Considering buying a P5, any advise??

[Sacto_chris]

Never owned a Mazda before and considering buying a 02 or 03 Protege5. One auto, the other 5 sp. Any particular area(s) should I be looking for? Or...is there any existing thread that covered this topic already? Any inputs are very much welcome! Thanks in advance.

 

[azuelke]

Welcome tot he forums! There are plenty of threads with the info you are looking for. Just search through this section and the main P5 section.

Main issues are the timing belt (should be changed around 80,000 miles) and rust. More info can be found in other threads.

 

[Sacto_chris]

Thanks, but....do you know of any particular thread(s)? If so, please direct me there?

 

[The ManLaw]

dont know of any threads about this off the top of my head, do some searching though under the protege family section. but i'd recommend going with the manual 5sp. for the fact that these cars can seem underpowered occasionally, but with the manual and the MP3 ECU it starts to liven up pretty nicely.

 

[Rage87]

I don't know where you live but look for rust. These cars seem to succumb to rust easily. Without more info on the cars you're looking at, my money would be on the 5spd. An auto transmission was a deal breaker for me when I was searching for my car. IMO, with such a sluggish motor the manual gearbox is a necessity for that fun factor and a greater sense of speed.

 

[1sty]

Id look at the bolts on the exhaust manifold.
Make sure it looks like they have never been removed.
9/10 those come off for aftermarket headers, turbo kits, or major repairs.