in an accident and been refurbished (I hope not). I think you'd have to take it to a garage that does body work to have this done.
re: F-16 agree fully. From a purely aesthetics point of view one might assume that it was designed for no other reason than world class good looks, as can also be said for the P-51D.
Wide tires. Agree. My last car was my first with low profile tires. And now the oem Dunlops on my '01 ES. Looks decent. I'll eventually replace them with original equipment tires I like them so much.
BINU; I've had my Pro since june 2001, have 14K miles and have not noticed any untoward noises between 2500-3000 rpm, nor any other rev range. Doesn't sound right to me. I'd pursue it if it was mine. JMO.
Again, thanks to all who responded to my post about my daughter's Pro. Yep, it is a rental, Hertz to be exact. I stopped into the dealer tonite and told him about the problem. He said they'd just run it out to the tire shop and check the alignment. I told him they'd supposedly already done that, he said they'd just check it again. Sounds kinda fishy, huh?
The car seems to be in good shape and like it hasn't been abused too much, but do you think I was a dope for buying a rental? Doesn't Hertz have a fair reputation about taking care of their cars? Thanks again for all your help.....
I had noises around the 2500-3500 RPM range on my 2000 SE 1.6. It didn't last and faded away around 30,000 miles, however, I do notice it returning ever once in a while. I may have the dealer check into it on the next visit.
66falcon, I have the same car, no problems aside from the usual maintenance issues. Since you're preping the car, you may want to see if it still has the stock Firestone 680s, if it does, I'd replace them as soon as possible as they are probably the worst tires on the market today.
I don't check for less than 2 days and I have to go over 20+ posts!
ChiPro: That's a little strange: an ES w/out spoiler in the US. Oh well. Doesn't matter as long as you like it.
Chikoo: Very nice looking! How do you post a picture? I don't have one yet of the PRO, but I will be taking some soon. (Shiny tires look GOOD!)
66Falcon: Make sure you druve it on different surfaces (roads and highways) to be sure it's an issue or not. Some roads have deep crowns even IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE and if you switch lanes, the car feels like it's not alligned properly... (Westbound Finch as you exit the 404 North for the Toronto folks).
2nd snowfall of the year in T.O. (pretty good so far). I am getting the tires rotated tomorow morning. At 21000kms the Poortenzas have little grip on the front wheels. The rear tires look decent and should hold well until fall when I wil actually get a GOOd set of tires. (More tire talk then).
Hertz claims they take care of their cars, but one can't be sure that all Hertz outlets do a good job. Newcar31 is correct. The average rental car has had at least 200 drivers and no one knows how each drove the car.
Sounds like more than one driver likes to hit curbs, run over speed bumps fast, or something like that. Similar to some people test driving a new car, a rental is an opportunity to wring out a model they have heard about.
I'm jealous. An ES w/o a spoiler in the U.S. I try not to dwell on how smooth and clean my particular '01 ES would look w/o that wing-looking thing bolted to the trunk lid. I removed the ES 2.0L decals from aft of the forward wheel wells. Little detail but mine looks better w/o them. Come spring a suspension upgrade.
I'd be leery of buying a rental car based on unknown driver abuse or hard use. I don't abuse my rentals but I rev 'em hard when needed.
ChiPro and Yooper53: You actually like the PRO w/out a spoiler? From the back, from some angles it looks like an upscale European sedan w/out the spoiler, but I think the wing gives it a sporty stance/look. What does everyone else think? Spoiler or no spoiler?
New Edmunds Tires Discussion
If interested, Go to the Town Hall page News and Views "Tires: what is best, what is worst"
I think the car's lines look cleaner. At least the spoiler on the ES looks better than the clunky slab they yanked out of the Mustang bin and stuck on the MP3. It doesn't match the car at all.
The little lip spoiler on the back of the P5's roofline looks cool IMO.
I like the spoiler on the Protege. The extra brakelight can help prevent you getting an SUV in your backseat:) Did you ever see the spoiler on a VW Bug? It looks like my son's boomerang:o)
Oh, dear...the Great Spoiler Debate. Until now, yooper and I had kept our opinions on this confined to Chat Night, and that was when no one else was listening
I know people feel very strongly about this, but I'm going to go ahead and throw in my two cents . Then I'll wait for my beating.
