Mazda Protegé

1…2526283031…453

Comments

  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Too bad you don't have the 2001 ES instead of the 2000. With the new LATCH/ISOFIX thing in the back, child seat installation is sooo easy. My best friend has two toddlers (1 1/2 and 2 1/2) and I just snap the seats right in the back. Also, don't forget to always pull out the seatbelt all the way to get it to lock when installing the child seat. At least you have it lucky. You will only have to install the seat once probably. I have to take the damn things in and out all the time! And watch that grey upholstery. When I had my DX (it way gray inside), spilled milk from a leaking bottle really showed up easily on it. :)
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    What is the most popular color buyers get and what do you think about the Light Sandlewood Metallic on some 2001 models?

    fowler3
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    undoubtedly - Emerald green.

    light sandlewood while it is a good color, i would prefer the darker shade ...although both of them have been in the market since the last 10 years...so your car does not stand out :)
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    here in DC area i see a lot of sand/silver color Proteges
  • glideslopeglideslope Member Posts: 37
    Speaking of young hip days, and 800cc engine autos. My best friend and I had a 73 Honda Civic that we rebuilt from an accident as a first project car when we were 15. His dad gave it to us for something to do. It had a small I-4 in it. I believe it was around 800cc or so. The 4-speed was smooth as silk. We used to off road with it. It was a tank. I'll never forget the day his dad picked us up at the side of the road while the car was being towed out of the woods with a seized tranny by a John Deere.

    Definitely one of my young hip days.

    Regards,
    Mark.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    You mean getting older makes me not "hip"?

    Darn, I thought I could keep that status AND have 4 kids...

    :)
  • glideslopeglideslope Member Posts: 37
    T,

    The only real difference I have noticed in my transition from being "young and hip," to being "an elder hip person with kids" is this;

    I now find the word "hip" refers to a certain joint pain more often than a state of mind.

    Regards,
    Mark. : )
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    btw my 800cc had a dry clutch...means there was almost no slip - great pickup 'cause of that.

    enjoyed driving it while it was there...then sold it off to another young hip/hep fella...enjoy :)
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    Mark,when you are an "elderly hip person" with kids you will really know about those hip pains.

    Chikoo, I haven't bought a Pro yet. I was asking about colors because I am undecided: I have had Sand, or a similar color, on a Odyssey the past three years and wondered about a different color.
    Sand is rather drab, people buy it because they don't have to wash their cars as often as is required with Emerald Green and Black.

    To Mark, again: That's what I like about the Protége's seats, they can be raised and tilted
    so you don't get a pain in the...ah...hip.

    fowler3
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    Some folks on this board have mentioned tinted windows and how to buy it. I wonder when they will have "gradation tints" for cars? Similar to the blue gradation on windshields, except it is horizontal.

    It would start darker on the rearmost part of the backdoor glass and gradually get lighter as it comes forward, becoming almost clear on the front windows where you check your outside mirrors. Now THAT would be HIP! And your car wouldn't look like da Mafiosa.

    fowler3
  • notminehersnotminehers Member Posts: 42
    To each his own I guess - the white is easiest to keep clean in rainy Seattle and looks very sharp with the black interior and white gauges. Most people usually either love white or hate it. The seabreeze green mica is also sharp....Greg
  • speedyptspeedypt Member Posts: 200
    Silver is the only way to go...but I'm not TOO biased. :-)

    Meade...good to hear. Gestational Diabetes is not too serious, but get ready for a BIG baby. It can have that effect. I too had a matching car seat for my Protege's gray interior. Century 1000 in gray. Cheapest, highest-rated seat out there. Now my little princess rides in a Century Breverra booster seat! She loves her "big girl seat"! 11 more days til I get to see them (note: While I've been "cooling" it in Chicago, my wife and daughter have been in Arizona. Been six weeks since I've seen them...I go for a visit over Easter! I can't wait! Maybe be able to do some of that "other kind of zooming"! ;-) KnowhatImean?)

    Regards,

    Pete
  • theparallaxtheparallax Member Posts: 361
    Down here in Florida all I see are Sand Mica and Silver Protege's!
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Yeah, we're expecting a big baby. Probably 8 to 10 pounds. Tammy goes in for the old pelvic exam and "3-D Sonogram" tomorrow, and we'll know for sure whether our son will be taking the "waterslide" or "Alien" method of entry into the world.

