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Also, the power is not all that either. There could be more. When I load the car up with 4 people and/or turn the AC on (which kills a LOT of the power and it's very noticeable), I wish I had bought a V-6 car instead of another 4.
How about some reports on the Mazda Protege Owners Road Trips this weekend? Come on folks "lower the windows & have some fun"! This discussion is getting a little DRY. We got a lot of new 2001 PRO owners, some newbie PRO5 owners and some 1999/2000 regulars at this discussion. Well everyone can't be sitting at home trying to figure out were the oil filter is located or how to remove the roof rack from our new PRO5's!
We purchased our Mazda Protege's to DRIVE the darn things. At the end of the day, we all joined (or are thinking of joining) an exclusive group; MAZDA PROTEGE OWNERS!!!! We are a high energy, discriminating group of people or.... we would have taken the easy way out and purchased a Corolla or Civic!
Now, lets fire up this discussion with a little panache! Post your weekend over-the-road events, were did you go, what did you see and do? You own a great road car, lets be seen this weekend in our Protege's! I'm gonna give mine both a quick wash and dry, look out baby; ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM! Simply put, "special people drive special cars", IMHO!
Respectfully,
Larry
The oil filter is inconveniently located on the rear of the engine block. In the 1.6L engine, you can get to this from the top of the engine bay. On the 1.8 and 2.0, there doesn't appear to be enough room to wiggle your arm to get to the filter. I guess you'll have to use ramps. That is one nice thing about the Corolla: its oil filter is under the engine, just behind the front of the chassis. It's easy to get to, but I wonder about how well it's protected from road debris.
Before everyone heads into the weekend, where do you folks put your "zoom-zoom" sticker? This was given to all who bought a 2001 Mazda, but I haven't found a place for it and probably never will since I don't care for stickers.
Then came time to leave work. He zoomed out of the lot in his little big-tailpipe del Sol, then I zoomed out in MY car. I passed him like a freight car passing a hobo.
Also, the shop thinks my rotors are warped at only 7550 miles. I hope not, because I really don't wanna think I am going to have trouble with this Protege. We will see I guess.
I've found that the only benefit of synth is that it remains the same viscosity at a wider range of temperatures. That means better hot and cold starts, better protection at extreme temps. Some manufacturers claim to have anti-corrosive additives exclusive to their systhetics too.
I use valvoline durablend durring moderate temperature driving. (it performs well). When the winter comes around I switch to synthetic to help protect me from the cold starts.
There is tons of independent data and research that PROVES the benefits of Synth, including extended drain intervals.
jstanderfer, vocus, chico: Remember when Mazda made a small V-6 for a hatchback in the 80's? I forget the car model, but Mazda should have developed that engine more for use in today's Protegé. Maybe with 145hp and a 155lbsft of torque!
fowler3
No matter how fast I take freeway offramp/onramp curves, I cannot make my '01ES tires squeal one bit!!! My coffee commuter mug even stays level during those sharp curves -- most of the time.... hehehe
Browning Mazda in Cerritos, CA has an EXCELLENT service dept. Beach Mazda in Huntington Beach, CA (Orange County) so far is SATISFACTORY (mis-diagnosed a minor exhaust issue) so far.
MARTIN
That’s what I meant, increase the displacement, but I didn’t know about the current V-6 being about the same size. The 1.8L V-6 had small cylinders about the size of Pablem (spelling) jars. A real baby V-6.
I’m happy with the 2.0L, but would like more low-end boost when I kick it down. Those Bridgestones make more noise than the engine, especially on coarse pavement. Haven’t tried high rpm's yet when stepping down on it.
Come to think of it, a small V-8 would be smoother than a v -6. I had a ’61 Buick Skylark with a small aluminum V-8, one of the best cars I ever owned. It was 155hp. I think GM still makes that engine in Brazil, or use to. Oh oh, giving away my age there...By the way, I still have the brochure on that car, and an Avanti I almost bought.
fowler3
"When unusual engines are built, Mazda will build them!"
The Chrysler 150hp six engines used in minivans are actually less powerful than an inline 4 because the additional hp gain is offset by the weight and moving parts of the two additonal cylinders and extended engine block.
What is needed is a happy medium engine that provides the torque we want without the dead weight.
Protegé owners who live in the northern climes should appreciate the Pro’s cast iron block for its ability to keep the coolent hot in winter during short stops. Aluminum block engines, such as Hondas, cool down quickly and the driver has to wait for the coolent to heat up again.
fowler3
As long as you are not violating any Terms of Service of the host site, you are certainly free to post links to interesting articles - and you can do some paraphrasing if you'd like. You just cannot directly copy and paste text from other websites - Town Hall does not allow our material to be copied to other websites, and we therefore cannot allow other website material to be copied here.
Also, it is not okay to directly copy text from printed sources such as magazines or the like.
I've had to remove a couple of posts - thanks for your understanding.
Pat
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Also, the drive on I-5 down to Santa Cruz is beautiful.
And the drive down to Reno isn't bad either (although I wasn't very impressed by the city...visiting in-laws).
The roads to and within Yosemite National Park are fun (curvy, mostly banked correctly and with wide shoulders, except for when you're ascending the side of a mountain), but you'll likely be too distracted by the scenery to really drive them.
Also, there are nice drives in the park off the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. I forget the name of the park, but there used to be old forts up there that are now nature preserves.
And, of course, the drive to Half-Moon Bay is also hilly and curvy. Watch for dirt patches after wet patches though. When my college roommate was driving me in his Miata, we almost went off the side of the road backwards. The fall would've been OK, but the landing would definitely have hurt. Good thing for the chicken-wire fence they put up before the cliffside.
