Thinking about buying the Protege 5 . I need your advice

[Bellevilleguy]

Hello Everyone,
As I mentioned I am interested about finding out as much as possable about the MP5. I would like to know how reliable the car is and has anyone had any issues with it ( small or large issues ) . Overall how is the fit and finish of the Protege ? Does Mazda have a good Quality program ? How peppy is the car with the automatic ? If you want to pass someone do you have to give yourself plenty of time or can you just do it ?
Also , how is after sales service in general ? Does Mazda look after you like Saturn where there are no hazzels .
Sorry for all the questions but I would like to know as much as possable from the Protege owners about there feeling about the car.
Hope you can help,
Dan from Canada(canada)

 

[Kooldino]

Mazda service isn't as good as Saturns from what I hear

There are minor issues with the p5...such as cold engine rattle and random interior rattles when it's cold

It has some pep, but you won't have serious power unless you mod the car

Welcome!

 

[ArkosP5]

Honestly, Saturn service (as well as Mazda service) is TOTALLY dependant on the dealer. I've had to deal with really bad Saturn Dealers, as well as really really good ones. The two Mazda dealers in my area are excellent (definitely better than the saturn dealer in the area)

 

[Stealth5]

ive never had problems with my dealer

 

[md420]

my dealer was great

when florida actually went decently cold(which occurs once every 5000000 years) i noticed the rattle too.

The cars aren't the fastest(130 hp stock), but I don't know how the auto drives.

 

[JOS3]

it ALL depends on the dealer. i can tell you that because my last car actually was a saturn. i got f*cking screwed up the ass by the saturn dealer. they didnt give a flying f*ck what kind of deal they gave me. they wanted me to leave the lot with that saturn NO MATTER WHAT. when i bought my p5, i had $3000 of negative equity which means they had to tack that money onto the price of my p5. but i learned from my mistake, i was 18 when i bought it. it was my first car. when i took it in for service at the dealer, they let me sit there for an hour, even though the job only took 20 mins. but its better now, i have my p5 and i love it and it loves me. so F*CK SATURN, F*CK THEIR DEALERSHIPS, SALESMAN, AND THEIR SH*TTY PLASTIC (AND VERY SLOW) CARS.

 

[MP5Alive]

my dealer was great too.
had my clutch replaced under warranty (do a search for clutch chatter) with no questions asked. they even lent me a 2002 626 for the day.

If you can drive a manual, go with a manual tranny. you wouldn't want a slushbox stealing any of your precious 130 horses. If you can't drive a manual, that's ok. just take an hour or two and go learn on someone's beater before going for a test drive.

as for the fit and finish...well the VIN starts with a "J" which means it's MADE IN JAPAN!!! Don't know too many Japanese cars sold in North America that are actually made in Japan anymore. It's an import in the true sense of the word. I love the white-face gauges with italicized lettering. I'm only 5'7" but I find everything fits around me just fine. However, if you get the manual tranny, you'll find the throws between gears a bit long. You'll probably smack your elbow on the center console when shifting from 1 to 2 and from 3 to 4. Also, you might find the stick a bit "mushy". (sorry, don't know how to describe this). You'll have to sit in the car and judge for yourself.

i test drove a couple of autos (non-sport-shift) as well as a couple of manuals. i must say driving the sticks was WAY WAY more satisfying. You'll definitely need to turn the O/D off so the car can downshift when passing on the highway.

Check out this comparison review by Car and Driver magazine from June 2002 to get a better idea.

Make sure you don't get dicked around by the dealer. Get several quotes from dealers and find the invoice price and haggle from there and you'll be a new P5 owner in no time.

 

[bazooka joe]

you've gotta love the mp5 styling and handling. i've had no major mechanical issues in 33,000 miles. i love the car more each day. all i need now is a turbo and i'm feelin real good! dealers are npt all the same. find someone in your area happy with their dealer and go with them.

great car for the price!!

 

[jas9297]

I would like to know how reliable the car is and has anyone had any issues with it ( small or large issues ) . Overall how is the fit and finish of the Protege ? Does Mazda have a good Quality program ? How peppy is the car with the automatic ? If you want to pass someone do you have to give yourself plenty of time or can you just do it ?

Hi Dan, I love my car. For $16k US, it is a great handling car that is much better built than other economy cars. The doors are solid, the steering very nice, the shifter and clutch are good. But if you start adding up a lot of options, I don't know if it is that much better than mid-size, non-economy level cars such as the new Accord/Camry/Subaru/and even the Mazda6. I don't think I would have paid $18k or higher (OK, maybe with leather). But if you just get a few options, you should be able to get near invoice price and hopefully pay on the low end of the price range.

I am perhaps most disappointed with my miles-per-gallon. Though I often get 27-28 in mixed, though mostly hwy driving (and have gotten 31 mpg all highway), I have heard bad things about the automatics in city driving getting in the low 20s. That is really bad for a 2.0L 4-cylinder. If you do a lot of city driving, that will be a sore spot I think. Actually, I think the 2.0L engines in our cars are quite old and unsophisticated. While they are very reliable, they are not the most efficient.

