Mazda Protege5

aardvark_mark · May 2001

I also read a couple months ago in some newsgroup that there were only 150 yellows.. So there may be some truth to that..

A dealer by me was expecting a yellow p5 loaded the first week in May which mysteriously never arrived

.. now he says he's only getting the other 4 colours (red, black, blue, silver)..

I also read somewhere that the first batch of p5's didn't have the ABS package.. so that's why u may have to wait til' August..

once again these are just things I read here and there when I was researching the p5.. not hard facts.. *shrug*

..

-Mark

tocan · May 2001

Again, of course, Canada and the U.S. are different, but almost all of the first batch of P5s here are fully loaded, either automatic or manual. (Not that there are so many options to load, but every one I have seen so far has moonroof.)

I haven't seen a yellow one either. The only one we know about for sure is the one the Jerry posted pictures of, which is in California somewhere. I must admit that I was surprised to see it, because I had been told about 2 months ago that the yellows would not be arriving in the first shipment at my nearest dealership. (But then the MP3 was supposed to come out before the P5 and it didn't so who knows.)

Good luck in your wait iamz! We'll see who gets their car first. ;-)

Nomi

brigidmary · May 2001

I saw an ad for the Mazda Protege5 Thursday night and fell in love with it. I was trying to find something I would find would match my tastes, since I love my trade in, a 2000 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel. When I went to the dealership on saturday morning, I didn't even expect to find one on the lot yet.

But there it was, brand new, RED, and an automatic! I fell in love immediately and had to take it home. I had originally been looking at the Toyota Celica, and I hated that it had very little pickup! The Pro5 has GREAT pickup for a 4 cylinder car, and I love the color and the sporty look of it. The sound system isn't exceptional, but it works for me.

My dealer said they weren't releasing anymore until late August, and he was actually reluctant to sell me the only one they were going to have on the lot, but of course he did. Good luck to everyone else looking. I love it so far!!

Sporin · May 2001

Hey gang, I test drove a Pro5 on Friday night and wrote it up for my website... here it is:

Mazda Protégé 5 Test Drive
As posted to the VW Vortex "Car Lounge" & www.nomadcom.com/dave

I called my local Mazda dealership and found out they had just received a Protégé 5 in. It was silver, with moonroof and manual tranny. It was their first one delivered. I left work early (yeah Friday!) to go take a look.

As is often the case, the salesman I had previously worked with there when I bought my 626 in 96 has left. These guys have a disgusting turnover rate. The good news was that the guy I had talked to on the phone was someone I knew from back in my pizza-slinging days. Seeing as I had thoroughly researched the car already, we went outside to take a look.

First impression: WOW! This is a GREAT looking small wagon. It as very short overhangs, and a nice, subtle body kit. Big round foglights, honeycomb "mesh" in the grill openings, "projector" looking headlights housed in a nicely shaped lens. This is what the WRX should have looked like. Very clean, nicely aggressive. It had the stock 16" alloys. A nice, 5-star rim shod with 195/50R-16 Dunlop SP5000s. It sits low, but not so much youd say it was slammed, a good stance to my eye with small wheel well gaps. All the accents are body colored: side sills, door trim, mirrors and the nice rear spoiler. The taillights were clearly Altezza-inspired, but not bad. They fit the overall look of the car well.

The rear hatch opens very high. If you are under 510" or so you wont bump your head. The cargo area itself is not huge, but when I folded down the 60/40 rear seatbacks it was flat and would easily suit my needs. Its really more of a big hatchback then a wagon in my opinion. Not necessarily a bad thing. The hatch had a wiper/washer and the roof had a nicely integrated rack with crossbars.

Looking in the engine bay, the first thing I noticed was clutter. There is a lot going on in there, wires and pipes going everywhere. There is also a bright red strut tower brace a nice touch. All the fill points were clearly marked and most had translucent boxes so checking fluids was easy, visually. I think this only was noticeable to me because VW uses a LOT of covers in the engine compartment, every thing is neatly hidden. So this realy isn't a bad thing, just not what I am used to.

