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Comments
Spec V will just walk all over the mp3 imo. But it will probably walk most of the cars in this price range/category.
Exactly what kind of performance are you looking for? Maybe no compact sedan will fit your needs and you need to shop more upstream.
The Protegé 2.0L cars do very well on long Interstate cruising, eating up the miles very fast. They handle beautifully at high speeds and the engine is fairly quiet. They don’t sound like the Subaru TV commercials for the GSX, or whatever that car’s acronym. The Protegé is a very nice small sedan for its price range, better than you would expect in many ways. Classic European styling taken from more expensive German cars.
If you can live with a Sentra’s unusable back seat and ugly styling, not to mention that gross dash, just for the 145hp engine...you don’t want much for your money. It takes more than 15 more hp and alloy wheels to make a truly nice car. Get in! Be moved!...mentally!
fowler3
fowler3
'01 ES is very smooth on the highway... but it does transmit road imperfections (potholes, cracks, etc.) to the driver. The ride is taut and firm, but not generally uncomfortable. Takes some acclimation from a softer-riding car.
FYI:.
My parent's '00 Accord is uncomfortable on long trips. The front and rear seats are extremely uncomfortable on long trips... my family almost jumped ship (midway!) on our last roadtrip. In fact, they BEGGED my wife and I to use our '01 Protege ES next time... and they would buy a roof-rack for the extra luggage....
MARTIN
I imagine that with a few subtle bolt-ons, you could get the ES 2.0 to the MP3's 140hp easily.
The only problem I had was with some fuel/air sensor that needed replacement for free under warranty at around 24,000 miles but thats it. (The car was losing power and hesitating during hard acceleration.)
A recently-bought set of higher performance tires makes the car stick to pavement like glue. I did a lot of research before settling in on the new Protege in the first year of the current edition (I read all the Edmunds posts nearly every day) and am very pleased with the long-term outcome. I AVERAGE 35 miles/gallon and find the power adequate (especially with the 5spd). It keeps up the pace on Rocky Mountain passes and on the open road.
I don't frequent the townhall as much now that I don't have that new-car giddiness but I still feel great driving my Protege every day. I heard about all the minor improvements in subsequent models that have made the Protege even more of a bargain. For those of you on the fence about whether to get one--they really seem to build them to last.
Respectfully,
Larry
-Larry
-Larry
As for mileage I've only filled up my new Pro ES twice so its not a very good sample but I calculated 31 mpg like it says on the sticker. This was miked hiway and in town.
Anyone know where I can find a cool mazda ball cap or keychain. I'm really into this mazda thing now. I have always rented the 1.6L Lx for trips since my old toyota wouldn;t do the trick. I finally went out and just bought one. The ES sure is a big improvement with the two liter. I can;t believe the review I read that stated that they couldn't tell the difference that much between the two and the the manual that they had could have been the problem as compared to the automatic.
I want to know what drug they were smokin'. After having driven an LX for 4K+ miles through mountains and other varied terrain throughout the west the ES has muc more power.
My only qualm is that the LX has interior seating/fabric options. The LX seats are much cushier. The ES seats seems as theoug they were going for the racing style. However I think that I would like the more cush LX seats to be honest. Oh well, I still like the car especially after comparing it to the competition.
The new MP3 is targeting towards people my age (early 20's.) which doesn't care about performance all that much, but do want to look cool driving something. Currently Mazda doesn't have any cars that really "performs" (unlike the days of Rx-7.) except the Miata. I wouldn't call the protege fast by any means. After all, it is just about as fast as a civic or corolla.
The Ford Focus makes a styling statement! Holy smokes Batman. I give Ford Motor Company their props, it took guts to style a car that appears to look like a wedge of cheese on wheels. I guess, that "style" has a more "substational" look? Nonetheless, I understand in Europe(England in particular) the Ford Foci's styling cues are a huge success! Not for me though! Yikes, if there are more dopy looking small cars than the Nissan Sentra and the three versions of the Ford Foci, it could only be the Toyota ECHO!
What I like about the Mazda Protege? It has a strong stance and classic good looks. It DOES not make a styling "statement", it does project a refined Euro styling refinement, IMHO. For instance the crease in the hoods and the chrome accents on the nose project maturity and class. The rest of the Protege seems to visually communicate "drive me fast", lol!!!
BTW, I'm pretty sure crash worthiness is measured and rated with the appropriate tests. But, I guess some cars/trucks might "look" more substantial than others. I would never had guessed the more substational looking full-sized Ford-150 pickup truck would have rated poor in recent crash tests and the "less-substantial" looking Toyota Tundra rated the best in class? You just can't tell by looking I guess?
Respectfully,
Larry
My local dealer has ads in the paper listing a volume discount of $628 and a $1000 rebate.
If I'm looking for the invoice price to figure out what I want to offer, do I subtract this from invoice price?
The LX2.0 with premuim pack and AT shows as 16404 invoice. Do these discounts reduce that to 14776?
Edmund's TV for this car is 17247. Car Direct is saying I can get one for 16436. Can I get one for less with this dealer's listed discounts?
Thanks!
Japanese.”
If you do your research and read the test-drive reviews from 1999 through 2001, you will read that the exterior was styled in Germany at Mazda’s studio, and the interior was styled in California.
