Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Congrats my friend. I know you will be a great father. The love for your child is the strongest feeling in the world, IMHO! Please, tell Tammy, the Kline's send their love.
God Bless you and your family,
Larry
Thanks!
Come on people!! A Protege is Protege! I know a lot of you ES owners think your cars are soooo much better the the other ones but in truth there is not that much deference. I mean it isn't like night or day or apples and oranges. And I can safely say that the next Protege will look different then the current one, the next one draws most of its inspiration from the up-and-coming RX-8 and Audis. I can say that truthfully because a press agent friend of mine actually got to go the Mazda open house thing where they showed the car.
Yes the 2.0L has more power but jeeze it isn't like the 1.6L is gut-less, it is actually a lot of fun to drive. Trust me I own a 2001 LX 2.0 and a 2000 LX 1.6L.
I know that I will probably get many messages saying how wrong I am but hey...A PROTEGE IS A PROTEGE! They are all wonderful cars!
Nomi
I would add that I would never consider it with the automatic transmission. I hate how buzzy cars with small 4-cyl engines and autos are, just my opinion. If it were me, I would opt for the LX 2.0 if I could.
Go for the LX 2.0L at least!
Power windows and door locks breaking? I have never heard of this and I have had those two features on at least 11 cars. But I have seen how crank window handles eventually fall off.
fowler3
Happy Holiday everyone.
fowler3
1. How do the dealer/customer commit to an s-plan price on a "special order" car when they don't have the invoice with the official s-plan price on it?
2. When and where is the rear spoiler actually installed? I can't believe it was made standard on the ES (Anyone else share the view?). I was wondering if I could prevent it's installation. Heck, I don't mind paying for it even if it isn't there. (My first query to a dealer got a non-committal response.)
I'm betting some recent buyers can relate...
rfasani
1. I assume the dealer should be able to tell you by the options that you choose.
2. No idea.
Well, the one on the P5 actually looks good there. But the trunk-lid ones almost always look terrible. Ruins the lines of the Protege sedan IMHO.
I think the current ES trim comes with rear lid spoilers standard from the factory. (Maltb?) That, in conjunction with the red dash lighting, is enough to make me prefer the LX2.0. Too bad about not having the 4-wheel disc brakes though.
I also think they should unbundle the ABS from the moonroof. I don't fit into a Pro with a moonroof.
There are ES's with ABS/SAB and no moonroof in Kentucky, Indiana, etc.
On a side note, when I left the restaurant I had lunch in today, I was sitting in the car when someone came over and tapped on the window. I opened it, and he asked me where I got my car. He said he had a 1998 LX (which I saw behind me) and he wanted the 2001 ES. This was in Southern Maryland, and he said dealers down here have told him everything from, "they're not available" to "they don't make them anymore". I gave him the name and number of my dealer and sent him on his way. Or so I thought. He started asking questions about the options and features of the car. I cherfully answered his questions, and he said he was going to call today about getting one for himself. I have the Premium Pkg., and that's what he wanted. They must be hard to find, if dealers are telling people they no longer make them.
I have only seen one 2001 ES 2.0 Protege in the Maryland/DC area, except for my black one. It was Sanfrift with the moonroof. As many people who say they have them on the site, it's weird not to see any at all here. That's okay, because it makes me feel special to have one when no one else around me does.
As for the spoiler, to each their own, but I don't like 'em on hardly any sedans. They don't add any function on vehicles like ours and I think they spoil the lines. The ES I purchased had one on it. I told them I didn't want it. After trying to talk me into it, they finally relented and took the trunk lid off another black Protege they had in stock and put it on my car. I walked away happy. It really should be an option on the 01 ES.
A question for MaltB... Will wheel locks from a 1999 Protege fit my 2001? I was wondering, because I see them for sale on EBay sometimes and was going to invest in a set of them since I have such nice wheels on my ES.
I've got to "order" it because the ES/5sp/PremiumPkg is so scarce and/or popular.
"Basically," she said. "They are paying you for the moonroof." (I can't remember if she stated it was ES specific.)
Doesn't sound like other reports I have heard here. Take it with a grain of salt. So much for consistency.
http://www.thatsracin.com/98/0405/0404spoiler.htm
In the context of NASCARs, implying (to me) its not really useful at normal street (legal!) speeds.
One web site that sells spoilers had a particularly hilarious quote ...
"No one likes to get speeding tickets. Now you can add the look of speed to your car without pegging the radar gun. That's right, with a rear car spoiler your sports car can look like it's going a hundred miles an hour while it sits at the traffic light. And no one's going to mess with a car with a rear spoiler, are they? "
I wonder if anyone's done a survey or study to find out if having a spoiler increases your chances of being pulled over and ticketed for speeding!