As I've said before, I feel that unless you're doing laps at Indy, spoilers look silly on sedans. THAT'S JUST MY OPINION...I'M NOT SAYING THAT ANYBODY ELSE'S PROTEGE LOOKS SILLY. I'M SURE EVERYBODY HERE HAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PROTEGE IN THE WORLD.
It's true, that of the small cars with spoilers, the Protege's is pretty restrained. (And I also agree that the spoiler on the Beetle looks like you should hang laundry on it.) This a very personal issue, based totally on aesthetics (sp?).
But now you all have me curious. How DID I get an ES w/o a spoiler? Could it be a DX in disguise? Should I go storming into the dealership and demand an explanation?
spoilers on Protege's have no function, except the brakelight. Also, try to handwash under your spoiler, next to impossible. I still like the look, although it's very subjective.
I'm sure you have an ES, hopefully Mazda credited you $300, since the spoiler is standard on the ES.
Also, I saw a White ES, like yours( with spoiler), for the first time last week. A White Protege is super sharp, and a very rare color.
Dang, you have a good memory...it's been a while since I last mentioned my car was white (although it's spent much of this winter as Old Athletic Sock Gray).
Before I got the car, I had really wanted a white one. After I started driving around and saw all those other white cars staring back at me I was a little sorry, but you're right, the white Pro does look nice. I've seen only one other one here in Chicago.
And no, I'm pretty sure I didn't receive the $300 sorry-we-forgot-to-put-the-spoiler-on-your-car rebate. Probably a little late to ask for it now
Comments
Maryboo, I think I can speak for most of here in saying that you would not regret purchasing a Protege. Not only have the vast majority of us have had nothing but great luck with our cars, let's face it, the car just looks good. I have a '99, and the changes they have made in the past three years have just made the car more attractive. Not to mention we have one of the better forums here in my opinion. Good luck with your decision.
Maryboo, check to see if your employer has worked any group discounts with Ford. If they offer you the Ford X-plan, then they probably offer you the Mazda S-plan (too bad I didn't learn this BEFORE I got my '99 Pro, but hey, I know this for the next time), which typically gets you a little bit under dealer invoice.
Edmund's price calculator is pretty good at ballparking a figure by region. I'd check your offer against it. A couple hundred difference should be OK. Price sounds OK to me, but I haven't been shopping the ES (looking at the P5!). Does that include destination and any document fees?
Geez, I wish they'd put drivers through REAL driver's education and road tests. I can't believe how high car insurance is due to the clueless drivers here (cost comparable to CA coast or NYC area, but with much less traffic congestion).
To get the S-plan, you join the Experimental Aircraft Association at http://www.eaa.com and pay $40. There's an 800# to call and they will give you a PIN number. Then call your dealer and ask if they honor the S-plan, if not, call another Mazda dealer.
The best deals are usually at the end of the month when they are trying to make their quotas, and before new models come out. Some of the Pro owners here got good deals last April and May using the S-plan.
fowler3
Can anyone tell me if the filter is only accessible from underneath? Is there some part (or parts) that must be removed for easier access? Is a proper-sized cap type filter wrench the way to go in removing the filter? And is it true that Mazda uses a crushable, non-reusable washer on the oil drain plug?
Just bought my '02 ES and am looking forward to trading tips, repair experiences (which I'm sure will be few and far between), and zoom zooming adventures on this board.
Although I'm new here, I'm actually returning to the Protege family (bought a new '93 LX and loved every minute of it until I totaled it with 90k miles in '98). I can honestly say that car never cost me a nickel above routine maintainence and was the smartest car purchase I ever made. I'm very confident that lightning has struck twice.
I'm thinking I should invest in a moonroof deflector--obviously there are some good reasons to do so, are there any reasons not to? Will it add noticebably to wind noise etc. (I do a fair amount of highway driving)?
Who knew that I would enjoy driving so much? (I know, I know--it's the Protege that makes the difference!
And welcome to the new folks!
It seems like I've spent all weekend dodging other folks who think they're actually riding the bumper cars at Coney Island. It's not just Ohio!
-Larry
It was almost 50 degrees here in Ohio, Thursday; I washed and detailed my Pro. I had to remove all that nasty salt.
Pjd58
Good luck, many happy and safe miles.
