Mazda Protege Owners: Meet the Members

protegextwo · January 2002

Hi Brad, you live in Macungie Pa? I live in Lancaster Pa. :-) Welcome to this discussion, congrats on your 2001 PRO-ES purchase. My wife and I own a pair of Emerald Mica 2000 PRO-ES's! We have a little over 33,000 miles on each car. Zero problems so far. BTW, I'm 42. Post often and share your thoughts and ideas!

-Larry

dinu01 · January 2002

Join us for our regular chat on the PRO sedan board.

Dinu

Karen_S · March 2002

Last week, Edmunds rolled out new pricing pages. Along with this is a new "consumer ratings & reviews". This functionality lives in the "consumer opinions" area of the new vehicle detail page, and allows users to rate a vehicle on a number of different criteria (1 to 10 scale), as well as add his/her own free-form comments.

If you have some time, we would really appreciate Town Hall members writing a review of their current auto, or a favorite make/model. It takes approximately a week for your review to appear on that make/model.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Thanks!

KarenS
Host
Owners Clubs

wjk57 · July 2002

My name is Bill Kibler, I'm from Ft. Lauderdale, and I have recently purchased a white 2002 Protege5. I love everything about this car -- the exterior and interior styling, the accelleration, and the cargo space. BUT, my GAS MILEAGE IS HORRIBLE!!! I have 897 miles on the car and am averaging 16.5 MPG. What's that all about?????? Anyone else having this problem?? Is there anything I can do about it?

boggse · July 2002

Sounds like you are maybe enjoying the acceleration too much. I haven't heard of anyone experiencing fuel economy numbers that low.

mazdafun · July 2002

Most seem to be high 20s.

Keep track of it. If it continues, bring it up to your dealership's attention.

Oh yeah, manual or automatic? And congratulations.

mdaffron · July 2002

Is yours an automatic? Got that overdrive on?

Welcome to the club; please come over to the sedans discussions "Mazda Protege" and "Mazda Protege5" and join us. You can also chat with us on Tuesdays at lunchtime and on Thursday evenings at the Yahoo! group mazdaprotege.

Welcome!

Meade

smoke286 · May 2003

I own a 99 Protege SE. I intended to purchase a new Mazda 6, which is a great car. then the other day I took a new Protege ES out for a test run. What a fun car! It is an excellent car and drives like a dream. I still like the Mazda 6, but I cannot justify all that extra money when I can get the drive I want from this little beauty. I plan to buy the new ES next week

smoke286 · May 2003

Posted that in the wrong place, didnt I? Oh well, I'm a 45 year old Professional Firefighter from Newfoundland, I have owned 3 Mazdas (2 of which were Proteges) and plan to purchase a new one shortly.

the_big_h · May 2003

perhaps you can hold out a little longer for the Protege replacement, the Mazda3, which will come out in 2004 :-)

enjoy your '99 a little bit longer!

ashutoshsm · May 2003

"Mazda3"
AND
"Upcoming Mazda3 - Hatch / Wagon"

Care to explain your user ID, smoke?

smoke286 · June 2003

Nope couldnt wait, I love my new ES, it is a cool car

telltom · July 2003

Hi folks, i'm also a new member here. I just got the 2000 ES with 37K on the clock. Runs like new and i love the car more than my traded in 98 v6 SE Contour. It even out-handles it. I don't really miss the extra power as it was mostly in the 40 to 70 mph range anyway.
The Protege ES has the extra option of Sunroof, side airbags and ABS. I'm having a lot of fun with it and i'll be watching the board. Tom

mazdafun · July 2003

Good choice.

mdaffron · July 2003

Wish mine was yours.

I own a 2000 ES I bought brand new back in May 2000. But I've got 59,000 miles on mine!

Meade

telltom · July 2003

I got it for $10,000. It was a hard choice at the dealer. He had two 2000 ES. Both Silver with gray interior. Both $10,000. One had 30,000mi and one had 37,500. The choice sounds easy, right? Well, the one with the higher miles also had a sunroof, side airbags and ABS brakes. It also has a burn hole in the driver's seat and a scratch on the glove box.
The lower mileage one was pristene condition.
I took the smokers car. It just seemed to drive better and feel tighter. Anyway, i'll be sitting on the burn hole and won't notice it. LOL.
Another consideration was the warranty. I paid an extra $460 for Mazda certified warranty. It will give me a bumber to bumber for up to 62,000mi. I didn't stop there. I also bought an extended warranty with a $100 deductable for up to 7yr, 100,000mi.

chiyo · August 2003

(I've been posting in the Protege board but forgot to introduce.)

