Mazda Protege5

vilainefemme

The $500 coupon (rebate) is from Mazda North American Operations and I picked it up at the Milwaukee auto show. You might be able to call Mazda to see if it's available without going to your local auto show or actually needing the paper coupon. So definitely ask about this discount also when you call to confirm the $750 rebate. The hours are on the mazdausa.com site.

Here's the text from the coupon:
"Good for five hundred dollars off the purchase/lease of a new 2001/2002 Protege, Protege5, Tribute, 626, Truck, MPV, Miata or Millenia purchased/leased during the program period. Limit one discount/coupon per vehicle. Take new retail delivery from dealer stock by 3/23/02. This offer is additional to any current incentives. Valid only 2/23-3/23."
On the back are the names of the local Mazda dealerships and lines to fill in the customer name and the Mazda dealership.

Hope this helps!
vf

badboyeee

hey that coupon is pretty sweet! the back lists participating mazda dealerships?? if so, any in san diego or in southern california region??

i also called that mazda 1800 #, i asked them about the leather seats and new auto transmission. ill ask them about this coupon tomorrow

audia8q

on the P5 is due on the east coast in early april. The left coast, which is closer to Japan, will see it a little earlier...still a 2002 model.

also here in the northeast zone we have 0% financing on ALL 2002 Mazda's for 24 months. Also as mentioned above the college grad incentive has increased to 500.

also P5 fan's...go to http://ford.com.au

  and take a look at a vehicle called the Ford Laser and tell me if you all see what I see...

Rich

badboyeee

FORD LASER = MAZDA P5!!! ahhhhh... will this be only in Australia? hope it wont come to the US

and what you mean by mid-cycle??

mdaffron

I'm always whining about the "cheaping-out" of the Protege as each new generation has come out (well, I guess until the 2001s showed up and they put back things like 4-wheel discs, lighted ignition key, etc.), but now I'll whine again:

My 1992 LX had a "real" valet key. And the seat backs had locks on their backs. So the valet key only opened the car's doors -- not the trunk. So once you locked the seatbacks from the trunk side and closed the trunk, the valet key could only get you into the passenger compartment and start the ignition. My '92 also had a locking glove box. My 2000 doesn't. (And why, oh why, can't Mazda put a damned LIGHT in the glovebox?) My '92 also had little static-discharge buttons on the doors; you touched 'em prior to closing the door and you didn't shock the hell out of yourself.

I guess I can get along without those features in my 2000 -- but I sure miss some of them, especially the lighted ignition switch (and it wasn't just a cheesy little bulb like in the 2002s; it was a lighted ring around the whole switch). I think Mazda should bring back the old standard features before they embark on new ones.

And BTW -- look at the back of your center armrest console sometime -- the very back, facing the rear seats -- see that square punch-out? That's SUPPOSED (and used) to be an ashtray for the rear seat passengers! I used to use the one in my '92 for trash, gumwrappers, etc. for rear-seat people (who also, BTW, had a folding center armrest to use if they desired). As the car is now, there's nowhere for anyone to place a gumwrapper if they're riding in the back seat! (No cupholders either, for that matter.) I had to remove my center console to install a VHF 2-way radio, and I noticed that that punch-out is quite an affair. It's actually tapped and bolted into the console. Now would it have cost THAT much more to install a little swing-door plastic ashtray there in place of the bolted-in punch-out panel? Geesh, would it have raised the price of the car more than ten bucks?

Meade

twistinmelon

you just said more negative stuff about the Pro than I did.

Maybe you should sell it and stop posting here.

All in good fun. :-)

Saw a Seabreeze Green for the first time today. Very sharp! Though I think the owner mucked it up with the large bra and moonroof deflector. One of the nice things about the Pro, IMHO, is the clean lines.

twist

mdaffron

Compared to the other cars in its class in May 2000, the Protege had more (or at least the same) features, but was much more fun to drive. And it still is. I'm very satisfied with my car; I just miss some of the stuff my '92 had. But in defense of the 2000, it has much more interior room than the '92 ever hoped for, a much more comfortable driver's seat, air bags, and a few other features.