The Protegé’s styling reminds many of the Audi A4 when viewed from the back. Personally, I think the Pro’s tail lamp treatment is much better than the
Audi’s. And the classic wide C-pillar gives the Pro a taste of German luxury car styling.
mdriver, what do you mean Europeans don’t drive sedans? I was in the Air Force in Germany for three years and have been back to Europe five times since then. All German cities are full of sedans. Munich is loaded with BMW’s.
newcar31: IMHO, the standard Sentra’s dash, especially the middle pod, looks like some kind of robot mask from a Japanese science fiction movie.
It was designed to resemble the Maxima and if you don‘t like that car’s styling, forget the Sentra.
Martin: I was misserable on long trips in the ’98 version of that Accord. Had to stop every 50 miles and get out of that thing. The seats were very painful! When I sold it back to the dealer 30 days after buying it: I got a telephone call from Honda America, a survey from HA, and three surveys from independent companies Honda had hired.
People see cars differently. Some may be taken by the exterior styling, others may like the dash and instrument panel. And there are others who don‘t give a thought to any of that, they simply need a car and buy the one at the best price. Mechanics I have talked to, espcially specialists on German cars, “see” only the mechanical parts when they think about a certain model. The styling, sheet metal, is like wrapping paper to them.
I think all of us have a standard that guides us in buying a car. We fall back on that standard when a car is too radical. Call it all the things we found desireable in classic cars, we want something “new”, but also it must have those classic elements we have always been comfortable with.
I prefer a 4-spoke steering wheel because all German cars have them. It was in Germany that I first learned what makes a car a classic. And before airbags it was safer. I insist that the gas filler door be on the drivers’s side. Because it is stupid to put it on the curb-side when we do self-serve at gas stations. Many of these things influence what you buy.
Whether you keep it 3 months, 3 years, or 30, it has to meet your personal tastes. Do you like the car? Forget other peoples’ ideas.Do you see yourself driving this car?
fowler3
Comparing the two cars I realized what a BIG mistake it would have been had I bought the ’00 Civic, or any Civic for that matter. It was time for a brand change and I’m happy I made it.
Pride of ownership and satisfaction are far more important than brand loyalty. It’s what the car does for you. The day I drove it home, a neighbor came over and asked, “How do you like your new Volvo?” She saw me looking at the taillamps to see what they look like illuminated and thought it was a Volvo S60.
I live in a townhome and my neighbors drive: An ’01 Acura 3.2CL, two drive BMW 525i’s, one drives a ’00 Maxima, three drive ’97 Accord EX’s, and one drives a ’00 C-class MB. My little Pro holds its own very well.
fowler3
Normally I have been getting 30mpg at 60-65mph, 80-90% highway. I'll get back to that in a couple of days when I get the crazys out of my system.
fowler3
Greg
They don’t buy the Protegé just because everybody else does; like Civic buyers do. They appreciate subdued elegance and Zoom Zoom with a whisper. LOL!
fowler3
Protegé5 Silver, 5-speed $16,830 sticker.
Protegé5 Silver, AT, moonroof $18,330 sticker.
AND one Protegé ES, Silver, 5-speed, painted mirrors, moonroof, $16,095 sticker!!
And one Protegé ES, Emerald Green, AT, painted mirrors, moonroof, $17,195 sticker.
One Protegé LX 2.0, Silver, 5-speed, painted mirrors, alloys, moonroof $15,595 sticker.
(Includes $1100 discount).
Mazda must have had a ship come in on the East Coast!
Ask for Joe Messer if you call them. Good salesman.
fowler3
Maybe it should be scrutinized, huh?
Now at 750 miles--went to a party over the weekend and had a flock of partygoers oohing and aahing over my Pro. Compliments given on the overall styling, the white gauges and the speed of the moonroof, of all things. Of course the conversation quickly turned to Mazda bringing back the rotary...
Wanted to post an "annoyance warning" on a cleaning product--I picked up a canister of those Armor All Glass Cleaner wipes, thinking I could use them for touchups. To my disappointment, they're full of lint and left my windows looking like I'd driven it through a paper-shredding factory. I'll still use them in a pinch (like for bird droppings), but I wouldn't recommend them and don't anticipate buying them again. Perhaps this was just a "bad batch." Anyone else had this problem?
fritz1224: I was just posting cars people here have said they have been trying to find. Two posters have bought Protegés from Parks recently. And, P.S.
they don’t have the Premium package.
fowler3
ZOOM ZOOM!
Also, all of our friends notice how much roomier my car is inside than the Neon is. Now, it's like when all 4 of us go out, they always wanna take my car.
Cavalier's the same way. And the front and rear windows on both warp your sight lines (at least they do mine) to the point of giving you a headache.
For something that looks reasonably roomy from the outside, it sure feels cramped on the inside. Reminds me of the Ford Tempo. Now, that was a tippy ride!
Also, does anyone here know the Canadian dealer invoice price for a Protege ES with GT package and auto?
Thanks.
a few months ago jstandefer reported poor performance w/ bosch muti-electrode platinum spark plugs. Has there been ay more posts concerning these or other plugs in the Pro?
In theory, the multi-tips should last longer than the blunt-tip spark plugs. If one tip gets eroded or coated, then the spark can originate at another tip. However, the tips are smaller since more of them have to be packed into the same volume. I think this is why I got premature combustion and the really rough idle. You probably need a larger gap with the multi-tip plugs.
Anyway, no matter how long the plugs last, there isn't going to be any difference in power. If you have a spark timing issue, new plugs won't fix that.
I ordered a Silver Pro ES w/ 5sp and Premium Package back at the tail end of March and got it Memorial weekend. My dealer had told me 6-8 weeks and it ended up being right around 8 weeks. Don't know if that's the kind of feedback you're looking for or not...