So bottom line, I think compared to a Honda Civic, Corolla, or Hyundai, it drives better than most. But the Civics and Corollas will get much better gas mileage, especially with automatics. Even the Pontiac Vibe(which I like)/Toyota Matrix(which I don't) cars are much better with automatics in terms of mpg and also very utilitarian. If you want to be a "driver" and experience a cheap, utilitarian sports car, go with the protege5. If you have lots of straight roads and merely commute to work, I would test drive the Vibe, Corolla, Civic, and perhaps Saturn.

 

[MP5driva03]

So basically, should you buy it?

Wow...well it depends...do you plan to modify or tune the car? If so, I recommend that you either don't go with the warrenty, or if you want the warrenty, then stick with Mazda products(right now they really don't offer much, save the suspension package and exhaust). The car overall, is the best vehicle I have ever owned. The only car I like more is my Dad's 1993 RX-7, which had the ol' twin-turbo rotary...not much can be better than that, LOL. Anyway...

I love my P5. It is extraordinarily fun to drive, and it handles in a way that is almost(notice how I say almost) reminiscent of the ol' RX-7. She handles beautifully, and for what she lacks in horsepower and pick-up, she makes up for in handling performance. If there is one downside to the car, it's the real lack of horsepower. However, some of that can be made up for with aftermarket parts.

Overall opinion: BUY THE CAR. ALMOST EVERYONE ON THIS SITE WOULD AGREE...YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

As for service, my family has a history with the Mazda dealership where I live, and we are good friends with everyone there. They constantly go out of their way to help us out, and I love talking to the people. Great people, would recommend them to everybody. Then again, service and salespeople change from region to region, so all I can say is...talk to your Mazda people, work with them, and see how that works out for you. I can't promise you great service from MAZDA unless you live in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Anyway, good luck, no matter what car you choose!

 

[gb5mx]

Recently bought a P5, have put about 9000 miles on it in the past few months and haven't experienced a single quality-control problem. I drove both the stick and the new sport-shift auto... went with the stick (actually, my wife's request... I married the right woman!) and believe it truly brings out the most in the car. If you never drive the stick, you'll probably be perfectly satisfied with the auto... at least the sport-shift feature gives you a little bit of control.

I find the car very comfortable (though perhaps a bit on the noisy side on the freeway... but likely on par with a Honda or Toyota and certainly quieter than our old Saturn SL2). The hatch design allows it to hold a ton of stuff when needed and the handling is superb... absolutely best in class for handling and steering.

I agree that it's difficult to judge your future dealer experience by the name on the building. We bought our Saturn from a great dealer in California and later moved to Michigan when I was in grad school... the dealer in Ann Arbor was horrible. My local Mazda dealer was great to buy from and their service department is fast, reasonably priced and very responsive to questions. As a whole, Mazda dealers are ranked pretty low for customer satisfaction, but so are Toyota and Honda.

 

[Bellevilleguy]

Just a big Thank you to all you Protege owners out there . It was really nice hearing your honest opinion on the P5 . I will be taking a P5 Automatic out for a test drive in the next few weeks and I will probably have a few more questions after that .
Thanks again everyone and throw anymore information my way if you please

 

[dficken]

I have a p5 auto (sport shift) and it is pretty nice. Granted the stick is a little more peppy, but mine will be corrected once I add the turbo (...just gotta pay off the student loans first).

I would also recommend checking out the leather. I am VERY satisfied with mine and I think it makes the interior look great.

I have had my p5 for 6 or 7 months with no problems. Only complaint is gas mileage. I get about 22 - 24 driving city/hwy mix. I tried babying it the entire tank and got the same results. So if you can live with that, go for the auto. If not... check into the stick.

Have fun test driving.

Dayill.

 

[Antoine]

Great thread guys...its nice to see everyone so helpful and informative. (thumb)

 

[Smilin Marty]

gb5mx, you're a luck guy. I just drove my new silver one off the lot on 02/18/03 and had to settle for the Auto w/sport. I have to admit, living in Orange Co. and having to deal with the cummute, i'm kinda glad now. I do miss the extra hp on the 5sp.

I also had a 98 Protege that NEVER gave me any major problems except I had to buy some beefer brake rotors because the stock ones got warped. With my MP5 I noticed the rotors are slightly larger and feel better than my 98 did in the beginning. Believe it or not, I traded that old one in and got this new MP5 and was very happy.

My only regret was I went to Tustin Mazda after checking out three other local dealers in my area and thought they offered me the best deal. In the end they turned out to be a nightmare. However, to my great satisfaction I went back for some final paperwork issues and found out they fire the 3 finance guys who were there when I bought my car. The new guys seem to be older and more willing to work with you now and I have to admit the Internet Sales guy was a real good man.

As far as my new MP5 goes, it is still a little loud inside (something Mazda needs to address) and now that I put an Exhaust on in its really loud but I don't mind.

If you want to read about my recent trip to INJEN headquarter and the results of my dyno test check out the link below. I don't know if I pasted this correctly so if someone else can help me out on how to post another thread please let me know.

http://protege5.com/vbb225/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12813&perpage=15&pagenumber=3

Overall, I am really happy with Mazda and Im sure on this forum most people are.