I opened the door and sat down. The seat adjusts for height, with the front and back of the bottom cushion moving separately. This allowed me to find a good seating position. Noticeable difference right away from my Passat was that the Pro5 has less bolstering on the bottom cushion, but more on top. Also, the bottom cushion was longer, giving me good thigh support which I think is lacking in the Passat. I was able to sit nicely upright, as is my preference, with decent headroom, even with the moonroof. The interior materials are nice, the seats were covered in a cloth that felt sturdy, with a nice pattern. Quite different then the Passats standard "linterior."

The dash and doors are covered in various textures, dimples were common. A nice look, with a soft feel. The only hard shiny plastic was around the HVAC controls and the standard, in-dash 6CD Stereo. The surround is painted plastic, in a slightly bronze-ish color, not quite silver, but not really gold. I prefer the true silver in the ES 2.0 Sedan. This color appears in a few other places around the cabin and there is also a small bit of carbon-fiber look trim. Not as tacky as some of the trim in the Lexus IS, though not as elegant as VWs. I think the bronze-ish would look fine with the blue car color that I prefer, but with the silver, the bronze-ish just clashed.

The insruments are off-white and light up orangy-red at night. All the standard gauges were there, with big, chunky wiper and turn-signal stalks. A highlight was the sweet, Nardi 3-spoke steering wheel also found it the Miata. Noticeably smaller and thicker then the wheel in the ES 2.0, it had some dimpled areas and a very nice feel.

The car is basically loaded, power everything, mirrors included, AC, stereo, cruise control, the whole 9 yards.

Off for the drive! We bucked in and left on a nice loop I know well. I was careful not to beat on the car, and never revved past 3500-4k rpms. Even with 3 aboard, it had good pep. I had already done the math and knew that this car and my 99 Passat have a nearly identical power-to-weight ratio. I think that once its broken in it will move right along. I would suspect that high 7 sec. to low 8 sec. 0-60 times will be easy. The shifter felt very nice, chunking cleanly from slot to slot. It had a nice-feeling, dimpled shift knob.

The suspension rode noticeably firmer then my Passat with very little body roll in corners, even at higher then suggested speeds. Bumps were muted, but firmly so. I took an onramp at a good clip and you could really feel the suspension take its set it was a very clear, turn, roll a small bit, SET, hold and power out. I really paid attention to the dive under hard braking since this is something I dislike about my Passat. It was very well damped in the Pro5.

Overall, it was a nice ride. This particular car stickered for around $17,300 with the moonroof. A "base" car is $800 less.

Now I have drawn some comparisons to the Passat and that really isnt too fair. They are two very different cars, at very different price points. I liked the Pro5 a lot.. it had good pep, it looks great, and it really fits the budget.

My only dislikes were the questionable bronze-ish trim inside, and the unavailability of ABS unless you also get the moonroof. Not sure how Id go with that. I think it would be very cool to repaint those bronze trim pieces in the cody color.

hepworth1 · May 2001

I have read in a couple of posts that the yellow was hard to locate. I am in the outskirts of Montreal, and the dealer close by to me had two yellow ones in stock as well as two silver and one black one. I also have seen a yellow one on the road as well.Maybe Canada got a bigger allotmant of yellow Protoge5's. Haven't looked at other dealers in the area, but I have seen dealers advertising that that had all colors.

atatu · May 2001

Well took my wife to see the P5 on Saturday and she shot it down...too small. She's right, not a car for a 38 year old with two kids (I knew I was in trouble when Mazda ran an ad during "friends"...)Anyway, in Austin, I've seen three yellow ones at the dealers...

clairjuice · May 2001

I used to drive a 1990 626 Hatchback and I foolishly traded it in on a Kia Sportage. I love the looks of the P5 but I haven't seen one in person. My local Mazda dealer says they won't have any in until August! Has anyone seen this car in within a hundred miles of the Minneapolis area?

rworrell · May 2001

I spoke to my salesman at Morrie's earlier today and he said they have some Pro5's which are on a truck in Chicago and he thinks they might be here by the end of the week.

That's good news, right?

