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Mazda Protegé

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Comments

  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    I didn't want to poke a stick in a hornet's nest with the comment about buying cars with over 100K miles on them. My point was: by that time they would be pretty well beat up inside. Dirty cloth and scratches everywhere.

    I don't see buying a car just for its purformance, regardless of its condition; that means nothing to me and the majority of car buyers. The speeds you all are saying you drive are way over the speed limits in most states and I am NOT impressed by wreckless drivers bragging about how they risk their, and other people's, lives.

    The fact that ZoomZoom79 works for CarMax, which gives her a sizeable break on prices, is NOT a fair comparison for those who will pay way too much buying from CarMax. She did say her $4500 Si will bring $8950, or more, on the lot -- what a ripoff!

    In my estimation, ZoomZoom79 is NOT buying a car the way we bought our Pros, she bought a Road Toy she will dump as soon as it starts giving trouble and recoup her $4500 plus profit. On a scale of 1 to 10 ZoomZoom79's opinion = 0!

    fowler3
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    I only drive when the conditions allow me to, not when there's traffic and bad weather.

    Dinu
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    "What I meant if you take a car that is in the same class and size as the Protege and stiffened the suspension and added 16" 50 series tires you could have a car like the Protege."

    No, that is NOT the way it works. A Corolla with 16" 50 series tires and stiffer suspension will not handle like a Protege. A Sunfire/Cavalier with 16" 50 series tires and stiffer suspension will not handle like a Protege. These are just a few examples. It takes more than tires and stiffer suspension calibration to make a car handle well. Do you get it now?
  • curt3curt3 Member Posts: 101
    I have a 2000 Protege LX with manual transmission, A/C, aftermarket cassette/CD changer and keyless entry and 61,000 miles. I paid just under $ 15,000 at 0% in November of 1999.

    Trade-in Value with 61,000 miles:

    $ 6,818 (including EXC condition adjustment)

    This very car with 300,000 miles (just for kicks)

    $ 6,818

    Apparently I have hit the mileage threshold at 30K per year.

    Unfortunately, when it comes to trade-in values, the dealerships pull out their evil little black book which is much lower than Edmund's trade-in values. On the other hand, Kelley Blue Book has some of the most bloated retail values in the business. My very car retails for over $ 12,000 according to them.

    The moral of the story--Proteges are a lot of car for the money but should be kept for the long haul due to their rapid depreciation.
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    Never trade if you can help it!! Sell your car online on AutoTrader.com!! It will get the most number of eyes and sell quickly at a fair price.

    I had a 1998 Honda Odyssey I wanted to sell. I ran a classified ad in the local newspaper for two weeks, cost $60. Not a single call! Then I ran an ad on AutoTrader.com at $35 and "Run until it sells" checked. Included a GOOD photo of it. Most people take pictures of their cars like you see in those freebie books at the supermarket. Makes the car look like junk.

    I got calls from all over the state and sold it for a very good price in 10 days. Much better than I hoped to get.

    Why let a dealer lowball your car while sticking you with options you don't want? The best way to buy a car is straight out, no trade, pay cash. If you can't pay in full, then at least sell your own car and make the best deal you can. Buying a car these days is complicated enough, don't get it confused with selling.

    fowler3
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Why trade in? That's the biggest rip-off in the auto industry. I was offered $4.000 for my 93 Civic as a trade-in and got $6.000 private in 1 week. I was given $1.300 as a trade-in for my previous car (89 Tercel in 1998) and I sold it for $2.000 privately in 1998. Selling to a dealer is like adding A/c as a $4000 option on a car. YOU ARE GUARANTEED A LOSS OF $3.000 on a decent car.

    Dinu
    NOTE: Rantings based on CDN $ in the Toronto area.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    And Happy Easter no everyone that's into bunnies and stuff :)

    Ok, ok, I know most of you guys are into bunnies. HEHE!

    Dinu
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    Ha, ha, ha....

    Veeeerrry funny...

