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Mazda Protegé

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Comments

  • zoomzoom79zoomzoom79 Member Posts: 272
    first off, how can you call getting a 2000 SI for $11,000 losing my arm and leg? Even with the negative equity from the Pro I was below loan value on the SI. And actually considering that I got my Protege for $15,000 I lost $4,000 over the year. Not great but it's not the worst either. The 0.0% financing (which I loved, I have to suffer through 6.1% on the SI darnit) helped offset alot of that. When new my SI stickered for $17,400...The Protege for $16,800. Granted the Protege can be had with discounts and special financing where the SI could not but they were still VERY close in initial pricing.

    Secondly, I don't expect 190HP for $15,000. What I do expect is a smooth engine at all speeds with power that doesn't die 2000RPM short of redline. Especially since Mazda went from an engine that was smooth at all speeds to one that wasn't once you went above 75MPH or so. There's that Ford influence shining through.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Sorry to get a bit of an attitude, but it just makes me mad. And it was not only one dealer, it was 3 different dealers in different cities in Maryland. And these were dealers at different locations of the state (I work 35 miles from home).
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Regardless of the deal you got on the Si, you lost an arm and a leg by selling the Protege. Blame it on the resale value if you want but, you bought the damn thing and then decided you didn't like it. Talk about a stupid mistake. If you would have just bought the Si to begin with, you'd have $4000. How can you say $17,400 is close to $15K? You said it yourself, they didn't wheel and deal on Si Civics. I'm talking about real world pricing. Lets say the financing charges on an Si Civic equal out to about $1500. $1500 + $17400 = $18900. That's $4600 more than I paid for my ES. I qualified for 0% financing and I don't exactly have the greatest credit. That's a chunk of change in my book. As far as the engine is concerned, smoothness is a matter of opinion. I've read reviews that say the engine gets smoother as the tach climbs. I've also read reviews that don't like the engine. I do like the engine. It is one of the torquiest (is that a word) engines in it's class. Your Si has what, 111 lbs-ft of torque at 10,000 rpms?
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    11k isn't too bad for a 2000 Si, heck if I liked Hondas I would do it too :D

    "Especially since Mazda went from an engine that was smooth at all speeds to one that wasn't once you went above 75MPH or so."

    If that's not a put down then I can't read English.

    "There's that Ford influence shining through."

    you just had to rub it in don't you >:(
  • zoomzoom79zoomzoom79 Member Posts: 272
    newcar: I'm not going to discuss the deal I got on the SI anymore. I got a $15,000 car for $11,000 so the $4,000 was a wash. I'm elated with the deal I got and I think almost anyone would agree it was a good deal.

    the_big_h: I never said that post wasn't a put down ;) Seriously, I don't consider that an insult. Saying that the car was a POS and I wish I'd never bought it is an insult to me. I've never said that and in fact I am happy I bought the Protege because I strayed from the "H" lineup and found that there are other good alternatives to "H" cars.
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    guess familiarity doesn't fuel contempt after all ***shrug***

    back to the screaming VTEC you go!
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    You still lost $4000. It does not matter if you got a good deal on the Si. The deal you got on the Si is irrelevant because you could have gotten that deal without buying a Protege and losing $4000. If you wouldn't have bought the Protege in the first place, you would have saved $4000 by buying a $15000 Si for $11000 and you would have saved $4000 more by not buying the Protege for a grand total of $8000. No matter how you look at it, you got hosed for $4000. Did you ever take finance in school?
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Still a lot of non Pro owners spending a lot of time here.

    Yup, I'm still here Larry. I'm a wanna be Pro owner.
  • rbrooks3rbrooks3 Member Posts: 174
    I WISH my dealership would be as professional as yours is. I'm bringing in my '02 tomorrow to have the cruise control steering wheel mounted unit replaced. It never worked. It would be fantastic to go pick it up tomorrow night and see it was vacuumed or washed, but there's no way that will happen. Heck, they even had the nerve to ask ME to call them today to make sure they had a loaner car for me. The thought of them calling the customer to confirm was a bit of a stretch I guess.
  • yooper53yooper53 Member Posts: 286
    Yah but..this forum really wouldn't be the same without vocus. Nuf said.
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    I don't mind them being here....many prospective buyers, who would be deemed "non-pro owners" frequent the board and ask questions of all sorts.

