Mazda Protege5

elec3

What's the difference between the AEM cold air intake kits and the short ram air kit? While I'd love to do one of these, I can't really afford it right now, which is why my friend and I were talking about a (cheaper) custom job with the K&N filter probably being the most expensive part.

And as a big PS: The guy from protege5online.com says he's working on getting a turbo (kit) made for the 2.0 in the Protege and Pro5 that will boost horsepower to 230. He said he thinks that's a bit optimistic but it's what they're shooting for. No price or date of availability estimates yet.

mustang87

That guy is Mitch. Just thought i'd let everyone know. I think he is becoming a household name (at least for p5 households)

jiggerz201

Woo Hoo! I just bought a Protege 5. I should pick it up in a week or so. The negotiation wasn't a cakewalk but it ended up ok. They tried to tack on an extra hundred bucks but I stood firm and they acquiesced. They are definitely still making money but I got a pretty good deal. I think at least. I would be interested to know if anybody has been able to do better. I'm not looking for the trophy for the best deal. I am just curious what other people's experiences have been. Here is my deal, all in Canadian dollars. I negotiated with them using an "on the road" price that includes all fees, taxes and charges. For the below I paid $24250 on the road. The only thing I am paying in addition to this will be $93 for license transfer, a tank of gas and finance registrations fee. Here is what I got for my hard earned and hard negotiated money.

-Protege 5
-Blue
-5 speed
-air
-full rustproofing (undercoating, rust inhibitor in the door panels -$699 value)
-Immobilizer alarm system (the factory security system doesn't come with the immobolizer. This includes both the immobolizer and a shock sensor, so if someone breaks the windows the alarm will go off. I forget what the retail value of this is but somewhere near a thousand.)
-factory cargo tray-$95

Feel free to ask about my negotiation experience, especially if you are about to go through the same.

Anyone one have any ideas on stuff to look out for when I pick it up?

boopoppa

to my knowledge, AEM does not have a cold air intake available for the pro5...they only have a short ram, and accordingly, i've heard that the short ram is better attuned to the pro5 mechanics and programming

mnkyboy

I have never heard of a $1,000 alarm system. You state "I forget what the retail value of this is but somewhere near a thousand." Are you serious? As for the immobilizer, thats just another term for starter kill, which disables the starter until you put your key in the ignition and press a button under the dash. Are you purchasing the alarm from the dealer? If so, thats odd that a dealer would install a non-factory alarm. Rust inhibitor in the door panels, what exactly is that stuff? I never heard of it. Please fill me in on this if its something new.

mdaffron

Congratulations. We're enjoying our 2002 Pure White Protege5 we purchased a month ago, to complement my 2000 Protege ES. Enjoy zoom-zooming!

Oh, and don't worry too much about mnkyboy. I got the same negative critique of the options we selected after we bought our P5.

Meade

Sporin

What boopoppa said.

jiggerz201

I totally forget how much the alarm system retails for. $1000 ringed a bell at the time of writing but it may very well be wrong. Now that I've thought about it the factory system without the immobilizer is about $350. I guess if you add another couple of hundred for the immobilizer you have a figure closer to $500. Immobilizer is just another term for starter kill and starter kill is just another term for immobilizer. No one is saying that an immobizer is more expensive than a starter kill. Where the dealership is getting the alarm from is the one area where I accidently left the door open a little for them to cut corners. I didn't get them to specify what make of alarm system, only its capabilities, immobilizer and shock sensor. I should have, but it was the one thing I overlooked. Other Mazdas (Millenia, 626, MPV and Tribute) come standard with an immobilizer. Hopefully they will use that kind.

The rust inhibitor is a silicone gel. It is standard stuff. The dealer takes off the door panels as opposed to rust protection shops which drill holes.

