Mazda Protege5

15455575960154

Comments

  • douglamdouglam Member Posts: 67
    Yeah, i'm getting a faint buzz/rattle from the dashboard, on the left of the steering wheel.

    Anyway, recently, i went to my dealer for my 1st oil change and since I was there, I wanted them to check on a faint buzz/rattle coming rom the dashboard. So I drop it off in the morning and they tell me to expect it to be done by the same afternoon. Great, i thought. No more irritating buzz/rattle after this.

    But not long after I got home, I got a call from them and they said that my car is ready. I asked them was the rattle/buzz fixed. they said that when they took my car out for a short drive, they DID hear the noise a couple of times, but it's too faint to pin-point the exact source of the problem. They tell me that the rattle needs to get more consistant and louder before they can fix it! WTF????!!!! This means that they acknowledge that there's a problem but don't want to fix it??? so I tried to complain thru the phone, but they just said they can't do much.

    Well, i don't know what i can do now... I mean the noise is not loud, but it's sufficently irritating. And i don't really think it would get any louder because it's probably something very small that causes the rattle.
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    think I answered my own question on what that 5-door 626 was. Gave it a look over again at lunch. Appears to be a non-North American spec 626 5-door. Good looking car. Wonder how he got it imported.


    Here's a picture of what it looks like (from MAZDA's New Zealand site)
    *you'll have to scroll down for a good picture of the hatch



    http://www.mazda.co.nz/models/1010.html

  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Imagine how many more 626s would have been sold if Mazda used the foreign version of the 626. I wouldn't doubt it drives much better as well.
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    I always hate when we (people in North America) get a different version than what Asia, or particularly, what Europe gets.
  • meafordmeaford Member Posts: 9
    Does anyone have the invoice price for the MP5, also the invoice price for the a/c and sunroof options?
    Also is there any word as to how long the 1.9% finance promo will last? Will it go up or down???
    Let's get more talk on MP5 vs. Matrix! I question if the extra utility of the matrix is enough to outweigh the superior styling/handling of the Pro5. Opinions????
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Was the version you saw a right-hand drive? Were you able to get close enough to see? Just wondering.
  • mp5freakmp5freak Member Posts: 51
    To find the invoice price go to carcostcanada.com. I know someone who used the service and got exactly what they were looking for.

    IMO, the mini-minivan look of the Matrix/Vibe just isn't for me. I drove by one that was sitting in a Toyota lot and it looks quite a bit taller than I expected. It looks less like a performance car and much more like a family hauler. But to each his own I guess.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    It is very tall, surprisingly so. But I still like the way the Matrix looks. P5s too, though they are lower and more rounded.

    -juice
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    just checked (actually I'm so lazy, I had a co-worker who was headed that way check!). It's a regular left-hand drive model. So I'm guessing it's from mainland Europe. Maybe a military guy coming back stateside?
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    Got the word from a Mazda rep at a car show. There will be an MPS P5 as well as the MPS Pro sedan. Should retail for about $20k. Zoom zoom. My eyes popped. I was practically drooling. :)

    Keep an eye out for the Mazda (corporate, not dealership) reps at your local car shows. He gave me a number of coupons good for $500 off in addition to any existing incentives. That's $500+$750=$1250 off a P5!

    They're good on other 2001/2002 Mazdas (except MP3), but only for my local region and only until March 9.

    For those more on the minivan side, he also informed me of an augmented MPV with a 280hp engine. Now, that's one minivan that will haul!
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    Pretty nice inside, especially the way the rear seat pans lower down when you fold their backs to create a truly flat cargo area. Maybe another inch of headroom in the rear than in the P5. 8 dedicated cargo tie-downs. Nice storage tray above the temp spare. Good seats. Good visibility.

