Finally Got my Pro5! (New member ride with pics!)

[effa114]

Hey everyone! Just signed the transfer papers this afternoon. I'm now officially the proud owner of a 2003 Protege 5 in Sunburst (vivid) yellow with 88,000km's or 54,680 miles.

It's bone stock, and in fantastic condition. A few scrapes on front bumper and above rear driver's wheel well, but they're getting professionally fixed by a bodyshop guy in the family in a few weeks.

So here she is after a bath and full interior detailing.

I don't have much money left right now, but I do have the following plans, in a potential order:

-AUXmod from Sylfex (auxiliary input module linked into tape/md button)
-PIAA 40's for the fogs (should fit right in, correct?)
-HID Kit (would love to do a full projector retro, but I don't think I can yet, so I think just the bulbs for now)
-TWM short shifter
-K&N filter
-MP3 ECU
-New head unit
-17" wheels on performance tires

I'd consider slightly lowering it (MSP suspension maybe) once I get the 17's, but I am NOT interested in "slamming it". Not my cup of tea at all.

Anyhow, I love this car already. Wasn't sure about the yellow at first, but I'm sold now. (nana)

Cheers,
Ben

 

[azuelke]

Welcome to the club!

 

[Josue6WGN]

Looks great! Can't wait to join the club myself!

 

[Hank3]

The yellow really pops in your pics. She's looks great. Looks like the previous owner got some blacked out headlights for you already. If you want some HIDs, go to ddmtuning and get yourself a 35W 4500K H7 kit for $50 shipped. That should hold you over until you get enough funds for a retro.

Congrats and welcome!

 

[effa114]

Thanks for the welcomes guys!

The blacked out lights actually were factory on Canadian 2003's! I think it looks great with the yellow!

Thanks for the tip on the HID kit Hank3! That's definitely on my list now.

Cheers,
Ben

 

[Hank3]

Oh sweet...I forgot you Canucks get different things on your cars

 

[bgibb68]

Look at diy....like PnP the intake and removing the one set of butterflies.....and making the interior black makes all the difference in the world

 

[effa114]

Yes, the Canuck advantage rarely comes out in cars, it seems, but here it does!

bgibb68-- What exactly do you mean by PnP the intake and remove a set of butterflies?

And with making the interior black, I assume you mean the silver trim?

Cheers,
Ben

*edit*-- A bit of searching... by butterflies you mean the VCTS, right? I'm still unclear on the other two though

 

[Jason-808]

Welcome to the club! Just joined myself a few weeks ago and everyone is a really big help to me! Going to buy me some few accessories from a member today!

 

[bgibb68]

Our intake has 2 set of butterflies...one controls the direction and length the air travels and the 2nd will act as a disrupter for a cold start up...the second is almost useless and will be with the mp3 ecu....and PnP is port and polish.....by that you take a dremel, a six pack and a lot of time and carefully grind out the ports where the intake mounts to the block....

I took all the silver and beige pillers and headliner amd made black.....looks soooo much better

 

[bgibb68]

If you want some HIDs, go to ddmtuning and get yourself a 35W 4500K H7 kit for $50

Is this kit any good? Im sick of buying bulbs every year

 

[Rusty]

Welcome, effa.. Looks like you got yourself a real jewel. Far be it from me to contradict all the advice on the mods, but I say don't go ripping into your engine to squeeze a few extra HP out of it, it just isn't worth it. Those VTCS butterflies are for cold starting and warming up. They make a buzzing noise when you accererate until you get up to 140F degrees, but they don't interfere with performance that much. SRIs and CAIs look cool but that's all they do. You can do what I did (post # 58 on that page), works great. Just my personal opinions.

P.S. I am guilty of contradicting the above advice by installing a SRI because my stock air tube dry-rotted between the accordion folds. It makes a little more noise when I step on the gas now. I'm not sure if it's faster or slower yet.

 

[Hank3]

Is this kit any good? Im sick of buying bulbs every year

General consensus is they're pretty good. Customer service is average at best (if you can get a hold of them via phone or e-mail). Of course with all of the HID kits out there, you're gonna have people that only have negative things to say and then some who will swear by them. I say research DDM on this forum and on the Internet and come to your own conclusion. I've had mine for a month and they're holding up just fine. They only sell the slim ballast kits now which, IMO, are great. So small and easy to secure in the engine bay. I paid $40 shipped for mine and IMO, that's about the same cost as those expensive Silverstars at Autozone, Pep Boys, Advance Auto, and etc.

 

[Rusty]

Be sure to put a little conductive grease on the bulb's contacts, they will last a lot longer if you do that.
That goes for regular lights anyway, may be something different about the ones Hank is talking about.

 

[1991cc]

Congrats and welcome! The car looks awesome (I originally wanted a yellow one, but the silver has really grown on me). The P5 is a fantastic car, you will love it! I'll keep an eye out for your car, there aren't very many as clean as yours around town.

 

[Rusty]

Mine is an early model '02 with 74K miles and NOthing has ever gone wrong or broken. All I've ever had to do beyond scheduled service is replace the battery, the worn out front struts last month, and a couple of weeks ago the timing belt. It doesn't have a squeak or rattle. Of course I know my environment is much easier on a car than yours is in Canada, but still, the most reliable vehicle I've ever had.

 

[1991cc]

Of course I know my environment is much easier on a car than yours is in Canada, but still, the most reliable vehicle I've ever had.

Hahaha Victoria is about as southern as you can get in Canada, weather is much like Seattle. I'm sure we get a lot more rain than you, but its pretty clement really.

 

[Rusty]

Ah, you got me. I've been to Seattle a couple of times. My sis-in-law lives there. We were there one 4th of July and had to light a ****** fire in the chiminea on the patio just to sit outside at night without freezing. They were having a streak of 80F degree days and the Seattlites were buying out stores of fans and ACs and passing out.

I just realized you weren't the OP. You two guys know each other?

 

[effa114]

Thanks for the welcomes everyone!


1991cc: Thanks for the compliments! It is pretty pristine. I will definitely keep my eyes out for you as well!

Rusty: I'm inclined to agree... I'm not concerned with chasing a few extra ponies with the Protege. I like my speed as much as the next guy, but this car is about driving EXPERIENCE for me, not speed. My parents bought a Subaru Legacy 2.5GT wagon a few years ago and that is a FAST car (for a wagon), and actually quite fun to drive, but the tactility and the steering are far superior on the Mazda. Not really a fair comparison at all (2.5GT outperforms the Mazda by over 100hp and over 100 lb ft and is AWD) but both are fun in their own right.

Anyhow, sorry for the tangent. Really I'm thrilled with the driving experience. I think a short shifter and the MP3 ECU will improve the experience of driving, if not performance, and that's great by me. You end up easily exceeding the limits with the 2.5GT. Definitely a sleeper giant.

And 1991cc and I don't know each other... just a coincidence! That's pretty funny about the climate. Victoria is generally a bit warmer and a lot less rainy than Seattle, but it's definitely not South Carolina! I've been at school in Montreal for the past two years, and I can tell you--it has been a shock, and that's coming from Victoria! I can't imagine how you'd fare (lol2)

I would never want to own a car in Montreal--talk about a car-eating climate. I see so many abused P5's here!

Cheers,
Ben