how did you get your p5

[CTt3P5]

First let me apologize for being so longwinded....now on to my story.

Was driving a 1995 Ford Aspire (ok you may laugh) but that car was great. Never left me stranded in 8 NE winters, great gas mileage and low maintenance. Started giving me problems at 109,000 so I started my search. Intially I was looking at a Saturn Ion (other car is a Vue). After looking at local dealers and ebay with no luck in finding the 'right one', I remembered the P5 and how much I loved them when they were introduced.

So I promptly went to ebay and found a nice white one in Ohio. Even though it had 9x,xxxk miles I was ready to buy my one way ticket to Cincinnatti. Before I committed I called the dealer to ask him more questions and even though he didn't give me his reserve price he did tell me he couldn't sell it for less then $9,500!! :/ So back to ebay and the local dealers.

About two weeks later JACKPOT, I found one on Saturday night on a local dealers site for $8900....red with a front mask. Went to the dealer that Monday to take a look, they only had one red one with no mask. I figured it was the same one and first place I looked was the hood for signs of paint fogging....none! Took it for a test drive and absolutely fell in love. Great looks and great handling. When I went to negotiate price the salesman told me $11,500 but on sale for $10,500. I mentioned seeing one on their site for $8900. After he made a few trips from me to the business manager I got it for the web price minus my trade ($500) plus taxes...which put me just under $9000.

Now we are searching for a MPV to replace our Vue.

 

[stdntDrvr]

i was driving an '01 jetta that i had just bought two months prior. my wife HATED that car...so i told her that i would trade it. i looked at a wrx...but the wife wouldn't let me get it. i was working in sales at a mazda store and i had a good friend with a msp. he had a p5 prior to that and i loved the car. well, i transferred one in...called my wife and told her she needed to swing by the dealership on her way home from work. she had no clue. she came in, drove it and signed the paperwork.

the odd thing is, i tried to talk her into the p5 before i bought the jetta. she didn't like how it drove. 3 months later, she's in love with the car. wtf?

 

[GreyMan]

I was driving a POS 1999 Jeep cherokee that kept on falling apart. In 2 months I had to drop $2000 in repairs and that was with discounted work (friend owns an auto repair shop). I was over it. I wish I had the $2k now for mods.
I was working in the automotive industry at the time and the P5 had got my attention as far as looks go (i'm a sucker for hatchbacks). I went in to the dealership, test drove it and had never driven something with such good handling and responsiveness for its price range and category. Its funny because the saleswoman knew I was hooked when we took the first hard turn in the hills during the test drive. They took my piece-o-crap jeep and gave me my P5.
And that was that.

 

[Canecreekfreak]

I've liked the P5 ever since they came out. I really started liking them when Car and Driver picked it #1 in their comparo of similar vehicles (Matrix, PT Cruiser, etc). So I drove one, and liked it, but at the time I really wanted a Miata. So that's what I bought.
2 years later (in 2005) my '94 Miata which I had bought used needed alot more work than I was willing to pay on it. So I once again added the P5 to my list of cars to consider. I ended up buying a 2001 Maxima on Feb 1 of 2005 'cause I was sucked in by the power and luxury options. Unfortunately for me the honeymoon didn't last as creeping gas prices mixed with poor gas milage and boredom w/the automatic caused me to want a "drivers" car.
In July of 2005 when I saw the Laser Blue 2003 P5 for sale on the autotrader at a near by Subaru dealer, I decided to stop by and try it out to see how this one felt. I loved the color, the fact that it had leather and a moon roof, and it was so much more fun to drive than the Maxima. It looked and drove like new, so I knew I had to have it.
I offered $1000 less than the dealer was advertising it for, and didn't budge. They came down $600, but wouldn't bite. So I left and gave them my phone # and told them to call me if they wanted to meet my price to sell it.
2 days later they did call me, offering $800 off the asking price, but I still didn't budge. So they called me again the next day and offered $900 off, which I took. Guess I should have just saved myself all the time and money over the years and bought one in 2002.
Oh yeah, the lady who traded in the P5 and bought a Subaru apparently did so 'cause she didn't like how it drove. (shocked) To each their own, I guess!