    Kind of bulgy outside, not to my liking. Instrument cluster is very ugly, IMO. So is the upper half of the middle stack. The rest is OK with me. However, I'm put off enough by its looks and the design of the IP to not even consider it for a test drive. I don't think I can stand looking at those things every day.
  • csuftitanscsuftitans Member Posts: 215
    Answering to the dog related question, we have an 85lb Golder Retriever (yes, she's overweight) and she fits in the hatch are fine without having the back seat folded. She can make a u-turn if she wanted to, but it's kinda tight, but it's possible, since she did it several time, until I hit the pedal and she rolled over pretty hard; whoops. After that, she never tried to make a Ui anymore.

    13,400 miles and counting. Out P5 has been almost flawless other than small ratlle in the passanger door. One of these days I'm gonn aopen the door panel myself and see what's making that noise. I don't hear it that much anymore; don't know why, but I'll check anyway.
  • kennidi2k1kennidi2k1 Member Posts: 3
    There is a lot of P5 info at Protoge5online.com and there are a lot of good links and some very active giscussion groups off their links section.
  • kennidi2k1kennidi2k1 Member Posts: 3
    Who has realized that the 03 Toyota Matrix and the 03 Pontiac Vibe are the same vehicle?
    I seriously want to get a P5, but before I would even consider a Matrix, I would like to know who the MFR of the car really is! (My 95 Nissan Quest minivan is really a Mercury Villager...it has Ford logo'd headlights and parts, it uses Ford keys, etc).
    Any thoughts or knowledge out there about that part of it? Who is rebadging whose car?
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    is a lot more Toyota than GM, for example the 180hp engine and the 6 speed manual in the high-end Matrix/Vibe comes from the Celica GT-S.

    So to answer your question, I'm pretty confident it's Pontiac rebadging a Toyota...
  • kennidi2k1kennidi2k1 Member Posts: 3
    Hey, what did the current P5 owners experience in the insurance department? I just got a quote today from my Ins agent for a 2002 P5 and it at 17k costs as much to insure as my 35k 01 Expedition...what gives? At total of 513 /6mo period on the P5. (granted, thats at high coverage rates with 250 deductibles, but still...10yrs, clean record, married, over 35)...this does not make sense to me.
  • maryboo19maryboo19 Member Posts: 21
    Don't feel bad, I'm 26, single, live in the NYC area, have great credit and a pristine license, and the best I could do is $950/6 months. This is with a $500 deductible, glass, etc. I didn't get quotes for any other car when I was shopping, but this seemed higher then I expected, even for NY.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Your Nissan Quest is really a Nissan Quest. The Mercury Villager is really a Nissan Quest. It has the heart and soul of a Nissan. ie) The engine and tranny and many other major parts are Nissan, not Ford. Who cares if Ford has their name on the headlights?
  • mustang87mustang87 Member Posts: 129
    >Let's get more talk on MP5 vs. Matrix

    I don't see why we have to discuss a matrix here. I bought a p5, lets discuss p5. And everybody has a different opinion about the matrix just like about any other car so what do you care what somebody else thinks about it. If you are interested go test drive it and then decide for yourself.
  • mezz10e8mezz10e8 Member Posts: 1
    OK, so I just got my new P5 not even two weeks ago, but after my first fill-up (including a $3 pit stop on the way to Jersey) I figured out I only got a tad over 21 mpg. For a while, when I was checking my gauge it seemed as if I was getting less than 20, but then I did a drive out to long island (mostly highway) that probably saved the day. Nonetheless I'm really hoping this is just a break-in phenomenon because that would be pitiful. My old Prelude got 30, even with A/C blasting in August and commuting to/from Manhattan I never got less than 28 (much higher than EPA) so this is a big dropoff. Anyone else experience poor mileage, or poor mileage to start that improved later?

    Also, as for the insurance, I'm 23/M with no points no bad credit, and I'm paying a shade over 2 grand a year including comprehensive/collision at 500 deduct which I consider a bargain. My friend with 2 pts pays about 6 for his '99 Mercury Mistake.
  • mazdadude1mazdadude1 Member Posts: 49
    Hey MP5 lovers, Just wanted to report on things so far with my silver, at, moonroofed p5.

