Buying Used

[StreteSpd]

Anything a new, never-before-ownedamazda, former toyota-owner, should know or look for when buying a Mazdaspeed Protege?

 

[hellcat]

First off, what is your goal for this car? I ask because the car is not always the easiest car to mod.

 

[Captain KRM P5]

your standard used car inspection mentality and then some should apply. check the body panels for fitment, check to make sure all the stock stuff is intact; shift knob, pedals, radio, amp/woofer, racing harts, correct wing, interior, etc. i have checked out my fair share of msps and mp3s which have been missing a good deal of the factory supplied goodies. run a carfax and check for accidents. on the test drive pay attention for sounds and general car feel. you might hear a 'clunk' sound from the rear end - swaybar bushings - which is normal. in between shifts you may hear an odd warble from under the hood commonly referred to as the turkey, again potentially normal. check to make sure the car steers and tracks straight, indicitave of alignment or other suspension wear. acceleration and braking should be smooth. any surging or hesitation that seems severe from acceleration should be noted. check for modifications done to the car, and if there are modifications try and get a feel for how well they have been done, i.e. = loose wires with exposed contacts VS soldered and shielded connections. chances are this car saw its share of abuse to some extent by the prior owner.

mileage and price are key. decent mazdaspeed proteges range around the chicago land area between 11k and 14k. i would be hard pressed to pay more than 13k for one regardless of condition.

 

[StreteSpd]

Hellcat: -> My goals for this car are for VERY light modification, I'm coming from a Paseo, and it's actually been modded to the point of much tradeoff and I'm past that now... I want a car that I can live with AND is fun to drive, not just the latter... so beyond something like better rubber, and maybe a TWM short-shifter, and maybe Tein shocks/dampers, and maybe an intercooler in front, I'd have no plans for the car.

Captain-> Thanks a lot, that's about what I was after... the clunks and the turkey are the most common 'things' about the car that I should be aware of but not scared away by? how have your experiences with the MSP been? Lemme know if there's anything else that I should be aware up - specific to this car...

 

[orng1]

The MSP is a very good car with light mods, the turbo responds well and the car wont blow itself up but then again people have blown motors stock so I can't speak for them all. If you find one for sale post some pics or details we might be able to find who owned it. Good luck with your search.

 

[StreteSpd]

really? that's awesome if you guys can really do that..


I should have quantified my earlier statement...
I don't want to do what i did with my Paseo, which was to sink tons of money into it (especially when there's no support for the car so it's mostly custom stuff) only to make it tough to appreciate in regular day-to-day driving, fun on the right roads, and in the end only faster than other paseos, tercels, yaris', echos...which is a long list of the same car... seems like a waste to me when i could just get a car with good dynamics from the get go and tweak it a bit without making the large sacrifices in drivability and finances.

plus i've always like this mazda... it represents a turning point for when mazda decided to get serious about building cars again...

 

[hellcat]

The only reason I ask is because these cars are not very mod friendly. Weak rods, weak transmission when you get over 200 hp or so. But on the other hand they handle very well, and look awesome too. If you stick to just a few mods, I think you will be very happy with it.

 

[BOOSTR]

You really will not hear the turkey unless the car has an aftermarket intake. Its very low with the stock air box. Bottom line is these cars are as weak as you make them. Sure some better components could have been used, but thats asking a lot for a car that stickered at $20,500 in 2003.

The car is very fun to drive IMO and will provide you with virtually trouble free ownership if you take care of it. Mine has 61,600 miles on it. Original clutch,lsd, brake pads, etc. Its only seen the dealer for the flash and bushings.

 

[orng1]

Yeah if it weren't for the LSD and the actuator going bad I wouldn't have needed much either.

 

[StreteSpd]

...hm... sounds 'exactly' like what i'm after.... i'm not used to the 'no compromise' success story...

is everyone here from the States?

And does everyone use theirs as a 'commuter's daily driver'?

 

[orng1]

I use my car as a daily driver, I sometimes work for a company that makes me visit clients and that adds up the milleage real quick. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that uses it as a commuter car, there have been people comparing to see who has the most miles on their car and it's surprizing to see that people have 80k+ miles.

 

[StreteSpd]

And another question...

Why not the Mazda3? Why the SpeedProtege and not the 3?

 

[B1GHAM]

And another question...

Why not the Mazda3? Why the SpeedProtege and not the 3?

I assume this is an open ended question...

Why not the mazda 3? unless youre doing the speed3, the reg. mazda 3 is slower, heavier, doesnt handle as well, AND less exclusive.

The speed protege is the best handling FWD car you can purchase, even still besting the speed3. Its also only limited to ~4500 units, so you wont see one every 3 seconds (if youre into that kind of thing). Do yourself a favor, find one and test drive it. Its not the fastest car out, but theyre a blast to drive and youll only realize that once you drive it.

 

[StreteSpd]

I tend to agree with you there, and yea i am into 'that kinda thing' ..

i didn't realize that it didn't handle as well as the MSP.. but it does make sense that it would be so...

Going test driving this weekend ... looking both new and used.. the MSP is high on my list, so I'll be sure to drive it.. there's a dealership here by my house that always has one available for whatever reason... never the same one either.. so we'll see what it's got on offer for me.

 

[Matthew1785]

I tend to agree with you there, and yea i am into 'that kinda thing' ..

i didn't realize that it didn't handle as well as the MSP.. but it does make sense that it would be so...

Going test driving this weekend ... looking both new and used.. the MSP is high on my list, so I'll be sure to drive it.. there's a dealership here by my house that always has one available for whatever reason... never the same one either.. so we'll see what it's got on offer for me.

dont think you will find one new used most def check the fourms too people always have MSP for sale

 

[kamon8404]

Well, I use mine as a daily driver. The only thing that scares me is the lsd. Its bound to go out sometime. I just wish that I had a welded in there now, if I did I wouldn't worry about a thing.

Plus I would love to add the fact that with about 3k in your car you can be pulling on STIs, and RSXs all day long on the highway.

 

[StreteSpd]

..driving one today...

 

[Rotary_Powered]

I don't want to do what i did with my Paseo, which was to sink tons of money into it (especially when there's no support for the car so it's mostly custom stuff) only to make it tough to appreciate in regular day-to-day driving, fun on the right roads, and in the end only faster than other paseos, tercels, yaris', echos...which is a long list of the same car... .

The paseo can be a fun car a friend of mine put a turbo starlet engine in his,fairly quick too, but the protege is just sooo much more comfortable. 4 Doors sits higher and still has better handling, not to mention an awsome sound system (imo). Just watch out for that LSD.

 

[StreteSpd]

yup, was a very fun car.

Drove the SpeedProtege today, drives a lot like my car did, and feels like it too.. very very good handling, very very sticky car. The one I was considering had too many Kms on it though so I won't get it, but since that dealer always tends to have one every so often, I'll wait a bit and see if a better one comes along.. also there are other examples around to check out. Good car.

 

[orng1]

I've had a few too many cars and milleage hasn't been an issue with any of the cars that I've owned. Too bad this one didn't work out for you, keep looking it's a good car.