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Comments
Dinu
ZOOM-ZOOM-ZOOM
Dinu
Maybe a couple more rattles and litle less comfort?
If that were the case, why buy a new civic?
BTW, I think we'll be making the edmunds most active polls tomorow
1. too many issues with it
2. unwilling to put up with costys associated with a "luxury" automobile
3. didn't see one in Toronto for sale under $6500 CDN that didn't look like it came from the back of a guy's truck (you know what I mean)
ON THE OTHER HAND:
1. I saw a few 94 626s with 5spd that look tempting and for a good price. Now I'll have to drive one see how I like it.
2. I'm liking the idea of the MX-3 (in red or black) more and more!
3. The Celicas don't look bad also, but few are available to start with, and none than I found had under 200.000 kms!
Dinu
Larry: About beam suspension or beam axels, look under any Chrysler or Dodge minivan and you will see them. It's that pipe between the rear wheels that Dodge salesmen call *indendent suspension* -- in a pig's eye it is.
Maybe one reason Mazda has held off bringing out a turbo engine, or one with more HP, is they are waiting for the other car manufacturers to field their cars. Then they can decide which one(s) to compete with effectively -- which engine and if turbo.
When Mazda introduced the current series in 1999, they had way underestimated the number of buyers wanting 5-speed shifters. The 2.0L engine was meant for the AT transmission, not 5-speed. They had to hustle to get more manuals in their cars and didn't catch with orders up until late 2000. Now, there are more Pros with 5-speed manuals on dealers' lots than ATs. Ever see an SE with AT?
If fuel economy is a buyers top priority they will shop Civics. If handling is tops they will shop Protegés and other cars.
Which is better at what it was designed to do? Both are. You can't have more power and high fuel economy at the same time.
On insurance: Luxury cars have lower premiums, comparatively speaking, than cheaper cars because fewer luxury cars are involved in accidents. There are fewer of them on the roads.
The '98 Honda Odyssey I sold, and bought the Pro, its insurance was $570 a year. The Pro's insurance is $700 a year. I asked the insurance lady if I had gotten ABS and side airbags how much lower would it have been and she said, "$10.00". Sheeesh. That's State Farm for you.
I have been in one accident, not my fault, in the 57 years I have been driving. Even without that accident it would not be lower. North Carolina has high insurance premiums because of the high accident rates here -- mostly rear-enders -- I have seen as many as three at the same interection in one day. And it isn't a dangerous intersection.
fowler3
Meade
1999 ford expedition $ 550 / yr
2001 protege lx 2.0 $ 505 / yr
1981 transam $ 2,200 / yr
(ps, transam is actual pace car from daytona 500), insurance company loves me
2001 Protege ES Side Airbags/ABS: $450
1998 Jeep Cherokee ABS: $405
I have a $250 deductible and highest available coverage. I'm 28 & married. My insurance is through Erie. They also insure my house so I get about 10% off for that. I get considerable savings for the extra airbags and ABS, and because my wife & I haven't had an accident in over 10 years. The other nice thing is, if you do screw up, your rates don't increase for the first incident. Screw up twice though, and I'm sure they skyrocket. I was paying almost $650/yr. for the Jetta. When I got a quote for the 2001 Civic EX w/ABS & Side Airbags, it was $489. BTW: there do seem to be a lot of rear-end collisions in NC.
As for performance vs. Civic. When I bought the Protege with the 5 speed, the plan was to use it for autocross once it was broken in. Well, the season is coming up, so I guess I'll get to see how it stacks up against the Civic soon. I expect to do pretty well considering the handling characteristics of the Protege. We'll see if the lack of high-end power is an issue.
Lest anyone think that I dislike my Protege I came up with a list of "pros":
1. Comfortable seats
2. Sporty looks
3. Great brakes
4. Good handling
fowler: The Civic doesn't have more power but it is faster and it gets better gas mileage. The sacrifice, the not-so-great styling on the rear of the new sedan (front 3/4 of the car is great though).