Gosh, makes me want to move out there. Too bad about the power shortages though. There aren't too many roads like those out here in SW Ohio. A few near the Miami River and in Northern Kentucky, but I hear cars sometimes get shot at in KY.
His review was printed in the Cincinnati Enquirer on June 3. However, I haven't yet seen it posted to their on-line version.
BTW, excellent review on Motorweek too. You should see it go through their handling test: very sure-footed and quick. I'm surprised they didn't broadcast a recording of their emergency lane-change test. I even set my VCR to SP to get the best-quality recording of it I could (usually set to SLP).
Oil Changes:
I've had synthetic in my car since 15K, the engine seems to run a tad smoother now. Just to be on the safe side, I'm going to be changing every 3K even though I have synthetic. I just paid $49 for an oil change at Buzz Leonard Mazda for my 18K oil change a couple weeks ago, anyone else think that's a bit too expensive?
I do like the headlights a lot. I'm wondering if they would fit the sedan models? They look to be the same size and shape.
I also think the interior is classy.
The local dealers got a ton of Proteges in this weekend. They finally have some black, but ESs only come with automatics. (I could get a ES 5 sp in Sand Mica.) Black 5 speeds are only on the LX 2.0 models. Is there a big difference in suspension and handling of the LX 2.0 compared to the ES?
Thanks -
The engine is as quiet as any I have had. I don't mind the engine sound at all, rather like it in fact.
A message I posted earlier was removed. =P You will find interesting information about Mazda's plans and new models on this web site.
http://www.veh-tech.net/pages/dailynews/backnumbercompany2001.html
Start with May and go back to January.
djmax the more you drive it the more you will love it. The Protegé is one of those cars which gets better and better every day you are behind the wheel. I hope Mazda doesn't change it too much for 2002 and beyond.
fowler3
fowler3
Any price changes?
Any changes? colors,cosmetic,options, etc...
The problems I have had were the alignment and the driver's seat squeaking (and, of course, the rotors now). The alignment was reset 2 times, and still was off. But now with the tires rotated, it's fine. Maybe the one tire was wearing unevenly. We will see I guess. The driver's seat service person pretty much refused to drive the car with me, after promising me he would. (I am going to go to another dealer next time.) And now the rotors. I guess cars sometimes have their little problems, but it still makes me a little mad that I need brakes at only 7550 miles. I never had problems like this with the DX, and I drove it ALOT harder than I do the ES (because of the DX's lack of power).
Reminder: They are selling a set of wheel locks on Ebay for only $5. They say "for 1999 Proteges", but I e-mailed and asked and the person said they would fit 2001s too. Something to think about to protect your investment.
I would love to be able to retrofit the ES with the P5's taillamps and front bumper. The front bumper I know I can do via www.corksport.com, but I don't know if the taillamps would work or not. Any thoughts (MaltB)?
I read somewhere that the Protege engine will go up to 2.3L with the redesign around 2004 or so. Why can't they bump it now, but instead add the Millenia's V-6? Wouldn't that be a SWEET ride?!?
I do like the interior of the ES much better than the LX2.0 - but now with the free moonroof and alloy wheels, the differences really just come down to suspension and handling (and the interior colors.)
I swear the alloy wheels they are putting on the LX2.0s are the same ones that are on the 1999-2000 ESs.
Anyway - I guess it's just one of those cases where one can't get everything!
Although . . . I could get an ES auto and then save for a 6 speed Porsche!
Took my "twins" in for oil changes and Penna. State Inspections, this morning. I have all my work completed at the dealer, Lancaster Toyota Mazda, were we purchased our 2000 PRO-ES's. BTW, both cars have aprox. 23,000 miles on them and not ONE problem, so far!!! I did have my first "wear & tear" replacement, a wiper blade replacement for one of the cars. Not to bad?
While I waited for the "twins", a car hauler full of Mazda Products showed up. I watched the vehicles get unloaded. Included in the load were three PRO-5 Sports Wagons. All base, except for floor mats and auto trannys. One silver and two red. I talked to the sales guy who sold me, my 2000 Proteges and he told me; they received their 1st and only PRO-5, last week and it sold for MSRP plus $370.00 for pin striping and paint sealant with in 48 hours of delivery (it was not pre-sold)! Lol, $370.00 for sealant and pin striping!
Nonetheless, the two red PRO-5 delivered today, had me thinking about a trade/buy switch out, hehe!!! However, I would need to have the loaded PRO-5's to be truly happy. Once you own a Protege with a moon roof you can't go back, IMHO. Hey, I can dream can't I?
Respectfully,
Larry
I was reading about the MP3 (hey, my 95 Pro DX is getting old, you know!) and was disappointed at the lack of these very same options.
They finally have a chance to compete with the riced Civics without giving their car a 'rice'-d look, great handling - and they put in a puny engine, no side air bags and no ABS? Does ABS somehow detract from performance? I can't imagine how!
Sadly, I've eliminated the MP3 from my future new-car plans (about 3-6 months). And the Pro ES is out too - want a little more in my next car.
Any ideas or suggestions for a soon-to-be ex-Protege owner? A used Beemer 3 series, late 90s, perhaps?
-ashu
ps: Not a fan of Nissans, think the Integra (current) handles shoddily and is dated in design and DEFINITELY can't afford an MB coupe :-) (with referece to trae's current options!)
I use their headlamp assembly kit to protect my headlamps. You can see some dirt accumulated around the edges, but my headlamps are undamaged! Also, after about 2.5 years of use, they have not yellowed or peeled. Worthwhile considering it cost about $40 for the kit (much less than the few hundred to replace one headlamp assembly).
After a few dozen paint chips, I'd wished I'd gotten the general-purpose front-end kit and made my own (they didn't have a custom kit available when I got my Pro...early adopter).