    :)

    --Dale
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    And Happy Easter >>>TO<<< everyone that's into bunnies and stuff :)

    Thank you Dale. Are YOU into bunnies?

    Bad Dinu! Bad Dinu!

    Cheers!~
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    uh, no, dude...I think you already know I'm into cats ;)
  • zoomzoom79zoomzoom79 Member Posts: 272
    curt3: I don't know what source you are using but www.kbb.com puts your trade value at $6300 in good condition and retail is $10,100. With 300,000 miles trade goes down to $5,000 but what's the probability of a 2 year old car having 300,000 miles on it.

    fowler: Our Civic w/ 106k looks new inside. No scratches, seats are clean, and it doesn't rattle. I would love to see how you treat your cars if that's how they look at only 100k.

    Actually, the SI was $11,000. The $4500 Civic was the 96. And yes, if it was in perfect condition with no accident damage and not repainted it would retail for $9,000+. Same goes for the SI, it had an accident and it had too much paintwork for Carmax to retail. And yes, if it were perfect it would retail for over $15,000. Carmax is not the rip-off. It's the dealers who would've bought these vehicles and sold them to the uneducated consumer as if they were perfect for alot more than we paid for them. Our benefit is that we get what are still great cars for cheaper than we could buy them any where else.

    dinu: I'm not sure if you had a 93 Civic DX automatic or what but a 92 Civic with the 125HP engine would do 0-60 in 7.9 seconds according to Car & Driver's February issue from 92. It hit 100 in 25.8 seconds. If that seems like forever to you then you must be living in light years.

    The Protege may have more torque but what's the benefit. The Civic has no problems getting around in traffic or on the highway. And to answer your last question I had a 01 Protege ES 5-speed.

    browntrout: The SI is far from useless under 5000RPM. It drives just like a normal Civic EX. And it's running 4400RPM at 80MPH not 60MPH. And it's not buzzy at all. In fact it's just as smooth at 7000RPM as it is at 3000RPM. It just gets a nice mechanical hum when the VTEC kicks in. It's awesome. And the engine feels like it could pull past the 8000RPM redline. It's physics. A longer-stroked 2.0L engine without balance shafts is going to be rougher than a shorter-stroked 1.6L engine.

    Honda is an engine company by their own admission. They just happen to build good cars. While their priority on power may change as the VTEC kicks in their priority on emmissions does not.

    And for everyone bringing up how well the MP3 handles ....

    The Protege MP3 is an example of the most that can be done to a car. It comes from the box with 17" wheels, springs, and a tweaked engine. And you pay for it ... $18,000 wasn't it? A Civic EX can be had for $15,000. Take the $3,000 and spend on wheels, tires, and a stereo and you have yourself a MP3. As far as the MazdaSpeed they've obviously realized the lack of aftermarket support for the Protege so they added a turbo themselves. But yet again, you are going to pay $20,000 or so for it. Again take a stock Civic EX for $15,000 and you have $5,000 left to play with. The MS3 turbo only puts out 170HP .. there is a $3,000 kit for a Civic that will produce 200HP at the wheels. You still have $2,000 left for the wheels and springs.
  • fxashunfxashun Member Posts: 747
    Have axle rear suspensions like the Sentra Spec-V. Bad examples. Come to think of it almost all small cars are going that money-saving route.

    You are right that we currently have the inside track on used car prices. But even before we got these jobs I was very keen to spot the "deals" when I saw one. My 87' Wagon cost $550 private owner. 90 Integra for $2250ish from a dealership no less. Those are among the better ones. Knowing what to look for is essential. Kinda harsh to say our opinion=0. A keen eye goes a long way.

    The Protege is a nice car. Great car if you happen to live in the city with a lot of traffic. Clutch takeup is great from the standstill, torque is fine off the line, and if you keep the revs below 3500 rpm the engine's a jewel. But for those of us in the 'Burbs where we can let our cars loose, especially if you're used to a certain level of smoothness, the Protege is a slight disappointment. This is not a bash, so don't take it as such. Because even with all it's low end torque, on the highway it's no longer in the low end. And if you need more power, there's no need to upshift because it takes you further from the "low end" where the power is. I'm talking about the 2.0 here because that's the one we owned.

