Hi! Is this the car for me?

[methusalem]

Hey Mazdas247!

I'm a totally new guy, been asking around on other forums and they have gotten me curious about this car.

I'm currently driving a 2008 Focus SES owned by my parents. My sister is starting college soon, and the car is going to her, so I need a new ride and I want to buy my own.

Here's what I'm looking for:
-Manual transmission
-sporty/fun
-used
-somewhat economical (I'm a college student with some money)
-space is not really a primary consideration, but nice
-will be taken to the track from time to time/driven for FUN
-under 10k initially (after required initial maintenance etc.)
-I want to be able to do most of the maintenance myself. I haven't worked on cars much, but I'm a electrical engineering major and a HUGE DIY'er. Give me the benefit of the doubt here.

I've been told to look at Miatas, I've been told to look at BMW E30s/36s/46s, I've been told to look at these here P5's. Of course you guys are biased, but what kind of car do you think would fit the bill here/is the P5 the car for me?

Thanks guys!

 

[MP5 Kyle]

Hey, I know exactly how you feel. I am 17, and was driving my parents '07 Ford Ranger for a bit and then decided I needed my own car, so I flipped the bill on a 2003 Protege5. I have to say, its such a HUGE step up in handling compared to any Ford(I know im only 17, but ive driven quite a few, focuses included). The P5 is not the fastest car, but it handles amazingly. From my biased point of view you should get a P5 because theres also no way in hell you'll spend 10K on one, unless it only has like 30,000 Km's

Also, We have all the FUN little mods you can do to make this car one of the coolest looking station wagons around!

If you have any questions, please let me know! Good luck on the search for your first ride.

-Kyle.

 

[Hank3]

Get the P5. It'll fit the bill for you

 

[CTt3P5]

I can sum it up in two words, DO IT!

 

[Cleverfrog]

dont be a tool with a bmw. get a mazda

 

[digitalslacker]

Hey, I know exactly how you feel. I am 17, and was driving my parents '07 Ford Ranger for a bit and then decided I needed my own car, so I flipped the bill on a 2003 Protege5. I have to say, its such a HUGE step up in handling compared to any Ford(I know im only 17, but ive driven quite a few, focuses included). The P5 is not the fastest car, but it handles amazingly. From my biased point of view you should get a P5 because theres also no way in hell you'll spend 10K on one, unless it only has like 30,000 Km's

Also, We have all the FUN little mods you can do to make this car one of the coolest looking station wagons around!

If you have any questions, please let me know! Good luck on the search for your first ride.

-Kyle.

Don't blanket statement car brands. My SVT contour stock out handles my P5. Both have modified suspensions now so its a wash...

I picked my p5 up for 5100$ with 123k on it over 2 years ago now and i've really liked it. Very good with space, i carry a bunch of stuff for work and its always been a champ. On a trip from PA up to boston i got 36mpg with the car empty and 29mpg with the car loaded to the gills. I wouldn't want to track it because its slow in stock form. Its fun, nimble and holds a good bit of stuff.

Oh, the manual shifter is notchy too. Just remembered thats the one thing i really don't like about it.

 

[methusalem]

Hmmm, thanks for the responses. I'm a little afraid right now that I'll be disappointed in it... I keep getting frustrated with my Focus because it just isn't able to DO as much as I want it to... I work for BMW right now (going back to school in the fall) and get to ride most of their cars on the track, and I just want something that I can replicate that experience with. Would another Mazda maybe be a better fit for me?

 

[azuelke]

Get the P5. It'll fit the bill for you

I can sum it up in two words, DO IT!

^ This. The P5 covers everything you are looking for.

 

[tweety2300]

Look into the mazdaspeed protege or if u don't want the hassle of a turbo look into a protege mp3. Not much compares to them as far as handleing goes

 

[Jordysoso]

Agree with tweety, either that or a P5. Go on the for sale threads and check out what they got. A bunch of decent priced cars that are taken care of. I know the whole college thing bc I am a student myself. I love my protege5! Handles and drives great, steering is tight, sounds good and looks even better!! And good gas milage! Trust me dude u won't regret a Mazda at all.

