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Mazda Protege5

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Comments

  • sharonfsharonf Member Posts: 120
    Try to have a little patience okay.....you know...not all of us have been on this message board since the beginning....and maybe Toronado didn't feel like scrolling through 3500 postings to see if his/her problem had already been addressed. I pretty much did that one weekend while sick....and it was not enjoyable.
    It's nice of you and others to share their knowledge/information/experience....but no need to be smart-a**ed about it.
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    So you mean you buy your car at one place, and plan to go to another place and ask for few services? I'm not sure the dealer will like it. It sounds like your problem is more a question of *cooperative* from the dealer - as you put it - than purely technical. I second others's members, it shouldn't be difficult (technically) to install the moonroof reflector and swap the wheels.

    Just for reference, in Germany, a certain VW dealer refused to service a car which is bought from somewhere else. The court orders them to pay a penalty if they continue to do such thing. So they did!

    Bruno
  • sharonfsharonf Member Posts: 120
    No...I wasn't planning on buying from one dealer and having the other do the work. I'm dealing at the moment with Cars Direct - as my local dealers have left me feeling less than confident with them. I know more about the car and the update than they do! Anyways...Cars Direct said they have one due to arrive at one of their dealers....I"m going to ask them if that dealer would be willing to switch the wheels and add the deflector.
    I'll see what the cars direct specialist has to say.

    Sharon
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    As of this morning, we have:

    14 Proteges:

    1991: 1 LX
    1992: 1 LX, 1 DX
    1993: 1 LX, 1 DX
    1994: 1 DX
    1995: 2 DX
    1997: 1 DX
    2000: 2 ES, 1 DX
    2002: 2 Protege5
    (That's a record, y'all)

    ... and ...

    1 Jetta (now who could THAT be? ...)

    And 21 people from the following states: Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York and Connecticut

    ... coming to the third-annual Mid-Atlantic Protege Picnic, taking place in the mountains of northern Virginia on Saturday, May 18! Wanna come? Check out the Yahoo group mazdaprotege, or e-mail me directly at:

    mdaffron@the-rma.org

    Looking forward to it! 33 days, everyone!

    Meade
  • cdnp5cdnp5 Member Posts: 163
    Hey gang -- I went to an autocross (I think this is what it is called, driving through pylons on a marked course) on the weekend and it was really exciting. There was one Mazda GLC that looked like it was set up for racing (stripped, roll bar, only a driver's seat, you get the idea) that was at the event and lots of other cars from a Suzuki Swift 1.6 to a brand new Corvette with a race motor (read tonnes of hp and torque). I didn't enter my P5 but really wanted to see how I would do. There is another event in two weeks that is for practicing before the races start for the summer. Someone was nice enough to take me around for a race lap in their Z28 and it was a very quick sub 50 seconds. I've always thought that race car drivers are in great shape but this give me a new level of respect for them as what I had the chance of doing is nothing even close to what its like in a F1 car. Has anyone ever done this with their P5 or any other car? What do you think about this? For those in my area (London Ontario, Canada) these events are held at the Delaware Speedway race track in Delaware just outside London. Their website is "www.wosca.com" if you want more info.
  • birdman_1birdman_1 Member Posts: 14
    I was southbound on Howell Ave, you were northbound at 7:45 this morning. I woulda waved sooner but I was just getting OFF work at 7:45 am and my reaction time at that hour is a little slow!

    Drive safe and enjoy this weather!
  • vilainefemmevilainefemme Member Posts: 49
    *laugh* Yep, birdman_1, that was me on my way to work. I was thinking the same thing..

    (singing along to the Clash) "hey. HEY! That was just a silver P5 that passed me. Wonder if that was birdman??"

    So it wasn't until you had already passed that I thought about waving. Next time I'll try harder. That was still the first time I've seen a silver P5 on the road in Milwaukee.

    vf (Jessica)
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    Let's me try to understand, you have slow reaction but still drive fast, right? LOL

    Happy zoom zoom.

    Bruno
  • dwryterdwryter Member Posts: 87
    Sharon, my P5 was an advertiser with less profit than usual. The dealer was not anxious to remove the polished wheels for me (I didn't want them) and lose that markup. So I suggested he replace them with the stock wheels but knock only $400 off the price instead of the full $500. He got an extra $100 and the sale, and I saved $500 off the price I had been ready to pay at another dealer until I'd seen his ad.