    "I don't see buying a car just for its performance, regardless of its condition; that means nothing to me and the majority of car buyers. The speeds you all are saying you drive are way over the speed limits in most states and I am NOT impressed by reckless drivers bragging about how they risk their, and other people's, lives"

    Speed in itself is not reckless. There are several occasions where I've been in a train of cars traveling for hours above 100mph. No danger in that speed. Especially on a lightly traveled interstate in the daytime. I maintain my cars meticulously, I purchase reputable name brand parts, I should be able to use it the way it was intended. I wouldn't drive a car that I thought was unsafe at speed nor would I drive a speed I thought was unsafe in traffic. Speed does not kill, unsafe driving does. I used to drive cars from store to store for Carmax and I'd leave Atlanta and go to D.C turn around and come back and the next day go to Dallas,Tx or Florida. No accidents in the 2 years I did it and that was over 150 cars/trips. Drove special order cars like Boxters, several 315 hp F-cars, Mustangs, Benzes, Bimmers, CL-S, several nice cars. A couple tickets here and there no big deal.

    The media has everyone thinking airbags, ABS and traction control are necessary. I'd rather have none of that on my car. Never activated an airbag in my life. Never driven in conditions where trac or ABS was activated and I have and currently own cars with these systems. If you need trac or ABS to me it means you are either driving in conditions where you need to stop or you are overdriving the conditions at hand.

    Autotrader is great. Sold several of our cars there. If you trade, sometimes the tax savings can make a difference. Like we just did. Got 2750 in trade for the "green car". Total value after tax savings had I paid for the "silver car" straight up was $3400. Made a lot of sense to trade since I was asking $4000. And I got my wheels and stereo off the "green car" to put in the new one.

    I'm not Civic centric, I'm car centric. If I had my choice I would own a VW or Bimmer. Those are the best DRIVING cars that I have ever been in. Nothing tracks like these cars. But the reliability and upkeep costs are prohibitive. (Sorry Vocus) You can't just dive under the hood of a VW or Bimmer and expect to fix a problem. In my experience Honda is the closest to that german engine and chassis tuning with near bulletproof reliability. As an aside I WILL own the first 1997+ BMW 540 series/stick that I can get from Carmax under $20,000.

    I only own a Lexus because it was a deal I couldn't pass up. And I really wanted a rear drive sedan.
  • minsky1minsky1 Member Posts: 1
    Please Let me know what you paid for your 2002 Protege DX? I have a $9900 price quote from a dealer. It has the Conven. Package.
  • SporinSporin Member Posts: 1,066
    "Resale value": the phrase most often uttered by people who are afraid to admit they can't afford their car. --Obin Robinson

    So true.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    "The new Cavalier/Sunfire and Corolla have axle rear suspensions like the Sentra Spec-V. Bad examples. Come to think of it almost all small cars are going that money-saving route"

    Why are those bad examples? Those are perfect examples of why big tires and stiffer suspension won't band-aid a poor suspension design. The SE-R may put up some #s, but in the end it will always be limited by that rear beam axle. Unless the pavement is totally smooth, cars like the Sentra get a little squirley. Read some articles about it. The Protege has a nice rear suspension setup.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    They low-balled me 3 times on trades. They are a rip-off, big time. They said my 1999 Protege DX was worth $6500, I got $7500 for it 2 days later when trading it in. I also took my mother's 1993 Bonneville there, they said $2500 for the car. I was offered $3500 from the same dealer that took the DX, then sold the car (using AutoTrader.com, like Fowler said) for $4300, and that was WITHOUT a photo too!

    Next was the 2001 Protege. They told me $9500 (of course it had its left fender repainted due to being scratched). So maybe that's why. But I still got $11,500 trade from the VW dealer on the car. Carmax always seems to lowball trade=ins.

