Sold on the P5..what sold you guys?

[HBOC]

yes, i am new. After spending (still there) 6 years on the altimas.net site and having an altima, i decided it is time for a new car. I have narrowed it down to a few cars, which the 5 is in the lead, although the 6 speed 2003 Nissan Maxima is a close second.

Ok, a few questions. I am starting to test drive cars in the next week or so, so i havent driven the 5 yet. I had a 1990 Jetta GLi that had a 132 horse 2 litre and it moved. I am asuming the 5 is a bit quicker?

yeah, i know, everyone hates newbies
but about projector headlights. are there any out there? im not looking for cheezy APC or matrix or whatnot, but Hella quality stuff.

i will be probably buying this car (either silver or dark blue) at the end of this month (with 5 speed manual and sunroof) and wont waste anytime modding it, although i just bought a new Canon EOS 20D and will be moving back to Costa Mesa/Newport Beach in a month for school.

any suggestions or advice i should be aware of when looking at these? thanks and sorry about the rhetoric questions. I am quite excited to get this car. i will be able to carry all my canon gear in style

 

[J dragon]

WTF get the Maxima >_<

 

[mountjonas]

i'd get the maxima. 255hp vs 130hp, not even close. i love my protege5, but it's slow as hell. as far as headlights, the only projectors i've seen are custom.

 

[HBOC]

WTF get the Maxima >_<

yeah i hear ya on that! 270 horse vs 140- 0-60 in 5.7 vs 8?
BUT i just got out of DEBT, and need a car that is reliable and doesnt have alot of miles and WONT cost an arm and a leg. I can do w/o a maxima. I really like the 5! i can pay it off in a year or two then get a new TL or something. but i am going to either Brooks institute of art in santa barbara or an art school in San Diego, so i dont need to be buried and burdened with huge payments. i will get through school, then buy a new fast car.

i am just wondering about any problems or years i should avoid. Do they make the 5 anymore? see, that should tell you how upto date i am. Rule of thumb..avoid the first year production cars..problematic. just wondering if this is a thing of the past.

 

[Lord_Zath]

p5's a good car to keep yourself out of debt. Especially if you don't plan on modding it.

What sold me was looks at first and then the test drive I smiled like a dumbass. I knew the car was fit for me.

As for debt, if you're trying to stay out of debt, why'd you just buy a 20D?

 

[HBOC]

p5's a good car to keep yourself out of debt. Especially if you don't plan on modding it.

What sold me was looks at first and then the test drive I smiled like a dumbass. I knew the car was fit for me.

As for debt, if you're trying to stay out of debt, why'd you just buy a 20D?

that is why i am going to school for also, i sold a bunch of my old fuji camera equipment to part finance this, and i have had it for about 2-3 months.

i really think the 5 looks great and i have heard it handles quite fabulously.

 

[InFlames]

Im in the same boat as you...I just traded in my 03 srt-4 so i'm missing the power, but i love the car. So i dont have an regrets. If your looking to keep cost down this is a great car. power isnt everything....

 

[kurt]

Going to Brooks for photography?

Before I bought my Pro5, I measured the cargo room and found that it will hold a fair amount of strobe kits, tripods, and c-stands with the seats folded down. So cargo capacity isn't a problem. I wish the load floor (with the seats down) was flat, and that the plastic in the trunk didn't scuff so easily...

What to look for? 2002 Pro5's have different wheels, shift knobs, cupholders and lack the fender mounted turn signals that all Protege's 2002.5 (mid-year refresh) and beyond have. Whether or not you want that stuff is up to you. 2003.5 Pro5's have a trunk mounted subwoofer. I don't know how good it is, my car doesn't have one.

Look for gnarly/crunchy shifting (bad synchros $$$), scraped/damaged underbody (jumping Proteges is bad) is a sure sign of abuse, some Proteges had a cold start/cold idle noise (not detremental, but it annoyed some people so there's a TSB put out for that).

That's the major stuff.

edit : subwoofer info

 

[Lord_Zath]

2003.5 p5's ONLY have the stock subwoofer.

 

[kurt]

2003.5 p5's ONLY have the stock subwoofer.

I stand corrected.

Fixed!

 

[nocoastgangster]

i wanted something sporty, but also had trunk space for carrying rock insturments of death. the PR5 fit the bill.(headbang)

 

[Roywhitep5]

the front bumper & seating position sold me on it. the handeling was a pleasent suprise. the stock 03.5 sub was only 100 watts but bumped really good. i regret selling mine

with some springs, struts, rear sway bar(racing beat or awr) and good tires, it handels like a sports car. very neuteral. i did a track day with it and i could hang with rx8's in the turns because i didnt have to worry about oversteer. there is still understeer but its managable

 

[REMillers]

Looks I have a thing for little wagons, and the P5 has a very nice sporty looks. Still smile looking at it after almost 3 years and 68k miles...NO ISSUES. Not a stutter, a burp...nothing.

Didn't really test the handling till after I bought it and it was nice. In fact I almost bought it without test driving it, it was my dealer who told me to test drive it before buying. In fact thats how I ended up with a 03 blue new, instead of a 02 red. The 02 was getting cleaned as it was their demo, and he said to take the new 03 out for a drive. Loved it. Then found out I got special pricing from work that made the 03 less than the 02. BAM sold

Great cars for communting and occasionally spirited driving.

It is not fast in a straight line so be careful of minivans. You will soon learn to look at Minivans and determine if the mom is in a hurry, cause if she is watch out. heheh

 

[Action Jackson]

The handling, the fact that the gauges were analog and circular, plus 4 wheel disc brakes. Cargo and passenger space, looks nice too.

Makes for a great corner carver. Not much to write home about in a straight line though...

 

[cbcbd]

-It was a wagon and could carry my drums
-Styling
-I drove it and had the biggest smile on my face.

 

[romecandleboy]

I'm going to get flamed but speed is not that important and in most cases will get you into more trouble than it's worth. Regardless, the P5 is more fun to drive and will last forever. Also nice camera choice. Post an 8 megapixel pic of the new P5 once it's yours!

 

[Lord_Zath]

Yea I'm a Canon fan myself which is how I knew that camera was expensive!

As for the stock subwoofer, it's way better than the original stock system. I like it because now there's no major motivation for me to rip out the wiring and put in aftermarket subs. The only audio I'm considering is a HU that can play mp3's...

 

[Protege52003]

drove a 01' ES 2.0 and was in the mood for a change. I liked the look of the Sport Wagon.....got 0% financing for 5 yrs, too and an okay trade in value on my Sedan.....

 

[DE31]

yeah, i know, everyone hates newbies
but about projector headlights. are there any out there? im not looking for cheezy APC or matrix or whatnot, but Hella quality stuff.

we dont hate newbs. at least i think most of us dont.(thumb)

theres a bit of rattle over bumps but i've gotten used to it and its not really bad.

p.s. (in a creepy voice) come join us....uhhh....HBOC. get the P5 and join us......

 

[dinux]

haha, i had a honda! enough said pretty much. i went and looked with no intention of buying and test drobe a mazda 6. coming back to the lot and getting ready to go home i saw my P5 out of the corner of my eye and was like 'that one' pointing at it like a little kid. the next day i came back in with my civic (which they did a blind trade on and got screwed) and picked up my new p5! my is white and must be the 2003.5 since it has the stock subwoofer. great little car. i have the six disc in-dash change but i took it out and put in an alpine head unit. it has a lot of room. i sleep back there on long road trips with my fiance while she drives. five speed standard is a great thing. like they all say, speed isn't everything. i hope you make the right choice