Pjd58
Well, Mike the good folks at Edmunds' offers a service that calculates a True (fair) Market (price) Value on new and used cars. I checked out this info for you. Now, to be completely accurate, I needed to have your zip code and the color of your intended Protege purchase. Nonetheless, I used my zip code, the color white and the prem. package, wheel locks & auto tranny options. Results: Edmunds.com's TMV = $17,356. Keeping that in mind a dealer offer of $17,403 AND 0%-48 is right in the ball park. I could live with that price!
"I am in the New York City area, which may be a factor. I checked out Carsdirect.com and they had the same car for about $1,000 less because of a manufacturer to dealer rebate that ends on 4/1/01. Can someone please let me know if I should go ahead and sign the papers. -maryboo19
Mike, I would take a copy of the Carsdirect.Com print out into the dealership your currently shopping and ask them to match it. I will tell you that the Edmunds'.Com's TMV is supposed to include all customer and dealer rebates. So, I'm not sure why the Carsdirect.Com price quote is so much lower? Nonetheless, thier quote might be a great bargainning tool! Tell them you are a no nonsense shopper and you are ready to buy today, if they can beat their current offer. Mike, give it a try and send me a check for half of what you save, from the first offer! LOL!!! ;-)
Good Luck,
Larry
Alternator: Definitely from under the car...
Maryboo19: I prefer the PRO to the Sentra b/c it handles better (sportier suspension and cornering ability), the interior is well done (check out the ES in black!), and it looks much much better. Spoiler is mandatory though.
#7: Welcome to the family
Mazdafun: Glad everything's fine (except for those drivers out there of course)
Regarding the 'mandatory' ES spoiler: I was able to get my 2000 ES (with moonroof, side airbags, etc.) without the spoiler (which is actually the way I wanted it). It was the one on the showroom floor. Not sure why there was no spoiler, but it worked out well for me--color I wanted, too. Who knows, maybe it was a fluke.
For those interested in the new Mazda RX-8 coming out in 2003, here is a good Sneak Preview article with photos:
http://www.NewCarTestDrive.com/
review-frame.cfm?ReviewURL= http://www.nctd.com/
sneakpreviews/03mazdarx8_sp.cfm
I had to break the URL, Edmunds won't accept a "word" longer than 115 characters. So type the 3 lines together to load the URL.
Or go to http://www.newcartestdrive.com and click on Sneak Previews.
The interior shot is interesting. Is it the photograph or will the steering wheel really be squared-off at the bottom? Square steering wheels, Nah! Couldn't be.
I wish Mazda had given the RX-8 a more exciting body,something exotic with some character lines on the sides and a radical grille design unique to the car. It's rather plain body may hurt sales.
For something really NEW, even if you are a PC user, check out Apple Computer's new iMac - it's a stunning example of industrial design and what I hoped car manufacturers would do at least by 2002. As they are, most cars are no different than what we have seen the past 10 years.
http://www.apple.com/imac
fowler3
To compete, to create a huge demand, a new product has to grab people's imaginations and run with them. Taking their minds off everything else.
Sheet metal can be stamped out all sorts of ways and not cost any more than a plain, dull-looking body. In other words, it doesn't cost anymore to design a beautiful car than it does an ugly one. Our parking lots are full of plain, all-look-alike, ugly cars.
When you go shopping and park your Protegé, don't you get a *rush* when you see it as you come out of a mall? It stands out among all the drab cars you wouldn't have.
fowler3
For those who are interested in car-air-filtration, I offer the following: I bought a Holmes HAP220 HEPA Air Purifier for $30 at Target and a 75 watt inverter for $25 at Wal-Mart. Inverter plugs into cigarette outlet and sits under my passenger seat. Holmes unit plugs into the inverter and sits on the floor behind my passenger seat. I don't use the included "ionizer" (there are safety concerns about ionized air), but I run the air purifier section full-time at low-fan setting (Holmes unit is sized to serve a small room, so will easily handle a car interior). I can't vouch for the quality of the HEPA filter system contained in the Holmes unit, but even minimal HEPA filtration should handily surpass the effectiveness of the air filtration systems now being included on some high-end cars. If applied correctly, HEPA filters will remove more than 99.9% of particles in sizes down to almost atom-sized (far below the 0.3 micron size sometimes referred to as being the limit for HEPA filters). Allergy sufferers please note!
Dinu01: They're both great cars, but my mother has an '01 Sentra SE and I wanted something different. Comparing the two, Protege is definitely roomier and better looking inside and out. I think handling is about the same. The Sentra does have better pickup, and a superior sound system. I'd rate build quality and reliability the same.
