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Comments
That's pretty bad! I usually get 450-500 in a 50/50 split. 02 2.0 ES.
Dinu
Sounds like you've been through hell, but also ... given your recent posts ... it sounds like you are back with no holds barred. ;-)
Good to hear from you again.
Welcome back Larry!! Been worried about you. Thought maybe you choked on one of Cracker Barrel's too dry corn muffins. jk.
fowler3
QUIET!!! < First impression
Nice interior (black on black), smooth engine and tranny. Plenty of pick-up. Limited body lean in corners - as good as a PRO perhaps - or maybe I was under the influence or something
After the short 5 min drive in the neigbourhood, I went back home in my PRO - a 10 km drive 80% highway, 20% city streets. Man, am I glad I drive a PRO. It felt so much tighter, WAY more maneuvreable (sp?), same nice black on black interior, yes noisier, but also $24.000 tax included new!
I can't say I would chose the Maxima over the PRO if given a choice. If I would be concerned about what I wanna be seen in, or mention what I drive to people (especially of the female persuasion b/w 18-22), I'd say Maxima. But for PURE fun to drive, the PRO is still UNBEATABLE!
Have a nice weekend all!
Dinu
Ok, gotta go watch WRC on Speed at 11! See it tonite, Sat and Sun at 11PM EST.
Dinu
I guess I'll take the car in once it gets a little colder. I have a feeling that the poor gas mileage I'm getting is probably related to the smell problem
I usually do 125-130 km/h on long trips.
Last nite I filled-up (cheap - $0.67/L!). Put in 43L and the light was on for 15kms or so already.
Have it looked at anyway.
Dinu
Everyone, have a great weekend! :-)
-Larry
The Pro w/drum brakes might have stopped in the same distance as the one w/discs on the back, but the pedal feel was dramatically different to me.
http://www.protegeclub.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16262
Glad it was relatively minor, and that you're okay. Good luck with the insurance and everything!
--Dale
The drive itself was pretty nice. Other than the fact that my little 1.6 couldn't even keep up with any of the Miatas on their little "sprints" through the backwoods. Oh well, next Mazda I'm getting will be a stick, with the top enginge choice. The day began pretty gloomy, it was pouring rain during the drive up to Pensacola. Oh well, everything turned out pretty well.
Dinu
It was by far the most slippery drive I've done. 10 highway kms of a skating rink. Everytime I accelerated, the tires spun. Used D2 and D1 to downshift a lot. Touching the brakes wasn't the best choice. Pretty bad drive all in all and tomorow we're getting another 15cms... I'm just glad I got home ok and stayed inside today - too slippery to risk anything tonite.
Dinu
I have been very happy with the braking on my 01 Pro LX. Have had to almost stand it on its nose a couple times, but it stopped.
Other safe driving practices: Watch the driver not the vehicle, are they paying attention; If they are looking at the scenery make a point to tap your brakes a couple times to flash your brake lights -- remind them you may have to stop ahead; to avoid getting T-boned pulling into parking lots, watch for backup lights coming on, many drivers do not look back before backing up, they depend on other drivers seeing them moving backwards, especially cars parked between two SUVs or mini-vans.
And to get tailgaters off your bumper hit your brakes suddenly, scares the youknowwhat out of them, then speed off. I have even stopped on the road with nothing in front of me. Turned and mouthed a couple of choice words. Doesn't work with birdbrains, be careful.
fowler3
-larry
I hope you got some dedicated snow tires on your Protegé?
-larry
As for tires, the Poortenzas are gone. Avid Touring 195/90/R15: Good on dry pavement, ok in wet, still have to see how they perform in snow. But on ice, no tire has a chance, so I can't judge by last nite alone.
Dinu
Want to switch spots? I moved to Miami from Toronto two years ago and I'm dying to take my Pro out in the snow (she's never seen any!!!) I miss the days when I took my '87 626 to the Metro East Trade Centre and just let her slide.
The PRO has not been abused at all, unlike my ex-Civic. I still have to find out how these tires respond on snow, so maybe later tonite, I'll go for a nice parking lot for some fun.
Dinu
You can really mess up your alinement if you hit a curb hard with the wheels turned.
fowler3
All in all, these tires are ok considering I paid $115 CDN (($75 US ) each to get them mounted and balanced, ready to roll, taxes included.
For the next car, I will get Nokians or Kumhos for winter and use whatever it comes with for summer.
Dinu
I am trying to decide on whether or not to purchase a protege(or p5). This is my very first car. I've also checked out the Corolla and civic coupe but the protege is definatly the most fun to drive. Comsumer Reports says its pretty realible too. I just wanted some opinions on the car. Like how reliable its been for you, how you like it or if you had the chance would you buy it again? um...don't mind the bad spelling. Thanks for any help.
corrine
Now on to imports:
Corolla: Nice car for the A->B person that doesn't care how the car drives as long as it gets there. Horrible cornering ability IMO - very tipsy. Reliable, but boring like hell. Scratch it off the list.
Civic: Overpriced and not as reliable as before. Much softer that the PRO. More of a baby midsize than anything else.
PRO: I recommend the P5 and ES trims. Some call it harsh and noisy. I call it: "What a blast!".