If you want to talk with him, email me at rworrell@usa.net and I can give you his contact information.

maltb · May 2001

Did you check with Walser in Burnsville?

iamz · May 2001

Thanks to everyone who responded to my request for info on the elusive yellow P5.

Terry

nomios · May 2001

I happened upon one of my local mazda dealerships yesterday. They just unloaded 5 Pro5's. They had the model I wanted. Silver with moonroof and AT. This thing looks so gooood! I got a good rate with mazda 4.9% and drove it home. So far it has been great. I was the second person to pick one up that day. The two other mazda dealers in salt lake city sold the Pro5s the first weekend they had them on the lot.

jstandefer · May 2001

Since we are getting a score of new Protege5 owners, how about linking this board in the Protege Owner's Club, or at least in the Mazda Owners folder? We have a lot of posts regarding the Protege5 in the sedan forums... thanks!

pocahontas · May 2001

I've put in the request. It should be there soon. Thanks! ;-)

Pocahontas
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons Message Boards

kcying1 · May 2001

Since we have some ppl already own a Protege 5
Let's group up and have our own nice forum

we should talk about the mod and after market stuffs ...
talk about exterior and interior mod, perfermance and handling

the problem is , who is going to hook the whole thing up
i will lead up for sure

aardvark_mark · May 2001

Hi guys.. so what's the deal on p5 pricing?.. I called mazda USA a couple days ago and they confirmed 1.9 apr is available for 24 & 36 months on the p5.. anyone sucessful getting that?

And are dealers asking msrp or are they willing to negotiate? I'm planning on buying a p5 as soon as a silver manual with moonroof is available in my area (NJ). Any info would be appreciated.. I'll be sure to post whatever I can when I buy for the rest of you.

I can't speak for everyone.. but of course I don't mean to be rude or pry.., if you don't wanna talk about what you paid that's perfectly understandable

being that there is no TMV available for the p5 this would be very helpful to us potential buyers..

alrighty then!! off to hunt for p5s!

Regards

-Mark

tocan · May 2001

I'd like to keep the Protege5 discussion with the Protege owner's group. Because we share the same engine as the 2001 LX 2.0 and ES 2.0 it makes sense to keep them together.

Nomi

rinarm · May 2001

Hello everyone,

I also called Mazda Irvine today and confirmed 1.9% or 4.9% financing on the P5. Also, confirmed same financing on all Mazda models except for the MP3 and of course the Tribute. I then went to my local Mazda dealer in Nevada and negotiated MSRP minus $700.00 on a P5 with M5, roof and ABS with 1.9% financing. Delivery expected within two weeks. As a matter of fact, the demo unit was silver manual with ABS and moon roof.

Based upon financing, my impression is Mazda is going to be very agressive about P5 sales.

import2k1 · May 2001

hey guys for the past few days i have been going to dealers wanting to get a protege5. One of them I went to today were d!cks trying to rip me off 2000-3000 over MSRP for a silver one! Please guys don't let the dealer rip you off! This car is kewl but it is not worth close to $20000 for a products is the same as a civic! If you guys can get MSRP or less it will help bring down the dealers trying to rip us off. Stay away from any dealer saying they will charge more for a color or for popularity. Remember it is all about supply and demand. If we let them have enough cars on their lot they will lower their prices!

BTW Stay away from the dealers in the Expressway area in San Jo.

//Import2k

hkchan · May 2001

"...for a products is the same as a civic!"
I'm sure some people may feel insulted by that. Hehe.

Sporin · May 2001

He's right, this is NOT a limited edition vehicle. It is NOT the MP3 with only 1200 ebing made.

Once supply starts rolling in, there will be plenty around. As you can see from Mazda's constant running of the commercials in prime time, they WANT to sell a LOT of these cars. I'll be shooting for $500-$800 over invoice at the end of the month.