    Best of luck on our negotiation.
  • mnkyboymnkyboy Member Posts: 108
    Revka had to delete my first post. Sorry about that. That pic isnt copywrited, but rules are rules i guess. See below for my repost.
  • mnkyboymnkyboy Member Posts: 108
    I originally wanted to find out if this pic was a Protege 5, but I answered my own question by doing some research. Apparently there is a company in California that customizes cars to have a full sunroof. PopSci had an article about the new and future options on vehicles, and the huge moonroof was one of them (with the pic of the Protege 5).
  • mnkyboymnkyboy Member Posts: 108
    Protege 5 with full sunroof.

    Rear of Protege 5
    http://www.performancewestgroup.com/vehicles/2001/mazdaprotege/images/rear.jpg
  • mnkyboymnkyboy Member Posts: 108
    Front of Protege 5
    http://www.performancewestgroup.com/vehicles/2001/mazdaprotege/images/front.jpg

    Sorry about the (3) separate messages, but why only 115 characters? Ive seen post longer than that...
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    Thats pretty cool. I still want a P5 convertible.
  • revkarevka Member Posts: 1,750
    Determining whether a pic may be violating any copyright protections is not the easiest task for me. Since you mentioned the pic was from Popular Science, I was thinking better safe than sorry.... Hope you understand. Nice pics, btw. Thanks again for sharing those. ;-)

    Revka
    Host
    Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards
  • mnkyboymnkyboy Member Posts: 108
    Hey, I understand. There has to be rules here, otherwise things could get out of control! LOL :)
  • mustang87mustang87 Member Posts: 129
    i like that p5. how much do they want for the roof job. i am not going to get even if its free because aftermarket sunroofs are not quality and WILL eventually leak and reduce price of the car.
    it looks good though.
  • boopoppaboopoppa Member Posts: 48
    so today I went to my local BMW dealership and sat in the new mini cooper S. *sigh* i'm in love. this car rocks! i dind't have enough time to take it for a test drive, but we're talking 165 hp in a teeny car. zoooooom!!!! the inside was soo cool with all it's toggle switches. i thought i was in some car designed for james bond that had all these secret weapons.

    as much as I adore my pro5, i would have to say that the mini exceeds my adoration, but it's also out of my budget right now, so I await the day that I finish med school and residency :-)
  • toronado455toronado455 Member Posts: 83
    I drove another P5 today and it was a very interesting experience. The salesman drove the car off the lot and then we switched. Right as I started to drive the car the salesman said to me "the windows in the P5 don't roll all the way up so you will notice a wind whistling sound" !!!!!!!!!

    I couldn't believe it! I had said NOTHING to this person about having heard wind whistling noises in P5's. In fact I didn't even tell him that I had ever driven a P5 before and the first thing out of this guy's mouth was that I was going to hear a wind whistling noise! We didn't ever drive fast enough to hear the noise on this particular test drive. I find it hard to believe that the windows don't roll all the way up. I am driving a Protege sedan right now that has no wind noises and I can assure you the windows roll all the way up. I would be very suprised if the P5 windows didn't roll all the way up but it does have different rear doors than the sedan so I suppose that is a possibility.

    But to respond to minkyboy, I didn't quite understand what he meant by installing a moonroof deflector would solve all the problem since cars WITHOUT the moonroof make the noise too. If however removing the roof rack cross members and installing the flat inserts solves it I would be happy. But if the cause is the windows not rolling all the way up like the salesman said that would give me some concerns to say the least.
  • sunbyrnesunbyrne Member Posts: 210
    Richard, you should never, ever talk to that sales guy again--that's a crock. The windows most certainly do roll up all the way in the P5. That's just so patently absurd I don't even know what else to say...
  • coznefxcoznefx Member Posts: 35
    I too had my first look at the Mini this weekend and was pretty impressed by what I saw. BMW has done a fine job outfitting the car with all their bells and whistles. The car is rock solid, in fact it weighs almost as much as a P5. Even so, while I love the design (inside and out) I still have serious misgivings about the size, which while much larger than the original is still SMALL (the P5 is cavernous by comparison). Having just sold my Alfa Spider for a P5, I'm not sure I'm ready to trade practicality for novelty...yet....especially for the almost inconceivable $5000 premium this particular dealer had tacked onto the sticker. Sleazy!

