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Comments
Well to cut to the point, that relatives' young kid, mebbe 12-14 years of age, blurted out a question, when I parked my car in their lot:
"Is that your BMW?"
Was as I happy
c'mon......can't stand a little praise...eh?
"Cool Man, what car is this...?"
I had half a mind of saying to him
"Couldn't u read it on the trunk?"
But his question was a praise after all and I replied as gently as possible "it's a Mazda"
At least it's a small one in a rear fender.
Still, I was PO'd when I found it.
It's an AWR 21.5mm rear swaybar...replaces the stock 14mm bar. This car flies around corners so much flatter than before, something that I wanted badly after test driving the Pro5.
Does the Pro5 have a different rear sway bar? I thought the suspensions of the ES and P5 were identical?
Nice tires and nice Rhino ramps.
Was the speedometer at zero when you took that picture?
P.S. Todd--Clint's car is a '99 LX.
Did you install it yourself? Easy to do or a pro's job? How long did it take?
Tanx,
Dinu
We were having our usual poker nite and I told them atthe bottom of the 6th that the Rally Monkey would come on. And they did!
Dinu
Zoom--Ooops!
fowler3
Clint has an LX. Check.
Protege5online.com sells the bar via PayPal for $247...cheaper by using other methods but this was the easiest for me.
Installation took about 3 hours because it came with no instructions at all. The beefy endlinks are nice and adjustable, but are confusing. I was at the local do it yourself hobby shop putting the bar on and this is what held me up. I couldn't get them to go on right until a guy came over and helped me.
All in all, very much worth the price. Next on the list: Mazda MP3 struts and springs.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/pw/bonaccorsi.htm
A MazdaSpeed Protege Touring Car
"With engine mods to make 230 horsepower"!
My 2000 ES 5-speed is my third Protege. I wouldn't have bought three if I didn't think they're fantastic cars. My wife (OK, with a little help from me) traded her 1995 Crapalier for a 2002 Protege5 last January. My 2000 now has 45,000 trouble-free miles on it, and hers just crossed 10,000 trouble-free miles.
One recommendation -- if you're looking for "fun factor," DEFINITELY get the 5-speed. I test drove both an automatic and a 5-speed and there was just no comparison. I was all set at age 35, after driving 5-speeds for 15 years, to be "luxurious" and finally get an automatic. But after test-driving both, guess what. Two and a half years later, I don't regret my decision at all!
Zoom zoom!
Meade
A Sentra is nice, if you don't need to carry anyone in the rear. It's roomier than the previous version, but still not as roomy as a Protege. Its suspension set-up is more tuned for comfort, although the sportier trim model will hold its own against a Pro. I still think the trunk pass-through is puny.
The Impreza felt cramped to me. Maybe it's the way they bring the sides of the car in so quickly. I just felt something was too close to my head. I thought the seats felt great (up front), and the controls are as good as the Pro's. The rear seat is still a joke, way worse than the Sentra's. I think some models don't offer a trunk pass-through. However, the Impreza does offer AWD, which may matter to you if you get a lot of snow/ice. This does lower mpg though.
You can get an LX-level Protege for around that price range. I think they're offering a substantial rebate on 2002 models ($2000?). What you don't get (from the ES): rear disc brakes, spoiler, black gauges w/ green lighting v. light grey ones w/ red lighting, smaller wheels (steel on 2002, alloys stock on 2003 models)...well, those are the big ones I remember off the top of my head.
Corollas are nice, but I think the pedals are too close (the controls feel too far away, including the steering wheel, when I have the seat adjusted so I'm comfortable with the pedals). I think it's designed for drivers in the low to mid 5-foot height range, as my wife thinks it's fine. The rear seats are actually usable now, although the rear seatbacks don't recline very much (about 30 degrees up from horizontal when fully folded), so it kind of limits what you can load through the trunk pass-through. The interior materials are very nice, although I hate the fake wood trim they put in some models. It's tall, which is great for headroom. Handling is OK, but soft and tippy for me. Straight-line acceleration is better than the Pro's, although it won't keep up with a Pro through corners.
About the only thing negative I hear about the Protege is the ride is stiffer than some of its competitors. However, its handling more than makes up for it (for me).
The only car, whose handling I hear compares to the Pro is the Focus (they think it handles as well, with less transfer of impact). I, however, think it's too "tippy" in corners, which I suspect is due to the softer-sprung and dampened suspension that creates the softer impacts. Just drive them all and judge for yourself.
I personally would still avoid Fords given their spotty reliability record (and now my friend's Windstar's brakes are acting up...apparently the mechanics at his dealership think it's OK for the brake pedal to just go to the floor w/o any braking as "it happens from time to time" with their ABS systems...eek, I'd dump the van immediately if it were mine...of course, I wouldn't have gotten one in the first place).
The Protege is gonna give you the best combination of everything. The only negative aspect is resale value, so keep this in mind if you trade cars quickly. Of course, resale value is a little low on any small car, so I would have to call the Protege average even in that respect. Definitely would recommend it if you want a fun-to-drive small car. The power is not spectacular, but it's adequate. Fuel economy is average or a little better as well.
And $15K should get you an ES model with pretty much everything, as rebates run pretty rampant on this vehicle.
Good luck and let us know what you decide to get.
(and no vibrations or rattles to accompany after 44,000 miles, 3.5yrs)
Is anyone in the same boat like me?
Better off road, too.
Is it THAT much louder than the standard exhaust?
I got one point after going to court to fight the ticket. In the ES, I got a ticket with 2 points and just paid it. The points never showed on my insurance yet though.\
Never got a ticket in the Jetta yet, had it a year this coming Sunday. Surprising, because it's the most powerful car I ever had and I NEVER go below 80mph on the highway with it.
So I explained him I just want:
oil change + filter (it's due anyway) $26.95
spark plug replacement $59.99
Coolant flush $79.00
A/T drain, clean oil pan and refill $79.99
Total: $246+taxes=$282.90 NOT NEGOTIABLE since he agreed not to check the rest of the items (lubricate doors, tightening bolts, brake inspection, check lights, BS like that).
Ticked me off with the price for changing the spark plugs, but if they seize and break, I can say bye-bye to any type of X-mas holiday, so I'd rather get them done this way. I replaced the air filter 2 weeks ago and got wipers 4-6 weeks ago, so it's all good.
PRO's driving VERY fine, although I almost ran out of gas today. The light went on yesterday, but from previous occasions I know I still have left 100 city kms to drive before it's empty, so at 40kms today I filled up 52L with only 3 litres remaining in the tank! Close call. It was also the most expensive fill-up ever > $38 @ 74.5 cents/litre. I never put more than $34 before and that was when gas was $0.78/l.
Dinu
The maintenance menu calls for a coolant "check" not change at 48.000kms. I have 46.500 kms now in 15 mths! That a lot of driving, under extreme conditions - really hot in the summer and as of last week, really cold now. It might snow on Saturday...
I plan on keeping this Protege - along with a 2nd one I'll be getting next year for at least 8-10 yrs. I MUST maintain it accordingly.
I don't mind taking care of this car - I LOVE IT and I'm keeping it for longer than most people! If it was leased, I wouldn't care one bit, but it isn't.
Dinu
Having said that, I'll tell you I've had my '00 ES 5-speed up to and over 105 mph on occasion. Runs pretty well there.
BTW, what is the highway speed limit where you live?
Meade