I drove every car in this class, and I was set on the Elantra GT until I drove the Protege. The 0% financing sealed the deal for me. Protege is definitely tops in this class, however I think the new Corolla may be right there with it.
Speaking of which, I just HAD to take my car in to a DIY car wash. Sprayed what I could, and removed a bunch of that disgusting salt and road grime. Can't wait for spring so I can give it a good hand-washing. Vacuumed out both my '99 Pro and my '89 323 today. They needed it bad with all the sand and stuff that got tracked in. Even did my wife's '91 SL2.
Welcome to the group oldnumber7. I was on the chat for my first time last week. It was enjoyable. Nice group of people here.
Fowler, when I initially saw the photos of the new iMac, I was kind of put off by its looks, even though the spec sheets are excellent at their price points. I made the mistake of looking at one in person Saturday (we even have an Apple Store in town...lucky us!) and now I'm all hot to get one to replace my desktop G3. It's a much nicer-looking machine in person. That all-digital display is beautiful! Ugh. I just got an iBook last summer. Have to save up mucho $$$ for one of these.
I expect the first RX8s will go for above MSRP for those who need to be the first to have one. I'd have to try one on for size. I'll be disappointed if I don't fit into it (just like any other sporty coupe or convertible I like that I've come across). If I do, I'll probably wait at least one year for prices to return from the stratosphere. Of course, by then, Mazda might increase the MSRP. I hope it sells well.
If the RX8's styling is off-putting, bear in mind they intend to bring out something more in the spirit of the old RX7. It'll likely be more sporting in looks. I think the RX8 is intended to be a true 4-seater with practical cargo space (although I haven't seen anyone mention the capacity...too distracted by the looks and the rotary, I guess).
BFGoodrich 205/55/15 Touring T/A VR4:
Far quieter and certainly more comfortable than the RE-92 Poortenzas 195/55/15.
The sidewall is nice and thick which gives me the advantage of not having to destroy my alloy wheels when I get a flat, unlike some other tires which has very thin & flimsy sidewalls.
Meade: Yep, they say the iMac looks great in person. The best one is, as usual, the top end. I'm in the same boat, bought a G4 last January and stuffed it with 704MB. Still working on making it my main graphics workstation. But I would love to get an iMac eventually and a load of RAM.
OT: But hey, if we didn't have PC's and Mac's we wouldn't be here, right. And it's our PC's that upload giant tire pictures.
fowler3
Took my daughter's 1.6 Pro out for a little spin today after I gave it a good cleaning. Somebody has to put gas in it, you know. Drove it about 20 miles and noticed pretty consistently an off center steering wheel and a pull to the right. There wasn't a lot of wind here today so I don't think that was the problem. I noticed this before I bought the car, and the dealer took it to have it aligned. Is it possible that a program car(17,000 miles) may hardly ever have had its tires rotated?I'm not good at telling, but could the tires be cupped and causing the pull? Anyway, nothing drives me crazy more than an off center steering wheel. Our main car is an '01 Maxima so I'm used to a car that steers like it's supposed to. Am I expecting too much from the Pro? Anybody else have trouble with pulling to the right?
Also, does anybody know of a good product that will take scratches out of interior plastic( like the part around the ignition or the dash)? How about a good product for exterior scratches?.....sorry this is so long. Thanks in advance for any replies>>>>
I hate cockeyed steering wheels too.
If it was a program car, was it a rental like Hertz, or a leased car?
fowler3
The used car dealers in my neighborhood have a lot of 2001 Protege Rental Returns with miles in the range of 10,000 to 15,000.
I took a Protege for a test drive and found a problem. When the RPMs were somewhere between the 2500 and 3000 Range, I could hear a noise that sounded like something was held between rotating fan blades. This noise was not heard outside of the 2500-3000 range.
Has anyone ever had such a problem or was this problem related to just this particular car ?
Also, a 2001 program car with 16K is most surely a rental. That would explain the alignment issue and I bet the trunk is hard to close.
fowler3
I have a 2000 protege es (silver)... several months ago I was transporting a propane tank (the grill kind) which I set on the floor in front of the front passenger seat. After I took a couple turns on the highway I noticed that as the tank was sliding around a bit it was actually scratching my glove compartment. It isn't too bad, but there are some minor scratches (one about 3 inches long and a couple other real small ones - they are not very deep, but cannot just be rubbed out).