Also, someone reported earlier that the current $500 rebate on Proteges applies to the Pro5 as well. Can anyone confirm that?

import2k1 · May 2001

Hey Guys sorry If I offended you about the civic line. I was just frustrated with dealer trying to rip us off. I mean paying msrp is already crazy and they have the nerve to tell me to my face how much I will am willing to pay over MSRP. They told me some poor guy bought a p5 for close to 20K last week. For close to 20 grand you might as well get a subaru rs 2.5 wagon with 4 wheel drive. The thing that is funny is the dealer told me that this p5 is catered to guys like us who would buy civic si's! So let's wait guys to buy this car. Remember there will be enough to go around. With so many cool cars coming around such as the Acura RSX, Altima in Sept, there are so much more cars to choose from.

Karen_S · May 2001

I have linked this discussion to Mazda Protege Owners. If you would like other discussions added to the folder, please let me know!

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

jstandefer · May 2001

Thanks KarenS!!!

tatu1 · May 2001

Paying over MSRP seems ridiculous, see my message number 205, I requested a quote via the Mazda web page for a P5 with Moonroof, and ABS and my dealer emailed me a price quote of $18,567, sticker was $19,615. This is in Austin, Texas.

hkchan · May 2001

MSRP is $19,615? MSRP of the base P5 is $16,815 including freight. Moonroof is $700 and ABS/SAB is $800. That's $18,315. Where's the other $1,300? Auto. Trans. ($800) and 6-Disc CD Changer ($500)?

tatu1 · May 2001

Sorry I left out those details...

hkchan · May 2001

That's a pretty good price: $480 over invoice, assuming no other bogus fees/add-ons. Maybe some will accept the S-Plan soon.

tocan · May 2001

Yet another difference between the 2 countries. While I don't think Canadians get as good discounts, my experience is that MSRP is the maximum price. No one asks for anything above that, even if the car is in high demand. (However, I don't have a lot of experience. LOL)

Nomi

aardvark_mark · May 2001

keep the info coming!.. I agree any dealer asking above MSRP is smoking crack

.. they want to sell a lot of these vehicles.. Friday I'm gonna try for $200 over invoice (with a $400 recent graduate credit) financing most of it on the 1.9apr.. i'll let ya know how it goes.

kcying1 · May 2001

HEY, I created a Forum for every of you guys

Please go there and support my work

http://pub70.ezboard.com/bprotegepower

kcying1 · May 2001

WHY

Sporin · May 2001

Well, I don't think you should be hurt because no one signed up in the first 4 hours you had it available.

What do you expect? Relax and give it time... if people really want it, then they will go.

BB's are only usedfull when there are a LOT of people on-board to share information. So it's a Catch-22 for you, poeple won't join until there are more members, and you can't get more members because poeple won't join until there are more members.

Good luck. I've bookmarked it and wil pop in from time to time... I'm registered btw. (SporinMorin)

Sporin · May 2001

Boy... I know it probably isn't your fault, but that BB is not letting me post, it won't recognise my registration, anything. And I'm no newbie either, I have been a net citizen for 5 years+... I design web pages for a living! Imagien someone with less experience trying to get things to wrk.

Too frustrating. Sorry.

vocus · May 2001

I know we have probably been over this already, but I am wondering how the actual cargo room in the back of the 5 is. Owners out there, how is it? Does it compare to the Focus wagon et. al? I was only asking, because the numbers for the 5 were a lot lower than those of a Focus if I rememeber correctly, even though the two wagons are about the same size. Thanks!

qbrozen · May 2001

"financing most of it on the 1.9apr"

MOST of it? Just some friendly advice. Finance EVERY LAST CENT at that rate. Then, if you want, you could take whatever you were going to use for a downpayment and put in in something as simple as a CD at your local bank and earn 5%. (Or, do something even more interesting.)

maltb · May 2001

I personally think there are some serious problems with the cargo numbers. I seem to remember seeing that it was ~19cu.ft. with the seat up and ~24cu.ft. with the seat down. How could you only gain 6cu.ft. by folding the seat? My guess is that it is off by about 15 cu.ft. but of course, that's a very informal guess.