I'm from St.Louis area, and I recently purchased a used 2002 Protege LX auto with 24K miles on it. I love driving this car, and am looking forward to drive more Mazda's.

philippa76 · August 2003

I'm a kindergarten teacher from Somerville, MA. Just purchase a black mica 2003.5 P5. No options except Sport AT. Got it for about $17k out the door with Gap Insurance and 0% financing. So far it's only got _160_ miles on it, and I love it.

Take care,

Philippa

spencer19 · August 2003

This board doesn't seem real busy, but I'll say hi here before I go over to the main board.

I'm Terri, in northeast Ohio, just got a silver P5 last week. Plillipa76, you have me beat - I've got a little over 200 miles so far... :-)

zoommp5 · August 2003

Hello ALL ! I've read the board many times before and after buying my MP5 but finally registered today.

I bought my car July 3rd 2002, and have surpassed the 30k mile barrier just over a year later (though the car was out of service for 7 weeks due to an accident 12/16/2002 ... boo hoo ... but was repaired as good as new). Every morning as I walk into the garage I look at my car and LOVE it. I waited 12 weeks for 'my ship to come in' quite literally as I wanted a specific option list and color. The only thing I gave into was not having leather seats. I had to have the vivid yellow, sport AT, and moonroof. I got that plus the fancy center mirror, which I didn't care about but now love. I hope that it lasts me many years, but I was checking on it's replacement the MP3 but I haven't decided if I like it or not. I've also been eyeing the MP6's station wagon, very nice.

I am definitely very glad to have broken free of the Ford Taurus syndrome (owned 3 of them 200k miles each) and am looking to be zooming around for many many miles.

Karen_S · October 2003

Premiering October 7!!!

Mazda Mania Chat
Tuesday nights - 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET.

mazdafun · October 2003

My name too!

chrison · October 2003

Hi guys,

My name is Chrison. Just got a silver Pro ES with 4 sp. I have so far clocked 1500 km. no problem. The car is solidly built, no rattles (unlike my other car, Jetta 1.8T). I had driven quite a few cars, and I really like my ES's handling. Ride is a bit harsh but still tolerable. I have two minor complaints and one wish. Complaint 1: the motor is a bit underpower although i still consider it as adequate. Complaint 2: the gas mileage is on the low side....it's hobbling at around 10.5 L/100 km.... Hope it will improve as the odometer keeps ticking. My wish: I really wish I can connect an aux-in to the stock CD player so I can plug in my MP3 player. Does anyone know an affordable way to do it? Thank you very much. Nice to meet you all by the way.

Chrison

boggse · October 2003

Welcome to the club. The easiest way to plug your MP3 player into the stereo is a cassette adapter. If you don't already have the cassette player module in your head unit, then it would be cheaper to replace the head unit with an aftermarket one that had an aux-in. If you are feeling daring, you could try to get this to work:

http://nxmx5.com/aux_in.html

I have seen the connector he uses on the back of the Protege head unit, but I do not know if it will work with the current model. I haven't had the time to try, so try this at your own risk. Personally, I favor a new head unit since it will sound better anyway, but the Protege5 is my wife's daily driver, and she likes the OEM look.

dinu01 · October 2003

Congrats on the new purchase. What made you switch from a Jetta to a PRO? As for you head unit question, see #284 - I like the look of the head unit. I added a CD changer in the trunk. If you want to keep it simple (ie: eliminate any "issues") you can always add a Cd changer, amp and replace the speakers if you care about the stock head unit.

Dinu

chrison · October 2003

Thank you guys!

Actually I didn't replace the Jetta with a Pro. The Jetta is a 02 and it's here to stay. I replaced our old Camry with the Pro. I have also thought of replacing the head unit, but it's still kind of new (1500 km only) and I would like to wait until a bit later. Besides, I found the stock head until very egonomic. I know brands like Pioneer sell aux cables that allows connection to the head unit. BTW, IMHO the Jetta's Monsoon sounds significantly better than Pro's. Unfortunately I accidentally busted one of the tweeters two weeks ago..... covered warranty though.

Chrison

blitzboi · October 2003

Hi All,

I'm new here, so please cut me some slack...

Our company just got a new fleet car, a nice laser blue p5. Very slick. Anyway, I was under the impression that the key fob was just for remote key less entry like on our other fleet vehicles (GM minivans).