These features are features I accepted when I took delivery of the car -- so I can not and will not condemn the car for them. I made the decision to buy it, and I love the car.

But even if I hated my car, which I don't, I wouldn't pull a "Hocus-Vocus" (LOL) and go upside-down after having owned the car only 22 months.

ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM!

Meadeball

mdaffron

The Town Hall has a group named "Hyundai Elantra GT vs. Mazda Protege5." When I get the listing, it displays a last update date of today, March 6, 2002. However, the last message in the group was posted December 31, 2001. What's going on? All the other groups display the correct date of the last post except that one.

Meade

bluong1

The wind noise problem can be solved by adding a moonroof deflector.

Bruno

revka

Whenever any kind of posting activity takes place in a discussion, it automatically updates "last Post" date at the top of the page. This could involve an edit in the Helpful Links and Title... or other behind the scene changes.

So next time you notice this, you may want to check out what may be new in the Helpful Links section. Of course it could also be possible that someone posted a message then decided to delete it. ;-)

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards

mdaffron

Meade

mnkyboy

This was posted in the "Mazda Protege5 Problems & Solutions" forum.

+++++
#68 of 70 by coznefx Mar 04, 2002 (11:09 am)
Thanks cpa...

I'm going to try a few more tanks of gas. Strangely, Mazda suggests that you use the lowest octane recommended for the car, which in this case is 87. We'll see if that helps.

On the engine rattle front, I have some very reassuring news. I just got off the phone with Mazda North America and a fix is indeed on the way. By mid-March dealers should have an ECU reprogram that will solve the problem.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Is this true?
How can we find out if Mazda has sent out any fixes to the dealers, which the fix would be covered under our warranty? I know that if something was wrong and would endanger the customer, Mazda would put out a recall and it would be fixed. How do we find out about little things, or things that really dont affect the car, but should be fixed if the owners wants it fixed?

coznefx

Fear not, this is at most a minor annoyance, that apparently not everyone has or notices, for that matter. It does not affect the performance or safety of the vehicle. Obviously Mazda does not want to draw attention to their little error, hence the reason why this "fix" does not qualify as a recall. Frankly, my dealer did not know this problem even existed until I brought it to their attention.

Technical bulletins and the like are internal memos that the general public does not have access to. The only thing that I can suggest is if you have a problem (such as the above) that the dealer is unable to resolve, contact Mazda North America and I assure you they'll devise a remedy. Mazda is trying to aggressively re-establish their presence in North America, and they'll bend over backwards to accommodate you.

sunbyrne

Meade, I don't get what the big deal is with the valet key. I hate valet parking and avoid it anyway, but sheesh, if the guy can open and start your car, he can also drive off with it and break into the rest of it at his leisure.

mustang87

I think i have a rattle from the engine when i start it in the morning. Doesn't bother me one bit. I would actually be concerned about getting it fixed. The thought of anybody working on my car sends chills down my back. And how do we know that it will not affect something else, like performance and fuel economy?

On the valet front, i am surprised that anybody would let somebody else drive their car and park it.

Does anybody happen in which year did a 626 or a millenia have a black interior?

elec3

That's what I want to know, is what else is going to be changed when they reprogram the ECU? "Welp guv, the rattle's fixed but it cost ye 10 horsepower." As I understood, the rattle was a result of the engine block and exhaust manifold being made of different metals (one aluminum, one iron?) which heated at different rates and don't quite mate properly until they're both up to operating temps. Mine is totally gone and the engine smooths out quite a bit once it's warmed up. I just go real easy on it until then, shifts below 2800rpm.