 

[CorkSport]

Picked up the Yellow P5 in May of 02. I was looking at something for me and my Daughter that had more room than my 99 Mazda Pick-up and would be my first family car.
After test driving the SVT Focus, F'ing ugly, not liking the looks of the Matrix either and not wanting the higher payments on an Audi A4 I came across the Protege5.
I liked the look right away, nice looking for a wagon. I was hooked, an Audi would have to wait. Turns out the yellow was pretty close to my old 70 Cuda as well so the sentiment started kicking in, though it was, and still is, gutless by comparison.
After some research and a few days worth of thought I started calling dealers looking for a yellow P5, MTX with a sunroof and no ABS. I had no luck for the first 2 weeks, "yellow is hard to get, sold out, can't find, blah, blah, blah". I decided I did not care what options it had as long as it was a manual trans and it was yellow AND I wasn't going to pay more than $13k to $14K. I was going to keep at it.
So I called the local dealerships again and told them my price range and what I would pay. If they had what I wanted and would work in that price range I would be right in with the checkbook. Several dealers ignored my requests and urged me to come on down (only 1 had a yellow P5) and they would see what they can do. The last one I called had my baby, NO ABS , Yellow , Manual trans (headbang) .... and...... NO sunroof (ughdance) but claimed they could work with in that price range if I came in that day. It took me 45 minutes to get there and another hour and a half to close the deal.
I got a little over $1000 off the cars MSRP, 36 months with 1.9% interest(2 more weeks and I could have had 0%), a reasonable trade in on my truck and did not have to BS with any sales people (Sales Manager met with me right away) and I got my new ride.
The midget and I took the back roads home and have been loving the car ever since. (burnout)

 

[Daddybluwagon]

Those are some cool-ass stories, I remeber back when mazda started making the p5 I wanted one, but I was young and irrespondsible, then a few years later I end up with one. The dealership even let me take it for a 24 hour test-drive (sucka punched me) now I just want to mod the sh!t out of it. I want to post my pics of it, but I'm still a little computer challenged.

 

[Tengo]

yuh i remember wheni was in my mid teens i would see a cool ass hatchback and i dont remember how i found out it was a mazda but i did, and i really liked the look, who knew about 3-4 years later i'd be driving one???

 

[GMalatrasi]

++++++Anybody else notice this.....These cars are hard to find on the road, until we bought one. Now I see almost 1 a day!+++++++++++++++++

Yeah! I know exactly what you mean. I'd been going to my school for 2 years and as soon as I bought my P5, within a month, 2 more and a bunch around town.

 

[nealric]

I was driving a '92 infiniti m30. The thing was a total POS. It was time to move on. At the time I knew next to nothing about cars but I knew two things.

Had to be MTX (doive a freind's alpha romeo and was instantly hooked)
Had to be a driver's car (old infinitis are decidedly not)

I looked at just about everything. Started looking at the impreza 2.5rs. Unfortunatly, my budget was 10k and WRXs bottomed out at 13-14k at the time. The 2.5 was ok, but just didnt feel all that great.

Second quest was for a4s. Problem is for 10k I was looking at 7 plus years old and 80k + miles. No go.

Then it was GTIs. One test drive and it was over. Everything felt wrong, the interior sucked big time. That said, I love my friend's 337 edition GTI.

Then I was totally stuck. I looked at everything from hyundais to saabs. Then came the p5. It looked pretty good and the milage/cost ratio was just right.
Test drove it and the steering felt really solid. Didnt much care for the lack of power but the handling was sex.

A year later, Ive dropped about 2k on it and am fixing to drom a nother 2gs for turbo. Sometimes I wish I had saved a bit more for a WRX, but deep down im happy I drive a mazda. Everytime I get into I marvell on how sexy it looks- I know that wouldnt happen in a WRX.

 

[Crazy D]

Last year my wife and I spoke about "me" getting a more functional vehicle...(Not her "me"... lol) Looked around for some time and was interested in the Lexus IS300 SprotCross, taking in consideration that we were expecting a 2nd addition to the family in Feb, gas mileage and other things...so I started the hunt early. (Just in case I didn't like what I got a could get rid of it before my little man was here) The Lexus seemed to be an over priced sticker i.e. 2001s with 98k+ miles for 15k-18k... but I did like the lines. Found a 2001 IS300 blue w/86k miles for 16.5 On my way to test drive one I pasted a Mazda Dealer...They had out front a 2003 Black Mica P5, moon roof / 5 speed etc... and I fell in love... (Sexy) Same day I drove it, came home reviewed information on it and said "Honey I'm getting a P5 lol" a what? On a search in Google I came across "BIGWOOFERS" p5 and then this Forum.... "Wow" for something that started for the kids was turning in to Daddy's toy real fast.... So I called up and toldem Ill pass by tomorrow, well get everything set; we want it. Went to pickup the MP5 the next day 57k miles 13.5k for it... (smile) get there... WTF... shes not around. Sales guys comes out and tells me they sold it the night before "cash" to an old lady in a tent Clearance sale... walked around the lot piss't off for a bit before I went off on him when silver caught my eye; there she was looking like crap... 2002 Silver P5 Auto/no moon roof, dent on the front fender, white paint on the front and back bumper, dog hair on all the seats, spider webs and a s*** load of dust on it... I asked "How much for this one?" ....* here comes the sales guy, with his chest up in the air*...well we got that last week, got inspected, oil changed, alignment, new tires and is ready to get detailed and re-painted....hummm; how about 14.5 ? It only has 8k miles..... I smiled... so we went back and forth...Its not gonna happen man, 9k for 8k leave it as is, don't paint, don't wash, don't clean....