    Roger dodger on the baby seat, Paul ... yes, mine will be going in only once. (Actually, the base will be going in permanently. The seat itself is shared with our new stroller -- it's a cool stroller with shocks, cupholders and six wheels, but it ain't no Mazda! But then again, I don't think EVENFLO would be a good name for a car -- maybe a motor oil, but not a car ... !!!)

    Today's supposed to be 70 and sunny here in Richmond. I'm going to try to get home early to give my lawn its first mow of the year, and if there's daylight left, I'll turn my attention to my rain-spotty emerald mica Protege! Funny ... I just realized that my lawn mower (Craftsman) and my Pro are the same color ... guess Tim Allen would be proud!!! Arggh, arggh, arggh!!!

    Meade
  • protegenicprotegenic Member Posts: 199
    I am a huge U2 fan and have it blaring in my Pro much of the time. I have even turned my 13 year old son on to them. Yesterday he gets on to me for mentioning that he likes them in front of his friends and embarrassing him. Seems U2 is not the cool band to that age group.

    My 99 ES should hit 20K over the weekend. This has been a really great car so far. I haven't seen the new '01's yet, but I agree with some others in liking the chrome strip above the grill on the older models. It looks very good with my black paint in my opinion.

    I was nearly kicking myself for not getting the ABS this morning. I left for work a little before dawn and nearly hit a deer. I saw her a ways off and slowed down, but she wouldn't get off the road. I had to hit the brakes really hard at the last second to avoid hitting her, with a little lockup in the process. Wet roads didn't help either.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I almost wrecked my cae the second day I got it. ABS saved me from a pretty bad accident. I was going through the M-Tag lane at one of the tunnels here in Maryland, and was moving at about 60 mph. This stupid person pulls out to go from one toll lane to another, but did not notice my car moving toward her rather rapidly. At this time, my best friend was also in the car, with her two toddlers. Within a split second, I jammed the brakes and was steering around her car that was right in my path. Breathed a sigh of relief, because it could have turned out to be a pretty bad situation. So I guess I could say that my ABS was paid for within the second day of ownership. :)
  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    I'd have to say Green.. *grin*

    if the car in town is an LX.. 3 out of 5 times its Sand Mica.. the other 2 are usually Silver.

    Now ES's are a different matter.. most I've seen are Green, then Blue, then Silver.. We wanted Silver but the wife now likes the green more because it looks more "classy." everyone has a silver car it seems now anyways..

    As for the Sandalwood, that's the darker brown right? My Altima is similar in color (Brushed Pewter) and its amazing how many cars (Proteges, Malibus, Camrys, etc...) have that color now that I have the Altima.. (they are all copycats!!!)..

    But I'm not too keen on it on a protege.. I still like Silver,Green,Sand on the pro the best.. Never liked a white car because ti shows too much dirt..
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    My buddy has a white '01 ES that he keeps very clean and I must say that the color looks great on the '01.

    :)
  • theparallaxtheparallax Member Posts: 361
    LOL! Look what I found cruising the VWVortex Forums:


    image


    I never noticed the owl until now!

  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    ...is more gold, has a lot more metal flake in it. Highlights the lines of the car like Silver does. Emerald Green and Black tend to hide the cars lines, accenting only the fender flares and character line along the doors.

    If you like pinstripes have the dealer put them about a half inch above the designed-in character line breaking at the door handles. Makes the car look longer.

    fowler3
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    The most prevalent Protege colors I've seen around here in Richmond are as follows:

    DX/LX: Beige & Silver
    ES: Emerald Mica (like mine)

    There's one LX I keep seeing that's burgundy. It's the newer model, either a '99 or '00. I know the '00s didn't come in burgundy; anyone know if the '99s did? Or did some joker repaint his Protege after only one year? (The paint job looks as good as factory.)

    Meade
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    ...tonight's Protege Owner's chat!

    KarenS
    Host
    Owner's Clubs
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    ...with beige interior. Chestnut is on the 626 and looks like Burgundy. He must have had it repainted. Maybe bought it used.

    Here's a tough choice: A High Point, NC dealer has several 2000 Pros left over. One is the dark Blue metallic ES 1.8L with alloys, MSRP $16,895. Same price as a 2001 LX 2.0L.Both have Moonroofs. If you were buying which would you take?

    fowler3
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    If I were you, I'd take a 01 ES. Use the S-plan like everybody else in here and you will pay less than the MSRP on that 2000 for sure. I didn't use the S-plan and I paid $15,400 for my 01 ES 5sp not including tax, title and licence. I did get the $400 college grad rebate however. I don't think the 0% financing is still going on though.
  • theparallaxtheparallax Member Posts: 361
    I believe Mazda offered it only on the '99 model, because the only other Protege on the dealer lot when I bought mine was a maroon-ish color. Also, if you look at the '99 brochure there is a picture of a burgundy Protege in there.
  • jstandeferjstandefer Member Posts: 805
    That would be the Cranberry Mica color for the '99. It was discontinued about half-way through the model year and replaced with Highlight Silver Mica... an excellent decision on Mazda's part.


