Mazda Protegé

dsm6

Has official pricing been anounced? I've heard an un-official mark around $21k.

vocus

Just get the paint code from the Matrix and tell them at the shop to use it on the P5.

Be warned though, it REALLY lowers resale value of a car to have it repainted. Soon as you do that, people think you are trying to hide damage or something on the car, and instantly lower the value. Carmax told me this, when I found out the 1993 Bonneville I had was repainted.

protege_fan

Good paint job would probably cost at LEAST a thousand bucks (CDN).

BTW, do a search for Maaco...there's some horror stories from them out there!

Only reason I'm talking about Maaco is because they are widely known.

vocus

You have to tape up the lights, moldings, etc. YOURSELF when you go for one of those paint special thingies, at least here in the US.

A good friend of mine just had his car repainted from someone my family knew for awhile for $635, including replacing the passenger mirror, which was also body colored.

mdaffron

Would it be better to put up with the color you don't like until the manufacturer's warranty expires, and then paint the car? It would seem kinda foolish to take a perfectly new paint job and repaint it. Why not hang on to the money and wait five years -- then repaint the car -- and you'll have a car that looks new for much longer than if you repainted it right after you bought it?

Sorry, just trying to be logical and cost-conscious.

Meade

meinrad

since I never worry about resale value of anything, that wouldn't be a problem. I buy it, paint it, or whatever, because thats what I want regardless of the effect on resale value.

And I wouldn't be looking for a quickie job, I'd want a good paint shop to do it. $1000 would be cheap enough for me to consider it. To be driving a car with the exact color I want, I think that would be a bargain. Why limit ourselves to what the car makers want to give us?

I'll have to ask the lady I work with when she gets back from vacation how much it cost them to paint their Vette. They just got done restoring a 72 or something and they had the thing all repainted. I almost forgot about her when I asked the question.

Posted and saw Meade's post, so this edit....
But I would look at it as part of the cars initial cost. If it's 17K, but I think it's worth 18K whats the difference to me. I see it as no different than adding mufflers, intakes, enviromental protection plans, sunroofs, new wheels. Why not have the car you want!

vocus

The paint warranty is usually much longer than the regular warranty though. I know on my VW, the corrosion warranty is for 12 years without a mileage limit. So I won't be repainting the car anytime soon! I like the color I got anyway, so it's not an issue for me.

mdaffron

That's usually called a PERFORATION warranty (VW calls it "corrosion perforation"), which means you have to have rusted holes THROUGH THE METAL before it'll be covered by that. Bad paint or a patch of rust won't get you coverage. I don't think any automaker really covers just the paint job, since so many things -- acid rain, ultraviolet light, road salt, etc. -- can affect paint. But I'd think it'd be better financially to go ahead and wait until the car could use a paint job before you strip off perfectly new paint just to paint it again. I guess Ray and I just differ on this -- I think there are enough choices out there to find a car you like with the options you like, rather than buying one and taking off perfectly new items to rebuild it for a few thousand MORE bucks a la carte. I guess I'm just easier to please?

Meade

protege_fan

There's no such thing as a paint warranty. As Meade has said, there's too many factors that act to harm your paint and the car makers know this.

Since we're talking about paint and protection packages, I'm gonna post this.

I was reading thru my parents' CR-V manual at it explicitly states this (or something close to it):

"Honda does not recommend aftermarket application of rust protection as we (Honda) have already done this and application of such may void the corrision warranty"

That's great...so why the heck does the dealer sell an aftermarket rust protection package and why did my parents buy it even though I said not to??

mdaffron

vocus

I was not comparing though, I was just stating a fact. And yeah I did do it before with comparisons, but that was the past. If you wanna live in the past, then so be it.

meinrad

differ on the paint thing, which is good since I wouldn't want anyone to associate me with him anyway, he's a trouble maker!

mdaffron

Didn't you say your dealer refused to give you a loaner car when you took it in for a warranty problem?

I'm just asking, because I just found the following statement on MazdaUSA's web site:

"Take your car in for warranty work at a participating Mazda dealership, and you can get a loaner car at no charge. Just ask. You won't have to arrange your day around a repair schedule, ask friends for rides, or catch up on your magazine reading while you wait. The Mazda Transportation Solution is in effect for every 2001 and 2002 Mazda for the duration of the new-vehicle warranty."

