Decided on a P5

[Captaingnarnia_]

(lol2)Hey everyone I'm new to the thread and I'll be buying my first car very soon after months of deciding. I'm taking the private seller route and was wondering what are the main points of abuse I should look for in a Protege5. Any tips are greatly appreciated!

 

[rj1784]

Rust, motor mounts, and wheel bearings are all common issues.

 

[joe944]

(lol2)Hey everyone I'm new to the thread and I'll be buying my first car very soon after months of deciding. I'm taking the private seller route and was wondering what are the main points of abuse I should look for in a Protege5. Any tips are greatly appreciated!

The person you are buying it from if that came out right

 

[pcb]

The person you are buying it from if that came out right

^^What he said,... the only real source of abuse (including neglect) is the vehicles input device (the ass behind the wheel).

See if he (or she) appears to come off like Mario Andretti (or Danica). I personally, would stay away from a car that's modified,... (that means the input control device has been modified too.)

Here's the list of things to check if you find that your car has been driven hard,...

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123744855-3rd-Gen-Workshop-Manual-(-P5-MSP-MP3-)

 

[kms1990]

coils are an issueas mileage goes up, but not bad to replace about $80 for both and 20 for wires. rust if your up north. then just all the regular checks as with any used car. has the timing blet and water pump been done? any needed repairs? good and even tread on the tires all the way around? any pull while driving? do the bumper bounce strut test. check for leaks ect.

 

[Maroon]

Being from Miami, you probably don't have to worry about rust. Just make sure the car didn't come from up north. If it did spend much time in the rust belt, do not buy it.

Determine whether timing belt has been done.

Ask if it burns oil.

Front wheel bearings. They make a loud humming noise when bad. Sounds like you have a bad tire.

 

[pcb]

coils are an issue as mileage goes up, but not bad to replace about $80 for both and 20 for wires...

+1 on the coils,... Just put them on your shopping list now and put them on your new P5 when you get it.

Coils can go bad real fast and do expensive damage in less than two minutes.

If your CEL every flashes pull your car over and shut it off ASAP. Engine miss fire is the ONLY code that flashes the CEL (check engine light/MIL (malfunction indicator light)) on our car.

(I'll bet a hot climate is a lot harder on coils,... thermal breakdown))

 

[Captaingnarnia_]

Appreciate all the feedback. It's coming down to crunch time and I should be looking at a handful of P5's next week, if I have any questions you all would be the first to hear thanks!

 

[kms1990]

yeah theyre good cars just a few little things here and there on them. mine was my dads for 9 years before i got it. its been a great car. just up keep and the coils are the only money really spent on the car. very reliable from my experience with it. and owners manual says it prefers 10w30 i personally use 5w30 synthetic, seems to help mpg just ever so slightly, and 5w30 starts pumping easier at a lower temp.