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Mazda Protegé

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Comments

  • protegenicprotegenic Member Posts: 199
    You got a little chuckle out of me with that observation!
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    "not to split hairs, but the Focus isn't not"

    Isn't not is a double negative, and as we all know, (-)+(-)=(+), therefore you are saying the Focus HAS BEEN recalled and is currently being investigated by NHTSA, which is true.

    As Erik (#42) pointed out, the list is really only showing a few "imports" and a lot of good old Ford, GM, DC products, not considering the ever-important Freightliner trucks. And amazing thing is that we have the Sienna and Honda Passport that are Japanese cars on that list. Well the Passport really isn't a Honda as you know. The Sienna? I think it could be that engine sludge thing, pretty important IMO!

    Anyways Kev, we LOVE our PROs and some of us don't think too highly of Ford in general for obvious reasons.

    Dinu
  • fxashunfxashun Member Posts: 747
    I was one of the founders of that issue. I told them that it was going to be a pretty big deal two years ago. You wanna talk about flames. Wore out a lot of kevlar on that one.

    Actually Zoom Zoom founded it. Just giving credit where it's due.
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    you have figured out my true identity. I mean really, have you ever seen me and Paul Mcartney in the same room? Be careful, I am the Walrus, koo, koo, koo, choo.... :)

    Number 42,

    The Japanese stopping the manufacturing line??? My lord, I thought they only did that at Saturn!!! Excuse me while i wax non-poetic. :)

    Seminole Kev,

    That list is quite incriminating for the argument that NA models are really pieces of junk. Also, I can't "recall" whether the Focus was ever recalled for engine compartment fires. After all, there have been so many various problems. However, they are being investigated for problems concerning engine compartment fires....
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    for my typo. What happens when you try to do work and post messages...maybe I need to double check my real work!

    At the bottom of my message (which was way to long) I did note that the Pro was no where to be found for this month's listings but for some reason, it didn't show up.

    By the way, reading blueovalnews is like getting information about a company from someone who was laid off from there. You might get some usefull information, but you're going to get a lot of biased crap along with it.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Heck, there was no mention of a Mazda vehicle at all! (There was a Honda on that list, sorry ...)

    Meade
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    about non-protege stuff. So I'll make you all happy and pop in a lot less.

    also sorry about how damn long that post was with the montly NHTSA list was.
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    well sort of....it was the Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute that was on that list....it shouldn't really count...
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    It's 73 and sunny here in Richmond this afternoon, and I get off work in 10 minutes! Time for a little windows-down springtime zooming!

    Meade
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Details, details. I guess I need to adjust my glasses prescription. I didn't catch that one. I guess you could say the same for the Honda, since it was an Isuzu-built Rodeo ...

    Meade
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    It's pretty nice outside here at work too (15 mins. East of DC on Route 50). I don't have the Jetta today though (it's in the shop for a botched repair they did on it last week), so I have to enjoy my rental 2001 Altima to the max. :( Darn, I wish I had that sunroof and Monsoon today! :(
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    How is the Altima?
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    I suppose that applies to the Hondo too. :)

    Have a fun drive home from work you lucky so and so. The same cannot be said for Dinu and I. We have several inches of wet, wet snow which has now turned into freezing rain. It's going to be slippery today. Thankfully i resisted the urge to put the alloys and Potenza's back on the car. I actually only took them off about a month or so ago. I was a procrastinator this winter...but then again, we didn't have much snow.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    It's snowing here and sunny out?
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Hhehehehe...for once we've got better weather out here!! It's still like -9 (low of -17 C), but there's only a bit of snow around, and the streets are mostly clean! And NO snow falling!!!!!
  • rbrooks3rbrooks3 Member Posts: 174
    Is there a way to do a search on our past posts for something?
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    This is a 2001 Altima GXE (not the new 2002), and it's not too bad. It feels kinda closed-in in the front seat though, when I put down the sunvisor. It also feels cheap to me as well. The handling and acceleration are not too bad though (and it has standard wheels). The interior materials are cheap, there are rattles galore (but it has 33,800 rental miles on it though) inside. The radio controls are also very small and hard to use. I miss my car A LOT though. :)

    Fuel ecnomy is not too bad either. I went 65 miles and have used 1.8 of a tank already. I guess that's good, not sure.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You have to go back and go through them by number. That's the only way to do post searches on here. Stupid platform...
  • rbrooks3rbrooks3 Member Posts: 174
    Nevermind, I answered my own question. The day IS looking up.
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    be able to use the keyword search (Board search..on the left menu)...Not too sure how well it works though.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Ride was ok, but it started "freezing-raining" if there's such a term. Little ice pellets instead of rain. Yey!

