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Comments
twist
Thanks,
Ron Brooks
Ron Brooks
KEEP IT!
What you would lose trading on the 2003 Corolla is a lot more than what you would save in fuel economy. In fact, you could never save enough to equal the depreciation on the ES, the difference you would have to pay, and the immediate depreciation on the Corolla. Gas just doesn't cost that much, even in Canada.
Don't go by the ratings. If your Pro ES is 5-speed,depending on how you drive, it should get 32mpg to 36mpg highway. I have a '01 Pro LX 2.0 with AT and get 28mpg city 36mpg highway.
fowler3
It looks nice, inside and out, but Toyota went the cheap route and put a torsion beam axle in the back! What is going on? First Nissan puts beam axles in almost all its cars except the top line Infinitis- back in the early 1990s, I think all their cars had 4 wheel independent suspension. The Sentras and Maximas were the first victims of cost cutting, and similarly the G20 and I30/35s have beam suspension too. The Altima has always had independent rear suspension though (go figure). The beam suspension is a strictly non-sporting suspension. I owned a Sentra SE for about six months and began to hate the rear suspension. It was unnerving on bumpy turns, and the rear end would get loose on anything other than smooth turns. The worst part was that the rest of the car wanted you to go fast. The Matrix/Vibe twins also get a beam rear suspension unless you get AWD, then you get double wishbone rear suspension (go figure again-Double wishbone is expensive). I never expected the Corolla to become a sporty contender like the Protege is, but at least they didn't have to take a step back to beam suspensions.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/music-glance/B00000099D/qid=963360358/s
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Ron Brooks
Someone also mentioned why mazda does not have VVT on the current Protege engine. Well they do, in the 170 HP Japanese spec engine but it's not such an easy thing to get approved in North America. I think since the next gen protege that is comming up in a few years will have totally new engines, that it's not worth it for Mazda to spend a whole lot of money on improving the current 2.0L engine.
twist
rbrooks: Unfortunately no. I noticed this too and chalked it up to my being in New Mexico where a relative humidity of 15% or less is nothing unusual. About 90% of the time I get out of my Protege5, I get shocked when I touch the car body. It's gotten to the point where I simply step out and close the door with my elbow or knee or other body part that's not direct exposed skin (read: my hands). That way you still get zapped but it's a bit more tolerable. It almost seems like the car itself gains a charge when you drive it (I don't have this problem getting in ever) and when you get out and touch the door, you provide a ground for the charge to leave the body of your car. Makes me glad it's not stronger! Still, if anybody has any suggestions or solutions, I'd love to hear 'em too.
As far as getting shocked when exiting your car, it has only happened to me once. I know that the MX6 and MX3 has a little plastic piece on the door panel that you are supposed to touch before you get out and you won't get shocked. I wonder why Mazda quit doing that.
on old cars. With changes in fabrics most cars don't cause shocks these days.
If you are wearing nylon or wool clothing it can happen,and scooting on the seat as you slide out increases the possibility. I swing around and put my feet on the ground, then use the door pull to aid in getting up, as if it was a chair. This prevents shocks.
Also, after you open the door touch the steel door jam or other nearby body steel before getting out. The static electricity isn't in the car, it's in your body, from your clothing. If it was in the car you would get a shock when opening the door to get in.
newcar31, Mazda probably deleted those buttons when most people started wearing cotton T-shirts and Levi's and the newer fibers like polyester.
fowler3
Twistinmelon, we most definitely saw an ES Pro there...looked pretty nice, especially the interior. I like the new, darker fabric much better than the gray stuff I have. (Actually, that was the one bad part of the Auto Show for me...getting back into my own car to go home. That was the first time since I've had my Pro that I've noticed it looking a little old...and it's only been a year!)
Also liked seeing the special edition Miata... that titanium gray color is pretty slick.
Speedypt and his friend were like kids in a candy store...I could barely keep up with them. I'm sure the Auto Show staff is working overtime tonight to close all the hoods those guys popped open.
After a yummy slice of pizza and a coke (thanks again, pt!), I headed out and left Pete and Eric to finish their tour of the show...I had absorbed all I could for one day.
And that's when things got real interesting for me...Pete doesn't know this yet, but it took me AN HOUR to find the correct exit out of the convention center to get back to the correct parking lot.
My next mod: OnStar system in my purse!
fowler3
The more I look the more I am thankful I have a car as nice as the Protegé LX. It isn't perfect, though it comes close, and the others are a lot more expensive and have problems I don't want to be bothered with.
Walking out of a supermarket tonight, I spotted my little Pro sitting across the lot glowing under the street light, and noticed how it stood out compared to all the dark-colored, larger cars which blended together into nothingness.
