Mazda Protege Owners: Meet the Members

maltb

All in the name of good humor my friend.

The 2001 came out in Late November-December. I haven't seen anything on the 2002 yet, but I'm sure there is something somewhere.

Just a guess on a turbo for the MP3 that newcar mentioned; If it makes it in 2002, it will be very late in the model year.

draymond2

Thanks for the response, by the way, how do you like yours?, any dislikes? any info would be appreciated.

nikecar

well in our area, the 2001's didn't come out until mid January or else I would have bought one in december.. but I do recall that no place had them prior to January...

and MaltB.. kinda going out on a limb there with the owners manual aren't you?

on a side note, I saw another 01 ES yesterday.. Sand Mica.. looked sharp..

hkchan

"Thanks for the response, by the way, how do you like yours?, any dislikes? any info would be appreciated."
He doesn't own one, but knows all the answers.

maltb

I'm a poser, but I hope to get a P5 sometime next year if the stars align in my favor.

draymond2

Do you own one? are you posing too??

maltb

Henry is legit although we don't hear much about his autocrossing the streets of MD/VA.

hkchan

Wishes:
1. bigger outside mirrors
2. timer in rear-window defroster
3. valet key
4. relocate/redesign the power lock button on the driver's door
5. bigger center console
6. a door for the "coin box"
7. keyless trunk release

Things wrong:
1. Lockup in 4th gear not engaging. Need to get it fixed.
2. My back hurts. Need to experiment with the seat-height adjusters.

Gas mileage
After driving 2,000 miles "exactly" the same way I drove the "not-mine-anymore" 99 Civic EX 5-sp, I'm getting 32 mpg (increasing after each fill-up)(4-sp auto). The Civic used to get 38 mpg. The Protege is rated by the EPA at 25/30 and the Civic 29/35.

maltb

You folks must have some great gas out there. In CA, our numbers are always on the low side of the EPA estimates. Of course, my driving habbits don't help things either.

BTW, do you Drive the car or just drive the car?

hkchan

The "secret" is 80-90% highway driving an "not-much" traffic.

misterzoom

I just got a 2001 ES and am lovin' it. Where can I find a place to buy accessories wihout paying the high dealer prices? I'm looking for the mazda front mask, cargo net and wheel locks. Anyone know of a site with good prices.?

hkchan

www.mazdastuff.com
Do you need the rear mudguards? I have an extra pair (long story).

misterzoom

No thanks I'm not a mudguard fan but thanks for the offer. I'm looking for a cool mazda hat and keychain if you know where to find em'

newcar31

They should have a cool mazda hat and keychain at the dealer parts department. I know they have them at Morries in Minnetonka. They even have really cool custom airbrushed T-shirts.

chikoo

and see all the mazda goodies that you can get...
keychains, wristwatches(ladies & gents), etc..

protege_fan

Ummm...My name is Mike and I'm addicted to driving my Protege...

krotine

Ok everybody, let's say hi to mike...

Hi Mike.

norcan

Hi Mike, Eh hem. I too am an protege-olic.

Norcan

kaiserhead

Hi Mike, I too face an addition to the infamous Protege. It started by hanging around Mazda dealerships and quickly escalated to buying my baby, a silver 2000 SE five speed with moon roof (or sun roof as I'm told in Florida.) I've been know to disappear for days with the Protege and my gas card only to reappear at the local Jiffy Lube where the staff often say: "Back so soon, oh, well I guess it IS time!!!" What can I say, I just can't help myself!!

kaiser head

laurakat

Hello everyone.

I've been lurking in the Protege discussions for a couple of months now, however, I just bought one myself. I'll formally introduce myself so I can feel like an official member of this club.

My name is Mike. I'm a 34 year old infrastructure analyst for an information services company. I'm married with two wonderful daughters, Laura and Katie (hence the username laurakat). Last night I finally picked up an Emerald Mica LX 2.0 5spd with alloys, moonroof, keyless entry, and the ABS/SAB package. I really enjoy driving this car! I just can't wait until I break her in a little more so I can really open her up! I was looking at several small cars (Civic, Sentra, Elantra), but I didn't seem to have the passion for the others like the Pro. The other choices, while nice in their own respect, just seemed more like I'd get bored with those cars too soon. Which means I'd be trading cars again too soon, throwing more money down the drain in depreciation. There's just something about the Pro, and these forums helped solidify my decision. I've lurked through several of the other forums, but the thing I take away from the Pro forums is that the majority of the posters share a passion and enthusiasm for the Pro.

I look forward to chatting with all of you. Meanwhile, I can't wait to drive my new Pro to work in the morning!

Mike.

duh_ster

Hey everybody,

I just bought myself a 2001 Pro ES 2.0 w/ GT package in black! I'm pretty happy with my purchase, since I've been doing research on compact sedans for a long time! A lot of my friends have been asking me what it was that attracted me to this car. This is what I tell them: roomier than any of its competition, bigger engine than civic, doesn't have that tiny 60/40 split hole like the sentra, doesn't have ugly wood grain like the acura EL (for the canadians out there who know what i'm talking about!), cheaper than VW. All in all, i think i got a really good, well built car (and all the positive postings i've read here just reaffirm that opinion). As it stands, i pick up the black beauty on friday (august 31)...i can't wait!