    One other thing...my girlfriend and I were shopping for a new car for her. She's in a "slightly" higher income bracket than me (to say the least). Anyhow, we were looking at the X5 and the Audi Allroad...nice cars--needless to say. Even so, while they were all beautifully appointed (right down to the heated steering wheel!), I can honestly say that my P5 handled as well as any car we drove. I think Mazda can take pride in that fact. After a brief bout of car envy, I still love my P5.
  • silver_bulletsilver_bullet Member Posts: 1,339
    I was about to sign on the dotted line for a Pro5, then had to wait for a few days due to a trip to the east coast last weekend. While I was there, I too visited a MINI dealer (MINI of Sterling, VA) and fell in love with the Cooper. I think I'm just going to hang onto my current vehicle until BMW settles their lawsuit and appoints some MINI dealers in TX... enjoy your P5s!
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    I saw a Mini yesterday on a local used car lot. I didn't stop but I'm sure the guy got on the list early just to sell it at a big profit. I was still surprised to see it though. Neat looking little car. At least I don't have to think about trading my P5 for it, I'm never fitting a wife, kid, stroller, etc., in that car.

    I can't believe a salesman would say something like that it serves no purpose. For the buyer who would believe him, they would never buy the car (who would ever buy a car that the windows didn't go all the way up, they'd leak). For the buyer who knows better, they would never buy it from him. I know they are not all car geeks, but you'd think he'd know better than to say something like that.
  • riopelleriopelle Member Posts: 132
    Interesting that so many P5ers are cross-shopping the MINI. I looked at it last week, and while the exterior is charismatic, I thought the interior was an ergonomic nightmare. Clearly it puts form before function, and while the toggle switches are nice, they don't fall at hand for opening the windows (which I believe close all the way!). I though the speedometer was okay but I don't think the central location really works. The sideview mirror adjusters are behind the stick - easy to hit by accident, and there us no neutral or off switch to prevent those unwanted adjustments from happening. The shift knob is just too huge, I would replace it instantly. No center arm rest either. The pedal well was tiny - my feet (sz 9.5) had little room to manuveur and I questioned getting comfortable on a long trip. And yeah, the rear hatch is joke, forget those trips to Ikea.

    I left thinking fun car, but not really compelling. Okay, the double sunroof is amazing, and heated seats is something Mazda needs to make available on all it's models. Still, I'd buy a Miata with a hardtop first - roomier, more fun, more reliable. Leaving the MINI dealer, I was more impressed with the Infiniti G35 in the adjacent lot. Wow, they got the lines on that thing right. And I was more than happy to start up my P5.
  • ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    I, too, test-drove a Mini recently (no, I'm not car shopping - yet!). What amazed me was the handling - having driven the ES (a friend's) and a P5 (test drive with same friend), I can honestly say (if its possible to coin such a metric) that the Mini base (albeit with sport package - suspension and wheels) handles about twice as well as the Protege! Which probably means it handles 44,346.72 times better than anything else in its class ;-)
    In my Honest opinion - it even put the average GoKart to shame with its handling! and I drove it VERY hard (encouraged by the salespoerson!)

    But, like I put it to a friend, I would buy the mini if I had no friends, or it were a second car - not otherwise!

    As for premiums on mini prices, I understand that many BMW /Mini dealerships are doing the 'right' thing and selling for MSRP. No markups. But my local ddealership (as a result of this relatively accptable policy) has a 3-5 month waiting list for base Minis, and around 11-13 months for a Cooper S!!!

    Great car, though!
  • mnkyboymnkyboy Member Posts: 108
    Well, when I have my windows and moonroof closed, i dont hear any kind of wind noise. I do hear some road noise, but this is VERY normal for a car in the price range/class. I havent driven a Protege without a moonroof, but even so, it seems my car would have this whistling WITH the moonroof.
    Where exactly is the whistling coming from?
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    mount the moonroof reflector on your car even if it's not equipped with the moonroof. It will look a little silly but it will certainly solve the whistle problem. LOL

    Bruno
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    There had been some talk early on about some of the cross bars being mounted the wrong direction. Sometimes turning them around was the key. I think the groove was to go to the front of the car if I remember correctly. When I had my crossbars on, I only heard a whistle at 72 MPH with a crosswind. Must have just been the resonance at that speed that I could hear. I ended up removing them since it was really loud with the sunroof open. No whisltes at all now.
  • SporinSporin Member Posts: 1,066
    Cross Bars only APPEAR "wrong." The smooth, rounded edge does in fact go to the back. Turn that edge to the front and you will be rewarded with the sound of an angry howler monkey on your roof at highway speeds.

    Trust me on this. :-)
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    LMAO!!!!
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    yes, I trust you and also Mazda engineers (while the musical tast do not involves, LOL).