I've now been driving my P5 for about a year and 2 months and have painted things here and changed this and that and look forward to many other mods in the near future. That same day I got home with her, she got a full bath / wax / steamed so on and so on... and she was in better shape than what I tought. It is my daily 17.2 mile driver and I love every second of it... it possibly one of the best choices I have made.

Zoom - Zoom

 

[Donas64]

I was looking for a car to replace my 96 Infiniti G20 with 160K on the odo. I promised myself that I would stay away from all 4 cylinder cars. I mean the
SR20DE is a punchy little motor but I needed something with cojones! I looked around at several options and I began to fall in love with an 02 VW GTI VR6 black, manual trans. But the thought of the maintenance bills smacked me back to reality.

I worked at a Nissan Dealership at the time so I also looked at the 2.5S altima. I was pretty quick but it was the base model and if I was getting an altima I wante the 3.5L SE model. I also looked at an Xterra but was reminded that I HATED SUV's (I was going through a macho phase)

I had a friend that drove a silver 03 P5 with the sportshift. I drove his car and really liked it.

So after some consideration I had it down to 2 mazdas:

An 02 Millenia and an 02 P5.

I liked the millenia cuz it was cheap but LOADED. Leather, sunroof the works but what killed it for me was that it was not a MilleniaS.

And then my wife (fiance at the time) found the pure white P5 and BOY was it calling my name. It looked soooooo good sitting there on the lot. it was an 02 with 34K on the odo but it was in excellent condition. Do dings, not a scratch. I mean immaculate and it just sucked me in. I've loved the car ever since despite the animic 4 cyl.

But for my next car I PROMISE nothing under 6 cyls!!!!!

 

[bumpin_p5]

I found my P5 on Autotrader along with a MazdaSpeed Protege. The Speed was way under price and I thought wow what a deal, but then maybe not, because there is no telling whats wrong with it. I didnt even go look at that one. I called the P5 guy up and went to meet him down the road. They wanted 10200 for it. I checked it out, no problems except the paint here and there. I offered 9800 and he took it. I have put alot of money into her since and she has been good to me. Oh and the whole funny thing about it. The guy made like $50 after his loan was paid off. So to him I am sure he feels as if it was sold for fifty dollars. lol. I bought to stock rims from him for an extra fifty dollars cuz I felt bad.

 

[fonzinator]

My P5 replaced a '93 Ford Explorer that I had owned for 10 years. It had 160K miles and had served me well. Two years ago, I began saving to replace the Explorer (no more SUVs!) with a new but used, lower-mileage, fun to drive, easy to maintain myself, decent gas mileage vehicle. The Mazda3 5-door fit the bill perfectly!

Near the time of purchase, however, I found out that the wife needed braces. This immediately deleted $3.6K from the car fund - I could no longer afford the Mazda3. I researched and found the Protege5 was loved and adored by owners and media alike. I test drove one and that sealed the deal. The wife and I had specific requirement though: Silver, manual, low miles, ABS and side airbags. I searched for 6 months to find one that was even remotely close to me.

Finally, in Feb '06, the day arrived when one appeared several hundred miles away. The P5 was at a dealer in Iowa: the asking price was already great, LOW miles, silver, manual, but no ABS or side bags. The dealer sent detailed pics including a bad ding above the drivers door. I used the ding and lack of ABS/side-bags to get the dealer down even lower and deliver the P5 half-way. A week later, I handed the dealer my hard-earned cash, and drove away with a BIG smile on my face. I had the ding pushed out (PDR) for $60.

I look forward to enjoying my P5 for the next 10 years! For the money, there is nothing that compares. Currently, the car fund is back in savings mode to replace our '96 Geo Prizm with 260K miles. Barring no more braces, an '03 VW Passat wagon is on the list for next summer.

 

[Rhean]

Well here is ma story... I went looking around for a hatchback.. I first was looking for honda civic.. but i couldn't find anything that was good enuff. I spent months looking for a nice sporty looking hatchback, i even went to a GM dealer and was looking at the Opera.. but i have to give it to ma parent they went out and found the mp 5 and called me at workand asked me if i like the color yellow.. A few days later ma parents took me to a dealership and totally suprised me... As i walked in the dealer was congratulating me on ma new car.. I looked at it, and it was a beauty.. MEMORIES LIKE THAT LAST FOREVER... It was ma first car dat i cud call my own n didn't need to share it wit ma bros.. Let me jus say it was the best birthday gift i cud ever get.... Now all dat is left is to modify ma baby!!!!!