 

[tweety2300]

What exactly are you looking for the car to "do"? Go fast in turns or go fast in straightline? If its turns than p5 or mp3 is the way to go if its straightline you'll either have to turbo or just get the mazdaspeed. I look at these cars this way- itl outrun a 600 hp mustang on a back road because you can pull a turn at 90 while they got slow down to 50 or 60 so then they gota catch back up and slow down again for the next turn

 

[Bastian]

I agree with tweety, the car may not fly on the highway, but it is very peppy around town. Whenever I'm late leaving for work, I still get there on time heehee

It is a very fun car to drive around town, and while it is good on the highway, don't expect it to outperform a mustang in a straight line, as tweety said. Not to mention mine get roughly 32-35 mpg, I fill the tank up every other week and it costs $35 US. Can't beat gas mileage like that while keeping the car fun. You can fit anything in the back as well, but if you're going to carry a bike, you'll have to take a wheel off, or get a rack. Mine has 142,000 miles on it, and I've had no real problems to speak of, other than normal maintenance that comes with having a car with high miles (timing belt, clutch, etc). It still feels like a new car.

In short, if you're looking for a fun, practical, good looking, economical car, the P5 is definitely a good choice.

 

[Justin2129]

^ This. The P5 covers everything you are looking for.

+1

 

[canadian357]

Get a P5 for much less money than the BMW, then spend the remaining $5000+ on making it one mean motherf***er. You can build and boost for $5000, and still have some money for suspension and aesthetic mods. Then you can beat a mustang in a straight line AND autocross.

I know what its like to drive a focus and go to a P5 (my brother has an 07 SES that I drove for 2 months while he was away for work and then bought my P5) and I sure do love the improvement in handling. The focus is fun and all... but I mean, green backlit gauges? Not cool. 20 foot tall shifter? Also not cool. Feeling like your car is made out of aluminum foil? Lame. Tiny ass 14" wheels or whatever they are for the premium alloys? Suckage. I love that car, don't get me wrong, but I can go on and on.

Problem solved.

 

[Stickman]

I'm an old dude as compared to you guys; have driven lots of cars.
If you want straight speed, go buy something else.
If you want outrageous fun handling cornering, nothing can beat a P5.
Can take a city corner at 25 mph, no slow down, no lean.
Winding roads make you want to never go home.
Slower acceleration helps keep drivers lic.
Most fun car I've ever had.

 

[StealthWyvern]

I'm an old dude as compared to you guys; have driven lots of cars.
If you want straight speed, go buy something else.
If you want outrageous fun handling cornering, nothing can beat a P5.
Can take a city corner at 25 mph, no slow down, no lean.
Winding roads make you want to never go home.
Slower acceleration helps keep drivers lic.
Most fun car I've ever had.

What this guy said... I have now moved onto a MSP(still not fast) and still want another p5.. Just alittle more roomy, you can fit more crap in it, gas mileage is the same for me..

With that said if you want something cheap, handles good right out of the box, gets good gas mileage, realiable, and to top it all off looks good... then a p5 is for you!

Edit: My old p5 was modded reg auto and still a blast too drive! Not to mention it had aroudn 170k on it when I traded it in and it didnt burn any oil. if I had to do it all over again I would of stuck with my p5.

 

[d0sitmatr]

trying to stay objective isnt easy when your the proud owner of one of these cars, but the best way is to look at it in a pros/cons sort of way
pros:
what everyone else said, the mp5 right out of the box is simply a fun, sporty car that drives likes its on rails.
it has unique looks and characteristics. plenty of room and fairly easy/cheap to maintain. it isnt inconceivable that you will see upwards of 250k quite easily without any major problems with basic upkeep.
cons:
can be a tad annoyingly loud on the hwy or roads that arent really smooth, which is easily covered up by a good system.
the g-series trans can be sort of finicky, and I have read a lot about the 2ng gear being especially so for some reason.
it isnt a speed demon, but the cost of modding it to be a speed demon, compared to say... a bimr, is a pittance in comparison. ($3-5k and you would have a very quick, well handling car vs $20-$25k for the bimr)

Im also older than most on these forums and have been through my fair share of vehicles, both owned/driven. and after everything is said and done, I always come back to, and want, a mazda.
I currently own 3 mazdas and have owned eight. (9 if you include my 99 ranger)
they are simply great cars that tend to be an exception in comparison to other "comparable" cars on the road.

 

[hotcracker69]

if space does not matter, miatas are just as reliable as p5. they handle better, rear wheel driver, a lot more fun

 

[evilmonkeyMSP]

For just under 10k you can get an AP1 S2000 with around 80k miles (laugh)

But at 17 you'll pay a s*** tone in insurance lol

 

[tweety2300]

I had a 240sx when I was 17 I paid 170 a month for liability I wouldn't want to know what I would pay for an s2000. Of course that was a great car that I still kick myself in the ass for selling.