    All is well... as a matter of fact, all is fun. Still enjoying the driving experiences of my p5. Engine sound to me is very nice when accelerating. Pick up, especially as I leave lights, very nice; like a sling shot. On the interstate, "on rails" handling still. Some wind/road noise but just as it has always been. Suspension still instills daring on the turns.

    Have not checked gas mileage lately; but was getting the mileage posted on the window-sticker earlier so have not bothered to check lately.

    Still get looks as I cruise this beach town. And compliments from people I give rides to around the town. I always volunteer to drive my car! :-)

    One minor prob that others have noted.... noise from the front passenger door panel. I took it in to have fixed. Mazda dealer said a clip was loose and "fixed it". And the noise was gone.... until that door was used again. Now it is back. I suspect the noise may be speaker wires jostling as someone else suggested. Will take it back in at next oil change over Spring Break.

    Anyway, happy zooming everyone.

    Is it bad to love a machine???? :-)
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    My wife and I have 2 cars (well, really 3 till I turn in the ragtop), and I'm the primary driver on the P5. Pay about $650/yr for it. Thats less than my covertible, and more than my 9 year old Civic. It fell pretty much in line with every other car I've owned. When I called my agent to check the Protege and Elantra GT the GT was $50/yr more to insure even though it cost much less. I guess lots of things factor in, where you live, how far you drive to work, but the ranges found here are pretty wild.
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    IIRC, few P5 owners did experienced the poor mileage (not me though, my P5's mileage is consistently around 28-29mph since new), and no one has ever observed an improvement. Someone here said that the oxygen sensor is somehow defected and the computer, using incorrect informations, calculates a wrong air-fuel ratio, resulting a poor mileage. Please check with your dealer.

    Bruno
  • SporinSporin Member Posts: 1,066
    I've never achieved worse then 28mpg or better then 32 mpg in the 10,000 miles I've had my Protege5. (5-speed)
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    I was out looking this weekend but didn't find any I thought would work like I wanted. But I got to thinking. Although I was initially sure I needed them, now I'm not so sure. The side sills stick out a little further on this car than they did on my NX2000, so maybe the doors won't get as bad as they did on that car.
    So my question is for those of you who have had your P5's for a while. Do you notice much paint wear on the lower doors? Sporin, your reporting 10,000 miles, or Krotine and Boopoppa, since you drive in the same area of the country I do. I do drive on some back roads which tend to have some loose gravel, but if others have reached 10,000 miles with no real paint damage maybe I'm over reacting on the whole mud flap issue.
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    what color is your car? You have to be more careful if it's yellow. So far the paint of lower portion of the doors on my P5 remains good, but I wash the car with pressure water every week.

    Bruno, yellow P5, 12k+ miles, Houston
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    Mine is the dark blue. It will definitely show more paint wear than say the silver would. I actually wavered back and forth between the two, silver easier to keep clean, but the blue just looked so good. White was a late comer, but I decided I didn't want 2 white cars in a row.
  • SporinSporin Member Posts: 1,066
    Red was my first choice, blue was my wife's first choice, we settled on Silver. Love it! After 2 years in a black car, the silver is a breeze to take care of.
  • elec3elec3 Member Posts: 160
    I'm happy to have moved from a black vehicle to a silver one. The silver always looks shiny and clean, even when it's not (and when it is, wow!)

    I tend to get fairly low gas mileage (I don't have accurate numbers...I always forget to keep track of miles every couple trips) but I blame this on a few things. I have an automatic. I do almost all city driving. I tend to drive somewhat fast or at least will run the RPMs up from time to time. My Pro5 lives at 4000 feet and drinks 86 octane gas. I think all these things combine to keep my mileage low. I've thought about trying a tank with shifts at or below 3000rpm to see how mileage is then but it takes me long enough to go through a tank of gas that I run out of patience.

    Not that I care much. I put pretty low miles on the car and around here even brand name gas is still hovering at a buck a gallon, so it's not any major hardship to get 22mpg instead of 28.