However, one day I found the car beeping and flashing outside my house. And no, I didn't push the red button on the remote either. I didn't even have the remotes with me at the time.

When I get a chance I'm going to do some 'scientific' testing to see what sets the darn thing off exactly.. bumps? Handle pulling? Dunno..

Do all 2003 P5's in Canada have this alaram or did we just get lucky? I don't recall anything about an alarm in the dealer/lease company docs.

Thanks in advance!

blitzboi · October 2003

Hi All,

I'm new here, so please cut me some slack...

Our company just got a new fleet car, a nice laser blue p5. Very slick. Anyway, I was under the impression that the key fobb was just for remotekey lessss entry like on our other fleet vehicles (GM minivans).

However, one day I found the car beeping and flashing outside my house. And no, I didn't push the red button on the remote either. I didn't even have the remotes with me at the time.

When I get a chance I'm going to do some 'scientific' testing to see what sets the darn thing off exactly.. bumps? Handle pulling? Dunno..

Do all 2003 P5's in Canada have this alaram or did we just get lucky? I don't recall anything about an alarm in the dealer/lease company docs.

Thanks in advance!

chrison · October 2003

Bud, I thought you just got lucky

In Canada, anti-theft system is merely an accessory in any Protege. They don't even come with an engine immobilizer (Civics do). But somehow the dealer etched the windows no charge. what a consolation!

Chrison

steven39 · November 2003

hi folks, well i have had my protege es for about 1 month and iam closing in on 1000 miles. i recentley went through some difficult financial issues regarding buisness, and a messy divorce. so i was basically looking for a cheap new car to drive for a few years till i got back on my feet again, well the protege turned out to be anything but cheap except in the price debt but not in build quality. this car far exceeded my expectations. instead of being just cheap transportation it is a very solid car and rides very nice i got the fully loaded pro es with auto, 6disk-moonroof pack,abs-side airbag pack and the alloys look real cool as well.all for 17,000 otd.not bad plus great warranty,and loaner cars for warranty work as well.hopefully the car will stand the test of time.steve

protege_fan · November 2003

Have fun in your new Pro!!

mazdafun · November 2003

You'll find the Protege rewarding beyond its price tag, like many of us have.

steven39 · November 2003

thanks everyone, and iam looking forward to posting very positive reviews regarding my pro es if the way its rideing now is any indication. just went over the 1000 mile mark so now that iam basically out of the so called break-in period i can open it up a little bit and put some zoom-zoom- into the car, and hopefully the fuel economy will improve as well as i put on more miles.thanx. steve

mole_hunter · December 2003

Hey all.
I am the proud new owner of a Mazda Protege5. It was purchased new a little more than a month ago. It was my wife who actually saw it/loved it/drove the purchase process, but I really like the car as well.

We got it fairly loaded: AT, moonroof, abs/side air bags, 6 disc changer, leather, polished wheels, and roof rack. Silver color outside, black inside. It looks very sharp. (My wife wanted the AT, I would have preferred the manual; but it's not a big deal.)

I love the way that it handles but it is too bad that the engine feels uninspired. Just doesn't seem to be much of anything there. I don't know if it is the AT or the engine, though. I have used the sport shifting feature off and on and it still seems to be sluggish, so I figure it's the engine.

The one problem that we are having with it is the gas mileage. I have seen a few others here mention it, too. The sticker said 25/30 but we have been hovering in the 22-25 range ever since we got it. We even removed the roof rack a few tanks ago to see if that would have an effect. (It doesn't seem to have changed much, which is good; the roof rack adds a nice touch to the sporty look of the car.) This is the same type of driving that gives me 30-32 MPG in our old car (a Mazda 626 4 cylinder). We haven't taken it in to the dealer yet, but we are getting very close to that. Everyone we mention it to says that it needs to be broken in some or it is the cold weather. The other car still gets 30+ in this cold weather, though...

Anyway, love the car so far. Will continue to enjoy it as long as we figure out this gas mileage thing.

J

mazdafun · December 2003

And hang in there. I think mpg increases after the first 1-3k.

Other things you can try:

Increase tire pressure from 32 to 34psi (the setting on my wife's P5).

Use synthetic motor oil.

Use a clean air filter (or replace more frequently than called for in the manual).

Removing the roof rack only makes a noticeable difference at highway speeds.

Winter formulations of fuel typically have less energy capacity, so expect about a 3-5% drop in mpg.