    I still think the best color for the Pro is Classic Red! Alas, they no longer offer it! Oh well... Ill just have to upgrade mine rather than buy a new one. I really want the Sport 20 body kit! This one has it:

    image

    image

    Photos hyperlinked to ProtegeTech.

  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    I guess the 01 LX would be the logical choice if the dealer refuse to give you a major deal on the 00 ES.

    Colorwise, I'll have to give it to the midnight blues on the 00 models (I am biased, this is why). IMHO Mazda is not very smart in not offering any shade of blue for 01's. Can you imagine how GOOD a '01 ES 2.0 in midnight blue would look??? Man would that be a car and a half!!!
  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    well then Mazda has redone the Sandalwood, because before it was darker than the Sand Mica..
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    My 1999 DX was silver, and my 2001 ES is black. I wondered why, when I went to get some touch-up paint for my DX, they couldn't find the color nor was it in the brochure. Now I know, because it was a mid-year addition.

    I liked the silver better than the black, only because it was easier to keep clean and it wasn't as hot inside. It's like 70 outside here today, and my car (just came back from an arrand in it) is hot as hell inside. I had to cut on the AC to cool it down a little. I can only imagine how it's gonna feel inside when it's 100 outside this summer. (Going to get the windows tinted darker than they are now, soon.)

    I saw a couple blue ESs on the road before, and think they look really nice. But the paint has a habit of looking a bit purple in some lighting conditions though. I didn't wanna be accused of driving a Barney car. :) I was going for the green when I got my 2001 ES, but they had the black and it looked so damn good, I took it. Besides, I had never seen a black Protege before, and wanted to be kinda unique.

    On another subject, I have yet to see another 2001 Protege (not even a DX or LX model) other than mine in the Baltimore/DC/Delaware area. Makes me feel unique. :)
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    do yu feel a whirrr-thunk (where the left-footrest is) from the transmission when the car comes to a stop?

    need your views before going to the dealer.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    NEVER felt anything like that in either of my Proteges, and they were both automatics. Take that thing to the dealer! :)
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Are you sure it isn't comming from the front brakes? If so it's an annoyance that the dealer can easily take care of under warranty.

    :)
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    it's there since last 2 months and I did not want to go to the dealer without any specifics.

    I did nail it down to the tranny.

    when I am going around 35 mph - usual speed around town and then coast to a stop, there is a whirr(sound of spinning) and a thunk from the underneath left footrest.

    I have not heard it if I brake hard...but evertime when I semi-coast(lightly braking) to a stop..usually at the traffic lights and stop signs and there is a slight tug forward associated with the thunk.

    so what I deciphered was that the tranny is shifting into first gear when I am coming to a stop. but why this whirr-thunk to get into the first gear?
  • gitarzangitarzan Member Posts: 66
    I have a 2000 LX Auto. No Whirr Thunk here. I do notice that It will occasionally do a rough shift and that when I step on it, it seems to rev a lot higher than I like without really giving me any torque.

    Newcar31: You said "Use the S-plan like everybody else in here" I don't think _everyone_ else in here is just out or just getting out of college. Or are they? I wish I _could_ have used the S-Plan. But I'm 21 years too late...
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You are not going to like this, Gitarzan, but you are referring to the college grad program, not the S plan. Anyone can use the S plan. You just have to be a member of an organization (like EAA) that participates in it. I got online and became a member of EAA just to use the S plan. I am 22, but never went to college. Still used it, and saved about $500 on my purchase. I bought a 2001 ES, and they were going for $5-900 over invoice at the time. I got the car for 1.5% (about $300 or so I would assume) under invoice. I saved that $300, plus the other $8-900, so I saved alot of money with the S plan.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    the college grad program. S-plan is the supplier plan for Ford/Mazda affiliates. The EAA happens to be part of that plan as the former CEO of Mazda NA is a pilot and member(hmmm). BTW this association with the EAA can be revoked at any time if Mazda so chooses(so I've heard).

