Mazda Protegé

chikoo

if a friend of mine is driving my car and gets into an accident,

1. who would pay for the damage?
2. would my insurance be affected?

has not happened yet, but want to be aware of such a situation.

nematode

You wrote:

"Max. on the new Dunlop Sport 5000s is --35 PSI-- Mazda's tire pressure certification is 32 PSI on all tires (ES models)"

That is not correct. Mazda recommends 32psi for a balance between ride and performance. Our dealer inflates to 35psi because most people like it a little better. I'm only running 37psi. If I was auto crossing I would run 50psi. The Dunlop P195/50R16 standard on the Protege ES is rated at a max pressure of 51psi. The reference is:

http://www.dunloptire.com/products/tire.html?tire=sp_sport_5000

nikecar

if you've given him permission to drive your car...

his fault-> your insurance & gets affected
Other's fault-> their insurance & normally won't be affected unless you've gotten many accidents in the last few yrs etc...

No permission to drive:

His fault-> Your insurance will not pay a thing
Other's fault-> you say he had permission and let the other's insurance fix it...

nikecar

wonder if the Pro beat that black Ford...or whatever it was.

maltb

boston14:
No the 2.0 LX & ES are Mazda engines built by Mazda and are not even close to the 2.3L in the Focus. HOWEVER, that 2.3L engine is a Mazda design and seems to be a very good engine that will make its way into the Pro sometime in the future.

Chikoo:
Depends on the coverage that you and the person that drives your car has. I think the specific coverage is called: Drive other cars. If the driver has this coverage, they are responsible. If not, it reverts to your insurance unless your policy specifically states that only the policyholder is insured for the vehicle. If you are unsure, give your insurance agent a call.

rfasani

Thanks in no small part to the advice and encouragement in this forum, I had found a dealer I could work with and was set to special order a green 5 speed Pro ES w/ premium package yesterday. He went to check on something unrelated, and came back with back news. As of this week, it seems, Mazda is not accepting special orders of the ES "until further notice". Another dealer concurred, saying that the ramped up Protege5 production is occuring in the same factory and is limiting ES production.

The first dealer said he saw this happen with the Tribute, and special orders started up again in a couple of weeks (although that isn't a guarantee of a likely occurance in this case). The second dealer said it's possible Mazda won't accept ES special orders for the rest of the model year. Anyone here have a similar experience and/or able to shed more light on the subject?

Looks like it's back to the proverbial drawing board for me...

maltb

Dealers are funny. They have never been able to "special order" a Protege to be built. The only way they could order it is if there was un-allocated inventory at their port. HOWEVER, with the P5, they are now able to direct order the vehicle that they want built. The only other Mazda they can do this with is the Tribute, but with all direct orders, there are restrictions as to exactly how it can be ordered.

vadp

You're mistaken about the 2.3L engine. Currently FoMoCo installs the old 2.0L Zetec in the ZX3.
The Ford Ranger and the Escape/Tribute twins do get a completely new 2.3L Duratec. The European Mondeo has the 2.0 and 1.8 L Duratecs under its hood. Right now Ford is ramping up production of the new Duratecs. It's unclear if the '02-'03 Focus will get the new Duratec 2.0L or FoMoCo will choose to wait until the end of '03 when the redesigned Focus comes out.
BTW the new Duratec family of the engines was codeveloped with Mazda.

peregrine_11

Your description of a dealer not being able to "special order" a Protege doesn't sync with my ordering experience, so I was just curious for a little clarification...

When I ordered my Pro, the conversation I had with the dealer gave me every indication that the request to build my specified Pro would be going into a queue of vehicles for Mazda to build.

When we were talking about timeframes, my dealer quoted me 6-8 weeks and even said, "once the factory picks up the order, the rest of it should go pretty fast." In all honesty, that sounded like a "special order" to me, and that's how I'd been thinking of it.