    We're not an exclusive club here...True some debates (read H vs Mazda cars) gets extremely tiresome, but for the most part, I enjoy reading all of the posts here.

    Also, lookit maltb...he has been an invaluable source of info for most of us here (don't get high on yourself now malt... :P ).
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    But I won't let somebody tell me they got a "good deal" after trading in a new car after a year.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    ... and taken a bigger bite than 4 kilobucks! Of course, I won't name any names or anything ...

    Meade
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Believe me, nothing's ever the same without me. :)
  • alternatoralternator Member Posts: 629
    I go to a Weather Channel. If I want to hear about Hondas I go to a Honda discussion. If I see a posting by ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ 79

    I scroll past rapidly. Jeez Louise!
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    Sorry to burst your bubble, but while you were away last Thursday and Friday, the Mazda Protege topic was still in the top 10 at Town Hall. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, we were in the top three.

    But it's still nice to have you back :)

    --Dale
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    ...or anybody else who can answer Maryboo's question (post #11187):

    What's the latest you can buy an extended warranty after purchasing the vehicle?
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    I'm having trouble keeping up again Dale :P
    I didn't see Meade correct Tim.

    Anywho, IIRC, you can buy the extended warranty anytime before the original warranty expires. Also, other companies other than the thru the dealership offer extended warranties. I beleive Paul (Vocus) knows the name of a company in the States that offers this.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I don't know about Mazda, but I was going to buy the extended warranty like 10 days before the warranty on my 1996 hunka-junk Cavalier expired. They said right up to the point where it would expire. I don't know about Mazda though, like I said. I never ran one of their warranties out.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Oh yeah, there are a couple here that have aftermarket extended warranties.


    Try http://www.warrantybynet.com and also try http://www.autoconnection.com. I had an AutoConnection warranty on my late mother's car, and they were pretty good (but took forever clearing payments). They were cheaper than the rest though.

  • fxashunfxashun Member Posts: 747
    The argument over how poor the resale is on a Pro. Totally unwarranted but funny all the same. The last thing you would think you would hear in the Protege room is someone using the poor resale as a reason to keep the car.

    Considering what I lost on my 2000 Chevy Silverado I thought ZZ79 got a great deal. Especially when she got out of a car that she tolerated into a car she loves and dropped her payment by $100 a month. If we hadn't taken tht $3000 check from the dealer when we bought the Pro we would have almost broke even.

    Someone asked why we bought the car...You can't take an extended road trip during the test drive. As I posted before, we thought the Pro was great around town. Didn't see the "weakness" until we took it on it's first road trip. Engine was raucious at high speeds. So we fell out of love with it.

    The comment about the SI being bogged down by the A/C proves someone has spent no time in one. In fact my 1996 EX has no problems with the A/C either. Of course it does take the edge off but then it did the same thing to our Pro.

    Instead of making up stuff about a car that you have no experience with, it would be better to keep quiet. WE have experience with both for extended periods of time and have never posted anything that has not been validated.

    Someone posted a quote by "Car and Driver" about the Pro. Here's one by the same magazine about the SI
    "NICE CAR! Still there is that hummingbird pulse rate. Cruising at 80 shows 4400 rpm on the tachomter accompanied by a sewing machine symphony from the engine room...there's no nonesense in the ride motions"
    and
    "Listen to the changing pitch. You'll know when to pull the lever....Simpatico!!!!"

    That's what I'm talking about. June 1999 page 53.
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    www.groups.yahoo.com/group/mazdaprotege
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    I know you're just responding to some previous comments, but why, time and time again, does the Si keep getting dredged-up over and over and so on to infinity?