    To Carmax's credit, one time they did not lowball me. I took my mother's 1994 Boonneville there (the one before the 1993) to get evaluated. It had 150K on it, a bad engine (which they must have not known or something), bad rotors, and a shot interior. They gave me $2500 for the car (well, $2349 after the processing fee). I was shocked.
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    1. Never super-size the drinks at McDonald's

    2. Windows up at the car wash

    3. Floor of the front seat is NOT a good place
    to forget the left-over sushi.
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    A Civic EX can be had for $15,000. Take the $3,000 and spend on wheels, tires, and a stereo and you have yourself a MP3.

    WHERE is there a Honda dealer who will sell a 2002 Civic EX for $15,000?

    Crown Honda, in Greensboro, won't let one off the lot for less than $20,000. And that's on an EX stickered at $18,110. Crown adds on $495 for car washes when you bring it in for service. Should be a free service to get your business, instead, it's a ripoff. I started to buy a 2001 EX, but when I refused to pay the $495 - Crown refused to sell the car. They offered $14,000 for my '98 Odyssey which I bought from them 3 years earlier, it had 18,000 miles on it, still smelled new. I sold it on AutoTrader for $19,500 and bought the Protegé.

    I think you need to know that I am not an average Protegé buyer, I don't drive at 100mph because of my age and reflexes, I'm 71 years old. I do appreciate a nicely appointed car with good power and handling -- which was sorely lacking in the 2001 Civic EX. Nice styling, crappy interior, too small seats, no rear leg room, cheap dash and instrument cluster.

    When I was "trading" with Crown, I wasn't serious, had no intention of buying. Just wanted to see what they would say. I love to haggle for the fun of it and watch them rant and rave trying to twist my arm. Their line of bull becomes my afternoon entertainment.

    My dad and I use to do this all the time, he had been an automobile dealer, the first one in our hometown in 1917 and again 1946-1956. We kept one dealer and his saleman haggling 'til after midnight on a car. I did buy that one. Buying and selling can be fun or a pain.

    Never, never be anxious to get the car! Be anxious to get the deal in your favor even if it takes all night. And be ready to walk out if it isn't. It's also good to be driving a car that you are happy with and don't mind keeping a while longer. Anxious buyers make big mistakes.

    fowler3
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    I'm starting to rethink the whole, "I would loan Dale my car" theory. What's next?
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Ewwwwwww! That sounds nasty! I rented a car one time, in the hot summertime (August or so, like 90s here everyday). Well, this FOUL smell was inside the car when I parked it. Turns out, someone left a bag of CRAB SHELLS in the trunk! I about hurled when I opened the trunk of that car one day. I tell you what, it went RIGHT BACK to the rental place and I got another one. UGH!

    I have also had a gallon of milk ger broken in my trunk one time, in the summer as well. I had to wash the trunk carpeting out with baking soda, and you talk about stink... Good God, you could semll my car from a mile away. :)

    As far as sushi, I can't stand the smell of the fishier ones when fresh. I can just imagine what they smell like after left in a car all night long. Someone was driving to work this morning with the windows open, I bet. :)
  • protegenicprotegenic Member Posts: 199
    It's still cool outside! Best college gag I was involved with involved seafood. One of the guys in the boarding house I rented was one of these rich pukes who always got away with everything. One night, he and his friends basically plastered our door with ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc., making a real mess. To get back, my roommate purchased some shrimp, let it ripen in the May Texas heat for a few days, and then broke into the guy's car and dropped the shrimp in his vents. I came home from classes that day to find the ventilation system on the front lawn and a screaming maniac. The guy who did this was nicknamed Boulders, so the preppy kid never did try to get even.
  • browntrout1browntrout1 Member Posts: 72
    that straight line speed is not everything. I was just saying around a track, it perfomed much better then it's numbers (1/4mile, 0-60, skidpad) from instrumented testing would lead you to beleive. The MP3 is already built on a great handling car. They just tweaked it. If you go to the Racing Beat website, you'll see that they had to do alot of testing to get the suspension tuned the way it is now. It's not just a matter of getting bigger tires and stiffer springs to make a car handle better. Alot of people don't realize this. There is much more involved. Most lowered cars handle worse becuase the shock absorbers are left stock making the car really bouncy.