Mike (yes...another one...)

protege_fan

Hey Mike. Welcome aboard! Finally another Calgarian on this site! Not too many people from out West on this board.
Which dealership did you buy your car at? I also live in Calgary. I haven't seen any other black LX 2.0's w/out spoiler and moon roof out there so if you see one driving around it's probably me!
I know what you mean about the EL...I didn't even consider that car because it was way out of the price range.

Regards,

Protege_fan

duh_ster

yea, i've noticed...us westerners are few & far between here! i bought the car at north hill mazda off center street. i had originally dealt with kramer mazda, but i could NOT stand the sales manager. he was aggresive, totally defensive when i asked questions about the car and extremely condescending! the service at north hill was better, so i bought it there...kinda ironic, but north hill had to dealer trade with kramer to get my black (originally i wanted silver, but that's IMPOSSIBLE to find...) where did u go and what kind of price did u pay (if u don't mind me asking)...

'duh'

protege_fan

Silver impossible to find? I've seen way too many silver Pro's drving around...that's one of the reasons I like the black.
I got my Pro at Kramer. LOL. I had planned to go to North Hill, but ended up at Kramer one day and did the deal there. I agree, the sales manager at Kramer is pushy, but the salesman whom I dealt with for the majority of the deal was excellent. I paid about 18 k before financing. I got 5.9% for 60 months...a month later they lowered it to 4.9!!! Man was I pissed. I didn't get much of a deal on it, but I had the grad rebate, so I wasn't too upset.
Do they have any MP3's at Northhill? I was at Kramer this weekend getting my first oil change and they had one on hand. Very nice looking.
Black has been a PAIN to keep clean in Calgary. I don't know what it is, but every time it rains, my car has brown water spots. Very annoying.
I know you'll enjoy the Pro. It's great to drive around the city. Did you get manual or automatic? The traffic in Calgary isn't *that* bad, so I don't find the manual tranny to be a problem at all.
Anyway, congrats again!

Mike

duh_ster

sorry, by "impossible to find" i meant that they're no longer in stock at the dealerships. they're all on the streets! white woulda been nice, but the salesman at the dealership said that that color is in high demand too! basically, the only ones left are gold, sand mica, green and a few blacks left (for the 2001s). as for the mp3, when i made the deal at northhill, they did not yet have one (but that was 1 week ago). i've heard that there's ONLY 1 mp3 per dealership (at least in canada), is this true?? i've got a manual es 2.0. more fun!! only problem is, i find the throws kinda far apart (i've got short arms!)

i've noticed that calgary is quite dusty (since it's so dry) so it's no wonder u get water spots every time it rains...i'll be complaining with u, so don't worry!

protege_fan

I overheard a salesman at Kramer talking about the MP3's. He said that the one we were looking at on the lot was a customer's and they had sold another one as well. Also, he said that they had a third one coming in, but it was already spoken for. So as far as I know, it's not only 1/dealership.
Anyway,have fun! Hope you keep on posting on this board. Would be good to talk to somebody from the city if I ever had any problems, etc.

Regards,

Pro_fan

duh_ster

hey pf, do u know of any good tinting shops here in calgary that do a good job for a reasonable price??

'duh'

protege_fan

Hahahahaha
I just asked the exact same question. I've been calling around. 3 shops so far:
1)Trim line: cost$365. Lifetime warranty against everything including fading. They use 3M Panther tint

2)Supertint: cost $159. Lifetime warranty against bubbling, peeling, etc. (no fading). they use Solargard (SP?)

3)Shadowtinting: cost $179. Lifetime warranty (same as supertint), only 5 year warranty against fading. They also use Solargard. They do the tinting for Kramer and Sunridge Mazda (not sure about Northhill).

Also, Shadowtinting removes your windows completely when they take the windows out to tint them. Supertint told me that this was unnecessary, but I'm not sure who to believe. Let me know if you find a good place!!

PF

vocus

I got Solargard on my black 2001 ES, and it's pretty cool. I paid $205US for the windows, windshield band, and sunroof to be done with lifetime warranty.

protege_fan

How dark was your tint (ie 35%, 5%)? Also, what did they say the lifetime warranty covered?

vocus

My warranty covers peeling, cracking, fading. The tint is 35% all windows, and 6% sunroof (Md. law).

protege_fan

Fading.....hmmmm, the company I called that does the install said that they only covered 5 years for fading. All else was "lifetime." Wonder why it's different if it's the same material?

duh_ster

did u go with the uv package?? did u get any kind of protection work done (not necessarily through the dealer...) despite what jerry has told me about paint care, i'm still a little worried about the salty calgary winters, since i won't b able to wash, wax and polish the car much in the winter. is the paint protection they use more of a "permanent" alternative to frequent washing/waxing? anybody else have experience with rough winters??

protege_fan

IMHO I think that the paint protection is not worth the money. It will still wear off just the same as a wax would, albeit at a much slower rate. Consider it's about $200 CDN for the paint protection (if I remember correctly).
The paint protection they use is simply a spray on material. It will wear out. Now, I guess you could put it on before every winter, but let's say you get some gravel flying up at you and you get a rock chip. No way is that sprayed on junk gonna protect the exposed metal.
IMO, save your cash. Wash it when we get those nice Chinooks.
BTW, I think I'm gonna get my tint done at Shadowtint. I'll let you know how it goes.