One thing I have noticed is that Protegé owners take much better care of their cars than the owners of BMW 3-series and other luxury road toys. How often do you see a BMW 328i with black front wheels? I see them all the time and the whole car is usually dirty.(Some times I think about waiting for the owner to return and kicking his/her butt.) Pro owners treat their cars as if they cost $40K. Zoom Zoom!
fowler3
fowler: How do you get 38MPG out of a 2.0L Protege? The EPA has it rated at 25/31 with a manual transmission? You must be pulling the Pro with a U-Haul to get that kind of gas mileage.
Don't go by the ratings. If your Pro ES is 5-speed,depending on how you drive, it should get 32mpg to 36mpg highway. I have a '01 Pro LX 2.0 with AT and get 28mpg city 36mpg highway.
I didn't say 38mpg! I did get a true 36mpg, though, on a trip to Virginia in November, average cruising speed 60mph, the posted speed limits on the roads I was traveling were 55mph. Not Interstates.
A '94 Civic I owned that and later years, with a 5-speed, over the same routes did get 40mpg easy, but I wouldn't trade the Pro for that car, or any other Civic today just to get better fuel economy.
There's more to driving fun than fuel economy, if that's all that matters to some drivers they should get an Toyota Echo.
If you have ever considered a car with a modern V6 engine, comparing the EPA fuel ratings and fuel prices, one can quickly figure the difference in costs and see that it's about $40 a year more. Assuming the ratings are close and accurate. Most drivers can squeeze out an extra mile-per-gallon or so. This is with both a 4 and a 6 using 87 octane.
fowler3
Curious thing is, the static problem only shows up in dry WINTER days, and NEVER happens when the temperature goes above certain degrees, like around low 50's. Any scientific explanation of this?
I have yet to get shocked in or near my Pro. I usually wear cotton, and I don't usually wear a coat when I drive.
I also don't usually have the heat on, either, even in the winter. On REALLY cold days, I might run it for a few minutes here and there, but not continuously. (and no, I'm not a polar bear, but when Speedypt posts the picture of us from the auto show, you'll see why it doesn't take much to keep me warm...plenty of natural insulation
Maybe you guys are taking even more moisture out of the air with the heater?
I avoid this nuisance by making sure I'm touching any metal part of the door after I open it and before I start moving to get out. This prevents the charge from building up.
Someone asked why it's temperture dependent. It's really moisture dependent. Increased moisture in the air increases conductivity of the air. Air can hold more moisture at higher temperatures. The little water vapor molecules bouncing off you carry off little bits of the charge you've accumulated. With enough water in the air, you get hit with water molecules at a rapid enough rate to bring your potential (v. the car) down sufficienty that you don't notice the (now) small transfer of charge.
So, on cold days, unless it's practically foggy outside, you're more likely to get zapped than on a relatively dry warm day.
I think the seat fabric is a poly/cotton blend (that's what it feels like to me). Look up any triboelectric chart on the web and see where polyester and cotton fall on it, versus what you're wearing. The farther apart they are on the chart, the more likely you'll acquire a chart. This occurs even when just touching the two materials together. Rubbing them past each other brings more effective surface area into contact, resulting in more charge being transferred. Whoever said science isn't fun hasn't played around with it enough.
Imagine the light, nimble little Pro with a 165hp (torque is around 145lb-ft, I think) engine in it. I'm so glad we have 4-wheel fully-independent suspensions (with rear TTL that allows the rear to swing out in higher-g turns...it's fun!).
So far as creating more cabin/trunk space, Mazda's done the right thing by coming up with an entirely different rear suspension in the 6. I wonder if they'll eventually put something like this in the Protege/P5? It'd really open up the trunk space. Even if not, I'm glad they're sticking to their philosophy of Kansei and Optispace. Fun and practicality (reliability too) are what I look for.
Since it will be in September we'll have plenty of time to discuss it, but I was curious to get a little feedback. I need something in 5SPD (if I want auto, I can take the PRO for a spin - and I will anyways ), with AC. Everything else is a bonus, although the Integras and MX-3s I was looking at all have rims, sunroof, spoiler
I was thinking of:
91-93 Integra 2 dr coupe
92-94 Protege 4 dr sedan
93-94 MX-3 Precidia
Other possibilities (if I find one for a good price and in good condition):
Accord 2/4 dr
626 ???
Did any of you have any experience with these cars (good or bad - I NEED to know before forking over the $).
Thanx all!
Dinu
PS: I'll still be on the PRO board, relax
It seems to me that there are a lot of Integras around, so you may find that the easiest to locate and also the earliest to tune, if you are into that sort of thing. Keep in mind that maintenance on an Integra that old can be very expensive. Acura parts and mechanics cost big bucks here in the US. Honda isn't much better. My dad works in a Honda/Cadillac service center in Jackson, TN. Needless to say, replacing the timing belt on a Honda costs almost twice that of the Caddy.