My wife complains about the mpg she gets in her P5, as it's a little lower than that of her old SL2. But she now averages 29mpg (not bad for a wagon IMO). She averaged 26mpg when her P5 was new. The transmission is geared more for acceleration feel, and the throttle is also calibrated for launch feel. Feather the throttle when starting and coast as much to stops. That by itself will probably give you a couple more mpg. However, it does take a bit of fun out of launches and stops. And try to carry more speed through corners. The P5 is very capable in this regard and it's a load of fun too. But it will wear your tires a bit more, though it will wear your brakes a bit less.

boggse · December 2003

Since you have only had your P5 for about a month, I would wait until after your first oil change before getting too concerned about fuel economy. Even though the engine doesn't have a mandated break-in period, I have found with both my 2.0L Proteges that fuel economy improves significantly after ~5,000-10,000 miles. Also, use Chevron gasoline or add Techron additive to keep your fuel injectors clean. Since I do not have a Chevron nearby, I get it whenever I travel, and the engine usually seems more responsive after about a half tank, and fuel economy always improves.

Ted

gcboyd1 · December 2003

Always been a Toyota family, decided to take a chance on this Mazda. Seems like the Pro is a worthy alternative to Corolla/Civic. Anything about this model/year that I should be aware of? Keep in mind the standards to which I've become accustomed with Corollas (one '93 and one '03).

Thanks, all!

chikoo · December 2003

only diff would be ride quality and alongwith that the road noise.
Other than that, It can't be beat.
Honestly, interior trim is too good, as is the space.

just enjoy your zoom zoom.

PF_Flyer · January 2004

Don't miss the newest addition to our live chat events here in Town Hall. Join us every Tuesday from 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET for our Mazda Mania Chat!

Whether you own a Mazda, would like to own a Mazda, or just like going ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM... be sure to stop by and meet and greet your fellow Town Hall users! (We may even pull out some Mazda triva questions)

/direct/view/.ef1b553

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Pickups & News & Views Message Boards

PF_Flyer · February 2004

I got the chat room plowed out!! It's safe to come in! LOL

cody54 · February 2004

Greetings everyone, I am new to this site and a prospective first time buyer of a Mazda Protege5 Sport wagon. I am looking at a 2003 that lists for 17,745 and with rebates is selling for 14,000. It sounds like a good deal, but I am concerned about its performance in snow, as I live in the northeast. The salesman has told me I can put 15inch snows in place of the 16inch Dunlops that are currently on the car. Has anyone else changed the tire size, and is it okay to do so, I am not very mechanically minded and I am going into this with very little knowledge of the Mazda line. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

pappy55 · February 2004

Sounds like an OK deal for 14k, but I would try to get them a little lower. It is a leftover, afterall. But still a great car. Glad I got one before they all gone.

Lots of people have gone w/ the 15" wheel/snow tire combo from tirerack.com (I haven't though). Last snow/ice here in N.C. my SP5000Ms seemed to do ok, although they only have 3000 miles on them.

cdnp5 · February 2004

I do have snows tires (and need them) up here and love it. At first you will notice a bit of a difference but considering its winter, you will be driving slower anyway. I wouldn't leave the Dunlops on it if you didn't have to. Plus this will help the Dunlops last longer as they don't have a long tread life (25-40k miles, depending on your driving).

andrewk · February 2004

I bought my P5 last week after a bit of work and research. I worked with 3 dealers willing to go $5000-5100 off who were about 100-150 miles away. After I got my best deal, I gave my local dealer the opportunity to match the price and he did. Mine stickered for 17.8 and I bought it for 12.7!!

I have been out on snow once with the stock 16 tires and it did okay.

andrewk · February 2004

Hi, my name is Andy and I am the proud owner of a new Protege5. I apologize for my last post without introducing myself first.

As I mentioned, I bought mine last week at a nice discount ($5100 off). I wanted and got a 5 speed and the only option was the ABS and side air bag package.

I am absolutely thrilled with this car!! All of the positive attributes that I read in all the reviews are there: great handling, great build quality, great value, etc., etc., etc.

I find the power more than adequate as I joyfully crank through the gears.

The suspension is admittedly a bit firm, but it is not bothersome to me. However, I do not like taking the car much above 70 mph as it gets a bit to busy and buzzy for me. This car will be a urban runabout for me, so this really isn't a problem.