Pro_fan

dinu01

My name is Dinu and I'm from T.O. Canada. I just bought an ES 2.0 w/ Auto (others need to drive it too, although I would have liked a 5spd better), A/C and a spoiler in Silver. So far all's good with the car. Had to replace the CD after 1 week as it ate a CD (could not eject it). Apparentyl this is a common problem w/the sound system. Not a big deal anyway. I've had the car for 6 weeks now and I have 8000km on it!!! Drove it a lot around town and took a trip to Montreal and Ottawa last week. I like the way it handles, but I find the steering a little too light, as opposed to my previous 93 Civic h/b (a real driver's car!). I was wondering if any of you know if Mazda can adjust the steering input pressure to make it a little harder to turn?

Cheers! Dinu

dinu01

Hey!

I was wondering what your Proteges rev at on the hwy?

Mine does 3500RPMS at about 125-130 km/h and 4000RPMs at 140km/h. Is this normal or is it overreving?

Later, Dinu

PS: And yes I AM addicted to driving the Protege.

protege_fan

Yes that's about right when I'm driving my 5-speed manual LX 2.0 on the highway.

PF

yooper53

My '01 Pro ES (2.0L) Auto trans
96 km/hr=2500 rpm
112 km/hr=3100 rpm

pjd58

....a Millennium Red Mica LX 2.0 with comfort pkg, rear spoiler, moonroof, alloys, moonroof deflector, keyless entry and 0% for 48. I've always been a huge Mazda fan, this is my third Protege(91 & 96 ). Love the Red color, it seems to be the rarest color for the Protege.

Pete

twistinmelon

How much did that cost compared to an ES?

Whenever I price out an LX 2.0 with everything I want, it comes out higher than an ES.

Which is irritating.

twist

protege_fan

What are you trying to put on the LX????

twistinmelon

I'm going with the CarsDirect pricing...

ES with 5 spd, Premium Pkg, Cassette, Perimeter Alarm (incl. dest chg) is $15,278.

LX 2.0 with 5 spd, LX Comfort Pkg, LX Prem Pkg, Cassette, Perimeter Alarm is $15,221.

A $57 savings for choosing the LX 2.0 does not cover a the addition of a rear spoiler ($278). And, of course, you wouldn't get the other ES features like rear discs.

Of course, this is hardly a tragedy, which is why I suggested it was merely irritating, not life threatening. ;-) If one prefers the softer suspension, narrower tires, and standard interior, and doesn't want a spoiler, the LX 2.0 is still obviously a great bargain.

twist (some nights, just not happy unless finding something to complain about)

pjd58

I agree that a loaded LX 2.0 is about that same price as an ES. I just prefer the LX 2.0 over the ES.

My Mill. Red LX 2.0 has:

Comfort Pkg.
Automatic
Rear spoiler
Alloys
Keyless entry
Moonroof
Moonroof Deflector

I paid $15750, approx $300 over invoice, plus 0% for 48 months and free Moonroof and alloys. Better than Carsdirect price, remember you forfit the rebate when you go with special financing.

Pete

protege_fan

What's included in the ES premium package in the US. I imagine that it's the same as the GT package here in Canada, but just would like confirmation.

pjd58

the ES premium pkg. has...ABS, side airbags, power moonroof and carpeted floor mats.

the LX premium pkg. has....ABS, side airbags,
remote keyless entry and power moonroof.

Not many of these packages are available on recent models due to the moonroof discount.

protege_fan

You guys don't get your floor mats thrown in? Man...IMO Floor mats are part of the car. All the cars that I looked at had them just sitting in the trunk. Just another dealer grab for your cash!

Also, we CANNOT get side airbags in Canada. Very disappointing.

PF

pjd58

floor mats are extra in the States. Most Proteges, like mine, come with the Comfort Pkg, which includes AC and floor mats.

BTW, a coworker asked me today...how I like my new Audi?

Pete

vocus

In Canada, the LXs don't even have power windows I hear. All ESs here come with the white gauges, 4-wheel disc brakes, spoiler, keyless entry, AC, and all that standard. Not so in Canada I don't think.

Karen_S

Folks...today's events are horrendous, and we probably haven't heard the last of it. My prayers for the safety of you, your loved ones, and for us all.

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

vocus

I have 2 friends (one who works on the NYSE and the other in what used to be the World Trade Center) who I have not heard from. As I sit here typing, I can only hope they are okay and God is with them. And God bless all affected by this horrendous tragedy.

I work near DC, and the city is pretty much shut down. My office even has liberal leave in affect today. It is truly a sad day in the US today.