I told you, I am the Walrus...koo, koo, koo, choo.
On the survey thing, we only received one after we bought the car. The salesman was also clear that he got a bonus of some sort if the responses particular to him were of a high level. I haven't received a survey since although the dealership always has the receptionist call a few days after every service to see if all is well.
Maybe once I will say no and see what happens next...Out of curiosity and because i'm a troublemaker.
He took the car in for a simple oil change and the dork in the shop forgot to replace the filler cap that he had conveniently laid on top of the valve cover. Slammed the hood and dented it -- a dent my Dad somehow didn't notice until he got a few miles down the road and his oil light came on; he got out of the car and opened the hood to find his engine covered with oil and his hood dented from landing on the cap. I bet the shop guy was looking for a job after the $25 oil change turned into an engine diagnostic and cleaning, body work and a paint job.
I wonder if my Dad got a friendly customer service call about his experience with the dealership that day?
I had that nightmare again last night. Cold sweats....the feverish chills....driving a Ford Taurus re-badged as a Mazda. Loud Zoom, Zoom, Zoom music blaring and pounding in my brain as if divinity from the heavens. A mountain road. Twists everywhere. My firestones blow a tread or 10, on the very first corner...I slip off the road....ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM....as I plunge to my demise...I bolt upright screaming loudly as I awake....
Don't know and really don't care. With leather seats you slip and slide, and when it comes to driving that's not the best thing, althoug for other purposes it's quite necessary.
Dinu (Sick mind today. Well everyday, but I rarely admit it).
All the Pro 5's I looked at on the lots last month had cloth. No leather to be found. I don't think it was even listed as an option. When did this become available? Had to be really recent.
Glad you liked it. Sem Kev actually thought of the original version and I loved it. I'm just tweaking the nightmare now. I'm thinking of changing the Taurus to a Ford Focus, re-badged as a Mazda Protege. I hit the first corner, my Firestone treads separate, my rear wheel bearings fall of, I start to lose control as my engine compartment suddenly catches fire. Somehow the defective airbags deploy causing incendiary burns on my hands and another fire in the cabin. Now, burned and blinded...i plunge to my demise....
the horror, the horror...the horrrrrrrrrrooooorrrr.
Not available here in Canada on the Pro. As a personal preference, I wouldn't want it anyway. Leather is not ideal for ummm, hard driving, as Dinu not so subtlety pointed out.
Dinu...me thinks you got some splaining' ta do....later.
gandalf, I understand. Just was wondering if the Sedan would get it also. The more options the better, unless they're making standard features options ;-)
Sort of. I like my toy's as much as the next person, but I tend to be choosy regarding options that I actually add. More options often mean more things that can go wrong and are an additional expense if you keep a car past the warranty. Sometimes you have no choice as the options are standard or bundled in.
...um....Oh, wait, I know...I finally saw my first live, in-person MP3 over the weekend...parked around the corner from my house. Crazy yellow color. I know that the things are running around like bugs in other parts of the country, but that's the first I've seen here.
Well people have been known to buy junk in the past, so why would they stop now? Most don't realize that the $1300 they save in interest b/w 2.9$ and 0% on a $20.000 car translate into roughly $25/mth, but they do not count the lower resale value, more trips to the dealer and the overall built quality and "performance" since $ is the bottom line. For $25/mth I would rather own an import than a domestic Focus, Crapalier, Sunfire, Neon. But that's just me. Toyota, Honda and now Mazda have served me well, so I can justify that $1.300 extra anytime, whereas a Recallmobile owner would have a hard time...
midnight blue mica (available only in 00 sedans and now P5 only) comes a very close second as my favorite color of ALL proteges, and my favorite among non-special edition Pros...
oh wait, I have a midnight blue mica 00 ES, hmm I wonder if that has anything to do with my preference(or is that bias?)
I have to take so much care of the black mica, it is still my second favourite colour after the MP3 blue. I guess I'm biased, but IMHO, black is probably the most amazing colour when CLEAN. Keeping it that way is what probably deters most people from getting it.
I agree, that laser blue is pretty groovy, and the midnight blue looks very good in person. But then again, blue happens to be my favorite color
I choose white because I thought it couldn't hurt to have the increased visibility...still not sure if there's any truth to that, or just wishful thinking on my part.
As I've said before, I was a little sorry once I started driving the thing around, because it seems like every other car on the road is also white...but at least I'll never be mistaken for a cab!
Yes, my Civic in black looked great up to 2 days max after I washed it. After that, if it didn;t rain, there was dust over it. And this is summer only. Winter is another story as we all know.
The PRO looks really good in black and I was going to get it in black or red, but the red they had last year was cherry-red, not fire engine red like I wanted. Black was my next choice but since my mom is paying for 1/2 of it, she said black is out, so that's where I left it. We compromisd on silver. I also considered white.
I have to say the blue MP3 looks goos. I wouldn;t get the Tropicana MS3 though.
Although the laser and midnight blues are very good-looking as well. Not fond of the millenium red they have on the sedan now.
And speaking of car nightmares, I dreamt I was driving a Lincoln LS. Luckily, I woke up.