I mean, it doesn't really matter what the backend logistics are, as long as I get my car, but I'm curious as to what you mean by: "The only way they could order it is if there was unallocated inventory at their port." That sounds like the dealer's grabbing a yet-unclaimed vehicle from a pool of already-built cars. How can they call it a "factory order" if it's really just an inventory claim?

Just curious...

And Rfsani, I'm terribly sorry to hear about the obstacle you've run into with ordering your Pro. Seems like they should be limiting DX and LX production rather than slowing down on the trim level no dealer can seem to keep in stock...perhaps they are on the DX and LX too, I don't know.

Anyways, good luck on getting that worked out. Perhaps a tear-stained letter to Mazda would help? Tug at their heartstrings a little?

peregrine_11

What does everyone think of the Pro5, anyway? I just went out on http://www.mazdausa.com yesterday and cruised through their pages on it. It's a cute little car. I was surprised at how dark some of the Gallery pics were--the cockpit looked absolutely Batmobile-like.

It'll be interesting to see how it sells. It's a bummer there aren't any packages available with the Pro5, but, if you want ABS, you have to buy the moonroof, too (at least that's what the Mazda site told me when I "built" a Pro5 and tried to configure it like my ES. Doesn't make much sense to me.

maltb

I thought I remember reading that the Focus gets the 2.3L soon. Maybe it was 2003.

BTW, under the new Ford structure, Mazda is responsible for the development for these larger 4cyl engines.

jstandefer

I will have to confirm maltb's answer to the "special orders". The way Mazda works (and most of the Japanese manufacturers) is an allocation list is released to all of the dealers in a region when it is time to "order". The allocation list shows what Mazda IS building and what vehicles will be available. The dealer then selects from this list. A dealership cannot specificaly order a Protege direct from the factory.

However, a dealer "special ordering" a vehicle makes them sound cool, especially when all of the other competing dealerships tell you that Mazda does not take special orders. What really happens is that they take down the specs you want and enter them into the "special Mazda computer" to see if any surrounding dealerships has one in stock or shows a vehicle with your specs in transit. Then they can hopefully do a dealer trade.

However, like maltb said, a dealership can make a call to their port representative to see if there is an unallocated vehicle that fits your description. I sold an MPV like that once. The customer wanted a Classic Red MPV ES with the moonroof, 6-disc changer, and fog lights. The port had a Classic Red ES with the moonroof but no changer or fog lights. It wasn't allocated as of yet, so we "special" ordered it and had the port add fog lights and the changer. It took about 5 weeks as the vehicle was still on the ship, but that's as close to "special ordering" you can get.

jstandefer

The Focus uses Ford's Zetec 2.0L DOHC with variable valve timing (standard on ZX3, optional on sedan but standard on ZTS). The '01 Protege LX 2.0 and ES 2.0 uses Mazda's 2.0L DOHC which is basically the same base powerplant found in the 626.

The 2.3L DOHC will be shared by many vehicles. First, the Ranger/B-Series will get the 2.3L. The Focus and Protege will both get this engine when the two vehicles are moved to the same platform in the next few years. The base engine will be the 2.0L DOHC with the option of the 2.3L DOHC. The successor to the 626 will have the 2.3L DOHC as the base engine with Ford's 3.0L Duratec V6 as the optional engine.

Personally, I would be happy to see Mazda's 2.3L Miller Cycle V6 (Millenia S) as the optional engine in the Protege, specifically mine! I think 210hp and 210lb-ft of torque would do quite well in my '99!!! The sad thing is that mated to a 5-spd with the Protege's lower curb weight, it would probably get better mileage than a Protege with the 1.6L and out-accelerate everything in the Mazda line!! Hey maltb, you think I can squeeze it in my engine bay?

maltb

You'd have a tough time fiting the Miller Cycle in there. However, a rotary Protege has been done and it makes for one heck of a Zoom Zoom.

