Do Protoge's Make Good First Cars?

[sgryzko]

Not exactly... If you check out what's caused VW to plummet in the reliability rankings, you'll see that the Jetta is the main culprit. Look at this from Consumer Reports...

Bottom line -- Jettas suck!(notcool)

Wow that sucks. You can see them getting worse and worse.

Jettas do suck!

 

[aceP5]

My P5 is my first car . . . and I am pleased. It isn't that fast, but it handles well, gets decent gas mileage. Plus, proteges are fairly reliable and the crash tests are good. Before I got it, I wanted this '91 camaro, but if you get an old car, it will break frequently (especially if it is a ford). I also wanted something really fast (like an RSX type S or WRX) but those cars are expensive and insurance (for those under 25) is terrible. I remember they wanted me to pay $2000 every 6 months for the Celica GTS I wanted to buy, with my protege 5 it's around $900. So bottom line (at least for me) insurance rates were what drove me towards a more economical car like the P5. Save your first sports car for your post-age 25 years.

 

[luckezero]

^ sage advice, ace. although a little ironic, considering the recent-ish Ford-Mazda partnership and your comment on old fords

The good news is that, depending on where you live and what you've done (and haven't done) in your first couple years of driving, insurance rates can be reasonable on sports cars. Even if I were to buy an '01 Corvette, my insurance is only ~$130/mo. and I'm still in my lower 20's. The 1991 MR2 (n/a) I just sold was only ~ $50 a month.

My MP3 has all the moves of a sports car, and is certainly fast enough to get me a speeding ticket. After test driving a RX-8 and VW R32 recently, i actually looked forward to jumping back into the MP3... it's certainly the "slowest" accelerating of the 3, but it is rewarding as a complete package of balanced acceleration, terrific handling, and reasonable comfort. Much like BMW's M3, I presume... however, it takes the triad of speed, handling, and luxury to the next couple powers Anyway, insurance on the Mazda is less than $100/mo. and I've even got low deductibles in case some punk tries to vandalize, wreck, or steal it.

I think Mazda Proteges -- and after owning a MkIV Golf (02), Honda Prelude (98), Chevrolet Malibu (97), Nissan Pickup (95), and Nissan 200SX (96) -- make a great first car. But you have to be one who's into four cylinder, four door, japanese "economy" cars ... a dyed in the wool Camaro or Mustang fan will never be satisfied with anything that has fewer than 8 cylinders or more than 30mpg heh ... j/k

 

[luckezero]

Wow that sucks. You can see them getting worse and worse. Jettas do suck!

LOL! (headshake ... that point somehow lost its creedence when you realize that red is better than black.

 

[aceP5]

well, technically our protege's aren't Fords . . . I think it says on the inside sticker on the drivers door 97% made in Japan. I would never have bought the car if it was a Ford engine. I know too many people with Fords with many problems. (My dad's explorer has had 9 or so recalls, and my friend has had his brakes go out twice on his explorer - while he was driving down hill, mind you, and another time the wheel fell off - although that probably wasn't ford's fault).

 

[GRide]

Hows the Mazgda 6/3 and the Golf GTI doing? I'm kinda shying away from the Civic. I want something unique and not many people have but is readily open.

 

[Wicked_Alien]

If you want a fast car in the 1/4 mile get a Dodge SRT-4 that can handle decently If you want a great handling car that gets good gas milage and is cheap on insurance get the protege 5. If you can afford it get the Subaru WRX Its a great all around car

 

[luckezero]

Hows the Mazgda 6/3 and the Golf GTI doing? I'm kinda shying away from the Civic. I want something unique and not many people have but is readily open.

I drove a "loaner" Mazda 6 with the 4 cyl/automatic for a weekend and test drove a 6 cyl/manual Mazda 6. I walked away impressed by neither... the interior armrests w/ the cloth interior have as much tactile response as sandpaper. the dash and other materials were well sorted, unless you ever have a problem. For example, the ultra-gadgety CD player (no "din opening," separate readout about the center console, controls on the steering wheel) looks like it'd be expensive to repair/replace. I think the 3 is similar in that regard. Anyway, I felt like I was driving a big sedan, but after jumping out from my MP3, I suppose the Mazda6 is a big sedan I wouldn't buy one. I've never driven a 3, but suspect I'd like it better ... it looks great and is, overall, a cooler car than the Protege, IMHO. I suspect the Mazda3 will hold its value much better, in addition to providing a more rewarding driving experience.

I'd stay away from any MkIV Jettas/Golfs (99 - present) unless you got a real sweet deal on a used or VW certified one. There's been several long-term quality problems that creep in after 2.5+ years that get expensive or frustrating if out-of-warranty. I had a 2002 Golf and it was a great car for 2 years/24k miles. After that, I wasn't quite as happy with it. Then again, it could just be me... I get "tired" of cars more frequently than others.

I just sold a MkII ('91 - '95) Toyota MR2. If you are looking for something that has the looks, has the performance, and is unique on the road, that'd be your car. Mine was naturally-aspirated, but even with 124k on the odometer was faster than my Protege MP3. The turbocharged models are faster than the Mazdaspeed and can modified to ~250+hp relatively inexpensively. Of course, it's a 2-seat RWD car, but I loved mine and found it practical unless i needed more than 2 seats. The naturally-aspirated model uses the same era Camry engine (5SFE), so it's easy to find donor parts and is a very durable engine. An auto-x favorite while the 3SGTE turbo-powered MR2 is very capable on the street or drag. Just be careful in the rain and in hard cornering, cuz an inexperienced driver will spin that mid-engine, rwd 2 seater (MR2).

good luck and have fun on those test drives!

 

[NJP5Guy]

well, technically our protege's aren't Fords . . . I think it says on the inside sticker on the drivers door 97% made in Japan. I would never have bought the car if it was a Ford engine. I know too many people with Fords with many problems. (My dad's explorer has had 9 or so recalls, and my friend has had his brakes go out twice on his explorer - while he was driving down hill, mind you, and another time the wheel fell off - although that probably wasn't ford's fault).

The p5 is a mazda through and through. the engine is not a ford. many ford engines however have been mazda engines ie the probe. i would not have bought mine if i new it was a ford designed vehicle.