Mazda Protegé

vocus

I am just enjoying this new toy of mine so much. I was thinking (since my car is black, and it gets hot in the sun) about getting my windows tinted. I have driven SUVs before with tinted windows, and had problems with visibility at night. I cannot decide what to do.

Nike, I know you have dark tinted windows. Do have any problems with it? Thanks!

ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM!

newcar31

Vocus---I have had tinted windows on all of my cars. I won't have a car without them, they help keep it cool in the summer and they will keep your fabric (especially black fabric) from fading as easily. Oh yeah, they look cool too.

phantom100

Proud new owner of a 2001 Pro ES, with auto and premium pkg. Couldn't find one in the millenium red, and the dealer said it would take 8 weeks to order one, so I went with the silver one he had in the showroom. Used the S-plan and the 0% financing with no hassles at all. I guess it depends on the dealer. If he wants to sell a car, he will work with you. And the service was impeccable. Anybody in the Cleveland area, I highly recommend Classic Mazda in Mentor. They just bought the franchise from another dealer and are eager to please. The most pleasant car buying experience I have ever had.

The first dealer I visited told me how hot these cars were and that he couldn't go much below sticker price! Glad I looked elsewhere.

WMarton

Question: Who has used the S plan to purchase a 2001 ES in the MD/DC/VA area? Does (Rosenthal) Arlington Mazda honor S plan pricing?

Bill

nikecar

We never have problems with visibility...and we have 20% tint.

you may want to get a 35% tint. that is the lightest I think around (35%, 20%, 15%-someplaces, and limo at 5%). the lower the number, the less light passes through.

Since your car is black with super dark interior, the 35% will let you see out fine but will actually look darker if you stand outside compared to someone with a light interior and same 35% tint.

but whatever tint you get, do it soon, because you WILL notice the difference between tint and no tint..

vocus

S-Plan: I used the S-plan to purchase my loaded 2001 ES 2.0 without a problem. I went to Schafer & Strominger Mazda on Joppa Road in Baltimore. Their number is 410-661-7600 and ask for Lark. Tell him Paul King sent you.

Window tinting: I drove a Chrysler PT Cruiser awhile back, and it had dark-tinted glass. Does anyone know what the % is on SUVs? That's too dark for me, giving me problems seeing how to back up. Thanks!

conheady

Any advice on getting aftermarket tinting jobs?
Shade, color, place that offers guarantee, anything?

vocus

I know there is one here in the Baltimore, Md. area that offers guaranteeing against cracking, fading, or turning purple. I heard it on the radio last night, and cannot remember what the company was called. Also, they have a lifetime guarantee as well. Maybe I will hear it again...

sfrat

Just a thought, but your Mazda dealer may have someone that they contract out to0 or that they can recommend.

nikecar

don't take it to the dealer.. they charge you markup to take it somewhere else.. talk to a tech to see where they take it.. my boss did that and saved over $100 off the price the dealer quoted tints.

most shops anyways give lifetime warranty.. don't go to anyone that doesn't. the biggest name brands are SunGard or SolarGard and Llumar.

There are the mirror tints, the regular black, and a slight reflective that changes color from silvery to dark based on where you are standing.. and there are also the colored ones (yellow, green, red, etc..) and rainbow too.

I'd say for a black car, get either mirror, or black..

jk111

man, it sounds like a bunch of guys on here just got the new ES. Awesome.
Yeah I wouldn't go cheap on tints. Some of my friends got some cheap job tint, and it start to peel and bubble already. It is best to ask around for people who had good experience with certain shop.

honda719b

i see most of you chat about the s-plan. can someone explain to me what it is?

theparallax

I test drove one today. It was a silver LX 2.0 w/ the sunroof option. Sharp! I like the changes they've made to the interior, they make the cabin a bit more warmer to be in. I like the sunroof! The steering was really light (only thing I didn't like) compared to my 99 LX, but it was precise and the car handled well through the corners.