Any thoughts, or is it a lost cause?? I saw a commercial for that "liquid leather" stuff that claims it can be used on dash boards, but I doubt that would do anything for me... right?
Thanks,
Scud
Thanks!
Regarding the pulling. I'd take it to an independent shop and have them check the alignment, as fowler3 mentioned. Have them make sure the steering wheel is properly centered while they're at it (mine came about 15 degrees off clockwise). I'd also ask them to check tire diameters. If one side is more worn than the other, there'll be enough of a difference to cause your Pro to pull to one side. Even different tires of the same size will create some pull, due to differing grip and roll resistance. I assume you've already driven on both sides of the crown on the road to make sure it's not that.
If an alignment doen't work and the tires check out OK, I'd check the chassis. If it's not "square", they may have sold you a vehicle that's been in an accident and been refurbished (I hope not). I think you'd have to take it to a garage that does body work to have this done.
Wide tires. Agree. My last car was my first with low profile tires. And now the oem Dunlops on my '01 ES. Looks decent. I'll eventually replace them with original equipment tires I like them so much.
BINU; I've had my Pro since june 2001, have 14K miles and have not noticed any untoward noises between 2500-3000 rpm, nor any other rev range. Doesn't sound right to me. I'd pursue it if it was mine. JMO.
The car seems to be in good shape and like it hasn't been abused too much, but do you think I was a dope for buying a rental? Doesn't Hertz have a fair reputation about taking care of their cars? Thanks again for all your help.....
66falcon, I have the same car, no problems aside from the usual maintenance issues. Since you're preping the car, you may want to see if it still has the stock Firestone 680s, if it does, I'd replace them as soon as possible as they are probably the worst tires on the market today.
ChiPro: That's a little strange: an ES w/out spoiler in the US. Oh well. Doesn't matter as long as you like it.
Chikoo: Very nice looking! How do you post a picture? I don't have one yet of the PRO, but I will be taking some soon. (Shiny tires look GOOD!)
66Falcon: Make sure you druve it on different surfaces (roads and highways) to be sure it's an issue or not. Some roads have deep crowns even IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE and if you switch lanes, the car feels like it's not alligned properly... (Westbound Finch as you exit the 404 North for the Toronto folks).
2nd snowfall of the year in T.O. (pretty good so far). I am getting the tires rotated tomorow morning. At 21000kms the Poortenzas have little grip on the front wheels. The rear tires look decent and should hold well until fall when I wil actually get a GOOd set of tires. (More tire talk then).
Sounds like more than one driver likes to hit curbs, run over speed bumps fast, or something like that. Similar to some people test driving a new car, a rental is an opportunity to wring out a model they have heard about.
fowler3
I'd be leery of buying a rental car based on unknown driver abuse or hard use. I don't abuse my rentals but I rev 'em hard when needed.
New Edmunds Tires Discussion
If interested,
Go to the Town Hall page
News and Views
"Tires: what is best, what is worst"
The little lip spoiler on the back of the P5's roofline looks cool IMO.
Pjd58
I know people feel very strongly about this, but I'm going to go ahead and throw in my two cents . Then I'll wait for my beating.
As I've said before, I feel that unless you're doing laps at Indy, spoilers look silly on sedans. THAT'S JUST MY OPINION...I'M NOT SAYING THAT ANYBODY ELSE'S PROTEGE LOOKS SILLY. I'M SURE EVERYBODY HERE HAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PROTEGE IN THE WORLD.
It's true, that of the small cars with spoilers, the Protege's is pretty restrained. (And I also agree that the spoiler on the Beetle looks like you should hang laundry on it.) This a very personal issue, based totally on aesthetics (sp?).
But now you all have me curious. How DID I get an ES w/o a spoiler? Could it be a DX in disguise? Should I go storming into the dealership and demand an explanation?
I'm sure you have an ES, hopefully Mazda credited you $300, since the spoiler is standard on the ES.
Also, I saw a White ES, like yours( with spoiler), for the first time last week. A White Protege is super sharp, and a very rare color.
Pjd58
Before I got the car, I had really wanted a white one. After I started driving around and saw all those other white cars staring back at me I was a little sorry, but you're right, the white Pro does look nice. I've seen only one other one here in Chicago.
And no, I'm pretty sure I didn't receive the $300 sorry-we-forgot-to-put-the-spoiler-on-your-car rebate. Probably a little late to ask for it now