newbie P5 owner questions!

[barspin720]

hey all! Personally I drive a brand new 16 Ford Focus ST but I just picked up a 2002 Mazda Protege5 for my girlfriend. got it for $2400 (listed on craigslist for $2600) and it has 141,000 miles on it. It seems to run pretty good but it takes a second or two for it to start so I think it might need a new starter motor. other than that the only complaint is that its a florida car and the sun has wreaked havoc on it. the clear coat is almost totally gone and the red color is faded badly. there are a few scratches and what-not on it but no structural damage (I.E. rust). so my question is, is it worth it to get it painted? ive never had a car painted before but ive been told by numerous people that it only costs $500, or as high as $2000 so I have absolutely no idea what to expect. and, I noticed that body kits for this car are extremely cheap. so if we are going to get it painted, I wouldn't mind getting a body kit to personalize it a little bit. or at least an aftermarket front bumper. so in regards to that, can I use bumpers/skirts from different types of protgs? like can I use a 4 door protg bumper on my protg 5? and one last question, I looked at wheels as well. am I right in assuming that the stock wheels are 16x6? that's what discount tire seems to tell me. so can I fit 18x8s on it or will it rub when doing a tight turn?

sorry for so many questions but I kinda feel lost with this car. never owned a mazda before I would be most appreciative for any answers

 

[MrGiggles]

Maaco will paint cars for as low as 300 bucks.. The quality is so-so from what I read, but I've never seen one on person. I'm sure it looks a whole lot better than a 13 year old sun baked neglected paint job though.

You can also DIY paint it with rustoleum Google the 50 dollar paint job.

I wouldn't fool with a cheap body kit. Fitment is usually poor and requires a lot of body work.

You can fit a Mazdaspeed Protege lip to the front bumper, and I'm sure there are other swaps that will work too.

18x8 is a very tight fit. 17x7 with a 215/45 or 40 series tire is a better fit, and even then it may rub depending on wheel offset.

 

[Hank3]

A sedan bumper would fit a P5, but the fog lights are different. You would need a MSP or MP3 bumper to accommodate the round P5 fogs.

 

[barspin720]

okay sweet. so maaco paintjob, stock bumpers and 16in wheels. thanks guys!

 

[pcb]

A sedan bumper would fit a P5, but the fog lights are different.....

I'm not sure but I think the headlight housings are slightly bigger on the sedan. (they have a single bulb, we have two)

There might be a fitment issue ??

 

[Hank3]

I'm not sure but I think the headlight housings are slightly bigger on the sedan. (they have a single bulb, we have two)

There might be a fitment issue ??

The headlight units/dimensions are the same size overall, but the reflector housing in the headlights are different due to the different bulb configuration as you mentioned. But both headlights will fit fine on either model using the same bolts. And Sedan housings have amber corners where P5 have amber side markers integrated in the bumper sides.

 

[hornsfan10609]

I have P5 lights in one of my MSPs so yeah, they are the same size.

I would not recommend getting a body kit. A cheap paint job is just that, cheap. I got a $2k maaco job back when I was in high school for my truck and it looked decent but chipped extremely easily. If you do paint it pay a little extra for the clear coat. And 17s will fit fine, 18s will fit as well but you would need a 35 series tire and to roll the fenders.