Henry? you seem to have time to always work up numbers. Why not spend the afternoon measuring and calculating that out for all of our inquiring minds? Don't I have one favor left?

hkchan · May 2001

Thanks but how do I do that without a Protege5? I have the ES2.0. There's definitely something wrong with those numbers as I suggested.

maltb · May 2001

Stand the P5 up on end, and fill it up with a metered garden hose until the water level reaches the back of the front seats. Give the dealer $5 for the inconvenience. It's simple.

hkchan · May 2001

I still need to give the dealer a check for the balance today and they "did" have a Silver Protege5.

vocus · May 2001

I didn't think it made much sense either, only gaining 6 cubic feet by folding the rear seatbacks. The cargo room should be comparable to the Focus wagon, as I said, because they are about the same size.

I was asking because my roommate was talking about getting another car to replace his 2000 Neon that's always in the shop. He drove my 2001 ES 2.0 and liked it alot, but was also thinking about a pickup truck. I told him he should consider the Protege 5. He doesn't haul alot, maybe like a cabinet here or there for the house, so a wagon would be more practical than a truck I would think. I wanna wait until the P5s are here at Maryland dealerships (they might be though, as I haven't checked yet) and check one out in person.

jstandefer · May 2001

Unfortunately, the cargo room in the P5 is considerably less than the Focus Wagon. My friend just bought one about two months ago, and there is just a lot more room back there. For one, the rear liftgate is totally vertical, from the bumper to the roof creating a big box. The P5's rear liftgate is vertical from the bumper to the bottom of the glass where it then slants forward at a pretty good rake. Also, the Focus's cargo area with the rear seats up is about twice as long as the P5's. However, the P5 is certainly more stylish and drives with much more authority than the Focus wagon. They were both definitely designed with different goals in mind.

esto · May 2001

Where did the P5 get the "wagon" designation? It's not a station wagon, it's a hatchback, pure and simple.

mazdafun · May 2001

My dealer just phoned me to tell me they just received a P5 in black (too hot during the summer....plus the Darth Vader aspect of it all...give me bright red). I'll bring along my tape measure and let you guys know what I find out...assuming they don't sell it before I get there tonight (they sold their first one the same day they received it).

My dealer also said they're scheduled to receive only 13 of these this year. Does that make sense to any of you that they'd get so few?

Sporin · May 2001

The Pro5 is NOT a limited edition as far as everything I have read has said. So I would expect they will get plenty of them over time. They might only get 13 out of the first batch or something though.

The MP3 is a limited edition car, and some dealers have so little product knowledge that they might be confusing the 2. Or they migh tbe tryin got confuse you. :-(

Either way.... don't let the dealer dupe you into a "buy it quick before it's gone and we won't get another one" sales pitch. They may dribble in at first, but I would suspect that by fall, they will be plentiful.

Just my opinion based on stuff I have read.

aardvark_mark · May 2001

I hear ya man.. I guess what I meant to write was..
"financing as much as they allow me on 1.9APR"..
because that is my intention

.. I called Mazda on the phone and they said you need like super-perfect credit to do the 1.9APR.. so we'll see 2morrow

..

Thanks for the input! -Mark

maltb · May 2001

http://www.shockwave.com/bin/shockwave/entry.jsp?content=skyracer&version=8

tocan · May 2001

Well, they tell me that there is a red automatic with airconditioning with my name on it in port (I assume in Vancouver, but maybe not.) In about 2-3 weeks I should have my new beastie. I can't wait!

Nomi

maltb · May 2001

A little excited? As you walk down the street, does everything seem to remind you of your red beastie? Did your boss catch you tracing little P5s on the report that you were suppose to give her?

I think you are in love...(tissues please)...it's so beautiful.

aardvark_mark · May 2001

My spaceship handled like a shopping cart!! hope the p5 handles better than that

import2k1 · May 2001

hey guys, I went to another dealer and saw the p5 on top of the truck. When they brought it down I noticed that it was the exact one that I wanted. I went through the process and was able haggle the car down to MSRP. Since disagree with paying MSRP I went for the kill $600 less. If edmunds is right this is approx 800 over invoice which to me is pretty reasonable. The guys did not take it so i walked away politely and said thank you. So, I was wondering what other P5 owners and buyer go there cars at. is everyone paying at or over msrp?

BTW If you are in the Steven' Creek San Jose area, looking for this car ask for a guy named Jim. He's a decent guy. Thanks!

Mazda Protege5

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