vadp

The Focus uses the Zetec 2.0L DOHC WITHOUT variable valve timing. VVT was used in the ZX2's 2.0L Zetec (coupe), on the exhaust cam only (instead of utilizing the EGR valve for emission purposes). The Focus gets a NON-VVT version of the same motor with EGR.

jstandefer

Don't tempt me... will a 20B fit? Like the one in the JC Cosmo? :-)

jstandefer

Well, that explains the difference in the feel between the ZX2 (fairly quick, almost bought one, glad I didn't!) and the Focus (I think the Pro 1.6L is quicker!).

rnd2

i also live in missouri i drive a 00 ES

newcar31

I might be wrong, but I though all 2.0L DOHC engines in the focus had variable valve timing on the exhaust side and only the regular OHC 2.0L (based on the old 1.9L ford engine) didn't have variable valve timing. Also, I thought the Ford Duratec engines (2.5L and 3.0L) had nothing to do with Mazda as Mazda's 2.5L V6 is a different engine. Are they going to call their new 4 cylinders "Duratec" also? Anyways, I like my new PIAA Xtremewhite lights, they look really nice. They don't have that goofy blue rainbow look either, but they were a pain in the .... to install.

nematode

I can just imagine. Probably weigh in at 2400lbs w/o the driver and make 275hp with current generation rotary.

nematode

Where do live in MO? STL side or KC side? I got my 01 ES 2.0 through Lou Fusz outside STL.

lindathomp2000

We went from a '95 Protege to the "01 ES and saved money on insurance. The side air bags are considered a safety plus.

maltb

The 2.5 in the Millenia and 626 is a Mazda engine while the 2.5 in the MPV is a Duratech. It seems like that 2.5 worked fairly well in the Contour but the rest of the car left something to be desired.

maltb

Here is one of the best Rotary engine movie clips I have seen:

http://www.aracnet.com/~vrm/RE/RE3a.mov

aardvark_mark

for those of you interested in the protege5, there is also a protege5 town hall forum in hatchbacks..

jstandefer

Thanks for that great rotary engine clip! That is the best I have ever seen...

Here's some of my favorite rotary video clips showing the awesome power of the twin-turbo 3-rotor motor mounted in the JC Cosmo (my favorite car), which I believe is the only production vehicle ever to get the 3-rotor motor (malt?).

http://www.3rotor.com/jc_video.htm

There are 8 video clips... several 300km/hr attempts and two awesome burn outs!!! Who knew a 2.0L engine could kill a pair of tires!!!

peregrine_11

Talked with my sales rep at the dealership today to make sure Mazda's freeze on ES orders didn't affect my existing order (it won't).

More importantly, they gave me the good news that Mazda's trying to increase the value-vs-cost of the Pro ES (perhaps other trim, too, I don't know) for the price by installing moonroofs as standard equipment. I don't know all the details, but this was the general idea. My dealership was able to get this applied retroactively to all the Pro ES's they had on order, mine included, as a package discount.

Anyone else have a Pro ES w/ moonroof on order? You may want to call your dealer and chat about this...

maltb

Applies to all 2.0L Proteges. The 1.6L models got an incentive boost to $1000 cash back.

vocus

I think they should have added the ABS/side air bag package as standard equipment on all models, instead of the moonroof on 2.0 models and the $1000 on the 1.6 models.

Here in Maryland, it seems the 1.6 LX model is the most popular. That's all I see, with the exception of the one Sandrift ES I saw about a month or so ago. The 3 other 2001 models I saw were all 1.6 LXs, and the majority of the 1999-2000 models are LXs as well, and DXs. Never have seen a silver DX like mine on the road (one of my neighbors has one exactly like mine used to be though, same color and all).

I did see two silver ESs (99-00 models), but that's it. All are usually LXs. Makes you wonder where they are sending all the ES and 2.0 models..

hkchan

This gets my attention. I may get the owner's manual sooner than I thought. maltb. Anybody. Give me the details. Quick. When did it start?

maltb

... and what you've seen posted ARE the details. Even if the Dealer had it in stock, the Moonroof credit still applies.

hkchan

So ES's that have the Premium Package will get $560 off the invoice and $700 off the MSRP? What about those that don't have moon roofs?