Meade

protege_fan

LMAO! Since this is a message board and eveything posted could be considered "in the past" your comment makes little sense.

However, what I'm getting at is your constant jabbing at your old Pro..whether it's over HP loss due to the a/c or whatever, you continue to make unneeded jabs.

And maybe you don't think you're making a comparison, but you are. When you say, "My jetta does this...my old Pro did that," then you are comparing the cars.

Sorry man...I don't live in the past, but I do remember it.

mdaffron

I do have the power to ban you from a certain little group you enjoy sharing your twisted sense of humor and chatting in.

Be nice to me, my little minion.

Or I'll start telling everybody about your pool, your "swimsuits optional" policy and where they can find you.

Meade

boggse

Meade,

The operative words are:

"Take your car in for warranty work at a participating Mazda dealership..."

Some dealers might not participate. One of the dealers in my area makes you beg for it. I guess they just participate in their own way.

mdaffron

Don't you think even I caught your little pun against the VW in the following post you made over on the Jetta discussion today:

Can you imagine...
Me: "Hello sir, can you tow my car?"
Towing: "Sure...what's the address?"
Me: "1234 Jedduh St"
Towing: "Ok, we'll go get it"
Me: "Don't you want my name?"
Towing: "Nah...we don't need to prove who you are or who owns it"

Yep, I sure noticed. (Actually I think I was the one who coined that little alternative spelling.)

Well, my crystal ball tells me we're about to get a visit by Pat, who's gonna tell us to stop talking about Jettas here. She just had to post that order in reverse over on the Jetta discussion. Geesh, we're acting like a bunch of 8th-graders whose teacher left the room for a few minutes. Fun, ain't it? Ah, to be a kid again!

So ... before we get ordered to do so, why don't we drop the Jetta stuff and talk about -- hey, I've got a crazy idea -- Proteges?

If we wanna go joke around a little, there's the Posse -- anybody been over there lately?

Meade

P.S. to Ted ... Well then, FIND a participating dealer!

protege_fan

Ah...I was NEVER the one to say this:

"#6337 of 6384 And again... by vocus Jul 03, 2002 (02:13 pm)
When did this become the Protege vs. Jetta room? Isn't there another
forum for that? Can we possibly use that one for this crap?"

BTW, I liked my Jedduh st. example, thank you very much :P

mdaffron

I got carrying on about having to use the heat in my Protege this morning -- first time ever in July because we had a low-temperature record this morning after a cold front came through --

I made two completely on-topic Protege posts in the FREAKIN' VOLKSWAGEN JETTA DISCUSSION, thinking I was here! I even made one admonishment to Mike to "get back on topic" and discuss Proteges -- IN THE JETTA DISCUSSION!!!

What a goof I am! Time for a glass of water ... hell, nah -- a beer!

Meadie the Moron
(Wiping the drool from my face)

townhall9

Please reference - "What you should know before going to the dealer" - on the edmunds home page. In the "old days", undercoating was a good idea (if only for the sound deadening qualities). We have all been ripped off. Thank goodness for the web, and Consumer Reports. "We" are more aware now.

vocus

I asked two different dealers about loaner cars when I had my Protege. They told me that was only if they had to keep the car overnight. And they always seemed to finish it pretty quickly when the end of the day came. So they don't provide loaners there. I also called two other Mazda dealers in MD (that makes 5, and that's all in the state of MD), and they told me they would not gimme a loaner either. So something's up.

protege_fan

Sorry if my post wasn't clear...I do not believe in aftermarket undercoating. I can go buy a can for under $5.00 and do it myself if I want, not to mention that it's already been done by the manufacturer.

Now, interior stuff...that's for some people. I can understand Meade's logic on that...it's the same reason my parents went for it. If anything happens to the interior, they will fix it.

mdaffron

I'm pulling the plug for now. Be good and keeping the zooming alive.