Confidential to Meade: Hocus-Vocus? You oughta trademark that one real quick like, I can see it gaining widespread acceptance in the auto world as a term for coming out way upside-down after purchasing a new car every 6 months Hocus-Vocus Alakazam! Hey, where'd all my money go?

coznefx

According to Mazda the problem (and I quote from the technical bulletin), is "the result of the timing between VTCS plates 'opening' and the ignition spark advance command". It's my understanding that the reprogram will simply adjust the timing during warm-up. I have no idea how the adjustment will affect the overall performance of the car...but I'll be happy to tell after I have it done.

mdaffron

No, I NEVER let anyone drive my car. But that feature WAS just one more feature that was done away with. While the "valet key" stayed on a key ring at home, I did enjoy the feeling of added security I got by locking the seatbacks when I had something valuable in the trunk, or when I was Christmas shopping and had the trunk full of hundreds of dollars worth of gifts. You know, most burglars want a quick and easy entry and exit -- if they get in the car and realize they've got to wrestle with the seatbacks for a few minutes, they'll probably (or at least hopefully) move on to an easier target.

elec3 ... "Confidential to Meade?" Here on Edmunds? LOL!!!! (I did kinda like my Vocus joke though. I'm surprised he hasn't come in here and yelled at me for it.)

Meade

vocus

I don't valet park alot either, but the big deal with me is that when I take my car in for service, I don't want to have to give them full access to the car. It's none of their business what's in my glovebox or trunk, and I would prefer to lock them up from prying eyes.

vocus

Yeah, I noticed your little joke. That's okay though, it's all good.

Also, the 2001 and up Proteges do have locking gloveboxes. And the rear seatbacks and trunk release lock as well. I know what you mean about wanting the ability to lock the seatbacks and trunk. I used to do that when parking downtown in Baltimore sometimes. A friend of mine (with a '97 Sentra) had his window broken in the car once, because someone watched him put his things in the trunk. They put down the back seat, and took everything out because his seatbacks did not lock.

shrique

on the P5 it doesn't really matter. (GRIN) Hopefully out of site out of mind works.

dsm6

I'm on the verge of purchasing a P5. I think the Mazda folks did a marvelous job with the car's suspension, steering, looks, and brakes, in that order. However, IMHO, the engine is rather mediocre.

I can put up with the lack of power, and the only slightly better than average fuel economy, but the engine buzzing annoys me a bit. Any ideas on how some of that engine noise could be quelled? I know that some pro sedan owners have put sound insulating mats in the trunk - primarily to dampen road noise. I wonder if sound insulating mats in the P5's hatch would dampen some of the exhaust note, thereby reducing some of the engine noise. Any thoughts? TIA

vilainefemme

Just bought my P5 last night, will take delivery on Saturday morning. It was a fun experience, we rocked the dealership. I worked the numbers out backwards to figure out my base price of the car.

base price of car $14893
floormats +80
moonroof +700
destination +480 (Edmunds says 520, $40 discount)
subtotal $16153
taxes are figured at this point, 5.6% (+$904.57 = 17057.57)
registration +91.90
subtotal $1,7149.47
discount -1,250
final price $15,899.47

vf

meinrad

Vilainefemme, I'm taking you shopping from now on. If I'm understanding your post and by looking at Edmunds pricing you have a final price $560 under invoice with tax, etc. included. So if you take taxes into account it looks like you're at least $1400 under invoice. I'm guessing it's the record P5 deal on this board.

vilainefemme

Thanks, meinrad! It's not really my skills that got the great price, it was my friend's. I did TONS of research for the last 2-3 months, but never had actually used any of that information in a real situation, so I brought my friend Bob with me. He's done a ton of car deals before and he was actually very excited to go. His sister says that she's surprised he hasn't received restraining orders from the dealerships in the area. Pretty notorious.

The sales guy nicknamed him "the hammer" because of his ruthlessness. I was almost laughing for part of the negotiations, we were initially asking for $15,500 as the out-the-door price. They came back and asked us to come up on price, so my partner said "$15,502". The sales guy then wanted to hear my offer since I'm the one actually buying the car, so I said "$15,503". Yep, we were asses.

vf

mdaffron

Yeah, the '92's trunk keyhole had a "secret function" -- unlike some cars, like Civics, that have the trunk lock-out switch as a keyhole you insert your key in on the driver's side floor, the early Proteges had a two-function keyhole on the trunk lid -- insert the key and turn it to the right, and the trunk opens as usual. Turn the key the other way, however, and the remote trunk release up by the driver's foot doesn't work anymore.