 

[RN's X-7]

My brother is a Mazda Cert. dealer and told me about a car that he knew that I would like. He told me he ordered a red 5 speed with a roof with my name on it. The only thing he had to show me was a pic. When I saw it was like !@#$ yea. The first time I actully saw one other than a pic. was on a commercial airing on Friends. When I saw it I called him up and asked when I could get it. Mine was in Washington st. on a rail car waiting to be delivered. I was the first person east of the Mississippi to have a red P5. I bought it on a Sat. in my brothers living room, I spent exactly 0 minutes in the dealership (now thats the way to buy a car and I promise I paid less than you without any haggling). I had custom factory CHROME wheels (the only one) not polished on mine that I had done while I was waiting on it. The first time I drove one was when I left my brothers house in mine. I have had mine ever since (early 2001). My mods. are Mazda speed suspension, MS exaust, INJEN CAI, Kumo ASX, and my mpg is avg 29city, 31 highway. I love this car. The only way I will get rid of it is if you pry it from my dead hands, lol.

 

[javanc]

I got the best one yet! I just turned 22 had been driving a 92 protege with 150 grand on it. I saw the commercial on tv and said wow that car looks hot. So i did the Google thing. Went to the dealer and drove it. I liked it alot. But what was the clincher for me was that it was so sexy, my girlfriend at the time didnt like it. She was jealouse cuz she couldnt have it. (I was on the verge of breaking up with her, but she didnt know it) So I bought the car brought it home showed it to her and told her shed never get to drive it. She never did and it made her mad. SO thats why i bought my car, to spite my ex. Hatefull evil soul that i am LOL. It was a good choice but now i wish to get another car that my wife wont hate. Ala Speed 3. Oh yeah and my wife will never get to drive this car either. (She couldnt drive a manny if her life depended on it.)

 

[AtrociousMazda]

We were in the process of looking at new / used cars and found the P5 in a used car book. So we went (it's about a 30-40 minute drive), we'll we couldn't do it under my fiancee's credit because his is all fkd up, and I didn't have any credit...so the guy wouldn't even take us inside to see what we could do, he just told us no he said if we come back with anyone from his family or mine to co-sign we could possibly do it.

We'll we were kind hooked on it, so we went back the following monday with his sister and talked to a different guy, we'll that guy told us that we couldn't do it because she wasn't directly related to me, he said bring $3000 and we could get the car...

So my mom gave me the $3000 to put down on the car and we went back the next week...well THEN we got told that I had to have someone cosign (Again a different sales person)..so we said **** this and went over to Jeff Haas mazda, where I was getting approved for an 06 Mazda6 sport package, that costed more and had less miles on it, and my fiancee called Northwest Dodge (Where the P5 was at) and told them the whole story, well needless to say 30 minutes later we were heading BACK to Northwest Dodge. We FINALLY got the car and then they told us that we couldn't take it home because we didn't have full coverage insurance on it (it was 8pm) so we had to go back over there the next morning and pick it up..

ugh...fuckers(pissed)

 

[mountjonas]

damn. you guys really wanted that car.

 

[AtrociousMazda]

damn. you guys really wanted that car.

It was weird too, because at first my fiancee didn't wanna even look at it...because to him it looked ugly in the book...but man...once he saw it...i couldn't get him to stop droolin lol...it was the perfect car for us...low mileage, 5 speed, great price good insurance price...you couldn't beat it...hehe...he doesn't get to drive it much..

 

[Mmmmmken]

I'm sure my story tugs at the heartstrings more than any other...

When I first saw the ads and the car at the 2001 Detroit auto show I immediately fell in love with it. Unfortunately, due to the economy and my financial situation, it was not to be.

Then my Dad called me, wanting to look at new cars. I used to sell at Toyota, so I'm kind of handy when it comes top car shopping. He was all over the board, from Crown Vic's to god knows what!

Anyway, he wnated to look at the P5, which killed me becuase I wanted one so badly, and it just wasn't right that the old man might buy my dream car!

He did... and to my demise (later on), in an automatic...

So...mom's health was really deteriorating, and dad (after a year or so) hated the ride of the P5...too rough. Mom talked him into giving it to me. You heard me right GIVING (read:FREE!)

She passed away in December, a day (literally hours) before her 68th birthday. Dad has become a real asshole (way too long too explain), but Mom gave me her farewell gift. And now I'm the proud and happy owner of a very sweet, low milage, mildly modified P5... and couldn't be happier!

And I guarantee this... no one on this entire Mazda group forum got a better deal than I did! I have a 2002 P5, loaded, with less than 32.000 miles, with a clear title!

Karma in action!