    This is the main reason why some folks here are becoming increasingly annoyed with you both. C'mon give it a rest....

    I've defended both of you in the past, but this is truly becoming silly.... you know the Si and the ES are not comparable.

    There, that was my "Host" like post for the day. I'm TOE-ing the line. Okay, don't believe it... :)
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    I appreciate ur taking the time out and comparing the 318i to the Pro ES and I like the fact that u highligetd the +ve and the -ve aspects of the Pro and the 318...rather than bieng biased. I only wish that zz79 also follow ur path viz. show the downside of the Si when comparing it to the Pro rather than constantly degrading the Pro ES. I believe that it is impossible that the Si is a PERFECT car. Right?

    BTW, Don't the bimmers come standard with 65H rated conti-touring tires? That could explain their more comfortable rides(alongwith a longer shock travel,albeit)?

    To put in context:
    I put BFG touring tires 205/55/15 on my 1.8L 99ES and reduced the PSI to 28-29 and the ride around town is without any jarring shocks that u might otherwise observe on the 195/55/15 with 32psi.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Fxashun and ZZ79 seem to always have to "slap" the Protege somehow. "This car is better because..." or, "my car is better because...".

    I know I have said the same thing before about my car, but that's my opinion. I have recently ranted about customer service, but I myself try not to keep saying the same thing over and over and over again. It gets old. Someone pegged it right when they said earlier about the horse being dead. Send it to the glue factory already!

    I think my car is better for me, because that's my opinion. I don't wish for someone else to like my car because I do, that makes no sense.
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    I like Edmund's variety of forums. Many different topics to argu...i mean discuss. Also, can't chat at yahoo from work...dang firewalls.
    :(
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    I think Edmunds is the most user friendly forum. The Yahoo software bugs so much, I avoid it often. Hmmm, I think it's been nearly 2 weeks since I've been in there.
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    I agree that Edmunds is friendly...for the most part. Some forums here can be downright nasty at times!
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    I just realized you said user friendly malt...stupid Mondays.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    I did not make anything up. My friend has a blue 99 Si. I rode in it all the way to Chicago and drove it part of the time.
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    that I thought i would throw out there and see what folks think.

    Here it is:

    Has anyone put platinum or iridium spark plugs and supposed "performance" ignition wires into their Mazda Protege? What type of performance upgrade, if any, should one expect to receive from upgrading the sparkplugs to platinum/iridium and changing out to performace coil pack and ignition wires?

    Please feel free to comment from personal experience or just your personal knowledge on the questions.

    Thanks in advance,

    Tim
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    That bites...our firewall is strict, but not that strict! I was trying to sign in just now, and it didn't work...you may want to try creating an ID one more time, just to be sure.

    At least the snow is melting here....I'm looking forward to gravel removal so I can do some real zoom zooming. Hey you Eastern-Canada Boys...I heard that you guys don't use a lot of gravel over there...mainly salt. Do you guys have a lot of rusting problems over there?
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Someone that had a 1999 Protege ES 5-speed way back (Jerry from Ca.) put those platinum tipped spark plugs in his car. From what he said, he did not like them at all. His userID was "Jstan..." something like that. I know the vetran members (Meade, MaltB,Larry) will know who I am talking about.

    But this guy said he did not like the results of the plugs, because they were not as working promised or something like that. And he said it was not worth the money.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    I'd save your money and just replace your plugs every 15K miles with regular plugs. They should only be 5-6 bucks.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Mike: Salt till the panels of H cars fall apart

    Tim: I mailed your CD today. It's through Expresspost and they said you should have it tomorow (or Wed, Thur...).

    I also have a Cd by Azul Azul that is pretty decent if you're into Spanish beats. Don't buy it! I will send you a copy of that one in May.

    Dinu
    Raining but warm (+10C) in T.O.
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    Yes, tons of salt on the roads here in Toronto. It's so bad it eats even at the roads themselves. Montreal is the worst, but Toronto comes a close second.