Meade

dsm6

Did you have a trade-in?

maltb

I'm curious...How many people Valet park their cars AND use a valet key?

I don't think it happens often at all.

vilainefemme

Nope, no trade-in. We wouldn't have let that stop us, would have asked for the same price. The new car negotiations come first, then the trade-in value discussion.

vf

mnkyboy

What color is the P5 that you are getting? I find it odd that the dealer practically took it up the a** to "GIVE" the car to you! LOL

The first dealership that I went to didnt want anything to do with me after I played the game that you did. So I went to another one that would haggle with me.

What was the $1,250 discount? How many P5s did they have in stock? Last question, what is your friend, Bob, phone number? I want him to come with me next time I buy a car!

BTW, do you have a dealer quote for the price you go the car for? My friend is looking to by a P5, and if I could get a copy of it, he may be able to get his P5 for less then I got mine.

vilainefemme

It's silver with manual transmission, moonroof, and floormats. And there had better be no dealer stickers on it when I pick it up.

The 1,250 discount was the $750 factory-to-consumer discount plus a $500 auto show coupon. The $750 discount is only available if you have your own financing arranged. Call Mazda for details in your area.

You can check a dealership's stock online at MazdaUSA.com either through the "Locate a Vehicle" section or the "Your Local Dealer" link. The one I got was the only manual with just a sunroof out of 16 total P5s.

Maybe Bob should travel around the country and help people buy cars! He is best described as a "car whore".

What do you mean by dealer quote? The worksheet or whatever that the sales guy writes all over? Nope, all I've got is the purchase contract.

vf

meinrad

I just can't stop thinking about this. You say you researched for months, but how did you even arrive at that number? Edmunds pricing shows $17,097 as a TMV and the invoice at $16,462. And you started by asking for $15,500 out the door. By doing research it seems you would have been happy to beat Edmunds TMV. I know everyone talks about all the money dealers get, holdback, etc., but he had to lose money on this deal. I really want to know what that dealer was thinking, he must have been on drugs. Even if he's having trouble moving P5's, I'm not sure why he made this deal. It's become a real mystery to me....

meinrad

ahhhh, the discounts tell some of the story. From the original post, I thought it was just what the dealer was discounting it for you. The story begins to take shape......

ksc37

1. I assume the $1,250 "discount" is the $750 factory rebate and the $500 College Grad rebate. It's taken off the purchase price after figuring in the sales/registration tax of 5.6%. Is that correct?

2. The actual purchase price including freight is $16,153.

3. The invoice is $16,462.

4. You're paying $309 under invoice. That would be lower than even the S-Plan price.

5. Maybe there's an additional dealer incentive we don't know about.

ksc37

Ok. So the $500 is the auto show coupon. If I can get the coupon and it's applicable in my area (Washington DC), I'll seriously consider a purchasing a Protege5.

vilainefemme

Yeah, I think there have to be some sort of dealer incentive right now, otherwise there's no way the deal would have happened. Maybe something before the half-year changes come out later this month? Or maybe they just wanted Bob to go away.

vf

birdman_1

It'll be nice to see another silver P5 in addition to mine driving the streets of Oak Creek! I haven't seen any other silver P5s around the MKE area on the road yet (maybe I'm blind). I'll blink my lights when I see you...

So what dealer? Bob Tolkan? Boucher? Hall?

Have fun in your new car!

mudflat

Rumor has it that the P5 will be completely redesigned for 2004. The styling will be similar, but construction will utilize a new kevlar/carbon fiber composite material that will reduce the weight of the car to less than 1500 lbs while providing a 150% increase in strength and rigidity over the present platform.