    Stating I could by this car for 15000 dollars and put 20000 into it and it would be the same as "" is a pretty flawed statement. Slapping an aftermarket turbo will void your warranty for one. With that sort of power you will need a limited slip as well. Blow off valves, intercoolers, exhausts, engine management, etc. That all costs alot of money.

    If reliability and servicability was not an issue for me, I'd be buying a 1990-1993 240SX, ordering an SR20DET from japan, and voila. 200+ HP at the REAR wheels with a new intercooler and exhuast. Now you have a real sports car. Unfortunatly if something goes wrong, you have to find the equivalent part here or get it from Japan.
  • number42number42 Member Posts: 67
    that would blow away anything you could think of (but you have to like SE Asian food for them)
    1. Belachan (or fermented Prawn paste) Tasty but smelly like nothing else. Have to air out the house very time we use it
    2. Durian (King of fruits). Smelly enough not to be allowed in my house, to my wife's chargrin.
  • libraryuserlibraryuser Member Posts: 8
    Hello, Protege Fans.

    We (my wife and I, both in our fifties) got our new Protege on Saturday. It's a silver LX with manual transmission, ABS, side airbags, and moonroof (the manual says "sunroof" - change in marketing plan?). We chose it over the usual competition, Civic and Corolla, because it just seemed more interesting to drive. Actually, we were originally looking at the Protege5, but for us at least it wasn't worth the extra money. It has been 48 hours now, and still no regrets.

    Being pretty ignorant about cars and not particularly enjoying the car buying process, we were putty in the dealer's hands. What I'd like to ask is a question which may have come up before but which the lack of a search engine makes it difficult to find: should we not have purchased the Mazda extended warranty? We plan to own the car for 7 or 8 years, and we drive about 10,000 miles per year, so we bought a 7-year, 85,000 mile "TotalCare Coverage" plan. It cost $1240, and there are no alternatives available in California. Of course, the salesman made it sound attractive, but does it really work? We have 90 days to cancel the policy without penalty. We'd appreciate any opinions/information you can offer.

    One other thing: the seats seem pretty uncomfortable. Can anyone recommend a good cushion?

    Thanks a lot!
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    I guess I should say that this was vegetable sushi (carrots, cucumber, and avocado), so it could have been much worse. More like a vinegar-and-wasabi smell than flounder. :)
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    What about kimchi?
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    always good to hear from a new Protege owner. I don't know much about extended warranties, perhaps mdaffron(aka Meade) will be a better source for info. But my personal choice would've been to skip out on the extended warranty (which is what I did with my 00 ES), if that's worth anything.

    now as for the seats, are you talking about just the driver's seat or all the seats in general? If I assume correctly, in the LX, there are seat height and seat tilt adjustment knobs on the side of the drivers seat, in addition to the usual sliding/seatback adjustments. Personally my ES's seat feels firm but not uncomfortable, have no problems with it :)
  • protegenicprotegenic Member Posts: 199
    To each their own on this subject. Personally I have never been a fan and have chosen to not purchase them with cars or any thing else. It seems to me that the burden of proof falls too much on me, and I will be the first to admit that I am a little lax on documentation.

    Can't say I find the seats too firm. Again, that is entirely subjective. From what I have experienced and read from others is that firmer seats are actually more comfortable on longer rides. So I guess you just need to take the long way home (we try to find any excuse to do that with these cars!).
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    I thought we put this Civic vs. Protege debate away.

    Both of these car's have their own positives and negatives. Preference is a subjective thing and greatly depends on what each person desires from a car. I have owned both Honda's and Mazda's and have been delighted with both of them. That said, there are other folks out there, as incredulous as this may seem, that wouldn't buy either of these cars if their life depended on it.