Sporin

I don't want a moonroof. What I want is ABS brakes on my Pro5 without having to get a moonroof!

aauugghh!

rnd2

on the kc side about 40 miles east of kc

shadowfax01

Are there any websites that list this credit? Knowing my dealer, they won't give me anything if I don't do my homework first (they gave me the run around for nearly a month to get my 180 day deferment as part of the graduate program, even going so far as to lie and say that I couldn't get both the $400 rebate and deferment, and that I had to choose only one). If I called Mazda USA, would they have this info? Is the credit $560? I just bought my 01 ES with premium package on March 31st, and want to know if I qualify. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

mikeyew

Has anybody compared the performance of
the 2.0 in the Protege to that of the 2.0
in the 626? Is the difference noticible?

vocus

I went to the store just now, and it seemed like my car wouldn't start right away the first time (after sitting for about 2 hours). I even turned it off and restarted, but it fired right up. And it turned right over 2 times at the store and video store too. Anyone have this with an ES 2.0?

hkchan

If you bought it on 3/31, then you can forget it. As maltb said, this started last week.

hboyd

Yes. You are right about the Dunlop Sport 5000s. I've never seen a service tire with a 51 PSI max. rating. I read the sidewall incorrectly. :}} You are right... the dealer inflates all tires to 35 PSI... I think the ride is OKAY at 35 PSI; any more and I think it gets way too bumpy for my tastes. Thank you for making me check twice; my eyes deceived me! ARGGGG!

Did you all know that another new feature was added to our Proteges? If the door is left open for more than 5 minutes, the dome light automatically shuts off (probably a keyless entry feature); It catches me everytime I spend a few minutes cleaning my car in our garage.

ZOOM...ZOOM

MARTIN

aceman56

Well, I've had my '01 Pro ES for about a month and I love it. It made a great ride from my home just outside of NYC to my school up in Binghamton (about 3 hours).

Though, I have a couple of concerns. First, the steering wheel is a little low for me, but I cannot figure out how to raise it. I'm pulling on the little switch as hard as I can, but it doesn't move. Anyone know how to work that thing?

Second question... my previous car (which is now my sisters) was a '00 Civic LX. On that car, the CD player never skipped once in all the time I drove it. My Pro's cd player skips quite often, even over not that large bumps in the road. Do other people's cd players skip in their Pros; or could mine have a default in it?

Thanks.

speedypt

Mileage...mine has been steadily going up. 14k now on Trigger (2000 ES Auto) and I'm averaging about 28mpg with 70% highway driving. When it's all highway, I get 31.3 mpg at about 75mph constant.

P5's - I have abandoned my desires to get the MP3 due to lack of side air bags, no cruise control, and limited color choice. Silver is the only way to drive! :-) Now I'm thinking about getting the P5 instead!

Moving the steering wheel up/down....don't "pull" on the lever...the lever hinges near where the steering column enters the dash, the lever is moved down from the steering column (similar to a pocket knife blade) to release the height adjustment (see your manual). Move the lever down, tap gently on the top or bottom of your steering wheel to adjust the height to your comfort spot, and then move the lever back up into the bottom of the steering column (like closing a pocket knife). It's a simple and effective mechanism.

Has anyone else noticed the overflow on the washer fluid tank? I normally fill mine to the top and the last time I did that it left a nice little puddle in the driveway when I went back out to drive an hour later...guess I never noticed it before.

