Would you consider the Mazda Protege and MP5 "cult cars"?

Mazda has been considered a 'niche' brand by many other vehicle owners. I've owned Mazda Proteges since 1992 and love them for their body design, handling (Zoom-Zoom), and reliability.

I always love seeing Proteges and MP5s still on the road and chat up the owners when the chance arises.
 
Same here. It is surprising how the design hasn’t gone out of style in the 20+ years it has existed. As long as I keep mine rust free, I’m planning on keeping. it for at least 15 more years. When I get the money I’ll turn it into a track car
 
Protege? No.

MP5? Possibly? But I wouldn't put my money on it.

Mazda's only true cult cars are the Rotaries. It takes a special kind of masochist to love those things. They abuse their owners, but in such an awesome way.
 
Sorry to hear @MuffinMan06 What is the prognosis of the patient?

IMO the P5 is a timeless design and still looks great on the road 20+ years later. I don't know if it would ever reach cult status though.

About two blocks from me, a new person moved in and they have a yellow P5 sitting in the driveway. I don't think it is drivable as the wheels are chocked and I have never seen it moved. But, it is sitting on genwon MS3 wheels, lowered, tinted, has Sport20 decals on the rear doors and an aftermarket muffler. So an enthusiast for sure. I haven't had a chance to see the front end to see if there are any mods, i.e.: they painted their headlights black (or did an MSP swap), changed grills or has an MSP bumper w/fog deletes.
 
I doubt they will ever be considered cult cars, they were sold as basic transportation. Doesn't mean there won't be those folks who hold onto theirs. I hope yours is repairable.

We had one in the family that I bought new in '03. I modded it and had it for a few years, sold it to my oldest son who had it for a few years, and then sold it to my youngest. He had it for a few years as well, unfortunately last week he got clobbered while making a left turn by a van who didn't stop. She did her job and protected him from injury, but it was a sad end.

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Up here in my part of the world (winter, road salt, etc), there are zero Protege's to be seen. (Same thing with early 3's). They have all turned into little heaps of rust, to be blown away like dust in the wind. Maybe in a warm zone, they'll survive, but as a future collectible? I doubt it.
 
I doubt they will ever be considered cult cars, they were sold as basic transportation. Doesn't mean there won't be those folks who hold onto theirs. I hope yours is repairable.

We had one in the family that I bought new in '03. I modded it and had it for a few years, sold it to my oldest son who had it for a few years, and then sold it to my youngest. He had it for a few years as well, unfortunately last week he got clobbered while making a left turn by a van who didn't stop. She did her job and protected him from injury, but it was a sad end.

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Aww that's sad. Seeing things like this just reminds me not to hold onto cars (or things in general) too much, because it can be gone in an instant. Life is much more important than stuff. Been blessed enough to have my P5 for 3+ years and I'm definitely too attached to it for how much of a hunk of junk it is 😁
 
It's funny how we humans get attached to inanimate objects, like cars or other collectibles.
On their own, they are just pieces of metal, plastic and rubber, but to most of us, they mean something. That's why we have unrealistic expectations of monetary value of the things we love, while at the same time, get upset when someone else offers a realistic sum for that same item. I guess that's why the collector world, auctions, antique shops etc., still thrive.
 
Maybe in a warm zone, they'll survive, but as a future collectible? I doubt it.

Long time listener, first time caller.

Exactly right about collectibles. It's no different than any previous generations (Falcons, Novas, Darts, LTDs, whatever)... four-door grocery getters are considered disposable. They're all gone now, except in the hands a few fanatics who still care. I suppose in that sense, it is a cult. :unsure:

Our driveway has seen a lot of the 1st gen Proteges -- love 'em! They hold a ton of stuff, deliver excellent fuel economy, and are positively delightful to drive. For well more than a decade, we regularly received notes on the windshield about "if you ever want to sell this car..." And if we ever lent one to a friend, he/she never wanted to give it back. I used to fix up these cars and sell/give them to friends, back when I could find them.

I've always felt that the 1st Gen was the sweet spot for technology vs. complicated. It has enough EFI paraphernalia to run well and cleanly, yet can still be repaired without $$$ equipment. Regarding both mpg and emissions, until about 2015 I didn't see any late model cars that could do much better than our 1990.

The salt belt will kill 'em, but even the warm zones present challenges. CA smog tests are so heinous for 1999-older that the techs hate doing them, the CA-certified cats are 3x the price of others... cars have hit the junkyard in remarkable shape because they're too expensive to fix. IMHO, the legislators couldn't outlaw "old" cars directly without causing riots, but they achieved their goal nonetheless.

Funny, I've owned several 30-yo cars that pass with single digit readings for CO, HC, and NOx. So, it can be done.

Good luck finding any Protege now. Our 80k mile Grandma Car just got smashed, the crumple zone saved my life. An immaculate drivetrain, but no one has a car to transfer it into. (SOHC and automatic were never in demand, anyway.) And CA smog laws are too strict to put that engine into anything else. *sigh* So, I guess it's junkyard material.

I've been thinking of finding a P5 as a replacement, but even those are starting to be rare. Should have started the search process a few years ago.
 
Mazda has been considered a 'niche' brand by many other vehicle owners. I've owned Mazda Proteges since 1992 and love them for their body design, handling (Zoom-Zoom), and reliability.

I always love seeing Proteges and MP5s still on the road and chat up the owners when the chance arises.
I used to wave at other P5s owners on the road and they look at me like I'm crazy. I don't wave anymore. : (
 
I used to wave at other P5s owners on the road and they look at me like I'm crazy. I don't wave anymore. : (
This has been my experience too and it makes me sad! It's always some old person or somebody who looks like they'd rather "upgrade" to a nicer car. Yes it's an old economy car but they really are nice if you maintain and take care of them.

I'm definitely biased though, and I apply a lot of the "good car" mindset because of the fun driving dynamics which most people don't care as much about.
 
This has been my experience too and it makes me sad! It's always some old person or somebody who looks like they'd rather "upgrade" to a nicer car. Yes it's an old economy car but they really are nice if you maintain and take care of them.

I'm definitely biased though, and I apply a lot of the "good car" mindset because of the fun driving dynamics which most people don't care as much about.
It's a fun car to drive! I bought my p5 for $1700 with like 190k to teach my wife how to drive stick but is now *my daily driver.

Sure it's rusting on the door pillars, AC is dead, and burns tons of oil l- the car still starts up everytime and having that 5th door makes it so practical.

I also really like how it looks. It will be sad when thus p5 retires and I go get a minivan.

Edit: Can't spell correctly on the phone. Meant to say it is NOW my daily driver.
 
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