Mazda Protegé

maltb · February 2001

RED....that's the only weak part of the ES IMO. I can't stand white guages...reminds me of a Pep Boys add-on. Everything else looks good including the spoiler and alloys.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

I ad alloy wheels on my truck, had to spend sooo much time cleaning them (brake dust and dirt). I would rather have hub-caps (cheaper to replace and easier to clean).

maltb · February 2001

My dad who is 63 is looking for another car and I'm thinking about setting hin up in a LX 2.0 as the ES doesn't fit him. Maybe some of you are in the same boat.

vocus · February 2001

They have indoglo gauges for sale on EBay in the Protege section. They are like $100 and up or something like that. But I wouldn't wanna take the chance in changing the gauges and causing rattles in the dash over time. I know the indiglos would look a lot nicer in the dash than the white with red lighting. Of course, my Bonneville has red backlighting on the gauges and it looks nice. I would have to see it first before condeming it.

maltb · February 2001

Well after driving it, that was the only thing I didn't like. I wish it were like an old Kenwood stereo I had that allowed you to switch between green and red...really cool around Christmas time.

theparallax · February 2001

My father has a 2000 Protege DX, and there is a lot of difference between the seats in his car and the seats in my 1999 LX. The DX does feel like it's poking you in the back at times, and when I drive it, I just can't seem to get comfortable in it like I do in my 99. I DO like the 2000 improvements over the 1999, but I can't wait to see the 2001!

I am seeing a different ignition module in the car in this 2001 MP3 interior shot...what does everyone else think? target=_blank

theparallax · February 2001

Has anyone read the March 2001 edition of Car and Driver? The Tribute/Escape both tied at the #1 spot! Reminds me of some other Mazda that got the top spot about 6 months ago...hmmm...anyone know what it was? Oh yeah - the PROTEGE! Zoom Zoom!

maltb · February 2001

I repeat, all 2001s have a key hole light.

glideslope · February 2001

Well, I was able to take the Green 01 ES 5-Speed for a short drive after work today.

Now being the type of person I am, and being that it will not be my car , I did not rip her into the passing lane at redline.

Observations:

Engine: Midrange felt slightly better than my 1.8. Definitely seems tuned for the automatic.
No other improvement for under 4,000 rpm situations, IMO. I think the extra 100lbs is VERY noticeable. The pound per horsepower on the 01 is only .3 tenths better than the 00. The 2.0 does not seem any louder. No difference in shifter feel.

Handling: Superb. Although IMO, slightly stiffer. I felt it wanted to chase pavement cracks a tad more than my 1.8. But that's MO only. The tires are QUIET. Brake feel was no different. I did not attempt any hard stops however.

Interior: Still feel no seat difference over my 00. The white gauges really bugged me. I think it's because the interior is so dark. I can't stand the pattern on the seat fabric either, but they are just personal taste issues. Center console is nice. So is the new rear deck with no center mounted light.

Verdict: I'll wait till I see the owner on the road, then we will see how much quicker she moves that extra 100lbs. Scudley, are you reading this? keep a look out.

Regards,
Mark.

prozoomer · February 2001

Could you slow down on the posts...I have been very busy at work and am finding it difficult to stay caught up reading 60-70 posts a day. ;^)

Just kidding! Great to see all the new owners...and the regulars too. Over 6k on my 2000 ES and no problems...NONE. No squeaks or rattles...complete satisfaction.

Back to work,

Bryan...aka "Gladichecked" ;^)

theparallax · February 2001

...this topic gets about 30 posts a day, but we never appear on the 'Top 10 Hot Discussions' table on the main page.

hboyd · February 2001

You guys forgot to mention that the 2001 ES has ALL-WHEEL disc brakes standard!! Plus, they are larger than the LX, LX-2.0, and DX!!! IMO, that alone is worth $700.

This puppy will stop on a dime at 70+ MPH! My 1995 ES (w/4-wheel discs and ABS) stops quickly without much dosedive at high speeds; I never can make her skid even when jamming the brake pedal during "rare" emergency stops in LA traffic.