I guess since Ford can't tout the Focus' reliability, they can always use the "lemming" argument. And they can't place the blame entirely on their suppliers. They specify how much they'll pay for components, which does dictate the quality and reliability of the parts. This is why Michelin and another tire manufacturer refused to bid on tires for the Explorer. They did not feel they could build a good tire for what Ford was willing to pay. Firestone did though, much to their regret, I'm sure.
Well, after I slam the dealership for not knowing what the heck is gong on, I ge a gift today in the mail from Mazda NA. They sent me info on their performance and accessory stuff to buy, some quick reference guide on things like how to clean the interior etc, and a free bottle of touch-up paint.
See, all I had to do was spend over $40,000 at the dealership in 2 years (wife's MPV ES and my Pro) and you get a free bottle of touch-up paint.
You all better rush out and get in line for a Mazdaspeed Pro for the weekends' autocrosses!
Let's see...up here I received "valuable" coupons from Mazda the other day. One coupon was for a tire rotation and wheel alignment for *only* $79.95. Another was for interior and exterior detailing for only $159.95. There was one other coupon, but I can't remember what it was for. At any rate, thanks, but no thanks Mazda Canada.
they should make that titanium gray metallic the 'de facto' color for all Mazdaspeed cars, along with the laser blue mica, sort of like all AMG cars from Mercedes must be silver (please don't flame me if they make non-silver AMGs!!!)
recognition by paint color is a very powerful marketing tool. That's why the blue/yellow MP3 is so successful. People see that color and immediately recognize that it's not your run of the mill Proteges
I agree, Midnight Blue is a awesome color. I selected Millennium Red for my 01 LX 2.0 Protege, silver was my second choice. I wanted a color that wasn't too popular. There are alot of Silver, Sand Mica, and Black Proteges in my area. White & Red seem to be the rarest colors. I also prefer the gray interior over beige.
If I bought a P5 my hands down choice would be Yellow. Too bad there was no 0% financing for the P5 back in Sept when I bought the sedan.
Comments
;-)
Meade
On the survey thing, we only received one after we bought the car. The salesman was also clear that he got a bonus of some sort if the responses particular to him were of a high level. I haven't received a survey since although the dealership always has the receptionist call a few days after every service to see if all is well.
Maybe once I will say no and see what happens next...Out of curiosity and because i'm a troublemaker.
Dinu
I wonder if my Dad got a friendly customer service call about his experience with the dealership that day?
Meade
Snicker, snicker, chortle ... guffaw, heh heh, LOL, LMAO, wink, wink, hee hee, haw haw haw ;-)
(Ya gotta be blatant about humor here lately so certain people don't take things the wrong way)
Meade
Good example.
Meade
Meade
The horror, the horror, the horror.....
When leather seating becomes available on the Pro 5, is it going to also be an option on the Pro sedan?
Dinu
I think I heard they're going to offer leather in the MS3. Not sure about the ES? Maltb, have you yawned into consciousness yet this morning?
Meade
Dinu
(Sick mind today. Well everyday, but I rarely admit it).
the horror, the horror...the horrrrrrrrrrooooorrrr.
That doesn't mean I don't see reasons why OTHER people buy other cars.
Dinu...me thinks you got some splaining' ta do....later.
I don't like weird bundles like safety equipment with sunroofs. That's one that seems to occur frequently.
And I've still seen only TWO P5's.
and to refresh everyone's memory, the new MS Pro will have black mica and SPICY ORANGE as color choices....
personally the laser blue is the BEST color out of ALL proteges, IMO...
Dinu
In my country, India, it is short for the name "Dinesh".
are u from India?
oh wait, I have a midnight blue mica 00 ES, hmm I wonder if that has anything to do with my preference(or is that bias?)
Pretty neat though.
Dinu
I choose white because I thought it couldn't hurt to have the increased visibility...still not sure if there's any truth to that, or just wishful thinking on my part.
As I've said before, I was a little sorry once I started driving the thing around, because it seems like every other car on the road is also white...but at least I'll never be mistaken for a cab!
The PRO looks really good in black and I was going to get it in black or red, but the red they had last year was cherry-red, not fire engine red like I wanted. Black was my next choice but since my mom is paying for 1/2 of it, she said black is out, so that's where I left it. We compromisd on silver. I also considered white.
I have to say the blue MP3 looks goos. I wouldn;t get the Tropicana MS3 though.
Dinu
And speaking of car nightmares, I dreamt I was driving a Lincoln LS. Luckily, I woke up.
I guess since Ford can't tout the Focus' reliability, they can always use the "lemming" argument. And they can't place the blame entirely on their suppliers. They specify how much they'll pay for components, which does dictate the quality and reliability of the parts. This is why Michelin and another tire manufacturer refused to bid on tires for the Explorer. They did not feel they could build a good tire for what Ford was willing to pay. Firestone did though, much to their regret, I'm sure.
See, all I had to do was spend over $40,000 at the dealership in 2 years (wife's MPV ES and my Pro) and you get a free bottle of touch-up paint.
You all better rush out and get in line for a Mazdaspeed Pro for the weekends' autocrosses!
fowler3
recognition by paint color is a very powerful marketing tool. That's why the blue/yellow MP3 is so successful. People see that color and immediately recognize that it's not your run of the mill Proteges
There's your vicious flaming ;-)
If I bought a P5 my hands down choice would be Yellow. Too bad there was no 0% financing for the P5 back in Sept when I bought the sedan.
Pjd58(pete)