Meade

protege_fan

You're leaving me to fend off the hordes by myself? Oh well...Have a good weekend Meade!

mdaffron

Meade

protege_fan

First Dale goes on the LAM...now Meade? Welcome to the Twilight Zone

mdaffron

Someday. ;-)

Meade

audia8q

Sorry for not getting back sooner...

The est. MSRP is around $21K for the MazdaSpeed....but, I expect most dealers who qualify for the MazdaSpeed will charge over MSRP....let me explain why. Mazda is charging mazda dealers who qualify apx $15,000 for the mazdaSpeed franchise, expected to be less than 100 dealers nationwide. (franchise within a franchise). Most dealers will see 4-6 cars for the whole year. So as you can see, there isnt enough product to cover the cost of the franchise.

it's a great car, as all proteges are, and it's quick!! I think www.mazdausa.com has some info.

protege_fan

Thanks for the info! If there's so few in the states, I wonder how many in Canada there will be??

protege_fan

Anybody who's qualified...
Does the 2.0L engine in the sedan (non-mp3) and the P5 use a knock sensor or not?

maltb

It does use a knock sensor.

maltb

but that $15k also gives the dealer the right to sell Mazdaspeed parts and accessories as well as perform factory warrantied installations and repair. For the right dealers in the right areas it will be more than worth the franchise cost. Obviously, Joe Podunk Mazda in Nowhere, Idaho isn't the ideal franchise.

dsm6

Thanks for the info - interesting to hear about the MazdaSpeed franchise fee. I guess dealers are setting up for when they'll be able to sell and install MazdaSpeed parts more so than selling a few MazdaSpeed cars.

Parts won't be available right away, but eventually dealers will be able to cash in on their investment just fine - I hope, anyway - for their sake and for the sake of those of us who want some good performance parts for our Mazdas.

BTW, at $21k plus markup, that's way too close to its 2.0 liter turbo all wheel drive competition for me. I'm sure dealers will be able to sell all 1500 of them no problem, though! Sounds like a pretty hot car.

protege_fan

You da man. Thanks

protege_fan

That they turned orange. Yuck (IMHO)!

dsm6

Doh! I guess I was a bit slow in posting that one. Work keeps getting in the way, darn it.

While we're on the subject, I was just thinking about how that line about losing money on the sale of a MazdaSpeed vehicle, because of the franchise fee in light of how few cars will be made, is a good one to feed customers. Something about it sure sounds like dealer-speak, eh? ;-) (just kidding)

maltb

Losing money will be true for probably 2 dealers who jump in without figuring on some extra effort. Another 58 dealers will do ok and the remaining 40 will get smart and start to reach out to the racers and long grain rocketeers in their communities to load them up with speed gear and Type-MS emblems.

anonymousposts

$21,000 + markup for 170HP? I'll pass. Competition is too steep for that kind of price/power ratio. I'm sure the handling is there ala MP3 but with 200HP from Acura, 225HP from Suby, and 181 from Hyundai I think that Mazda is smart in NOT trying to sell more than 1500. Gotta also think about the Focus SVT .. 170 normally aspirated HP and you can get them loaded for about $17,900 ... it just doesn't seem like Mazda's doing enough to put themselves at the head of the class in anything except price.

maltb

I don't think Mazda is trying to win the numbers game here. Wait until some of the test drives and comparisons come in. I'm sure it will be similar to the reaction to the MP3. Even though the numbers weren't right, everything but power was.

audia8q

Well the windfall of parts profits wont appear for years...simply because the mazdaspeed frachise states if any consumer installs a mazdaSpeed part on a non mazda speed vehicle (mazda) the warranty will be voided...We wont even be able to sell the turbocharge to a consumer unless they have a vin# that matches a mazdaspeed vehicle..
This protects the integrity of MazdaSpeed but eliminates any real profits...Also they are going to charge us the franchise fees on every vehicle line they decide to make into MazdaSpeed.
So, essentially we can only sell parts and accessories to mazdaspeed owners...again with only 4-8 units on the road per dealer, there wont be many people to sell to...

Also....1750 total vehicle's. 600 in orange the rest in black.

