Sad to see her go...

JesseM

Member
:
2003 Protege5
Holy s*** I test drove a 2008 Dodge Caliber for a day .... WHAT A PIECE OF s***. My old Protege5 with bad rear struts is better in every single way. More space inside, better interior, way better engine (protege still smooth and powerful, 2liter at 2500lbs vs 1.8 liter at 3000lbs, similar gas milage), and the biggest difference was the handling. I never realized how well these cars handled until driving the caliber and my dads subaru. I'm quite used to his Subaru, but the P5 makes me feel much safer driving because I know I can plant the car anywhere's I want without even thinking, the car is so nimble and quick to respond. Even the traction control in the Caliber created so much torque steer it was almost dangerous in icy conditions, man what a piece of s*** that car is. The P5 is way better in the winter because of its stance.

Unfortunately today I'm off to see about trading my P5 in for a 2007 Mazda5. The old P5 needs too much stuff even though it still drives perfectly and the drivetrain has been super reliable.. needs ABS sensor, o2 sensor, rear struts/mounts, front balljoint, and the stick is vibrating now so there's a bearing on its last legs in the tranny. I'd like to think that after fixing these things that it would last me a while, but its almost 11 years old now with 228,000km so its been a constant money sink... I'm sure after I drop $1000 on it for the 4-5 things it needs, then the front struts will go costing me another $300+.. etc...

If I had a back-yard and some more tools, I would be keeping it and re-doing all the suspension over the next 6 months myself, as the dealer is only offering $500 for a trade in... oh well bye bye P5, you were a sick little car back in your day (and still are in many ways).
 
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