On the other hand, the Mazda dealer here is too damned arrogant. STAY AWAY FROM BUZZ LEONARD MAZDA!!! They only let me drive the car for barely 5 minutes, and they suddenly were pushing for me to get an automatic after they had found out there were no ES 5-spd's in the area. They didn't want to budge on the selling price either (MSRP minus 750 rebate) They are just in the business to make money, that is all.

I also looked at a Ford Focus ZX3. Excellent dealership, nice car. I really like how it drove. Only thing I hated was there was no tilt wheel option. Oh well. I might as well keep my 99 LX until I pay it off!

hkchan

The ZX3 has no tilt-wheel option? But you can get the ZX3 Premium Group ($1,095 MSRP, $975 invoice) which includes "Front reading lights, Front and rear alloy wheels with 16 inch rim diam and 6.0 inch rim width, Front and rear tires with 205 mm tire width and 50% tire profile, Steering wheel with tilt adjustment and telescopic adjustment, Cruise control, Front seat center armrest and Air Conditioning". So tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel. This is not to get you to buy the Focus by the way.

david_m

I have been looking for a complete explanation of the S Plan on these boards, but have found it nearly impossible to dig through all the posts.

I see quotes about the ERA as the way to become a S Plan member. What does EAA stand for? When I used the X plan with Ford, I got a number that I had to give to the dealer. Is that process outlined somewhere? Thanks David

theparallax

I had that same thought in the back of my head. I kept asking if there's a tilt/telescopic wheel option, but the salesman said there was none available. The Focus is a realy nice car, but I just couldn't get comfortable driving it. The wheel was too high and far away. I liked the high seating position and the handling. I didn't like the interior. Plasticky and doesn't feel 'solid' sitting inside. Also I'm scared of the fact that there are lots of recalls on the car, and I questiong Ford's reliability.

Focus Pro's:
High seating position
Good handling
Affordable

Cons:
Typical plasticky American interior
Typical Ford recalls
Uncomfortable (for me anyways)

zennish

I am getting my emerald mica 5 speed protege es 01 neXt week.I was quoted 149.00 by a shop who has a good reputation but then again, is this too cheap? Installed an alpine alarm last week..Great alarm.
NO false whatsoever.ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM!I downloaded the zoom zoom screensaver.LOL

protegextwo

George, I tried 702/262-5599. Recorded message stated; phone # no longer in service.

-Larry

hkchan

Go to www.eaa.org
How were you able to get the X-Plan on a Ford? Don't know if it automatically makes you eligible for the S-Plan. But supposedly joining the EAA makes you eligible for the S-Plan and Ford's X-Plan (could be a different letter designation). But since participation by dealers is voluntary, better call up dealers and make sure you can find one that would sell a '01 Protege on an S-Plan.

protegextwo

Hope you don't mind me for asking; where in Penna. do you live?

-Larry

theparallax

My car has 22% tint up front and 16% rear. Here's a side view pic of the car if you want to see what it looks like:

http://www.geocities.com/negatize/media/tint.jpg

I don't have any problems seeing out of the car at night, but that's just me. Besides, the benefits of tint outweigh the disadvantages. I absolutely cannot stand having sun glaring in my face while driving, and it gets extremely hot without tint inside the car after leaving it somewhere for a while. Go for it, Paul!

nikecar

here's the exact link for the Ford auto purchase plan http://www.eaa.org/communications/eaanews/ford_partner.html

I am wondering if I could have bought my Protege with this back in Decmeber.. oh well.. no use crying over spilt milk.. except the milk i spill from too much zooming around the corners!!!

horkpc

If you drove a ZX3 in Panama City, it had a tilt steering wheel as part of the premium package. I'm a little surprised the salesman didn't know about it, but they have a lot of LX models without the tilt wheel so that might explain it.

I've driven the silver one they have (with the wild body kit) and adjusted it myself, and the red one also has the premium package. There's a big lever under the steering column to release it.

As for Mazdas, I've had similar experiences with Buzz Leonard Mazda. They wouldn't participate in a national, Mazda sponsored lease deal back when I got my Millennia, so I went to Fort Wanton Beach (Quality Mazda).

I'm not sure how Quality Mazda will be on dealing for Proteges, but I test drove an '01 ES auto there about a week ago and was very impressed with the car. The back seat is really hard though!