I would try to stick with the Mazda nameplate if I were you.
Good Luck.
Look on Autotrader.com now international and called http://www.us.trader.com click around to get canada.trader.com and don't go to a Honda dealer for service, find an independent garage with factory trained mechanics. People who use to work for Honda dealers.
fowler3
Boggse: Here's a quick bit about that engine from www.canadiandriver.com "The base engine is a peppy 88-horsepower 4-cylinder and the GS version has the smallest V6 ever marketed in Canada, a 1.8 litre rated at 130 horsepower. The four is the better engine choice for fuel economy and reliability. The V6 is prone to valve gear problems and should have a new timing belt by 100,000 km, however the extra horses under the hood make it perform more like its go-faster looks suggest." I would stake out the 4 cyl - don't need to be pumping $ into this car.
-Larry
Respectfully,
Larry
dinu: I wouldn't recommend a 626. Unless you can swing a sportier one with V6 and manual, they're just plain boring. I've spent a fair bit of time driving a 4 cylinder auto 626 and it's a good, solid, reliable car, it's just no fun at all to drive.
My zapped-ness is probably related to everything mentioned here. I do usually use my heater when it's cold out (yes it does get cold here overnight). The humidity here is always low. For example, the humidity right now is 11% and the dew point is -4 degrees. Then on top of that I wear my nylon/poly jacket over a cotton t-shirt most of the time. The other day I zapped the everloving bejeezus out of myself just walking around my room (which has a tile floor) when I touched my desk which has a metal strip running around the edge. Yikes. I'll report back later when it's warm enough for me to go jacketless.
http://www.fortunecity.com/silverstone/lancia/58/technical_school/suspension/tech_suspension21.htm
Shocking: Take the very tip of your key and touch it to the black part of the doorframe BEFORE you touch it to close it when exiting the car. Works like a charm. Used to do it with both my 1999 DX and 2001 ES Proteges. Stops the shocks completely.
I sat in only one car, at Pete's insistence; I believe it was a Nissan...Maxima? It was nice, but I still like my little Pro!
Dale...it was a sincere pleasure to meet you and share some time admiring cars. I am sorry if I seemed distracted...I haven't been to a good car show in over 5 years. Also...my friend's name is Mike, but I promise not to tell you called him Eric!
Mazda Display:
7 or 8 Pro's there. 1 ES, 3 P5's and some LX and DX's....all 2.0 now of course. I agree with Dale comments about the ES fabric. Dark is better. I especially liked the suede-ish type stuff on the inside of the doors. It felt niiiiiiiiiice! Didn't care for the new "hood crease" they put down the center of the 2002 hood. It's too much and spoils the otherwise nice lines of the hood. It may be needed for stiffness however. I also REALLY like the three spoke wheel. Would be even better wrapped in leather. Dale and I agreed...spoiler was a take it or leave it for both of us. Nice to have, but not a necessity.
Here's a link to "proof" Dale and I were there. Sorry for the quality, the photographer must have jiggled....check the other place for photo...
Don't forget to check my other two photos at the same time. Folder "Pete's Stuff".
Dark Charcoal P5 there looking sharp...already showing the dust though....
Mazda 6 was WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY cool. Very well put together, looked great. I would change the rims though, they look better in the pictures than in person. They had a blue 4-door. No pics to post...some mysteriously disappeared from my digital camera....may have to get the memory card checked.
No RX8 at the show. Very disappointed in that. They just ran a stupid (although high quality) video over and over on an overhead projection screen. Would have been much better to see in person, especially since it's supposed to be so close to production. If they keep the price close to that of the new Nissan 350Z (under 27K), I just might be buying one next year!!! With 4 seats I can take the wife and both kids (when #2 arrives in August) for some Zoom Zooming!
Many other cars that were great to see. Ford GT40, Ford F350 Tonka, Infiniti Q45 (this is the car you sat in Dale....), Mercury Marauder Convertible concept, Corvette Z06 (my favorite-real-car-I-would-buy-if-I-hit-the-lottery)...and many, many others.
Also a bit disappointed in the lack of aftermarket booths and vendors. Had hopes of finding and buying a set of Altezza taillights for Trigger.
Regards,
Pete
That's a little simpler (and less prone to scratches) than touching stuff with your keys etc.
Meade
So your friend's name was Mike, not Eric; I sat in an Infiniti, not a Nissan; and I couldn't find my way back to my car.
Probably not a very good first impression, but believe me, I wasn't on drugs.
Just high on all that new car smell, I suppose
Dinu...I can get the Altezza's off eBay for about $120...I'll probably get them there.
Regards,
Pete