All in all I am happy with my deal and my purchase. It has to be a good deal. Two other dealerships turned me away.

jiggerz201

The white looks cool. I saw one in the dealership for the first time yesterday. Kind of a Japanese techno chic look. I would have got that but my last two cars have been white. My fiancé demanded a change.

meinrad

I did the same as you jiggerz. After Meade got his I was leaning towards white but decided I didn't want white twice in a row. So I went with the blue also. I just really liked the color even though it does tend to be hard to keep clean.

A week or so to pick it up? Whats the holdup? Is it still in transit or something? I wouldn't have been able to wait that long after making the deal.

shrique

I wish I could have a white car again. My wife says they look "unfinished" and won't let me buy one. That color is so easy to maintain! Oh well I got my silver (again) and I'm happy.

mdaffron

Man, I thought MY wife was opinionated -- but she doesn't ORDER me what color car I can and cannot buy!

She only puts her foot down when I start talking about that Porsche 911 test drive ...

Meade

shrique

did your wife try to talk you into buying that WRX wagon that you (meaning me) wanted so badly? (chuckle) My wife is a horrible enabler as far as toys goes. She's trying to talk me into using part of our home equity loan to buy a big screen TV.

PS I could have had any other color I wanted except white.

elec3

When the wife won't let you talk her into the 911 test drive, that's when you press it for about a week, then drop your demands down to a Boxster. Still a fine piece of automotive engineering and, while not exactly affordable, it's practically free when compared to the 911

mdaffron

Meade

jpsagen

Has anyone replaced the stock single CD player with a multiple CD player? I have seen some pictures of CD player installs (Kenwoods, etc.) but I don't think they look too aesthetically pleasing. Comparatively, Is the 6 CD player from Mazda too expensive/low quality? Any suggestions or pictures of your stereo mods would be greatly appreciated. I'm not mechanically inclined or an audiophile, so I'm going to have to have someone do this installation for me.

BTW, if anyone in Atlanta is looking for a MP5, I got a great deal at Rick Case. I did everything online. 3500 miles and no problems so far. . . sure beats my old Escort.

mustang87

Hey audia8q, if i remember correctly you work for a dealership, right? A mazda dealer near me has yellow zoom-zoom stickers on the windshield of the cars in the showroom. Its big, windshield size. Are you able to get me a couple of those? I'll pay all shipping and packing costs. Thanks.

badboyeee

anybody have any insider info on what type of deals mazda are going to put out after today???

maltb

the dealers don't even get that info until its effective date. If that info were public, dealers would be playing games with retail dates of cars.

badboyeee

ohh... i jus thought maybe someone would know. the GM guys know what the deals are in march

mdaffron

... when you bought your Protege5? I almost had to pick myself up off the floor when I opened my bill yesterday. The Protege5 we purchased for my wife last month has caused her annual premium to go from $639 to $980.

Comments?

Meade

Sporin

Insurance varies widely by region, age, and a million other factors. This makes it nearly impossible to compare prices.

That said, we pay just under $600 a year for our Pro5. I'm 30, wife is 28, crystal clean records, only car, high coverages, low deductables, gap/glass/fire/yadda yadda yadda. The same company covers our home. (Concord Group)

Our '99 Passat 1.8T was just under $1000./year.

meinrad

Mine will go the other way (right now I'm carrying 3 cars). But when the Pro 5 officially replaces the Sunfire, that premium drops from $714 to $614. At least thats what my agent told me. If it goes up then my agent has some explaining to do since I made sure to check that out before I bought.
I have heard of other people paying a lot to insure their P5's.

audia8q

I went into the parts computer to find the big zoom~zoom stickers....they only had the smaller sized ones and they are on backorder....you might want to call the dealer and ask them where they got them...

the stickers have been a "hot" item...

maltb

Mazda motorsports has them in black and white:

http://www.mazdamotorsports.com

do a search for Zoom

jskho

A salesperson from a local dealer just emailed me about this.

maryboo19

Is the 0% available on the P5, or just the sedan? I wasn't aware that Mazda ever offered 0% on the P5.