Like Maltb mentioned...wait until the press gets ahold of this car for a drive.....They loved the MP3 and it make a mockery out of alot of very expensive cars when handling was mentioned...so this with the extra HP the auto press should gush with enthusiasm. Which is great for Mazda!!

chicagopro

In PA right now, but stopped by a handy-dandy Kinko's to check my e-mail and check in here (would you really expect me to stay away for too long?)

Have put close to 1,000 miles on the Protege since Wednesday morning...so far, so good. The fraidy-cat friend with whom I'm traveling didn't want to take the PA Turnpike across the state, so instead she found the craziest (and SLOWEST) two-lane highway in all of the US (30, for those of you in these parts).

Fortunately for me (and unfortunately for my fraidy-cat friend), it was my turn to drive when we went through the twistiest, turniest, steepest stretch for four hours Thursday morning (between Greensburg and Gettysburg). As I've already mentioned to Mike, that was the most fun I've ever had driving...definitely different from Chicago terrain. Spectacular scenery, too.

Ray, Larry, and Jason: had I known I was going to be driving through these parts, I would have tried to arrange things so I could have stopped by to say hi...this whole thing was very last-minute.

Meade: I'll talk to you later

Mazdafun: How did you know I have a Keroppi photo-album in my purse at this very minute??

Malt: I'll be seeing you elsewhere.

Everybody else: Catch you Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Zoom Zoom--Dale

protegextwo

I live aprox. 300 yards from RT #30 in Lancaster, PA.! In these parts, we refer to RT #30 as the Lincoln Highway. This highway at one time was the exact road that Abraham Lincoln traveled on, to deliver the famous Gettysburg Address. Dale, have a safe trip home. :-)

-love train

vocus

Did you happen to come through Maryland on 95? If you did, you went right past my house too. I live about 1 mile from the Fort McHenry Tunnel off 95. Gimme a call if you are in the area, you have my cell phone number. Would love to give you a small tour of the area. Have a safe trip as well.

the_big_h

I finally realized that I have a microphone on my IBM handheld PC, so I took it out, placed it behind my car, and recorded a clip of the sound of the Mazdaspeed exhaust. Listen to that burbling sound at idle!

http://myprotegegarage.homestead.com/files/exhaust_sound.wav

newcar31

I just picked up the August issue of turbo magazine and they have a little article on the P5. They put some wheels on it, lowered it, and installed an HKS exhaust and intake. They plan on doing more in the future. What surprised me though were the baseline dyno runs that they performed on it. They took the P5 to Area 51 fabrications in Irvine, CA to use their Clayton roller dyno. Stock, the P5 was putting down 123.9 hp and 126.6 lb-ft of torque to the wheels. The exhaust and intake netted 5.7 hp and 3.4 lb-ft of torque. This is the first time I've seen an actual publication's dyno results of the 2.0L as opposed to what somebody (Jerry and others) have told me on the internet. That's a good 20 MORE hp to the wheels than what the people on the internet have been saying. Either Mazda somehow gave Turbo magazine a "ringer" or the assertions that the 1.8L puts more power to the wheels than the 2.0L are shot to hell. Thoughts?

BTW big-H, that exhaust sounds pretty nice.

vocus

I just saw a Classic Red Protege SE in the Washington, DC area driving around. The plates on it were from Calgary, BC. That's the first time I saw a Canadian Protege in the States. Looked funny to see the "SE" designation on a Protege here, since that model has not been sold here since 1992 or so.

protege_fan

Calgary is in Alberta..not BC. Did you get a good look at the plate? Can you describe it more?

SE is the same as DX that you guys have. It probably had the 1.6L engine in it.

boggse

I love the sound file. The best part is hearing you walk back and forth between the PC and the driver's seat. Seriously though, it sounds great! Did you decide whether or not to get the Dynamat?

maltb

People are accustomed to buying Mazdaspeed parts without a warranty just like most of the aftermarket(very limited warranty on performance parts) out there. The difference with it being from a dealer is that Corksport will have competition and the availability to the consumer will go way up. Like I said, dealers that know their target will do just fine. Dealers that are suckered into the franchise by regional management might not.

vocus

The plate did say Calgary, not Alberta. My mistake, sorry. It was a white backround with black lettering. And the Protege was a 1999-00 model without the facelift.