    Yes, rusting is a huge problem here. Honda's and most domestic vehicles are quite problematic in this regard.

    I had the Protege in the shop a few weeks back for it's 40,000km (kilometre) service. I always go and take a look when she's hoisted and check things out with the mechanic. The only rust on her so far are a few tiny specks on the main muffler piping. I was thrilled since she's a 2000. Even the "rubberized" undercoating on the steel chassis is in excellent shape and hasn't worn through to any large degree. I am going to be rustproofing her before this upcoming winter though. I typically do it after 2 years.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    BAHHH!

    I say keep a good set of ND or NGK plugs in your Pro and steer clear of the fancy marketing on the SUPER-PLUGS.

    If you have access to a dyno, maybe you could try a new set of standard plugs and then a set of hyper-crystalite plugs to see what works best.
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    but the Honda's are really problematic in the door sills and panelling when it comes to rust. At least they are here in Salt heavy Toronto. The steel bolts on the wheels and the mufflers also get eaten badly.

    I was pretty impressed when i saw the Protege hoisted recently. She really was in great shape. My previous SiR had a little more rust in the underbody over the same period of time. I was duly impressed with the lack of rust on the Pro.
  • gandalf17gandalf17 Member Posts: 348
    Keep it coming though. I'd be curious to hear from anyone who has used them and actually noticed a degrade/or improvement in performance, fuel economy etc. too.

    Dinu,

    Thanks for the CD. Makes me feel like such a goof for not sending the hubcaps sooner. I'm a terrible procrastinator to begin with...
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Aanybody else have this:
    On the rear chrome emblems (Protege emblem and M symbol), the chrome (plating) is kinda pitted in spots. The chrome at the front has no problems whatsoever. Any ideas as to the cause of this and any way to fix it?
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    I doubt that those special plugs do anything. If they gave you any extra gas mileage or power, they would already be on the car. For example:
    Ford is hurting because of CAFE standards and the fact that they sell mostly trucks, they needed to find a way to fix that. Ford uses 5w20 oil in most of their vehicles now. By doing that, they have raised their CAFE rating by .9 mpg. Considering Ford's choice to switch to 5w20 for a minimal gain in corporate average fuel economy, why wouldn't they switch to the "special" plugs as well? Because those special plugs don't even give you a minimal gain in fuel economy. The only advantage I can think of for "special" plugs (platinum) is that they last longer. Who cares though when you can get regular plugs for 99 cents?
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    but people seldom listen to logic. Years ago when I worked at a parts store I'd try to talk people out of all that crap. After reasoning with a customer, they would say, "Give me the Super Ionispere Plugs." We sold mostly wholesale, so it wasn't often, but the occasional Pep Boys shopper would stumble in.

    The thing about factory platinum plugs is that they are intended to go 60k+ miles and they cost 2-3 times as much as Bosch Cheapie Platinums.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Super Ionispere Plugs are good for 10% more horsepower and at LEAST 3 mpg. Lol.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    No prob about the hubcaps. I procrastinated too until today when I sais I would mail them last week.

    About the sparkplugs, my H car used NKG and I thinkk the PRO comes with them too from the factory. I was looking at Bosch Platinum with the "+" pattern on them, but if NKG does the job as standars equip on H and possibly M cars, why change?

    Todd: A sticker with "Bosch Platinum" adds 10 hp. The part is not mandatory, the sticker is what brings more ponnies to the PRO power mill :)

    I should already have 140 hp then by that. Does my soccer ball air freshner around the shifter count for an extra 5hp? What about the ES 2.0 designation? What about my personalized plates?

    So many questions about my PRO, so little stickers on my PRO....

    Dinu
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    ...how many extra ponies do I get from the Hello Kitty rearview????

    Should I swap it out for a Blue's Clues one???

    --Dale
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Chipro- Hello Kitty rear view is good for about 3 hp at the wheels. The blues clues makes more power, but it voids your warranty.