    Dinu
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    at least that's what Americans call them :o
  • protegenicprotegenic Member Posts: 199
    I guess a little pollen on the car is not such a bad thing after all after seeing what you are enjoying up north! I'd rather have the green stuff than the white stuff. I have no idea what the temp is here in Atlanta, but I have been trying not to look our the windows to keep from torturing myself. Actually went home for lunch and played some tennis with my wife. Not a bad way to kill lunch!

    Am I rubbing it in too much?
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    It was sunny and snowing. Now it's just a white-out. And humans live in Minnesota....
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    I know it's bad there, but move a few more degrees North....Ugh...I need to move someplace warmer :(
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    than Calgary??? Wow, I guess Toronto really is the center of the Universe. :)
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Hahahahahahaahahahahaah!!!! Now THAT is funny!! :)
  • protegenicprotegenic Member Posts: 199
    I thought that was just a rumor. The only one I had heard of was Paul Bunyan, but I didn't think that counted!
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    see ya all....
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Actually, there are humans in Minnesota. We live in igloos, we have no electricity, and we sustain ourselves with seal meat. Paul Bunyan was actually from North Dakota, but he relocated to Minnesota because he cut down all the trees in ND.
  • fxashunfxashun Member Posts: 747
    I'm cutting grass down here. As soon as Zoom gets home with that durn supercharger for the rider. :0

    I still kill me...
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Here's a joke for you guys:

    North Dakota is the only state where you can stand on a pop can (soda can) and see two states and a country.
  • protegenicprotegenic Member Posts: 199
    Become the highest point in the state!

    I really can't make that claim. ND is one of two states I can say I haven't stepped foot in. But if ND is like SD, then I think I am on solid ground here.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    I thought sleet was wet snow, not freezing rain. English is my 3rd language, well 2nd, so you can understand I think.

    Dinu
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    Sorry, I didn't mean to shake your cage!

    Their posts do make interesting reading as I stated in my closing. But having the SiR crammed down our throats was getting old. Keep in mind that unless you autocross, or something like that, cars are like cameras and computers, you enjoy them solo most of the time. So there's nothing to compare them to on the road -- legally. ;)

    I drive to enjoy my car, not to test it against other drivers and their cars. If they have better wheels more power to them. Let it be!

    My friend in Hawaii doesn't brag about his Porsche Boxter and e-mail me that it's waaaay ahead of any Protegé. He tells me how much he is enjoying it. We are the same age. He recently lost his wife, I'm happy for him that he bought it and is getting out.

    Comprende amigo? Oh yeah, that's right, you are in Canada not Mexico. So many hispanics in NC I've started learning Spanish. You know, I have yet to see a Mexican driving a Jetta, not even an old one. Do they know something?

    fowler3
  • windyctywomanwindyctywoman Member Posts: 1
    Hope someone here can help, since all the online stuff I find is too techie for me to use. I drove a Protege for 5 years and traded for a 2001 Honda Civic ES last year. Unfortunately, even though I have all the bells and whistles, I can't see the front end of the car which makes parking, u-turns, etc. difficult. I hate this automobile!

    I've driven a Jetta (same problem only worse) but haven't yet tried a new Protege, but the specs on the turning circle are the same as the Civic. Since I find myself often in small places, alleys, narrow streets, etc. This is important.

    Can anyone help me choose a new car? It must be small or very small but have lots of luxury items, must turn very sharp and since I'm short, I gotta be able to see where I'm going! Don't suggest the new Mini...like to stay in the sub-compact price range. Thanks.
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    I was trying to find an old post last week, it takes a while, but if you key in a number close to what you remember it may have been it narrows the search. Type it in Msg# [field] and click *Go To*. Then go forward or back until you find it.

    It helps, later, if you write down the post number the first time you read it. ;)

    fowler3
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    As it happens, I'm from the Windy City, I'm short (5'3"), and I'm a woman. I've had my 2000 ES Protege for a little over a year now, and haven't noticed any difficulty with visibility. I regularly parallel park, angle park, make 3-point turns, squeeze past double-parked cars on my side street, etc.

    Try one of the newer Protege sedans and see what you think.

    --Dale
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    I understand your problem although most modern compacts have sloping hoods and are difficult, at times, for taller people to see the approximate front extension. The Protegé's front end may be longer than on the 2001 Civic's and cause more frustration for you. Try it and see.

    One benefit with the Protegé is the seat can be raised higher than in the Civic. But there's another way for either car -- get your dealer's service department to put spacers under the seat rails to make it higher. Then use the seat controls to adjust the seat height. Sitting higher helps you to see over the steering wheel and more of the hood.

