Reliability Issues?

[JerseyTuscani]

About a year and a half ago I was looking into purchasing a Protege5 for myself as a second car however I ended up purchasing a Trailbazer SS. *Big difference I know...lol* Now with my gf and her son being apart of my family. I'm looking into getting her a Protege5 for her, I'm been researching alot into them and they seem very good on gas and not overly expensive in maintence. Is there any known issues that I should be looking for?

 

[Bastian]

Your major concern should be rust. Major spots are right above the rear wheel wells, corners of the hood, bottoms of the doors, etc. Either avoid these cards or offer a lower price because of the rust if you don't need the car to last you forever.

The only mechanical thing I can think of that is common on these cars is failure of the EGR valve. This will cause the car to have a rough idle, fluctuating around 500 rpm and, in some instances, stalling. This is a relatively easy fix that most people can do themselves. You can typically remove it and clean it yourself or replace for $150ish (?)

Other than that, these are very good cars, treat them well and they will treat you well.

 

[azuelke]

Anything close to 110,000 miles should have the timing belt replaced if it hasn't been already. If it hasn't everything that is involved should be replaced, and a shop will charge anywhere from $400-$700 for all of it.