    PS: I really wanted a black Pro5 but the dealership sold it before I committed to buy, so I had to wait until they got more in and the silver was the only one equipped like I wanted. So I bought it. I'd still prefer one of the other (flashier) colors cause everybody and their brother has a silver car these days, but at least it's a shiny metallic silver, and it sure is easy to keep clean looking (important here in southern New Mexico where spring weather is wind + dust).
  • mustang87mustang87 Member Posts: 129
    I'll try to keep it short.
    Today 2/18 I hit 12,000. I bought the car on 8/19/01 so thats exactly 6 months. Tire wear is even at all four corners with still probably more than half of the tread left. I keep the pressure at 32psi. They have been rotated once at the dealership. I have removed the air silencer (over the radiator) and installed KN filter as well as synthetic oil. I buy 87 gas from mobil, chevron, amoco, and get around 25.5 mpg in my auto with 75% of driving on the highway (75-80+ mph). I do open the engine up from time to time. I am sure that with easy driving i will get at least 27mpg. I would like it to be higher but, oh well. Few little creaks and noises + excessive wind noise around the sides of the car at high speeds even with out the roofrack. But its much better without the roofrack. I took care of two today by taking out all the change from the ashtray and all the tapes from the armrest console box :). Another interesting observation, when i go over bumps, my suspension sounds like there is air coming out, when the wheel/car is on its way down from the bump. The stereo(stock) display did not lit up couple of days ago when i started the car. When I pushed the power button it did work though and lit up. Took care of that by removing and inserting the cd. In 6 months the cd has not skipped once, cdr and store cds. Interesting feature, you can use the seek button during tape play to find the next song. I have seat covers from wall mart, removed them yesterday to wash and the seats are in A+++ condition. Look brand new. My service guy actually complemented on how well the covers match the inside and car. I have an yellow car and besides a number of paint chips on the hood and bumper its in good condition. I do wash it every week. I painted the calipers red, looks nice, and yesterday i was outside cleaning them from dust with qtips. Tedious, but very rewarding, they are so bright now. Brakes are still good, but i will probably get the better pads from sr motorsports website when its time to replace them. Also thinking about the cams, intake and exhaust.
    Kinda long :) but hope it was interesting and helps others.
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    The mid year update of the P5 is about to happen...Was able to order the Sport shift transmission and factory leather in very small numbers. These are for april production units. We still have not seen any pictures or prices.

    Rich
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    for the update... Another happy and studious P5 owner as I see.

    Bruno
  • cbmortoncbmorton Member Posts: 252
    I've only had my P5 for a week and a half, but I was getting a very noticeable buzz from the passenger side right off the bat. Didn't seem to be the door panel (the noise sounded a little closer to my ear than that) or the glove box or the B-pillar or... I was getting a little frustrated. Finally it occurred to me that it might be something to do with the passenger seat. Turned out that my passenger-side belt buckle was vibrating very quickly with a metallic buzz when the right front wheel hit a sharp bump. Drove down my 'rattle test road' with my hand on the buckle and sure enough, the buzz was gone. I usually drive alone so now I just keep the buckle moved down flat against the seat, where it doesn't vibrate. Problem solved. Now if I could just fix the quiet ticking noise coming from the dash between the windshield and centre console.

    Couple other things I read in recent posts I wanted to mention:
    --Canadian invoice pricing: I have it for the P5 if any prospective buyers are interested.
    --Trunk tray: Worth its weight in gold for catching whatever spills back there or is already wet. Easy to clean too. I had one in my previous car and it was a must-have for my new P5.
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    Yesterday I gave a friend a lift after a soccer game. At first, he compliments the style of the P5 as almost anyone else. When we took a ramp to enter the highway, he was very impressed the acceleration of the car, and asked me: "Do you have a huge engine there or what?". Me: "not really, just 2.0L and 130hp". Him: "Ouah, I couldn't believe, I though it has at least 170 ponies".

    zoom-zoom

    Bruno
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    of a torquey 2.0L!!!

    let me guess bruno, your friend drives a tiny-torque Honda?
  • meafordmeaford Member Posts: 9
    I would be really appreciative if you could post the Canadian Invoce price info.

