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Comments
We have two Proteges in our driveway now, my 2000 ES with 40,000 miles on it and my wife's 2002 Protege5 with 8,000, and both have been extremely reliable cars. No warranty issues with either of them yet, knock on wood.
I used to own a 1992 Protege LX, which went 83,000 miles (when I traded it) without one problem. It replaced my first 1992 LX that, because of the lousy tires it was shod with, hydroplaned at 45 mph and was totaled at only 28,000 miles. But even though it had those old motorized "passive restraint" belts and no air bags, I walked out of the totaled car. I was so impressed with the way this car saved my life that I took my insurance check and bought the exact same car again.
So four Proteges in my life. I'm not a dumb person (Mama always said, "Stupid is as stupid does"), and I don't think I'd be such a repetitive customer if I wasn't as pleased as I can be with these cars. You won't find a compact with as much interior room as the Protege. And if you haven't already, sit in the back seat -- you won't believe it!
BTW, the Protege sedan has more trunk space than the Protege5 (not counting if you take the parcel shelf out of the Protege5). We learned this with our folding baby stroller -- the Protege5's trunk is about six inches shorter, front to rear, than the sedan's. Keep in mind this measurement does not take into account the fact that you can remove the parcel shelf in the Protege5 and stack taller things in it -- but I question the need. I recently got my gasoline lawn mower in the trunk of my Protege sedan with the handlebars folded and was able to SHUT the trunk! I like the extra depth the sedan's trunk affords us without having to fold the rear seats down.
Good luck; I don't think you can go wrong with a Protege! But if you get the sedan, make sure you get an ES for all the features, and if you can, get a 5-speed. You'll be missing a lot of fun if you get an automatic or that still-automatic Tiptronic.
Meade
It was yummy.
What, you don't want to hear about wax some more? Much more important than protecting a cheap old tranny! ;-)
Back to my question, I have been considering trading to a smaller, less expensive car as I adjust to a new (read: tighter) economic situation. Tops on my list of small cars are the Protege and the Civic. I think they are both very attractive cars and reliable. The Civic has better resale value but the Protege can be purchased for less (if I use the S plan) plus there's that tempting 0% financing option.
I drive a midsize car now (a Camry) and I'm wondering about the adjustment as far as ride and comfort. I have read that the Pro has a very "firm" ride. My question is: how firm is firm? Is it really harsh or just stiffer because of its handling characteristics? I live in Metro Detroit and most of the roads range from bad to terrible, so a smooth ride (in spite of the bad roads) is a preference for me.
However, I really like the way the Pro looks and my one major gripe with my current car is that it doesn't handle as tightly as I would like, it's not very confidence inspiring on sharp turns, etc. And I admit to a yearning for a bit more ... "pizzazz" stylewise. But I do appreciate the smooth, quiet ride. I know if I trade to a smaller vehicle to cut my expenses, I'll have to make some sacrifices. I'm hoping to buy a vehicle that would require the least amount of sacrifice or just on minor things.
Now that you know a bit about my story, what do you guys think?
TIA
SilverCrown
Meade
People were bashing a certain car about having poor resale value. He said, make that work for you by buying a slightly used one. That way, the original buyer takes the depreciation hit and you get away with a mostly brand new car.
Anyway, I for one, don't care about resale value. I'm keeping my Pro for a long, long time.
I find the ride in the Protege to be good. It's definitely not mushy, and you will have a lot of road feeling transmitted into the cabin. But I find that an acceptable trade-off, especially with the handling you get in return.
I've test-driven the Civic a few times. Can't say I like the a) styling, and b) road-handling. Very boring IMO.
Go drive a Protege Renee!
Meade
I don't think you can go wrong with either - it's a matter of priorities as to which one you choose, I suppose. I personally prefer the better handling and improved road feel of the Pro's suspension and steering to its softer, gentler, more "main-stream" competition.
I know which one I'd pick, but I think I may be a little biased in this
Smart gal. She's been driving that overweight Grand Prix too much.
Thank you for riding at Cedar Point.
or something to that extent
BTW, I AM making a direct comparison here. YES, it's not fair, but I don't care!!
But those worries are unfounded, I learned this past weekend, when we were out running errands and she said, "I LOVE my car!!!" completely out of the blue.
There, Renee, there's a "non-guy's" point of view on the car for you. And her most recent car before her Protege5 was a mushy, boring 1995 Cavalier.