I'm leaning toward the ZX3 because of the utility of the hatchback, but I'm hoping the Protege 5 door will arrive before my lease expires so I can check that out.

Nice tint on the 99 LX, by the way! In this area it's a big help.

Edit: The spelling checker really screws up trim levels, doesn't it? I think it's all fixed now.

vocus

I notice that the Black finish on my 2001 ES 2.0 is defined as "Black Mica" in the Mazda brochure. My question is this: What is the difference between metallic and mica paint? Also, I noticed that the door frames of my car are painted with the body color. They weren't like that on my DX. Are they like that with all colors, or just black?

I probably will go for the tint, because I don't want the interior of the car getting hot as hell during the summer months. I got in the other day af ter parking it in the sun in 50-degree temps., and it was a little hot. Imagine if it were 100 outside! I heard this place on the radio advertising (it's near my house) and they guarantee their tinting against bubbling, scratching, turning purple, etc. I am probably going to try them. Typically, they charge $120-150 around here for tinting. Does that sound about right?

vocus

Could not view the page with the tint. Followed the link, and it said the page wasn't available.

Focus: I like the Focus alot, but the seat is a bit uncomfortable to me. It's got to do with the lower back support or something. It just sucks. Also, the leg room is not enough for me either. The recalls scared me off too, and the question of the quality because of it being a Ford product. I will say, though, that my previous secretary (she recently left my company) has a 2000 Focus SE Sport sedan automatic with 13K on it in one year (and I know she doesn't care for it by the way it looks), and never had a problem but two of the recalls. So maybe they will turn out to be good cars, after the first year bugs are fixed in them.

theparallax

I looked at the 2001 Red ZX3 and drove the leftover 2000 Green ZX3, since I can't drive a manual. I saw a silver ZX3 lined up right next to the highway. The red one does look sharp, with those alloy wheels. There was no tilt wheel option, I checked under the steering wheel and there was none. The salesman also said there was no tilt available for the ZX3. But I think there is, because the Ford website has it listed. Maybe it just didn't have that option on that particular car.

I'm thinking about going to Quality Mazda the next time I want to buy a Mazda. I cannot stand Buzz Leonard's sales and service department. They've screwed me over about 3 times. They take too long to do simple things as oil changes. It took them about 3 hours the last time to do an oil change and tire rotation, and while I was there someone else was really having a fit with one of the service advisors. They also locked my keys in my car once.

Vocus, try this link: http://negatize.tripod.com/media/tint.jpg

I think Geocities has been messing up lately, so it should work now on the Tripod server.

vocus

That tint is way too dark for my taste. I am going to try the 35% level, but nothing darker as of yet. I got into my car to go to lunch today (it's like 40 outside) and it was hot as hell in there. I had to crack the windows to cool it off. And it's 40 degrees outside. I can just imagine how it's gonna be this summer when it hits 100. I will be a roasted freaking chicken behind the wheel! At least, driving the Protege, I will roast with a smile on my face.

PS: I got my ZOOM-ZOOM sticker in the mail yesterday, and am going to put it on the car somewhere soon. It looks real neat!

maltb

Due to an unusual situation, I will be driving a Pro DX for the next 2 months. It's a shame that the car just lacks Zoom. I was supose to have an ES but it didn't work out so I hope my posts don't sound like Vocus' prior to two weeks ago. A Bonneville is still out of the question.

nikecar

how's this one? its a 20%, but I really recommend then if you don't want dark, to get a 35%. its the lightest and will still look dark outside looking in because of your interior, but it will give you the most light viewing out.

vocus

Nike: I like the tint, but like I said, I don't like driving behind real dark windows. Anyone know the % tint on SUVs? Like I said, I drove a PT Cruiser and thought its tint was too dark.

I am still as happy as could be with my 2001 ES 2.0. I will turn 1000 miles on the odometer today on the way home from work. Redlined the car for the first time last night, and what fun it was!

ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM

nikecar

I've seen tints all over the place on SUVs.. the light ones? I'd wager 35%

vocus

The ones you can order as options on the PT Cruiser. (I keep reverting to that specific vehicle, because that's the one I drove with dark tinted windows and did not like it.) I think, since they are trucks, they use deep-tinted glass. I would assume 35% would be sufficient for me.

protegextwo

MG, I purchased both my 2000 PRO-ES's at Lancaster Toyota Mazda. A very nice and straight forward dealership. I took delivery of my Protege's with-in a month of each other, last Feb./March. I was able to negotiate a $300 over invoice(dealer cost) deal on both vehicles. With the $1000 customer rebate and the "thin" deal Lancaster Toyota Mazda excepted, I know a 2000 Honda EX would have cost me much, much more. The 2001 Honda Civic is a GREAT car, but I am sure a better deal on a 2001 PRO-ES can be had with just a little negotiating. S-plan or no S-plan, the 2001 Protege is a great value, and IMHO a better car than the Civic.

I have lived in Lancaster for over 15 years and my family really likes it here. I think "Chico" Nick, a regular here at Edmunds Mazda Protege discussion lives out your way and might have some input on Mazda Dealers in your area. BTW, I have relatives who live in Springfield, PA. Is Springfield near you?

-Larry

lindathomp2000

I am going to buy An ES stick shift silver Protege soon. 0% saves a lot. However, my dealer is insisting on only going $100 under teh sticker price. He is giving me a front mask, cargo net and moon roof wind deflector. No other silver cars are available in my area (Albany, NY). Is this price way out of line?
Linda

hkchan

You can probably do much better. Hop on the S-Plan bandwagon. You may want to go back to the Mazda Protege ES vs. Daewoo Nubira CDX vs. Honda Civic EX forum for the responses to your post. The cargo net and wind deflector are worth a total of $60 (invoice).

norcan

Got my new 2001 AS with auto, 6-CD changer and after-market remote-start/immobilize (dealer installed) on Feb.27. Zoom Zoom!
My previous vehicle was a 1990 CChefCorsica, so perhaps you can imagine my enjoyment I'm having just going around corners!
Of course it snowed 23 cecentimesust after I got it, which made me extremely nervous. Found no problems in ice/snow conditions.

I've read with great interest all the previous posts, and I look forward to hearing from other Canadian owners. There seems to be
model differences between Canada / USA, US to mention pricing differences.

I bought the Protege after considering the VW GolfWVI can't get in the back seat and $6,000 CDN+), CANaru Impreza Sport Wagon ($$$$+),
Civic and Focus. I didn't think of these really came close to the complete package I got with the Mazda.

Is it just me or does this car seem bigger on the inside than how it looks on the outside?
What a fun car to drive!

NorCan

hkchan

Congratulations. Can I assume that some program running in the background caused your keyboard to skip? Or was that part-French? Just kidding.

norcan

Looks like what we call 'franglais'. That's the last time I use the spellcheck. The edit function didn't work either.
Try again - Chev Corsica, 23 centimetres and ..not to mention...

chikoo

Pacifico-Mazda in philadelphia automall is the way to go. Great dealership. no hassles. very intimate service dept.

mjg222

Larry, I live about 10 minutes from Springfield. Is Lancaster Mazda on route 30? I drive up there about once a month, and maybe I'll check them out.

Thanks Chikoo! I called Pacifico Mazda today, and they will honor the S-Plan. At this time, they don't have any ES models in with the Premium package. I think the $750 rebate expires at the end of the month. Does anyone know if it will be extended?

postnobills

Yes, you can get Protege via S-Plan pricing at Arlington Mazda. I got my 2001 ES from them about 4 weeks ago. I suggest you identify the car you want before you tell them you are entitled to S-Plan.
I dealt with a guy named Tim Folwaczny, and would recommend him. I believe he handles most of their buying service customers. Tim seems like a decent guy. I have had a long-running personal boycott of all Rosenthal dealerships, but made an exception for this purchase (they were the only dealer in town to have an auto ES with the options I wanted). I was relatively pleased with the experience -- no hassle on the S-Plan pricing, but I had to "firmly remind" them about the $750 rebate, which at first they tried to pretend didn;t apply to 2001's or might not apply for SPlan purchases. However, thry were very low key on the financing/extended warranty/rustproofing/LoJack pitches - no pushback when I said no thanks to all.
If you do go to see Tim, tell him Barry sent you!