MARTIN

leomort · February 2001

I'm waiting for this particular model to come out this June as a 2002 model. Does anyone know the price range for them yet?

Glad to see that someone had answered what was going to be my next question: which transmission. Someone mention that the Protege seems to ge gear for the automatic.

Leo

scudley · February 2001

I was thinking of heading over to Burdick myself on Sunday just to get a close up look at the 2001s.

nikecar · February 2001

still no price but it should be kept under 20K even for the sport model.

transmission is personal taste. You will bet more pep and better mileage on a manual, but there is always the convenience of Auto. but get what you want now because you will kick yourself later for not getting the other one.

I have an Auto Altima, mainly because its to be the family car and so the wife can drive it. but i really wish it was a 5-spd now. especially since she got the Auto Protege...

maltb · February 2001

The mileage issue is not really important.

Mazda claims(2.0L):
25 city/31 highway - Manual
25 city/30 highway - Automatic

It all boils down to if you want an engineer determining when to shift. Personally, I like to push my vehicles and most automatics are not made to perform on the higher RPMs.

leomort · February 2001

I'm sorta in the same situation as nikecar, it will become the family car (as well as my commuter car to work). Rough translation is the wife will need to drive it thus needs an automatic (unless we can find nice cheap used car???). I like manual trans. just for the "fun" factor of driving them. Unfortunately, when it comes time for "us" to make "our" decision, the wife usually wins---how do wives' influence us poor husbands so much

Oh, the other reason I asked about depreciation of Mazda's was because I was wondering what if had an accident with it. For example, let's say I got my new Protege and driven it for 2years when one fall night I hit a deer and do several thousand dollars of damage to my car---which still has two years of payment left. Would the Protege still hold enough of it's value left to warrant fixing it? You see, I'm also lloking at the Hyundai Elantra hatchback. What I'm concern about with this company is availability/acessibilty parts and their cost. I think that this Hyundai would lose it value much quicker so that in two years if I did have the misfortune of having an accident, even a minor fender bender, that the car would be consider a loss.

hkchan · February 2001

I wouldn't worry about it if your outlook is two years. Let's say a Civic would cost you $16,500 and a Protege would cost you $15,000. Two years later, let's say the values on the cars are $11,500 and $10,000 respectively. You're concerned about what happens if the damage is, for example, $11,000. They'll fix the Civic and cut you a check for $10,000 on the Protege. I would say chances of sustaining that much damage is so remote it shouldn't be a factor. And years down the road the difference would be $1,000 or less. Yes, I agree. Chances of the Protege being declared totaled is higher than the Civic, assuming everything else being equal.

maltb · February 2001

The wife loves to drive a manual trans. She loved our '87 Jetta GLI manual, the '98 Protégé ES manual and then the '99 626 V-6 manual. When it came time for the MPV, she was a little disappointed that it only came with an auto.

So when it's available, manual trans always wins.

Leo, I'm curious about your point with resale value. Do you want a car with resale value or not? My guess is that the Protégé will pick up in resale as more and more of these magazines keep publishing accolades.

hkchan · February 2001

I hope so too but several car magazines, as well as Consumer Reports, have considered the Protege one of the top choices for many years.

conheady · February 2001

Anyone tried these lights.

Performance Green Plasma bulbs, 110/90 Watt light output bulbs - as sold on ebay.

They run on more power than the standard (factory) lights. I heard that may burn out some wiring or melt the lenses. Anyone had any experience with them?

Just wondering how they would look on my green ES.

vocus · February 2001

I have the plasma blue lights on my 1999 DX. I have had them constantly on (driving) for up to 3-4 hours and no problem. They do usurp more energy though, and the dashboard lights "dim" a little when you turn them on because of the power they suck. But no other problems. Alot brighter and clearer light from them too.

conheady · February 2001

$30 minimum if I get them on "FleaBay!" Know where I could get a deal on them.