    If you must compare the Protege to the Civic, then let's keep the comparison's to the Civic DX, LX and Ex to the Protege SE, LX and ES. The Civic Si in the US and SiR here in Canada is in a different class of car and has the price tag to show for it. This is actually one area, or market niche, where Mazda is currently deficient. They really should create an upper-end Protege that is not a limited production model. The MP3 and now Mazdaspeed Turbo Protege are nice additions, but they won't compete in the mass market against the Civic Si, becasue there just aren't going to be enough of them.

    To pipe in my two cents, I believe the current Protege LX or ES is quite a bit superior to the new Civic LX and EX models when you take in the overall package. The engines are tuned differently from a powerband perspective, but both are refined and much better than most of the competition in this class. I would however, still like to see Mazda go back to the more rev-happy 1.8L and the previous torque/powerband set-up for this engine. Overall, there is neglible difference between the engine in the Civic and Protege. Call it a draw.

    From a transmission perspective, the 5spd shifter and clutch arrangement is superior in the Civic, but not by a great deal. Both cars are again tops in their class in this regard. From an automatic transmission perspective, the Pro tranny is far superior to the Civic's. An auto equipped Civic is gutless, whiny as hell and does not enjoy being pushed hard at all. Advantage Protege.

    Exterior styling is extremely subjective and I think the Protege is the classiest looking car in it's class. The new Civics look too much like the Ford Focus and this applies to both the sedan and the new Cicic Si hatchback. They are butt-ugly. Advantage Protege.

    Interior styling is again subjective. Again, I give the advantage to the Protege as I like the quality, texture and ergonomic set-up of the interior. The Civic by comparison has a very spartan interior which has changed little in many, many years. It is very ergonomic however, but the radio buttons still remain too bloody small.

    Handling...sorry, no comparison. Used to be closer when the Civic still had the double wish bone, but it's really not close at all anymore. The Protege is a dynamic handling car. Plain and simple. The Civic now drives more along the lines of the Corolla.

    there, that was cathartic... :)
  • libraryuserlibraryuser Member Posts: 8
    I'm sorry that my extended warranty question has been posted more than once. I don't know how it happened.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You might want to go back and delete the other 3 or 4 posts you made, and just keep the first one. It happens when you refresh your browser while posting.
  • protegenicprotegenic Member Posts: 199
    I think just about all of us have done that at least once!
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    Welcome to the Mazda Protegé board!

    I didn't buy the extended warrenty so can't advise you. other than you can buy those plans anytime during the original warrenty period.

    As for uncomfortbale seats, I found the LX seats very comfortable compared to competitive cars. The only thing lacking was lumbar support which I took care of by making a small pillow for my lower back.
    If this is the problem the pillow is easy to make.

    Try the controls for adjusting the seat height and angle. There are two knobs on the driver's seat. Stand outside of the car and raise the seat fully, then get in and make small adjustments downward. At the same time try the angle adjustment for thigh support. And move the seat forward and back 'til you find where it feels best.

    Car seats are firm these days, the Pro's seats are larger and provide more comfort than most. It could be you were use to the seats in your previous car which had many miles on them and well broken in. Like shoes, they took the shape your rearend.

    fowler3
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    First off, congratulations on your new Protege. What model and is it an auto or 5spd?

    Also, just as an FYI, if you hit the refresh button, your message gets posted again and again as you have no doubt found out by now...

    From a personal standpoint, I have never purchased an extended warranty. The reason for this is mainly two-fold. One, reliability and quality of manufacturing are very important to me and I simply don't buy from poor manufacturers, or buy cars that have problem plagued histories. This immediately reduces your exposure to potential problems. I use the Ford Focus as a prime illustration of this point.

    Second, I am fairly anal-retentive regarding maintenance of my automobiles. I also tend to notice even the slightest nuance in the drivability of my cars and will have it looked at and hopefully, resolved immediately. I also tend to keep my cars about 5 years and then trade them in.