Meade
I drove the other day behind a BMW 325 out on a test drive. The dealer always takes test drives on the same curvy stretch of road that I often drive myself - fun road. Anyway, the salesperson (or so I assume - a guy in the back who looked like a BMW salesperson) kept looking back at me wondering how I could manage to keep up (they were obviously pushing the car - not alot, but a good bit). I bet the salesperson was egging the test driver (a young man) on, talking about how well the car handles.
When we got through the stretch, the BMW pulled off to the side of the road to let traffic clear, ready to run the stretch again. I quickly pulled in front and when traffic cleared went on ahead of them - leaving them way (oh so far away) behind. At the next stop light, driver and rear seat passenger were staring at my Pro.
Of course, I know the limits of my car; the person test driving the BMW doesn't know the limits of his, so he isn't going to push it as hard. But still - BMW verve for half the price! Of course, its sans BMW brand cachet (oh, and rear wheel drive, and ride comfort, and NVH, and BMW service, etc.), but I can't afford to care about such things. ;-)
Meade
Excellent idea, protege_fan, about finding Mazda and Honda dealers in the same area for a test drive. That may be a challenge though. I don't think there are many Mazda dealers around here and most have a poor reputation for customer service. I, myself, had a poor experience with the one closest to me when I test drove a Millenia a while back. I posted my experience on the Millenia and Mazda 6 boards. That was when I was dreaming of more luxury before reality set in. LOL
This is still all very preliminary, but I will post my impressions whenever I do decide to do a test drive (unless I decide to just keep my car and maybe refi it or something). I do admit, I am intrigued by the idea of attending the next annual meeting in Chicago (CAPP) if I bought one ......
Keep the comments/advice coming!
Regarding test drives: I test drove three cars in one day (Corolla, Protege, Elantra). I agree, back-to-back--or as close to back-to-back as you can get--is definitely the way to do it.
And if you have a memory like a seive, as do I (NO comments from the rest of you, please), here's a helpful hint:
Take somebody along with you on all the drives (aside from the goofy salesperson). If you notice something--anything--about the car while you're driving (good or bad), mention this out loud and have your friend take notes.
That way at the end of the day you won't find yourself struggling to remember which car had more leg room, made the weird noise in reverse, etc. Maybe this isn't a problem when you're comparing only two cars, but it's just a thought.
Good luck!
--Dale
Taking a friend is a good idea. Two heads are better than one.
And I guess I'm looking for an excuse to drive to Chicago .....
Real good to know about the truck space too! Plan on putting 1- 10 inch L7 Solo Baric in there. Not trying to entertain the neighbors, just myself.
I plan on going to test drive possibly this weekend.
I really like the look of the sedan over the Pro5. I know I can put the Pro5 front end on the sedan later. Do you or anyone else know if you can upgrade the sedan to the leather seats as well? Does waiting til the end of the month to buy a car really work? I've had a salesman tell me their managers make some really stupid deals at the end of the month, especially on the 30th & 31st. Is this really true?
Again, thank you to everyone for your input. It's really helpful...
Here in Canada, the price diff b/n the LX and ES are fairly noticeable, and if you want the ES-GT (equiv of the US ES) then it's a huge (IMO)price difference.
In terms of suspension, there's no difference. ES has 4 wheel discs whereas the LX has 2 discs and 2 drums, but I say that point is moot as in many cases 90% of the stopping power is accomplished by the front brakes.
But same 2.0L engine, same tranny, same body, etc.
Thanks.
B30P-34-151 STABILIZER,FRONT - ES
BL2J-34-151 STABILIZER,FRONT - DX, LX
B30H-28-151 STABILIZER,RR - DX, LX
BL2J-28-151 STABILIZER,RR - ES
I don't have the specs, but they are different.
Bruno
I prefer the my 2.0LX's interior over the ES. I hate the black cloth, it shows lint and absorbs heat.
I just couldn't spend the next four years looking at that silver and white.
Pjd58(pete)
Thanks to everyone for being so patient with me and my many questions. :-)
The Sandman :-)
So many factors involved: age of driver, where you live, how far you drive each day, safety features of the car, personal driving history, etc. etc. etc.
I pay a bundle to insure my Protege, others here pay much less. You might ask a couple of insurance companies for quotes on a couple of different cars (including the Protege and your current car), factoring in your info, and see what you come up with.
For some 99's and 00's.
You were not too far off geographically though, because someone from Maryland did. About 150 miles from that other guy.
Happy 15,000!
--Dale