How do they look? Are they street legal? I bought some cool green wheel lights a while back, but found out they are not legal in NY. They were awesome too.

leomort · February 2001

yep, you are lucky that your wife likes manual transmission. I can't get my wife to budge on that.

my first post regarding the Protege was my mis-choice of words. I was thinking how well the Protege "holds it value" but instead used "resale value". Truthfully, I don't care about the car's resale value because I typically keep my cars for a long time and accumulate high mileage. What I was most concerned about was how quickly Mazda would depreciate. But hkchan relieved those concerns.

hkchan · February 2001

Wait. This is getting confusing.
You defined "resale value" as something that you don't care about since you typically keep your cars for a long time.
Then you defined "holds its value" as "how quickly the car would depreciate".
How are they different? Glad to be able to help but now I don't even know what your question was? Hehe.

vocus · February 2001

Hey, we finally made the TOP of the "10 Hot Discussions" list here at Edmund's Town Hall!!

Cool!!!

ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM!

glideslope · February 2001

If you want to drive the ES you had better not wait till Sunday. My rep was fairly certain the old yellow SOLD would be on the wiper by Friday.

They have the green ES 5-Speed with the premium packedge, and a loaded light green LX 2.0 auto. They are both way out back by the body shop. They don't want to get them too close to the 15 00's they still have. It's too bad the pro's don't sell better in our neck of the woods. Just proves how the "I've got a Honda cause I know someone with one" syndrome works.

Regards,
Mark. :-)

theparallax · February 2001

Here's a RealVideo review of the Protege: http://www.motoringtv.com/realvideos/m99s2-1.rm

pat · February 2001

I just want to point out to speedypt and anyone else interested that now that we have relocated Town Hall to a different software platform, there is no longer a need to stop and restart discussions after a certain number of posts.

So this can be your permanent home for conversation about this vehicle.

Carry on...

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

protegextwo · February 2001

Pat,I don't know if I really like the number "7"? Permanent sounds like a really loooog time! When, we reach 2000 posts at "Mazda Protege 7", would you consider re-naming this discussion, MAZDA PROTEGE:"The Best Econo Sports Sedan in the World"? Hehe!!!

Pete, you almost got us in trouble! The hosts makes lists of rowdy posters and discussions, lucky for us; patHOST is the most understanding, best looking and intelligent host, next to Apex_8 at Edmunds! You want us to get in the "bad boy" report like the guys in the Daewoo or Zanio Wax topics?, lol!!!!
Speedy, I love your guts!

Respectfully;
Larry

leomort · February 2001

hkchan, I think I was trying to split hairs. So I guess they are one and the same. But you addressed my concern. Thanks

I can't wait to see Protege hatchback. Heard they're only coming out in five colors, with three of them being "hot" colors or somesort. Hope they can keep the price to 18 grand or under.

Also can anyone exlpain as to why they like 16" tires on the Protege? Does it help the preformance that much over 15" tires. Do those larger tires look nice on the Protege? I put alot of miles/year on my car and I'm thinking ouch in my pocket book when it comes time to replace those 16" tires. Currently my car has 14" tires and a good tire cost me about $65. What do good 16" tires run? Am I being too picky by being concern about car's tire cost, part cost, gas mileage, and insurance??? Do you guys take this into consideration when buying a new car?

Leo

nikecar · February 2001

16" tires allow for a wider tread. It allows the car to be more responsive in cornering. but the pitfalls are the ride may not be as smooth. but if you want zoom zoom, its a good trade off. if you get the 01 ES, I will gladly trade my 15" for your 16"

And you can get decent tires for under $100. there are a 16" I am looking at for my Alty when i get new rims.

hkchan · February 2001

In the case of the ES's 16" tires vs the LX's 15" tires, the widths are "exactly" the same - 195mm. But the 16" ones are 50-series (tire sectional height is 50% of the tread width) and the 15" ones are 55-series. Shorter sectional height translates into harsher ride and quicker steering response (assuming everything else being the same) - the amount delay the tire takes to actually move to the intended position after the wheel is turned. The overall diameters of the two tires are practically the same.