    Dinu- I'm thinking about a VTEC sticker mod. I've seen them on Toyotas, so I know you don't need a Honda to perform the mod. I've heard it's good for about 30 hp, but it drops your torque down to about 90 lbs-ft. I'll have to think about it for a while.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Remember the #1 rule in mods: YELLOW makes you go FASTER! Blue as Todd mentionned voids the warranty. Yellow on the oter hand, especially when attached to wipers and windshield banners adds an extra 5 hp on top of the regular 10hp a sticker adds.

    So you should repaint the mirror in yellow and add a sticker on the side facing the windshiled with words like "Neuspeed/HiPerformanceRearview/MadStylzMirra". Adding an aerodynamic package to your mirror (can use play-dooh(sp?)) enhances its 0-60 times too!

    Dinu
    Your PRO-trained and trusted mod-if-y-R
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    The Buicky ride is -- like it has no struts, just weak coil springs. I was behind a Buick Roadmaster on a trip to Durham last November and it hit some kind of bump. The rear end bounced in the air like it had no suspension at all and then the whole car wallowed from side to side.

    Seeing that weird wild action I slowed down for the bump -- bracing for something to happen. Didn't feel a thing -- NOTHING. Must have been just an undulation in the pavement.

    Vocus said: I am just happy VW will pay for a rental as soon as I walk in the door.

    LOL!! I can see them now, on the phone as Paul walks across the parking lot. This is like when I use to go to Fuddrucker's for burgers all the time, they had my order in before I got to the cashier. You pay up front and they call you when your burger is ready.

    Paul, the guy you are talking about, who tried the platinum plugs is jstanderfer.

    That's some difference your dealer is giving you on service. Red carpet if it's a Jetta, burlap if it's a Protegé. Rags to riches, eh? One would think that dealer has his head where the sun don't shine if he expects people to buy another car from him. Very poor PR!

    Protege_fan: Those "chrome" badges on the trunk lid are not real chrome. They are Mylar, think of aluminum foil bonded to clear plastic. The same goes for the "chrome" gas filler door on the Miata. I saw one in my dealer's showroom, it had cracked and was peeling off. Under the silvery stuff you could see the black pastic door.

    Real chrome is electro-plated to copper over a white cast metal base. Very expensive to do.

    Best thing is to just wait until it gets really bad and then order replacements. It's probably from the sun and cold causing the bonding to let flakes drop off.

    One would think that ZoomZoom79 would be on the Civic boards bragging about how much faster her SiR is compared to plain, old, vanilla Civics. ;)

    I had dinner out tonight and took a table by the window so I could look at my Pro in the parking lot. It was the nicest car out there. And on April 16 I will have had it one year. I still have that New Car feeling.

    fowler3
  • maryboo19maryboo19 Member Posts: 21
    I know that this has been beaten to death, but in terms of price and engine I would think the Civic EX is a more appropriate comparison.

    We keep hearing how the engine is the weakness of the Pro. A quick glance show's the Pro with a 2.0L, 130HP, 135 Torque. The Civic has a 1.7L with 127HP, 114 Torque, both at higher RPM's. Call me dumb but isn't that advantage Pro? Sure the more expensive Si has more power, but that would be like me comparing a Civic EX to a Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. It's apples and oranges.

    I've driven plenty of Civic's, and personally don't get any enjoyment out of redlining the motor just to get 114 Torque. As bad as we keep hearing the Pro is in the upper RPM's, the Civic is worse in the lower RPM's, and this includes the Si. It's just completely gutless, it really needs to be thrashed to get any power out of it.

    I guess it's all preference, but I think most drivers in the US don't want to have to redline their engines just to get full power. I don't care how refined it is in doing so, to me it's still a pain and takes away from the driving experience.
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Gah! That sucks about the emblems...I guess I'll have to live with them in that condition. i'm gonna take pics and let you all really see how bad it looks though.
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