(of course, I'm not one to speak about speeding - I've gotten a ticket, well a warning, for speeding in my 95 Protege DX - Zoom Zoom!)
As far as I'm concerned, people put a spoiler onto their car to improve the appearance. If you like it get it!
That said, its unfair for a car company to decide to sell a particular trim of car with a spoiler only! It should be an option.
But I do like the look of a spoiler on the ES!
Mazda dealers don’t seem to carry third party alloys, Honda dealers carry optional alloys with the Honda logo in the center of the wheels.
fowler3
-Larry
INKY
a silver protege 5-speed ES 2.0 with the 1ES (premium) package. I want the
ABS and side bags and roof, and won't settle for less. No one can find the
car, not in IL or several other states I checked. When I asked about ordering,
it turned out they couldn't say if I would even get the car - somethng about Mazda
occasionally dropping orders near the time of the next model year.
So, Mazda makes this great car and I can't get it. So I don't want a
Ford Expedition with an automatic! Some of us like quick, small cars!
Mazda needs to build more.
Anyone else had luck ordering a car from Mazda? I was told it could take
up to 3 months! For now, I'll go look at the Maxima and WRX, but I'd rather
save money and own that 5-speed Protege.
That being said, I was wiping the drool off my face after checking out the dark blue Protege5. They had only received it a few days earlier but it was already spoken for. I was able to sit in it though. It was loaded, inch. the roof. The only possible option was a dealer installed roof-rack. After checking out the reports here I thought I'd be disappointed with the hatch storage area but it didn't seem too bad to me... Have to think about that one. The dealer said their P5 stock will be slim until July.... I'm seriously tempted to trade in my 99 Protege ES (1.6l, auto)...
but I don't see any comments or questions
related to it. I would really appreciate if those of you that test drove P5 would share there experince.Post anything especially any new quotes or "expressions of the day stated by dealers.
zhenya, this is not a real time "chat" - it is a message board that folks visit and post on when convenient or the mood strikes or whatever. I'm sure if and when the participants of this discussion see your post and have something to add, you'll hear from them.
Meanwhile, tell us about what you know, more specifically what you'd like to know and your interest in the Protege 5 - that's one way to get some conversation started.
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
Nomi
BTW, why did you even consider a Mazda Protege? I thought you wanted , "the Passat drive with the Accord ownership experience"? Nonetheless, I'm sure you will be a huge asset at the Nissan Sentra Discussion. ;-o
-Larry
I was originally in the market for a leather-lined 1.8T Jetta, but the fact that it's non-existant currently (Wolfsburgs took all the 1.8Ts) I'm in much the same boat as Inky. I'd like to look at the Protege but unfortunately the base 130 HP engine in the ES is too gutless for my tastes, so I'm left sitting around until the MPS shows up. Still not sure if that's gonna be enough power as it only makes 140. We'll see. But I can relate to Inky...two cars I'm interested in, 1.8T and the MPS and neither is available.
http://pub70.ezboard.com/bprotegepower
if u guys dont support it, at least u take a look of it pls
BTW, the only messages I have seen you post have been about your forum. Maybe if you contributed something to this (these) discussion(s) people would be more interested in contributing to yours.
Nomi
You could not be more wrong.
That comment has more to do with the tranny (made by ford) in the 626 automatic. The tranny in the protege is not the same. It is %100 JAPAN made and has nothing to do with ford. I have had no problem with my 2001 LX 2.0 and I am sure others can relate. I have a friend that has a 91 protege with over 100,000 miles on it with no problems.
Depends on what you get (if any special discounts), I would say around $17,000 out the door is average.
"is it powerful enough or not for two people who tend to drive hard, 4cyl is enough but most of the driving is all city and accelerating hard and we drive near 80 on the freeway"
Yes....the LX 2.0 has 130hp engine. This should be enough for just about anyone.
"but is it reliable and cheap to maintain"
This car is very reliable and should stand the test of time. This car is built 100% in JAPAN. Repair cost is average for a japan built car.
"dark green paint shine for at least 7 years if taken care of or not?"
The paint on this car is good. It will last a lot longer than any american made car. Like any paint, you need to wax and clean to keep it looking good. Any car can have bad paint if abused.
"Is the 1.6 motor reliable enough to make it up to 100,000 miles easily if well taken care of , and running like new?"
Yes. This engine is good and you should not have any problems.
On a final note: Any car can be good or bad. It depends on the owner.
Feel free to ignore any messages you wish to ignore, but when making posts you must keep in mind that civil and respectful discourse is required by your Terms of Use. Disrepectful comments about other members are not appropriate.
Thank you.
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
With civility and respect,
Larry
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
INKY