Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
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Thanks i'll get them up soon
Krotine, that flash thing you made is awesome!! I wish i knew how to do that
Looking forward to MAPP NOEL -- the first-annual MAPP Christmas Party!!! (Hey -- why not?!)
Meade
groharlem@hotmail.com
Took it to his neighborhood buddy/gas jockey. Get this, the filter requires a "special" torque limiting tool to remove/install the filter AND a special filter only available @ the Mazda dealer !! Oh yes, Mr. customer we have those special removal tools in stock if you wish to change your own oil, CA-CHING, $100.00 bux please. Oh , the filters, yeah we got them too. How much ? Uh, I think they are $20.00 or so !! Please make a appointment to bring in your car, have a nice day !
My son says the owners manual bears this out and it urges the owner to take his/her car to the dealer for all oil changes. Ha, I bet they do !!
If this IS true, what a screw job Mazda is attempting to pull off here.
Your comments/experience please.
Floridian
Maltb-what do you have to say about this one?
You can also mail-order OEM filters from any web retailer for about $2.50 each if you want a Mazda-branded filter.
They're just trying to flush the till at the dealerships for something as simple as an oil change. Mazda's not the only make that tries this BTW. At least you CAN get aftermarket parts for it (unlike Honda Civics upon a time, which used a proprietary-sized and shaped battery that you could get ONLY at a dealer for about $100).
Speaking of "special" batteries, didn't the Miata require a special battery as well when they first came out ? A friend of mine had his car laid up for over a month because of the "propriatory" battery deal that you could only get @ the dealer and were on "back order" for weeks and weeks. I think the current cars use a std. battery.
I'll give my son a "heads up" on the filter deal. His wife really got on his case over that one, you know the old "I told you not to buy one of those damn import cars" LOL !!
Floridian
So, how close to invoice have you gotten on a 2002 ES with premium package? Hopefully I'll be getting a new Pro one way or another within a week!
I've heard of people blowing their mazda trannies, but thats if u drive like a moron
Anecdotal evidence is just that, as has been pointed out before. How many people do you see that stop in the street and extoll the virtues of their flawless cars (I might, but do wish to stay on this side of the looney-bin walls). Its usually only people seeking solutions to car problems, and prospective buyers that frequent discussion boards! (Us friendly Protege folks excluded, of course, we love our steed
As for the 626 - the 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder auto transmissions are made by the venerable Ford Motor Corporation! Mazda B-series trucks - no prizes for guessing they're rebadged Fords (and run as such). Millenias - a quick glance at the board shows no real transmision complaints, or a pattern thereof.
Anecdotal - have friends with automatic 92MX-6 (100K+) and 93-94 LX (120K+) - both run flawlessly. There's a 97/98 LX and a 2000 ES (both auto) in my aprtment bulding, and I've spoken to the respective owners - no problems! A friend that I helped with her car shopping a couple of months ago independently (go figure) picked a 2001 Pro ES over a Civic EX :-p
Don't abuse it, and maintain it well - it WILL last!
The '98 Protegé, if I remember correctly, is the last one with the F4A-EL, which is a shrunken version of the G4A-EL that appeared in the '88-'92 626.
The 626 V6 hasn't been, um, blessed with a blue-oval tranny.
As for the 626/MX-6, did its transmission EVER change since 1988? (or even 1982?) I noticed the same specific negative comments from everywhere about Mazda's automatic (which only came with the V6, as you said). Consumer Reports said it "downshifts into first gear when accelerating from low speed." Popular Mechanics' survey said automatics that shifted roughly or erratically was the #1 complaint. Road & Track said in 1998 "if there was one fault with the previous 626, it was the automatic transmission". Car And Driver made some negative comments on a 94 ES, then in 98, regarding the new model, they said "Most importantly, the automatic has undergone extensive reprogramming to exorcise the indecisive antics that plagued previous Mazda auto boxes." In their test of a Millenia S, they also noted "a better brain is needed to cure its indecisive kickdowns." Edmund's logged similar complaints about their Millenia S. One drive in my old MX-6 can confirm all of these traits.
Is all hope lost for the Protege? The only comment I ever heard on its automatic was from Consumer Guide, who said regarding the 90-94: "automatics cut performance and mileage and do not shift well"; Edmund's briefly mentioned "ill-timed gear changes" on the 99-01 model.
I much prefer this to the Civic LX and EX which refuse to shift for a highway-speed passing maneuver on a 2-lane road if your life depended on it! Hmm, your life does sometimes depend on it.
Boils down to tranny ratios and tranny shift programming. And the eternal fuel frugality versus available power debate!
None of those comments or reviews point to tranny defects or failures (except the venerable 4 cylinder 626 transmissions made by Ford!)