    All this said, every car manufacturer makes a lemon or two and nothing can really protect you from that. You are obviously planning on keeping this car for a long time. You have made an excellent choice in the Protege, as it has been an extremely well-built and reliable car for many years. So, from that standpoint, you are on the right track.

    I also noticed that your yearly mileage is very low and this fact will also reduce wear and tear on your vehicle. I think the biggest advantage you may reap from the extended warranty is if you have an automatic transmission. Auto trannies typically wear faster and are more problem prone than a manual set-up. The Protege doesn't have a history of auto-tranny problems, so you should be fine, but this extended warranty will give you the peace of mind. Auto trannies can be expensive to rebuild or replace out of warranty.

    In all, I doubt you will need the extended warranty with this car, but if peace of mind was what you were after and can afford the initial hit in the pocket, then you certainly will enjoy trouble free zoom-zooming for quite some time.

    Now, if you had bought a Focus, or Neon, or Sunfire, or Sentra...an extended warranty would have been a very prudent choice.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Mother Nature is playing an April Fools joke on us. White-out conditions in Minneapolis now. Nice.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Here in Maryland where I am, some of my co-workers are wearing shorts and t-shirts today. The temp is suppose to hit 65 degrees today, and 70 tomorrow. It sucks to be you right now dude. :(
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    My humblest condolences....

    It is actually beautiful here in Toronto right now, although a little chill in the breeze. We got the white stuff last week.
  • bjewettbjewett Member Posts: 62
    That was an interesting letter. Question: do you want a turbo to take a car from 130 hp to... 220? I would guess such a car would be dual- personality, with a large turbo yielding an accompanying large turbo lag. I don't want a car that is dead until the turbo kicks in, and then runs like crazy. Imagine such a car in the snow, when the turbo hits. Imagine revving it at Every turn just to keep from getting killed with an "off-boost moment".

    That said, the reason I'm not looking at the MS3 is I don't want black or orange, or the big wing, or the 450-watt stereo. Like others here, I want an engine option for the Pro family, not a limited-run competitor for slammed Civics. I think Mazda missed an opportunity here. They can still suck sales away from Subaru by making that 170 hp engine available across the line.
  • pcalvinpcalvin Member Posts: 44
    I have had my '01 ES for well over a year now, and I continually get around 21-22 mpg. This is a mix of highway/city. I have never gotten over 25, no matter how nice I drive it. I am not a "gas saving" driver, but my '92 3.8L Buick got better mileage than this. Is this normal, or is this a possible engine/other problem?
    I have the 5-speed std with 13,000 miles.
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    I get 28-29 on Highways, 24 in city.
    better get urs checked 'cuase it's below the specified range.
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    if u wanna drive that fast for extended periods, better get a buick or a crown victoria.....I am sure u are not wanting to run a slalom at that speed so handling and double wishbones et al. don't matter ;)
  • rbrooks3rbrooks3 Member Posts: 174
    Sorry, I didn't read the board until this morning since Friday. I installed a supercharger kit on a 1984 Porsche 944 and a 1994 968. they were from www.Huntleyracing.com They were great. the kits come complete and the difference is amazing. The kits ranged in price but were about $4500 For that these things are incredibly engineered. It's cheaper than a turbo kit and the boost pressures are lower for the sake of longevity over crazy hp. but hey also offer higher pressure kits as well.

    Personally, I'd prefer a supercharger kit for the Pro over a turbo kit, but everyone is stuck on the "turbo is better and new and superchargers are old and out of fashion" point of view for the most part.

    I can't afford the new turbo Pro, but I eould be seriously interested in the turbo kit depending on price. Add some Performance Friction pads all around to the brakes and you'd have a great start. Since I don't autocross the Pro, I would not mind lacking the ltd slp diff. All that extra hp would make commuting even more fun than it is now.

    I'll probably keep the Pro well past 100,000 miles anyway and a factory engineered turbo kit won't make that big a difference in longevity. Especially if it's from a 2.0 based kit like Mazda's would be.