mpgman

new auto issue has concerns about side impact crashes on the Pros? Any opinions?

mustang87

I think they got it from mazda as a promotional item. Its one of those pieces that only the dealer gets and they are not for public use. Just like the zoom-zoom plate, p5 poster, p5 banner. Thats why i ask you if you can get it. i did ask the dealer and they refused to give it to me. Btw, are you able to get you hands onto any of those other items i mentioned. I would pay. Being the president in the p5/mp3 club here with 18 cars, everybody's always asking me if i have any of those items and if i can give those to them. Thanks for checking. If you find anything, let me know.

brickey

Hello everyone! Looks like a nice discussion going here. I purchased a blue P5 back in October after searching for one since last August! I had several dealers promising and re-promising that they would have me one "next week."

One week to the day after I picked up the car my wife was rearended at a yield sign (she yielded, the guy behind didn't). Damage was limited to the bumper and a bracket just underneath. I took it to the local dealer and the did a fine job getting everything back together correctly.

Since I've had my P5 I have had a whistling noise coming from the from area (I thought the windshield) at about 65 mph. I also have a sort of roaring noise comng from the rear (like when a rear wheel drive rearend would start to get worn out). The dealer checked it out and attributed both noises to the roof rack. Said they took it off and the noise stopped. Apparently Mazda is aware of this and is redesigning the roof rack. I wouldn't hold my breath though.

Anyone else have these noises? They really bug the crap out of me.

Rob

vocus

Maybe because side air bags are optional and not standard?

mnkyboy

Brickey, of course EVERYONE has this noise.

If you look at previous post, there are about 50+ complaints about this noise.

What you can do is buy a moonroof deflector, this cuts the sound to a minimum or sometime eliminates it.

Also, you could just leave the rack off, I do, I think it looks better without it.

mixwell51

Does anyone know? Is it confirmed that they will have a tiptronic transmission?

mustang87

Hey guys, drove my mom to the nissan dealer to check out the sentras (she needs a car, was rearended in her olds) and there is also a vw dealer with the same name next to the nissan dealer. the vw dealer has a used black auto p5 on the lot. i went to check it out, was curious. the previous owner painted the "silver panels" inside black color so the whole interior was black and it looked nice except that the quality of the job wasn't too good. This was also one of the first cars since production date was in april. anyways, what got me was the fact that they are asking $17,995 for it. can you believe it? i don't know how many miles it had but 18 grand for used p5 is crazy. I bought my YELLOW auto for $17 OUT THE DOOR. My mom also looked at the 2003 corolla (i don't car what you say but it is nice, especially the upscale interior) I went to look at the matrix. it is definetly equipped better than a p5 with more interesting features but the quallity of the buttons felt cheap compared to p5. up close it does look more like a van or suv and the visibility out the back window is horrible. In the end i do wish the p5 had the many storage compartments of the matrix as well as the smartly made cargo area and stuff like cupholders in the back but i wouldn't trade it in. Love the "5". Zoom-zoom.

jskho

Yes. It is for P5, at least here in the Pacific NW. Looks like the 0% wave is back for March.
It wasn't posted on Edmunds last time I checked. But neither was the $750 rebate available here in February.

hurler4

The Mazda website just added black leather seats as an option for the P5. It's good to see that more options are being added. Now if only they could add heated seats...

BTW, has anyone out there bought a ski or bike rack attachment for the P5? Does Thule or anyone else have these accessories yet?

vilainefemme

jskho - Is that a factory-to-dealer incentive or just a consumer rebate? I received a coupon for $500 off at the car show this weekend. Do you know if it's applicable in other places?

Countdown to purchase: 2 days (Wednesday)
vf

badboyeee

yah i just looked at mazdausa.com and they have leather seats now! it says its an extra $450. i would definetely want leather seats. i think aftermarket charges like $1000-$1500 for it.

i also noticed that they call the automatic transmission "sporty" now. i dont remember it being called that before, and now the auto is priced an extra $100 (think im right). so is there a new auto trans too???

i was kinda close to buying a p5 today, good thing i didn't

badboyeee

two people from different mazda dealers told me that the college rebate has increased to $500 from $400

the_big_h

allows you to shift gears on your own, ala Tiptronic.