Regards and still alive,

Pete

hollenhorst2

but it wasn't easy, and the only reason I did was because of some miscommunication between a salesman and management.Tuesday morning, I called Craig & Landreth (in Clarksville, IN, about 170 miles from where I live) Mazda, and this was the closest dealer that had an '01 ES w/ prem pkg and auto. It was black-my first choice was silver, but I had done enough checking around to realize that the ES w/ premium pkg. was getting pretty scarce. While the salesman was on the phone, I asked him if they aceepted S plan pricing, and he said yes. So my wife and I drove the 170 miles yesterday, and loved the car. I'd still rather have silver, but the black is nice, too. So we went inside to do the paperwork, only to find out that the salesman apparently didn't understand that he wasn't supposed to sell ES's with the premium pkg on the S plan because of the fact they are difficult to replace in inventory. The sales manager was off, so I talked to one of the owners, telling him I was greatly disappointed with the situation, and that my wife and I would never had driven all that way had we known we would not be able to get the car on the S plan. Thankfully, he relented, and we got the car for S plan pricing with $1200 more off for the $500 general rebate and the $700 moonroof credit, and we only had to pay $23 in doc fees (the actual cost to tag the car and transfer the title- don't let 'em charge you anything extra. He initially tried to charge me $199, their standard doc fee, but I was ready for him, stating that the S plan brochure prohibits this kind of thing, stating that the dealership gets a commission from Mazda to cover that).

So we really lucked out. I definitely got the feeling that at this dealership, at least, no more ES's with prem. pkgs. will go out the door at S plan pricing.

Thanks to all on this board who posted their experiences and knowledge regarding all things about the Protege. It helped immensely with my purchase.

peregrine_11

I ordered my Pro ES on March 30 and my dealer was able to get the credit for me. They said they were pleasantly surprised they were able to do that, because my order was a "little early."

Anyway, shadowfax01, it's probably still worth it to talk to your dealer and see if they can get you the credit.

hkchan

Rebates, etc. normally go by delivery dates. That's why you'll only get a $500 rebate, not $750 (the previous rebate amount). It's not a surprise that you'll get the freebie. It won't hurt to ask but expect the worst if the delivery date was 3/31.

vocus

My CD player in my 2001 ES 2.0 skips sometimes, more than it did in the 1999 DX I had before. The other day, it wouldn't play the CD either. I put the disc in, and nothing happend. So I took it out, and put it right back in. The whole radio went dead and nothing happend again. The third time, I took out the disc for about a minute, then put it back in. It played fine.

Also, the bottom cushion of my driver's seat squeaks really bad. I took it to the dealer at the 3000 mile service for the seat, but they said they couldn't make it squeak and therefore couldn't replace it. I am going to take the car back on 5/21 to the dealer and try to talk to them again. We will see what happens.

vocus

Go become a member of the EAA (http://www.eaa.org) to use the S plan and get the car for 1.5% below invoice with no doc fees!

They have a 2001 LX 2.0 in dark green on EBay motors (http://www.ebaymotors.com) for sale. Not sure of the reserve, but the price is $9100 and the mileage is 4100. It's automatic too, but no sunroof. Check it out if anyone's interested. Car located in Southern California.

hartmantim

I have had nothing but success with Rosenthal Arlington. I have heard bad things about Rosenthal Tyson's Corner, but I don't know what they are. I was sold a lemon by Brown and Rosenthal Arlington did a wonderful job helping me get out of the deal. Rosenthal Arlington was very professional and helpful, although they send me a service request every few weeks or so.

hkchan

Do you have salesperson you can recommend? Don't they charge something like a $149 doc fee which seemingly all VA dealers charge? Does it apply only if I register the car in VA?

jstandefer

I'm being mischievous again playing my role as Defender of Mazda...

I kind of wandered my way into the "Is 4-door Integra GSR STILL a good buy as FUN oriented sedan?" topic (in the main Sedans board). The originator of the board was asking if there were some other good alternatives on the market, and I mentioned the MP3. Of course, in typical Acura/Honda owners fashion, the entire Protege line got dumped on as being unreliable and having low quality... Anyone feel like being slightly argumentative?? :-)

hkchan

Relax. You don't need any help. It's just one person dumping on Mazda. People dump on cars they don't like everywhere.