    Thanks
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    VTEC = Vanishing Torque in the Engine Compartment

    I heard that here, it's not my original idea so I can't take credit.

    -juice
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    I suspected I couldn't avoid to answer this question. No, he drives the VW Golf with 2.0L engine.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    well that's an easy one to beat.
  • cbmortoncbmorton Member Posts: 252
    This comes from www.carcostcanada.com and it was accurate as of Feb 6th.

    Base car: MSRP $19895.00 / Dealer cost $18477.00
    Metallic/primary colour paint: $105.00 / $85.00
    Package AC00 (A/C): $1000.00 / $929.00
    Package AD00 (sunroof): $800.00 / $743.00
    Package AF00 (sunroof, A/C): $1800.00 / $1672.00
    Four-speed auto transmission: $1000.00 / $929.00
    Freight/PDI: $895.00
  • mustang87mustang87 Member Posts: 129
    Tell us more about the update. Colors, power, features, options, looks? I won't be trading in my mazda hopefully for at least 5-6 years but i am curious.
  • maryboo19maryboo19 Member Posts: 21
    Yes, please tell us more about the mid-year update. I wasn't even aware there was going to be one.

    I'm supposed to pick my P5 up in a couple of weeks, so if there are any substantial changes I may just wait. Leather doesn't matter to me, but engine, suspension, or appearance changes might.
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    I'm thinking of putting a hitch on my P5 so I can use a hitch mounted bike rack. I like those swingaway ones from Thule. Anybody got any recomendations for hitch companies? Or has anyone else done this? We have a strap on rack now, but I'm not sure how it's going to work with the spoiler thing on the back of the P5 and I've never liked the strap on ones anyway. I think the hitch one would be easiest for my wife to use by herself.
  • zachary2zachary2 Member Posts: 14
    Are there any good leases on this car?
    The finance charge is 1.9% which is very good over 60 months.
    How much over dealer costs is a good deal on this car?
  • ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    Mazdas don't (unfortunately) hold their value very well, so 9unless it is advantageous to you to lease) its better to buy a mazda! They have 0% for 48 months until may, IIRC!
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    ROC and Terra are 2 great companies for hitch racks. I do not have any clue if they design a model which can adapt on the P5. I always transport my bike inside the cargo space.
  • boopoppaboopoppa Member Posts: 48
    i've got the blue pro5 and haven't seen any extensive paint wear on the bottom of the doors. dont' think mud guards are necessary and definitely would clash with the rest of the body moldings.

    i too picked up a friend who asked if my car was a V6 as we zoomed out :-)

    alas, my car's in the shop now getting the door repainted from an egging
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    I saw a brand-new P5 in our parking deck here at work yesterday -- with factory leather. I needed to stop by my dealer yesterday afternoon to pick up a rear bumper guard for my wife's one-month-old P5, and I asked my salesman about it. He was surprised I'd seen one so early, but did admit they're on the way. It looked nice -- kind of a dark charcoal color. If I can find the car again, I'll try and sneak a digital pic of the interior.

    Meade
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    I'm glad I didn't know leather was on the way. I would have been tempted to wait and splurge for the leather seats. So I'm glad I'm already driving mine and I don't have to make that choice.
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    Hidden Hitch has one for the Protege 5. Part #60948. Doesn't look too hard to install either. Says no drilling. You just lower the muffler and bolt it up there. Now off to find out what bike racks might work on it.

    Ps. Thanks Boopoppa (hope your paint job works out), I'm still not totally convinced I don't need the mudflaps but you've had your blue car through a Pittsburgh winter and say theres not any paint damage. I do think they'll look fine, the NX did when I put them on after having the doors painted. The two cars have similar moldings so I don't think it would be much different.
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