vocus · February 2001

I finally got to test drive the new 2001 Protege yesterday at Darcars Mazda/VW on Route 1 in Laurel. It was a Sandrift 2.0 LX model with automatic and cassette/CD. The engine is noisier when first accelerating (to me) than my 1.6-liter DX model is. And it's a little rougher too. Other than that, the entire car is better. It handles better than my DX, has ALOT more power, and the doors now close with a solid "thunk" not found on the DX. The only problems for me was the seat comfort. The seats in the one I drove did not have the "poking" in my back like my DX does (thank GOD!). BUT, the back support around the lumbar area was nonexistent. I drove the car for something like 15 minutes, and my back hurt when I got out. Too bad, because I really did like the entire driving experience.

mdaffron · February 2001

Hi everybody! Here's two cool things that have happened to me in the last 24 hours:

One.

Saw my first 2001 Protege commercial last night, with the Protege ZOOM ZOOMing behind a Miata, and that cool little kid standing by the side of the road whispering, "Zoom zoom ..." It was cool. My wife thinks I'm totally whacko when I crank the volume during these commercials and bounce around on the sofa like I've lost my mind!!!

Two.

I had the most ear-to-ear grin yesterday on the way home from work after what I'm about to describe happened: I was coming out of one of our beloved TOLL BOOTHS on I-195 in Richmond, and I had accelerated up to about 35 mph when I noticed that the lane I was in was occupied ahead by a lumbering, slow-moving tractor-trailer. There was only one other lane available, and it was occupied at that point by a fairly new looking Mustang GT.

Now let me stop right here and say that I used to own a 1994 Mazda B2300 pickup that contained, unfortunately, a FORD engine. Among the many things that failed under its hood during the five hellish years I was stuck with it was a little item called a Throttle Position Sensor. OK, back to story:

I, the proud owner of a 2000 Protege ES 5-speed, popped my stick down into third and dumped the clutch. ZOOM ZOOM!!! I started accelerating, intending to get around the Mustang and pass the tractor-trailer. Well, the guy in the Mustang, which was right beside me, floored it (it obviously was an automatic), intending to keep me from implementing my plan. But to my total enjoyment and his utter embarrassment, the only response from his Mustang was a loud roar and a cloud of smoke from his dual exhaust pipes. The car didn't accelerate AT ALL!!! It was no problem passing him gracefully, with plenty of room to spare.

Thought you guys might like this. We need to stop discussing so much techno and finance stuff, and post some stories about how much FUN we have with our cars!!!

(BTW, believe it or not, I never broke the speed limit in the above post.)

ZOOM ZOOM ZOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!

Meadeball

maltb · February 2001

Great post Meade, but I'm not buying the part about not breaking the speed limit.

As far as your tribalistic disease that shows its symptoms when under the influence of Zoom, I think it's called Zoomnia. I believe it's a more severe strain of the Farvegnugen virus. Tell your wife there is no cure for this disease other than to keep it alive and well. A lack of Zoom would have very severe side affects.

nikecar · February 2001

I'm not talking stock sizes. a 16" can take a wider and more lower profile tire than at 15" mainly because as rim size increase, tire companies make wider and lower profile tires.

I'd like to see a 40 series on a 14" or even 15" for that matter.

leomort · February 2001

the Protege has front and rear disc brakes which are better the disc/drum combination. So with all disc brakes do you still need or want ABS?

Leo

maltb · February 2001

ABS is a steering function. Stopping distances are increased with ABS but it helps to keep you from sliding sideways in a brake/turn situation. I preffer not to have ABS(with the exception of rear ABS on a truck), but you should practice panic stops with both systems.