    :)
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    ...how to put a picture on here I can email a photo of the new Sandalwood to them so everyone can see what we are talking about?

    fowler3
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    try www.photopoint.com, seems like it's a good site to upload your pics and then link them here.

    I link my pics from my own web site...
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    look at the Town Hall Help on the upper left of this page. Scroll down in there and you will see instructions.

    :)
  • hepworth1hepworth1 Member Posts: 8
    For those of you in Canada, who might want to use the S-Plan to get the best price, you will have to wait possibly a bit longer for it to materialize. I talked to someone at Mazda Canada and she said that they have a meeting on the 1st of May to try to finalize all the details for the plan and if everything is agreed upon, it will take effect in the second or third week of May.Keeping my fingers crossed.
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    Here is some information on the different generations of the Protege from the CAA 2000 Survey. Other than the fact that they seem to have the 1999 version in the wrong column, (it should be combined with the 00-01) the results seem to agree with what I've been reading here. People are pretty happy with the Proteges. 95 to 97% of the Protege owners from any of the 3 generations would buy another.

    http://www.caa.ca/CAAInternet/automotive&consumerservices/new2.htm

    Follow the links to individual vehicle ratings.

    Nomi
  • gitarzangitarzan Member Posts: 66
    Hmm. I'll have to remember that on my next Protegé.

    My apologies to Newcar31. I'm debraining as I get older.

    I still got a good deal. I think. A new 2000 LX with Auto, Keyless entry, and Comfort package for $2680.00 off of the invoice price.
  • tocantocan Member Posts: 118
    $2,680 off INVOICE price!!! If that's what you really mean, WOW!!!. Even if it is $2,680 off MSRP it looks like a good deal.

    Nomi
  • hkchanhkchan Member Posts: 420
    Interesting. "Much worse than average" for "Body" on the 00-01 model from a sample size of 56.
  • fritz1224fritz1224 Member Posts: 398
    I know. That struck me also. Wondering what they are talking about. Parts falling off, rust, paint. Interesting.
  • gitarzangitarzan Member Posts: 66
    It was a new 2000, I got it 3 weeks ago.

    Edmunds says that car invoices with options at $14859. -That includes Base LX, AutoTranny, Comfort Pkg (air-powerstuff, Keyless Entry and dest chgs.

    I paid $12,179. I know the 2001 is a better car, but I like the looks of the 2000 and the price of this one in particular. I showed up at the dealer at 6:00 pm on a Friday night and finally left with the car at 11:50pm. I did a lot of BS'ing. My best line that night was, " Well, this is a wake-up call for me. I'm just going to have to look for a used car." That seemed to shake a couple bucks off of their price.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    You guys need to be a little more investigative!

    Go through that survey and compare the Protege's ratings with Civic, Focus, Sentra and Corolla. The Protege slams all of them in "percent very satisfied with vehicle" -- 99 PERCENT! The Sentra gets only 77 in that category; the rest, if I remember correctly, are in the low 90s. Seems "body" (whatever that means) is a bone of contention across the board. The almighty Civic got the same rating; the others were at or below average as well. The only car in our class that got slightly better scores (but a lower "percent very satisfied" score -- go figure) was Corolla.

    Maybe the CAA gave everybody bad body ratings because of what Canadian winters do to cars ...?

    After reading that survey, I feel EVEN BETTER about my car decision!

    Meade
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Look at the '93-'98 Volkswagen Golf in that CAA survey!

    Maybe they should start calling it the "Goof!"

    Meade
  • lindathomp2000lindathomp2000 Member Posts: 39
    Wow. I just had the nose mask put on my ES, '01. Black looks great on the SeaBreeze green. They had a difficult time putting it on though. Lots of straps, cutting, etc. Took over an hour and a half and this was at the dealers!. I think I will leave it on for a while.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    All that trouble for a nose mask? I have a 2001 ES as well, and was going to have a nose mask put on it. After hearing what you said, I won't though.

    I am almost at 3000 miles (about 2700). Almost time for my first oil change. Still loving the ZOOM ZOOM! :)

    It's gonna be 75 degrees today here in Maryland. GOD, I can not WAIT until 5pm! I will have the CD blaring, the windows all down, the roof open, and will be ZOOM ZOOMing! If you see a black 2001 Protege fly past on Route 50 or Route 3/97 (Maryland), you know it's me. :)

    What about the MAPP guys? Are we going to do another one this year? Just wondering, since it's getting warm outside now..
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy

By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our Visitor Agreement.