Our LS400 was more than my 01 Accord because according to our agent the LS400 would cost alot more to fix in an accident.
boggse: I'm sure the Civics you will see at the autocross are not going to be stock. I'm sure they will have aftermarket tires and wheels which will even up the handling.
HAPPY B-DAY to you!
Malt(trying to make himself feel younger by teasing those that are older)
And Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!
39 is going to last a veeeeerrry long time!
'01 Rodeo LS
'00 Pro ES
I pay $200 per month (including $3 processing for not paying it for 6 month in one payment). I'm turning 25 this month and my policy expires the day before I turn 25 :-) They new policy that they sent me already shows $177 per month. These guys also insure my home - not sure what discount I got though. I'll try to find lower rate though by the time the policy expires.
P.S. it's American Family Mutual by the way
;-)
I posted a preliminary review on the Yahoo! group, along with some photos of the tires. Have you joined the group yet?
Meade
Happy Birthday!
-Larry
And to think I had high regard for you Larry.
(yes, I saw the spelling)
-Larry
-Larry
:-{
-Larry
And btw, Malt -- one day I'll have to ship you a six of Legend Lager, produced right here in Richmond. (They also make a killer Pilsner, stout and ale)
My mouth's watering already. Here's to you, birthday boy!
Meade
And you should stop by the yahoo chat sometime!
A six speed transmission would solve our fuel economy issues, and with more and more cars getting them, maybe we can look forward to economy cars getting them in a few years. Cars like the RSX, Miata, and even the new Tiburon can be had in six-speed. I find the Pro engine gruffy, but well suited for city duty. It's still relatively behaved on the freeway, but my WRX is quieter than the Pro. Our Pro 2.0L engines do feel different than earlier Mazda 2.0l's, as I have in my 93 Mx6. It doesn't sound so gruff at high rpms. I think that the 98 626 was one of the first to get this new generation of 2.0l engines. The earlier 2.0L's and 1.8L's are more rev-happy. But this is all IMHO.
fowler3
Pete
BTW: Happy Birthday to you birthday people! j/k
Meade
As I said in my previous post, I am 28 and married with nothing on my driving record. I also live less than 10 miles from work, west of RTP (Durham County). People who live in Wake County pay more for their auto insurance. Perhaps your county is the same way? Although I didn't have the Protege at the time, my insurance went down about $50/yr. per vehicle (2000 Jetta GLX & 1998 Cherokee Classic 4WD at the time) when I switched from State Farm to Erie. I also no longer had to pay the $3/month payment fee that State Farm was charging me. With Erie, I pay 3 months up front and then the rest in 9 monthly installments. Then I have 3 months without an insurance payment. The reason I switched was primarily the homeowners insurance. Again, Erie was about $50/yr. less than State Farm for BETTER coverage. While the coverage State Farm quoted me was more than adequate, why not get more for less? When I went back to State Farm to give them the opportunity to match the rate & coverage, they took one look at the quote, saw it was Erie, and told me to have a good day. Up until this point, I had never heard of Erie, but a friend recommended them to me.
Another thing to note is that Geico quoted me the highest rates of anyone I talked to for auto insurance. I believe they were almost $150/yr. per car more than Erie. I thought they were supposed to be inexpensive!?
The third unit is only a few months old and alreday the little "pop" you feel when pressing the radio pre-set selection buttons is gone. I cannot believe how poorly built these radio units are. Total garbage and not waht I would expect for 25k. I was happy to see the design of the unit in the 2002 Pro is different. The rear speaker are horrible though. they will have to be replaced.
Of course I have a few questions:
1) Anyone have a recommendation for replacement 6x9 speakers? I don't think I want to spend the money fo a component speaker system. It's annoying enough to have to change them after spending 16k for the car.
2) I have gone through the owner's manual several times and no where do they list the output of the stereo. Anyone have any idea?
3) I have also been unable to find a hp/tq map on the 2001-2002 engine. Anyone seen it on a website?
One more thing: 13 DAYS LEFT UNTIL THE FIRST F1 PRACTICE IS AIRED FROM MELBOURNE!!!
I'm a big F1 fan, so I had to get that in.
Ron B.
Thanks--that made my day!