Here's what it'll look like, pic linked from Mazda Japan's Familia S-Wagon Fieldbreak page...

http://www.familia-sw.mazda.co.jp/limited/fieldbreak/img/style_inpane.jpg

mdaffron

Like I said earlier, there's a brand-new P5 in my parking deck with those black leather seats. They look nice, although I think they make the interior look kind of dull -- now everything in the car is semi-glossy black.

Meade

toivo

I've been looking at the European versions of the Protege5 and there are a number of features that one would think would be nice to have here too:
1) Trip computer. It's an LCD about the size of the current odometer, and it's inset into the RPM gauge.
2) Front passenger seat that folds completely flat forwards. C'mon! This would be a great thing.
3) Climate control.
Anyone have experimented with retrofitting a US spec Protege5 with any of these?

hurler4

I was just in Ireland, and saw a European version of the P5 in Dalkey (around the corner from Bono's house! Probably not his...). I took a quick peek in it and the dashboard definitely looked different. I seem to recall seeing the auto climate control. It wasn't called the P5, by the way--it had a different name.
European cars tend to have nicer interiors and more features than their American versions. The Ford Focus interior is MUCH nicer in Europe. Hell, I drove a bottom-rung Renault in Ireland last year and it was much nicer inside than most cars in America. I wouldn't expect them to bring these features to the American P5, but perhaps they could be installed as aftermarket components.

toivo

In Scandinavia/Germany at least it's called the 5-door 323, 323 sport or similar things.

vocus

On the top of my list of things that would have been nice to have when I had my 2001 Protege ES:

-a real valet key, so I could secure the trunk and rear seatbacks from anyone but myself

-trip computer for fuel economy and service reasons

-traction control. The Focus and Hyundais have it, why not the Protege?

-autostick tranny (now coming)

-leather option (now available for the P5, but not the Protege yet)

I know these things would add to the price, but the prospective buyer would know that since they would be options.

mazdafun

It already exists. I think the odometer toggles between odometer and tripmeter mode. You quickly press & release the switch. Holding it down in tripmeter mode resets it.

fern88

Hi All,

I'm on the fence right now between the Matrix and the Protege5.

The only plus I see with the Matrix is the folding down of the seats to make the whole back one long flat floor. Protege has that step in between and is not a spacious.

Overall the handling and pickup of the P5 is nicer.

The addition of the Leather is great! I called Mazda's customer support to find out about the ETA for the Leather because the dealers knew nothing about it. They called me back and told me it would be this month.

Do any of you know how much the extended warranties cost for the P5 and are they worth it? I'm going to be driving about 400 miles a week for at least the next year so I'm concerned about only having a warranty for a little over 2 years.

vilainefemme

(cross-posted in the Mazda rebates forum and the Maxtrix vs. Pro5 forum)
Sorry if you run across this message several times, but I'm just so excited! I just called MazdaUSA this afternoon (1-800-222-5500) and they confirmed the $750 rebate for me (Milwaukee area). It's available until April 1 and only if you have your own financing arranged (not through the dealership). So definitely call them if you're interested. Plus, the lady was super nice in giving the information out, I sort of expected them to be hesitant about it. I would assume that you can combine it with the $500 auto show discount, but I'm going to call them back tomorrow to make sure.

24 hours until the deal!
vf

vonnyvonce

Back from a P5 test drive. Nice in every regard except wind noise from rack with sunroof open. Glad to hear racks come off. Any ideas about rebates at this time for the Boston area. Wish list is 5 auto, moonroof, abs/sab, alarm, mats.

badboyeee

what is that $500 coupon that you are talkin about?? where can i find it and where can u use it??