I could not be any happier with this car!!!

mazdafun · February 2004

My wife and I are quite pleased with her P5, and I'm very happy with my Protege. Yours should reward you with fun reliable service, as ours have.

kenv · June 2004

Hi all,
I've been reading this Forum for over a month now. Started in the Mazda3 forum, but after I came to grips with the fact that I probably wouldn't be able to get in one (based on my budget) I decided that the Protege would be my 2nd choice. If I had the time, I may have held out; however, my old car was a 92 Nissan Maxima with 198,700 miles on it. It would stall on me at random times and the A/C was not blowing cold. Here in Dallas they both are issues. I got my money's worth out of her. So I was hoping to at least be able to drive her on a lot for a trade.
I located several Proteges (over the internet) still new on a few area lots and checked them out. Unfortunately, they sold by the time I got to them. I did notice that they sold for about 5,000 under MSRP so I used that ammo to help buy the ES I found on a lot near my work. The sticker was $18,060 w/ABS, side air-bags, and wheel locks. I managed to get them down to $13,900 including my trade ($600.00 towards TTL).
After reading some more on this site I decided to go with the Mazda extended warranty - because I will keep the car for a while. Got 7yrs/100,000 w/$50 deductible for $799.00.
I am very pleased with car. It's white, which wouldn't have been my first choice since my Maxima was white, but now I'm pleased with the color too. Wish it had the moonroof and 6 disc in-dash changer though. Anyway, it's all you guys have said yours were, and I look forward to driving mine every time I get in it. It had 114 miles on it (brand new) when I drove it off the lot. Now, I'm up to about 700 "babied" miles.
A few things I want to do is to tint the windows (right away) and upgrade the speakers to the Kenwoods that many of you have gone with. I've checked out the on-line Mazda sites you have mentioned you purchased yours at, but I've also seen some on Ebay for less. Debating whether to go with the Mazda ones because of the factory wiring/connectivity or save on the Ebay ones. Also would like to know how easy the speakers are to get to for self-install. I visited tboggs' homepage (http://homepage.mac.com/tboggs/Menu7.html) where he shows pics of his installs, but I'm not too car audio savvy. Plus I don't want to risk causing any cosmetic damage. I will try though if you all advise that it's easy. Any help here would be greatly appreciated.
Also, what are anyones thoughts on going with an early oil change for the first one? Or, should I just wait for the 1st scheduled one?

Thanks for your time - if you took the time to read this. This is a great forum and has been a great help so far.

Aim High!
KenV

PF_Flyer · June 2004

New faces are ALWAYS welcome...

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mdaffron · June 2004

You may wind up being the final owner of a new Protege to post information here. I thought that by mid-2004 all the 2003s would be long-gone!

Welcome to our happy family. Some of the long-time regulars (Larry, Protegextwo; and Dinu; to name two) have just jumped ship for new cars (Larry traded his two 2000 ES's for two Pontiac Vibes and Dinu traded his Protege for a Mazda3), but they still hang around and offer advice. I still own my 2000 ES and my wife drives a 2002 Protege5. I plan to trade my Protege, which is still going very strong at 75,500 miles, for a Mazda3S 5-door next May, but we'll probably keep the Protege5 for a couple more years since it only has 30K on it. At any rate I plan to stick around here as new owners always show up -- used Proteges make pretty good deals!

Welcome, and enjoy! I'm 75,000 miles ahead of you, and zooming ever on!

Meade

mazdafun · June 2004

It should treat you well.

The front speakers in the door are fairly easy to get at. Just remember to take your time and don't force anything (except for the grip on the passenger door, after you've removed all the screws you need to pop some snaps). Wiring isn't hard. If you go with the Mazda-supplied ones, it's just unclip the old ones and clip the connectors to the new ones. Other than that, Crutchfield may supply adapters if you buy from them. If not, then you'll need to use a soldering iron.

On the driver door, make sure you disconnect (and reconnect) the power window and side-mirror control boards from their wires when you remove the trim panel.

The speakers in the rear deck can be a hassle to replace, but the results are worth the effort, I think. It took me more time to do those than the ones in the front doors. I didn't figure out how to remove the panel completely, but got it detached enough I could work underneath it to replace the speakers. You may break a few of the plastic fasteners here, but you can always buy replacements from your parts department.

I didn't post pictures, but I did describe in text how I replaced mine in the Protege Accessories and Modifications board (msgs 272 and 274). You can go to that board, do an "advanced search" for "speaker" and "replacement" in the message text and restrict the search to just that board. It'll list every message posted about the subject in that board.

Mazda Protege Owners: Meet the Members

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