    Bruno
  • mnkyboymnkyboy Member Posts: 108
    bluong1, was just joking. Even if you wanted to install the moonroof deflector, you couldnt because you need the moonroof to install the clips that hold the deflector. heehee, i can just imagine someone trying to figure out how to install it without a moonroof.

    As for your howler monkey, thats pretty funny. LOL
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    about the impossibility to mount of the reflector on those cars. Now are you sure they should be called "moon-less-roof" or rather "moon-roof-less"?

    Bruno
  • mnkyboymnkyboy Member Posts: 108
    Well, it depends. If the car doesnt have anyone mooning other vehicles, then the car is "moon" less... LOL

    You are right, mooroof-less, not moonless roof...DOHH!!
  • pciskowskipciskowski Member Posts: 155
    All I know is I drove a Civic for 8 years with no problems, and my P5 is in the shop today. It won't be covered under the warranty if it "just" needs adjustment! This is for the clutch chatter problem.

    If all Mazdas do this then I'm going back to Hondas.
  • mustang87mustang87 Member Posts: 129
    "heated seats is something Mazda needs to make available on all it's models"

    I disagree. I am in south florida why should i pay for heated seats when i am NEVER going to use them? i would rather pay for an extra power oulet, bigger armrest and deeper cupholders, more storage compartments, cupholders in the back, light around the lighter...
  • douglamdouglam Member Posts: 67
    http://www.canadiandriver.com/previews/mspeed_protege.htm
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    Especially on hot, humid days. Whatever happened to the mesh-backed seats they once had in the RX-Evolve?
  • riopelleriopelle Member Posts: 132
    I just suggested "make available", Mustang, not necessarily standard equipment. They're great for us northerners because they warm up quicker than the cabin can be heated, and they're a safer system for warming the body because warm air makes one sleepy, so a really warm cabin can actually decrease driver awareness. It's better to have a warm seat and cool air. Heated seats are also great on long trips when one's back gets sore.

    Somewhere Vocus, with his Jetta's heated seats, is waiting to agree, I suspect.
  • alternatoralternator Member Posts: 629
    many (most?) cars today come with rear window defrosters, but never front window defrosters, which would be even nicer?
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Because nobody wants to stare at a bunch of defroster lines all day!

    Also, seat heaters make me sleepy...not warm air. Maybe it's just me though.
  • alternatoralternator Member Posts: 629
    anymore are probably just a marketing device (lookie, lookie, this car has a rear window defroster) and those lines really need not be visible.

    Also, for safety, I believe all vehicles definitely should have heated mirrors as standard equipment. Even Dixie dwellers must come North on occasion and could use them! I have been forced to use a hair drier sometimes to clear my iced-over mirrors.
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    are what actually do the defrosting. They need to be there to work. I've seen a new technology they were testing (want to say Mercedes, but I don't remember) where they used tiny lines that weren't visable for the front windshield. Not in production though.
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    I can't count how many people I see on cold mornings driving down the road with ice covered windows and only about a 6" diameter hole in the windshield to look through. I don't know how they ever make it anywhere.

    So I think that the car should have ESP and a whole body heater and just defrost the whole car automatically 20 minutes prior to the owner wanting to leave....
  • alternatoralternator Member Posts: 629
    are resistors, but surely invisible resistors are within the range of today's technology. Maybe the cost factor is at work?
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    yep, cost. I'm sure you could use a much smaller line that you could barely see, or just go to a different technology to do it, but it would probably cost a pretty penny.
  • yogwapyogwap Member Posts: 7
    ford used to have this as an option. a friend of mine had it on his taurus. you could tell if a car had it because from the outside it looked like the windshield had a shiny pink film on it. it didn't affect visibility and worked really well. it was always on but consumed low power so that the windshield would remain clear even when the car was parked. i guess they stopped offering it because it either wasn't popular or it was an expensive option. or maybe they had to stop selling it because it was considered front tinting - i don't know.
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    the reason Ford stopped offering the "insta-clear" windshield was the replacement costs. Most people went into convultions when they found out it was $600-1000 to replace the windshield....many insurance companies balked too.
  • cdnp5cdnp5 Member Posts: 163
    Thanks to yogwap for explaining the Ford windshield, I've always wonder why I saw these on only a very few Fords thinking it was only a bad tint job or something. I would be happy with heated mirrors and a front defroster under the wiper blades as this is where the ice builds up in the winter. I've seen this on some Chrysler mini-vans and I think it could make a big difference. Those who have drove in snow/sleet/ice/rain/snow storms will know what I am talking about.
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    I hear ya loud and clear! :D
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