    Ron B.
  • rbrooks3rbrooks3 Member Posts: 174
    First, welcome aboard Library!

    I haven't gotten below 28mpg yet and I've got 2600 miles on her so far. 5 spd, '02 ES. Most of my driving is highway, but your mileage pcalvin seems very very low.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Congrats on your Protege purchase. My wife just bought a 2002 Protege5, and I drive a 2000 Protege ES 5-speed. I owned two 1992 Protege LXs in the past, so we're on our third and fourth Proteges.


    When I bought my 2000 ES back in May 2000, I purchased the TotalCare 5 year, 100,000-mile warranty with a $50 deductible. I paid about $750 for it. My wife bought her Protege5 back in January of this year and got a 6 year, 100,000-mile TotalCare warranty (also with $50 deductible) for about $950.


    The warranty is very comprehensive -- much moreso than many aftermarket car warranties. I have studied it in great detail and it's a great extended warranty -- it only leaves things like brake pads, belts and hoses and other "wear items" out. Other than that, it's truly bumper-to-bumper coverage. We wheeled and dealed on the warranties and got better prices than you did -- I'm surprised you're paying so much and you don't even have 100,000 miles of coverage. Maybe things are just more expensive in California than they are here in Virginia?


    A couple of things I really like about the waranty:

    (1) It picks up Mazda's roadside assistance program when the manufacturer's warranty expires, carrying you through to the end of the extended warranty.

    (2) It provides free rental car and lodging/meals reimbursement for several days (I think it's three) if you have to take the car in for an unscheduled repair out of town.

    (3) And a big plus -- you don't have to pay for any repairs and then fight them for reimbursement. You give the repair shop a 24-hour, toll-free number to call, and the EasyCare folks (that's the company that sells the TotalCare warranty) give him a Visa, MasterCard or AmEx account number (theirs, not yours) over the phone. They'll pay for the repair on the spot, minus your deductible, if you have one.

    If you want to learn more about your warranty, check out the company's website:


    http://www.easycare.com/


    Good luck with your new car! I've never had a mechanical problem with any of my Proteges -- my second '92, purchased after I totaled my first one at 28,000 miles, went 83,000 miles until I traded it without any problems. So far the 2000 has been 35,000 miles with no problems, and my wife's 2-month-old Protege5 is almost ready for its first oil change, again with no problems.


    Good luck!


    Meade

  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    click the link below to see some of the new mazda's at the ny auto show...


    the 2003 MazdaSpeed3 (turbo protege) is included.


    http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291945243


    p.s. don't get to upset when you see a few non-mazda pics

  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    It's actually good to know all of the details. Some folks always want the peace of mind with a new car purchase. Hey, nothing worng with that and at least the Pro is a reliable car.
  • number42number42 Member Posts: 67
    As bad as Kim-chee is (I grew up eating it, funny area i grew up in).


    as for durian (for those that dont know it) see http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~durian/

  • SporinSporin Member Posts: 1,066
    My usual driving is 50/50 city/highway and I get between 28 and 32 MPG.

    This weekend I got 34 MPG on a long trip to Maine. About 60% highway and the rest, fast 2 lanes (45-55mph).

    P5, 5-speed, 13K+ miles
  • number42number42 Member Posts: 67
    so far i've done on average 27.1 MPG in about 50/50 city/Highway (or what passes for highway driving in NYC) '02, LX, Auto. 89octane, 1000 on the odo.
  • libraryuserlibraryuser Member Posts: 8
    Thank you for all the first-hand information about the extended warranty. I guess I was taken by a fast-talking salesman! I'm embarrassed to admit that I paid $1240 for an 85,000 mile policy with a $200 per visit deductible. There was too much pressure to read the fine print while at the dealership. I will return there tomorrow to ask for a significant reduction in the deductible and price, or else I'll just cash it all in. He said it was fully refundable for 90 days (he said a lot of things, though).

    Thanks again.
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