My 30.000miles 2001 ES has been great so far. Changed the CD player in the 1st week as it ate my CD (Panasonic manufacturing batch problem) and 3 of the spoiler's lights burned out a month or so after. Besides that, the PRO has been amazing to drive. Mine is an auto and it shifts well once it's warmed-up (after 3 mins in cold weather). If you can, try the 5spd - will save you $1.000 and be more fun. The car's interior is well-made w/quality materials. The car is solid: no rattles, squeeks, weird noises.
It is cheaper than the Civic and Corolla (after interest, taxes, etc) and Consumer Reports has recommended it for many years. It even beat the Civic in projected reliability! It really has "BMW verve for 1/2 the price" as quoted in a car mag.
Personally, I'd go for the PRO if you wanna smile everytime you get behind the wheel. If you want a comfy ride, w/out noise intruding in the passenger compartment, get a Corolla. If you wanna get a car just b/c EVERYONE else has one and you think you'll be inferior if you don't buy one, get the Civic. That's the mentality that keeps selling them to the masses.
But for pure fun - on a budget - P5/ES can't be beat!
Dinu
a well-aged and refined car for a discount price, what could be better! :-D
My 99LX has been fine for the most part. Steering wheel misalignment off the bat, but easily fixed. It's been a blast to drive (esp after I added the strut tower brace), economical and reliable too. The only thing that's wrong now is my stock stereo head unit won't play CDs anymore...looking at 1) ignoring it and using the tape player to hook up an MP3 player, 2) replacing it with a stock HU from eBay or a junkyard, 3) replacing it with an aftermarket one.
I've been very happy with it, and I did cross-shop it against the Corolla, Civic, Sentra, Mirage, and Impreza. I didn't even consider the Neon or Cavalier since I'd had several as rentals and didn't care for them at all. Escorts are basically rehashed Proteges with lower build quality. Focus wasn't available at the time. Good thing, given the quality issues. Seats don't fit me anyway.
What the salesman writes on the offer sheet -- the discounts -- be SURE the same $$$$ appear on the sales contract, that's the real deal. Some salesmen show you big discounts, then when you talk to the accountant he drops some of them, you pay more. Read the contract! Don't just sign it and think you are getting what the salesman said. This advice applies to all car dealers.
Take an experienced car buyer with you. Check Edmunds True Market Value and try to beat it, get a lower price.
fowler3
Dinu your definatly right bout the fun part. I drove those 3 cars several times and none was more fun that the mazda. Toyota has such a good rep, but with the way I drive, I'd be playin rollover everytime I take a turn. I think its definately down to the P5 or ES. Especially in that Mica Blue they come in! Thanks guys.
corrine
and yes, this IS the last year of the 3rd gen Protege, 2004 will be the new generation.
As a big WRC fan, I recommend visiting these sites for info, wallpapers and videos.
http://www.wrc.com
http://www.rally-live.com
Enjoy!
Yeah, that 206 is a mean machine, although I'd like to see what the Xsarra is like. Looks nice to me. The Octavia is just to big for rallying though. And the Accent at 450+HP? I'd like one of those too!
Dinu
Oh yeah: negotiate for a price when you know 100% what you wish to get at 3-4 dealers. For me it was a difference of $1.600 CDN from the lowest to the highest prices I was given as "absolute bottom line"... So it pays to shop.
Dinu
-larry
Well the snow has stopped - I cleared the PRO twice yesterday. Just by looking outside you know it's cold.
We'll see how it starts when I have to go to school layer today.
Oh yeah: Happy Monday all! (if there can be such a thing).
Dinu
-B
Hope you end up happy with the resolution to your rear-ending. Considering the speed at which you were hit, your Pro's looks in decent shape (might be some body damage since you mention the trunk doesn't close nicely anymore).
And glad you're OK. Sheesh. Careless driver. Probably trying to catch up to you.
(I didn't have time to take a test drive since my wife and son were with me, it was pouring rain, and we had lots of errands to run. But ... I'll be back!)
First impressions are everything, and I'll tell you that Mazda has a winner here. The car is put together like a rock. Everything fits extremely well, the doors shut like a bank vault, the trunk opens without any "twannnnggggg" (and the trunk release is electric, not a cable-operating lever like in the Protege), and the seats are very comfortable.
BTW, I sat in a 6-cylinder 5-speed model that had heated seats covered in perforated leather, tilt & telescoping steering wheel, fully automatic climate control system WITH POLLEN FILTER, ABS & anti-skid control, gen-3 air bags, side air bags and side curtains, and its sticker price was lower than some people here have claimed to pay for European sedans that have less horsepower and less interior room.
I got a copy of the brochure too. Nicely done, nice pics, and lots of information on the safety and technology in this car. I am 99 percent sure this will be my next car, so maybe (in a couple years; Zoomster's doing great right now) we'll have to start calling our little get togethers "MAMPs" in the future!
Meade
Meade
My next car? I'm still getting use to my '01 Pro, getting close to 12K miles.
fowler3
Dinu
Somebody buys them. How many had problems with the '99 Protegés?
fowler3
fowler3