    You could also use a seat cushion. There are several ways to correct your problem. Try these before trading a 2001 for a 2002, although we would love to have a new Protegé owner. For you, it is important to sit higher and not closer to the steering wheel and airbag. You need to make the driver's seat more like a chair, less like a bucket seat.

    fowler3
  • fxashunfxashun Member Posts: 747
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    LOL
  • zoomzoom79zoomzoom79 Member Posts: 272
    my "black" car is actually a yucky "green" car now.

    I will be interested to see who buys my car from Carmax once it's for sale. I hope it's somebody good.
  • rbrooks3rbrooks3 Member Posts: 174
    Sometimes things just don't make you feel good. If this had been my only experience I would not give it a second thought. But, after all the problems my wife had with her '00 MPV in the first 3 months of ownership...almost all of them were rooted in poor dealership preparation and subsequent repair.

    I received a call at my home yesterday from the service manager asking if the repair of my cruise control was satisfactory. When I said they could not even fit me in until next week to for the work he said that was impossible. I laughed and said, you work at the dealership and we are talking about MY car, so who do you think is in a better position to know whether MY car has been repaired?

    I know this dealership for whatever reason is making a BIG push to rank high on their customer satisfaction ratings with Mazda North America. The salesman must have asked me 4 or 5 times to make sure I filled out the questionaire from Mazda after I bought the Pro. But, they're going to far too fast. I received 2 calls from them inquiring about my satisfaction with the car and their employees when I took delivery of my Pro. The problem was, both calls were made to me long before I took delivery. Now this. Nothing big, but I think they need to slow down a bit and regroup. It is nice, however, that they care at ALL how I've been treated. But when they make mistakes at each turn, it makes me certainly feel as if there is no real sincerity there.

    Ron B.
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    When I took delivery, my sales guy TOLD ME HOW to fill out the customer satisfaction survey that I would receive in the mail.

    He requested, albeit politely, that I not give him anything lower than an 8 in any category.

    Pretty funny, no?

    --Dale
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    I just read on your new topic, "Make and Model Fanaticism," your opening remarks which include ...

    "Well I've learned to never inject reality into a Protégé topic again."

    Some of us here actually AGREE with you ... the Protege isn't God's answer to the automobile. (But it is one of the BEST answers to a sub-$20K automobile ... note I said "one of.") This topic is full of reality ... so just for the record, I don't appreciate being dissed as a group on another topic so you can make a point about your debate with a small percentage of this group's members. Please note that I have been notably absent from this group's thread on Protege vs. Civic Si etc.

    Maybe stop and think about your point for a moment ... there are some people who are fanatics about their cars, just as there are people who are fanatics about their choice of stereo components, brands of shoes, hair shampoo and laundry detergent! And those people probably became fanatics because they had a good experience with the product, wouldn't you say? So they're ready to extoll their praises about that product and defend it if someone questions their purchase? It's pretty natural.

    Let me summarize this by saying, if people aren't supposed to be fanatics about their cars, then why are there so many active discussions on the Town Hall? I think you'll find a core group of at least several owners on any Town Hall topic you choose, ready to defend their car to the death. It's pretty foolish (okay, I'll say stupid) to think that people who just did a bunch of research and test-driving of Proteges, Civics, Corollas and other cars, and decided to buy a Protege with their hard-earned money, are going to admit that well, yes, they should've bought the Civic instead.

    Meade
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    And on top of that, following my 30,000-mile service last week, I received a phone call from a customer service rep at the dealership telling me that I will receive a survey from Mazda North America about my service experience with my dealership. He said, "Can you think of any reason you would not give us a rating of 'excellent' in your recent service experience?"

    Dale, these surveys are important to the dealerships because that's how they receive their "five-star ratings" and other ratings in the car biz. (Maltb can probably enlighten us a bit more on this.)

    But I'm like you -- I think it's kind of assinine of them to basically call us up and beg like that. I haven't received that survey yet, and even though my experience was great, I feel like giving them a few bad marks just because they had the audacity to call me up and try to influence my vote.

    I wonder if they ever consider THAT response to their "friendly call."

    Meade
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    One thing I like about my Emerald Mica ES: Yes, we get a lot of pollen here too, but it actually doesn't look bad having a touch of yellow on your dark green paint. Kinda complements it ...

    But why is it that this time of year, we'll get *just enough* of a morning sprinkle to really cement that pollen to the car and polka-dot it up real nicely? That, I HATE!

    Meade
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    If you had read further down you would have seen where I made a comment about the difference (at least in my opinion) between a fan and a fanatic. For all those people who supposedly agreed with me in the "fanatic" topic, they sure didn't say a peep here. Like I said I like the Pro, just didn't like the attitude some here had. Now note I said "some". Most everyone here is cool, they just go quiet when a few fanatics get bent out of shape.
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    Fowler,

    No worries...I kind of understood where you were coming from. I'm just going to go play in my Strawberry Fields now and Let it be... :)
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