Lots more to post, but it gets boring.

utt · February 2001

In 1996 I paid 7K for a '93 Protege LX. Loved that car. Four years later it was totaled in an accident. Got 4.8K back. IMO a depreciation of 2.2K for 4 years of pleasurable driving wasn't too bad. Their resale value has certainly improved.

speedypt · February 2001

Pat (our distinguished and gracious host)...thank you for letting me know. I admit to not having read about all the new features of the software now being used. But I did get to place the 1st post! :-)

Larry, thanks man. It feels good to post in here. I consider all Protege owners my friends, and especially those that post here!

GOOD NEWS FOR THE DAY: I am flying out tomorrow to interview with a company in Chicago for a much better position (pay and environment). Wish me luck gang! If it works out, I will be back in the "Land of Lincoln" by the beginning of March for good.

BAD NEWS FOR THE DAY: I must be jinxed. I was following traffic up I-17 North on my way to work this morning. Brake lights, cars swerving, LARGE BOARD!!!! (Like a railroad tie) Slammed the brakes, swerved to the HOV lane, still hit part of the board. Pulled over and looked at my baby to find the passenger side of the front bumper scuffed badly, the splash shields were destroyed (those flimsy plastic covers underneath the front end) and some chips in the front of the bumper cover. Got an estimate already to the tune of $500. It could have been worse. The bumper cover will need to be repainted, the splash shields replaced, and I'll need to check my CV boots for cuts. Oh well...whaddagonnado? Other than the cosmetic damage, it seems to drive just fine. I made out better than those who hit it before me. (An Acura RL ahead of me took it full on and had three flat tires/bent rims and a LOT of front end damage.)

Meade...you're nuts....but I understand how you feel about those Zoom Zoom commercials. I crank the volume too! My wife just laughs.

Regards and TGIF!!

Pete

hkchan · February 2001

utt, the "problem" with Protege's resale value is not from year 3 to year 7. It's from new to year 3 for example.

hboyd · February 2001

ABS actually reduces stopping distance on nearly all road surfaces (except sand and gravel). ABS prevents skidding during straight-ahead braking too. Skidding increases stopping distances. A car with ABS will not skid during a panic stop. Only the '01 Protege ES comes with standard 4-wheel disc brakes (ABS is optional); 4-wheel discs are not available on the other trims. ABS is definately a must-have safety feature in my opinion -- even in sunny Southern California.

MARTIN

leomort · February 2001

for the '01 Protege ES is an option that I was debating getting. Sound like it's worth the $800 option. My auto insurance person say these features will only reduce my premiums by a few dollars but says it's a worthwhile safety investment.

Leo

hkchan · February 2001

I thought cars with ABS do skid, but not continuously like with no ABS. The system has to sense skidding (or wheels locking up) first before it can intervene. It does not predict skidding.

pcalvin · February 2001

My '01 ES does not have ABS. That would have been a must if I lived in Wisconsin, However now that I'm in San Diego-I didn't see the need. Also there wasn't a Pro ES available with that option when I wanted to buy one! I've only needed to use the ABS in my past cars during Winter. It was a lifesaver (literally) once on a snow/gravel/iced road. So if you live anywhere with snow I would recommend them. With the little rain we get here, I just can't see the need. Driving a bit more cautiously works just as well. IMO
About hkchan's post: My past cars with ABS didn't allow me to push down far enough on the brake to even start to skid. (most of the time) I could get the car to start skidding on the first hard braking maneuver once in a while. After that it was just an annoying chatter.
p.s. I would have liked the side air bags however.

nikecar · February 2001

they don't (or shouldn't skid) unless as hboyd says on sand and gravel or on any loose material on the road. The car senses when it is going to skid and applies the brakes in a pulsing motion to combate it. but since its all almost instantaneous, the only thing you feel is the hard pulsing coming from your brakes.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

After washing my protrge ( for the first time ), I found a lot of water on the inside of the doors. I do not know if anyone else has noticed this. Mine is a 2001. All the doors are the same. The doors seem to have a tight seal, but I guess not. I used armoral on the dash. The owners manual says to use a spray that is vinyl and leather safe....what is up with that. I do not see any leather in my car ( unless I am blind ). It all looks like plastic and vinyl.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

Mazda Protegé

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