A new 250W stereo with tri-amplification and 16 speakers is standard. A 1500W powered subwoofer utilizing a revolutionary flat radiator design is an option, and fits into its own molded compartment so as not to reduce interior room.

Additionally, all seats will fold completely flat, an onboard compressor will maintain tire pressures to within one ounce of dash-selected values for each wheel, and electro-chromic glass will provide any degree of tinting and a choice of 8 colors. Following the current trend, outlets are provided for any AC voltage from 115 to 440 3 phase.

While retaining the same exterior dimensions, opti-opti space engineering has tripled passenger and cargo volume.

The tires are an exclusive variable width design to suit driving requirements and will carry a 20 year unlimited mileage treadwear and road hazard warranty.

Suspension tweaks have increased the cornering capabilities to 2.0 Gs on ice. Drag coefficient has been reduced to .18 for better fuel economy.

The engine is a twin turbo version of the rotary used in the new RX8. The transmission is a 5-speed mated to a compact 2 speed transfer case, giving a choice of 10 gear ratios. 0-60 acceleration times of under three seconds are claimed. Top speed is factory limited to 220. Fuel economy is 50 city, 125 highway.

Price is expected to be under 20K.

Complete specifications haven't been finalized, but if they offer variable speed intermittent wipers and I can get 0% financing, I might consider buying one.

twistinmelon

will it do my laundry, walk my dog, and manage my stock portfolio?

twist

mdaffron

It'll probably change all over again in 2007!

Kinda like computers and stereo components -- you keep waiting for the "right" one and you'll never buy one!

Meade

vilainefemme

Yeah, I haven't seen any other silver P5s, only three other P5s total, black, red and blue. I was psychotically following the red one after work one day to see what it looked like on the road. if you see me, I'll be the one with the huge grin on my face. I got it at Hall, sort of far away for servicing, but not too bad.

*laugh* I like how after all mudflat's description of the 2004 P5, he says he'll buy it if it has variable intermittent wipers. Strange how the small things make the car for you. For me it was the white dials on the dash.

vf

maltb

I want the 440 3 phase.

And don't you think 1500#s is a bit heavy? After all, my go-cart with the 5hp Briggs & Straton was under 100#s.

The compromises we go through as consumers...sheesh.

sunbyrne

So, I washed and waxed my wife's 99 LX on Wednesday, and my Pro5 yesterday, and took a pic of the shiny pair. Check it out:

http://byrneweb.com/sunburn/newcar/twopros.jpg

vilianefemme, you're not the only one with a silver P5...

shrique

Defintely not. I've had mine since November. I still drool over it when I go out. I'm sorry but this is a very beautiful car.

Yeah i get to go drive it for lunch now!

(Chuckle)

Shrique

vocus

You do know you can take your car to any Mazda dealer for servicing right? I bought my car about 30 miles from home, but take it to any dealer close to me at the time (work, home, friend's place I visit sometimes) that's convenient for me.

vocus

I know what you mean about small details making the car for you. I just got a 2002 Jetta, and the blue gauges did it for me. Every since I saw them on the 1999.5 model, I wanted a Jetta.

douglam

Don't you guys realize mudflat is just kidding? *LMAO*

Good imagination there mudflat!
(and some features would be really good to have IF we really do get them)

maltb

I was planning to pull a full machine shop behind the next P5 making full use of the 3 phase power.

Dang, I'm crushed.

mnkyboy

douglam, i dont think some people got it!! LOL

"Fuel economy is 50 city, 125 highway" LOL

"will carry a 20 year unlimited mileage"

"electro-chromic glass will provide any degree of tinting and a choice of 8 colors"

"1500W powered subwoofer"...can someone say "hearing aids!" LOL

LMAO!!

Good one! :P

toyotated

I've been seriously considering getting a P5, but am starting to get cold feet. My main concern is gas mileage. Does it really get 25 city/30 freeway for an automatic as advertised or overall does it get less?