Mazda Question?

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2002 Mazda Protege Dx (BLOWN) 2002 Mazda Protege Lx
What's up guys, so i just bought a 2002 Mazda protege DX, 2.0 liter DOHC, Automatic in like perfect condition. This is my 2nd car and I just got into the car scene and was wondering if this car is worth putting any money into? I understand it isn't a damn Evo or a Subie or at least the Mazdaspeed version. All advice is appreciated, Thanks in advance.
 
if you like the car then go for it, a base model is much more of a blank canvas then a msp, subie or evo any day.
 
The most important part of owning or modifying any car is that you do what you want with it. After all, it is your car. No car is worth putting money into unless you deem it as such. I've had my car for two years and kept saying it "wasn't worth putting money into" because it wasn't what I wanted. Eventually though, I realized keeping my Protege was the best option as it's reliable and cheap to fix and I can save for a different car but still modify the Protege while I have it, so I've starting putting money in it and I don't regret it. If you're looking for something fast then you're in the wrong place, but if you want a car that gets good gas mileage, cheap to fix, and reliable then you can't go wrong with the Protege. Throw some decent suspension on it with a good set of brakes and tires and they're a blast to drive and well worth the money. Not to mention it's something different. I went to a meet this week with 3000+ cars there and my Protege was the only "base" there (3 MSP's, and 1 MP3).

If you think it's worth putting the money into, then it is; if you don't think it's worth the money, then it's not. Simple as that.
 
You can make this car look really good. New suspension (lowered), front bumper cover P5 or sedan with lip, P5 side skirts, rear lip.

In my opinion, do not put too much into the engine bay on an automatic. You could get a short ram intake for a bit of performance boost.
 
The most important part of owning or modifying any car is that you do what you want with it. After all, it is your car.

If you think it's worth putting the money into, then it is; if you don't think it's worth the money, then it's not. Simple as that.

Exactly. Though I would add that it is always great to learn about a new car and to have the experiences modifying it, regardless of what others say.
 
You can make this car look really good. New suspension (lowered), front bumper cover P5 or sedan with lip, P5 side skirts, rear lip.

In my opinion, do not put too much into the engine bay on an automatic. You could get a short ram intake for a bit of performance boost.

Will any p5 bumper fit? Or do I need specifics? Also what is a good exhaust to put on a protege?
 
All P5 bumpers were the same so should just be any that will fit. You'll also need the reinforcement and the grill, and one hole in the fender liner won't fully line up so youll have to ziptie it. Other than that bolts directly on.

I've heard good things about the Corksport exhaust.
 
Thanks for all of the feedback guys, why are the p5 bumpers and side skirts and stuff so expensive? i'm gonna go to a junkyard and just find a protege 5 haha or something it is bs like they are way over priced
 
Their not worth making fast. However cheap set of coil overs and racing beat sway bars an it will out handle just about anything on the street. With my mp3 ( stock tokico blues, racing beat springs and sway bars) with 170 k a z06 corvette couldn't keep up with me going down a mountain

As for exhaust an eBay header will help a lot with top end but you will need to do the non fouler trick ( google it) and an eBay cat back. Keep the stock main cat as it won't be horribly loud and won't make much more power any way. But I personally hate exhausts on autos

Sri won't help maybe 1-2 hp gain and autos only make 60-70 whp stock so I will reiterate that's its not worth attempting to make it fast
 
Shoot I'm still putting money into my 2001 and it has just under 220,000 miles haha everyone tells me it's dumb to and I know that too but it's what I enjoy doing so if you feel you like it enough to modify then go right ahead.
 
It has nothing to do with year miles or car. It's the motor that's worthless. I paid $700 for my 323 I've put over 1200 in it and about to put another 500 in it for the bigger turbo plus the megasquirt. But it will be making 300ish whp in a 2500lb car.put $2000 in a protege and you can make around 250 whp and be pushing the stock motor. More than that and you will have to forge the motor which isn't by any means cheap especially after machine work
 
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