My $0.02
My experience with the GF (which some of you have read on Yahoo!) is not unlike that of the magazines: it's just not the brightest tranny around. The CD4E doesn't strike me as a whole lot smarter, but given the fact that it's fitted to a low-powered car, it's harder to get a feel for it unless you drive the living whee out of it. (Which I do.) Not having driven, say, a V6 Contour, I couldn't say whether the V6 626 would have been better off, shift-logic-wise, with the CD4E, though most Mazda fans would cringe at the very thought. I suspect they will also cringe when they hear that the Mazda engine-control system in the four-cylinder 626 is basically a reboxed Ford EEC-V; in terms of getting engine and tranny on the same page, it was the path of least resistance.
The Millenia S uses a Jatco transmission (JF403E), a sister to the Nissan RE4F04A you can see in recent Maximas. I wonder if they're making this kind of complaint over in Datsunland.
The AT in my '99 LX runs fine most of the time. There is a funny point when you let off the throttle at low speed and then jam on it a second or two later, it will stumble hard (as if hitting a short, sharp speed bump). This seems to be a programming error, as it won't do it if I wait long enough or gradually increase the throttle. It won't do this when I accelerate hard from a stop. This happens only between 1&2. No problems with the other gears.
Since I've discovered the situation that creates the stumble, I've managed to avoid it since (only happened 3X). Still, the car's so fun with the MT, I'd go with that (unless your SO gets car sick when riding in an MT-equipped car).
When you get familiar with the shift points, you can actually get good performance out of the AT, as someone else on this board has mentioned a few times.
Looks like all the talk about MAPP II sucked the life out of this topic! Where the heck is everyone? Paul? Jerry? Maltb? Where is everyone this week?
Meade
Many people with free time check the news online. More details, more to worry about. I check here everyday and sometimes there are messages, sometimes not.
When you need a break...come to Edmunds! Grab a cup of coffee and browse.
Keep the faith!
fowler3
I have a fresh cup o' Folgers decaf in hand. Now, where were we?
ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM!
Meade
(yeah zoomzoomzoom)
I had the blue fender marker lights installed as well, and they look really neat!
After driving that Suzuki, it felt so good to get back into the Protege. I zoomed an off-ramp at 55 this morning that was pegged at 30.
Hmmm. Well, then again, I don't know if I'd want to been seen with someone driving a Suzuki.
;-)
Meade
This makes me unworthy of a post here.
Seriously, though ... if you come through again, give me a call! You've got my cell phone number, for cryin' out loud! And same goes for me -- when I get up to Baltimore again (don't hold your breath), I'll look you up.
Meade
Paul: Did you get a ticket yet from them blue sidemarkers? hehehehehe
You folks clearly are very pleased with your choice of vehicle and you are certainly entitled to express that here. Please allow others to express their pleasure with their own choices in their own discussions without ridiculing them here. Belittling other members for being pleased with their vehicle purchase decisions is not what Town Hall is about.
Thanks.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
If anyone thinks we need an Echo vs. Protege discussion, please hop over to our Comparisons - Sedans vs. Sedans folder and fire one up.
Otherwise, we need to drop this. If anyone wants to discuss this further, please feel free to drop me an email.
Thanks.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
Any comments?
I'll go 1st. These were the qualities, I looked for when shopping.
1.) Roomy Interior-
2.) Value Pricing-
3.) Attractive Styling-
Thank you in advance!
Repectfully,
Larry
1. Looks sharp yet is practical
2. Fun to drive
3. Enthusiasm demonstrated for this brand in this forum (maybe this should be my #1 reason)
Mike.
1)Great handling
2)Price
3)Sharp looks
4)room
5)I needed a car and didn't want the hassles of
buying used
PF
Meade
(1) Personal experience in a head-on collision
(2) Satisfaction with two previous Proteges
(3) Value, features and performance for the dollar
There ya go!
Meade
$514. shipped from IN to VT.
Meade
Quality of construction
Reliability
Good handling
Value
Economy
Safety
Looks
Visibility (mine, out of the vehicle)
Manueverability (as in, how easy to park?)
Servicibility (the Corolla is better here, IMO)
I guess I'd have to place safety-related items higher (ergonomics of cabin & controls, crash-worthiness, visibility, handling), although reliability and economy are important too. I won't even consider a vehicle that gets less than 25mpg these days. Luxury items (power windows & locks, moonroof, etc. are of very minor concern to me).
1. the room inside the car (for its size) is great. Now it seems all the small cars are using the same philosophy, but we know where it came from first.
2. styling. I love the classic looks of the Protege. Mine has been mistaken for an Audi A4 and MB C-Class several times.
3. pricing. I got alot of features in both my 1999 DX and my 2001 ES for a very good price.
As far as the discussion goes, I agree with you Meade. Something should be said to both sides on the matter. Since it has already been said to us (as usual), it needs to be said in the Echo topic.
http://www.auto.com/industry/iwirf17_20011017.htm
Geesh.
Meade