borgf15

Wow, you guys are all talking about tint now...
I just got tint on the ES today as a matter of fact! I got the Llumar tint 35% front 18% rear. I think it looks good and I'd post a picture for vocus but I don't have a dig camera. We're taking a trip next week and I can probably post a picture after that. I can't really tell much of a difference between the 35% and 18%. I really expected there to be a bigger difference between the two. I paid $147 for it which was the cheapest i could find (in the small town i live in) for tint with lifetime warranty.

hkchan

Identify the car you want before you tell them you are entitled to S-Plan? That's funny (the dealer, not you). So you think they might "hide" the cars? Yes. Rosenthal does have a "well-deserved" reputation.

bhorton

I just bought a 2001 pro ES with the premium package, A/T and tape deck added.I had it built to order,it took 6 weeks to get here. Picked it up on Friday, March the 3rd.I was very glad to see it arrive. I bought it for a fair price at 17,500 at 0% for 48 months. I have 235 miles on just before it died. I was doing 35 mph when this terrible racket came from the car. The car lost all power. I didn't realize you lose your brakes and have a heck of a time steering. I ended up using my emergency brake to stop the car and got it safely off to the side of the road. Needless to say I wasn't to happy with the situation and didn't know what had gone wrong. I tried starting it to no avail. I called Mazda and had it towed in. Mazda didn't have any idea what could of happened until they got under the hood. They put me in a rental. I got a call later tonight from the service manager. He said they got right on the car. He stated the car will need a new motor. He found where a bolt came loose or was over tighten and broke inside the engine. This piece of bolt proceeded to tear out a valve and do other damage. He said he had never seen anything like it. He is going to order a new engine for the car. He further stated the dealership wanted to make things right and the manager from sales will be calling me to see what it will take. He said you can get a brand new car, a different model or my money back. I will have to think on this for a day. I have had four Mazdas before this. I really like their product but this has made me really nervous. If the bolt was over tighten was it by hand or machine. If machine what is there to say the other ES's won't have the same problem. Has anyone else ever heard of or had this problem before. I need to make a decision soon. If anyone can help with any good advice it would be appreicated.

protegextwo

Brent, that is very bad karma. I would be in shock, if I was in your shoes. However, I think taking your time is a very good thing. Relax, it seems the dealer is giving you plenty of options. My 2 cents; I would go for the money back. I am a huge fan of Mazda, nonetheless this is very bad karma.

Good Luck;
Larry

lindathomp2000

Larry, et all,
I gave you the fax number for Dry Wash 'N Guard by mistake. The number is (702)262-5555. Tell them you want to try it. It is such a good product.
George

the_big_h

wowzee, that's bad. If that happened to my ES when I bought it, personally I would be so scared of Mazda I would never buy another one. I would say get your money back and get a different car, for your own peace of mind I guess...

It's bad to lose a Protege owner like this, but I understand.

H

jk111

Oh man, that is terrible. I don't think anyone of us had a problem this extreme. I think your case is probably one out of 20,000. If you feel real uncomfortable about this, maybe you should try and get your money back.

sfrat

Wow, that's terrible. What is comforting is the way that the dealer is treating this whole situation. I would say that if you like the car, and have had good luck with your other Mazda's, go ahead and get another one. What happened to yours sounds like it was a real fluke. Anyway, that's just my two cents. No matter what car you buy, there's always a chance that you can get a dud.

BTW, I have a 2001 ES 5spd with 700 miles on the clock, had it about three weeks, with no problems, runs great. I know there are a couple of other 01's, not that many because they are so new, but no one else has had any problems that I can recall.

Good Luck with your decision.

Steve

pocahontas

For those interested in discussing the 2002 Mazda Protege hatchback, here's a direct link to the new Mazda Protege - 5 door (2002) discussion on the Hatchbacks Message Board.

Happy Motoring. ;-)

Pocahontas
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Hatchbacks Message Board