Thinking of buying-

[mazwelmurder]

I'm looking into selling my 04 mustang and picking up a Protoge5, for better mpg, cheaper insurance, and ive always love the hatchback style.

could anyone tell me what the upkeep is like, how smooth the drive is, its acceleration, top speed, how fun it is, etc.
anyone know any websites to surf around on just to check the prics of aftermarket parts and ext. styling?
and i dont know too much about 4cyl so does anyone know the hp and tq gains id be looking at when going under the hood?

thanks for the time, sorry for the noob questions!

 

[bucksatan]

Slow in a straight line, great in corners. While it is far from fast, I still find mine a blast to drive on twisty roads.

Short of a turbo any power gains will be small.

 

[Flash5]

basically this car is about convience and corners, not a speed demon, i think the top speed is around 130 (5-speed) and 0-60 is definitely under a minute i can tell u that.

here are some websites, starting of with protege garage which is my favorite:
http://siteground207.com/~protegeg/index.php
http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/performanceparts/Mazda/Protege
http://corksport.com/

 

[DeanSweet]

I change the oil in mine... that's really the only upkeep I have ever had to do?
Check for rust in the lower door seams, the hatch lower lip from the inside and the rear wheel wells rub the rear bumper...

Ride can be bumpy. MPG is 26-28mpg for me. Funny part is that it costs more to insure the P5 than our '09 GMC Acadia

 

[rapter]

wow 26-28mpg, thats not very good. I had at least 30 mpg for my protege 2.0L

 

[mazwelmurder]

so if i had the money, would a MSP be a better buy?
would the adds still be fairly low as you said for the P5?

 

[90210brandon]

wow 26-28mpg, thats not very good. I had at least 30 mpg for my protege 2.0L

Mine too. I hit 31 mpg the majority of the time but I am very easy on the gas.

As for maintenace, just the normal, recently I did the endlinks on all four corners, man did that tighten everything back up! Like it was new.

I have had every since it showed 8km(5mile) on the clock and I still love it!

 

[mrpopo573]

I average 30-31 without trying really. Chevron Gas and Full Synthetics. These are amazing cars. I have owned several mustangs and have taken a big downgrade in speed, but it was time to grow out of the straight line fast and get in a car that looks good, commutes well, handles well, and doesn't break down all the time.

 

[mazwelmurder]

ive never had any problems with the mustang, but the speed bit is a little bit troublesome! ive gotten so use to it i dont want to lose it!! haha

but ive found some MSP's for under 7k, would that be a good price?

 

[Flash5]

if they are completely stock and depending on mileage yes!

 

[mazwelmurder]

haha alright, well i deff. gonna look into it deeper.
and i read that with a P5 maxs out 210hp with adds and without redoing most everything under the hood, so what are the limitations with the MSP?
[and is the P bit correct? ]

 

[raserx]

I went from a 2005 Mustang GT to the P5. Insurance cut in 1/2 , gas mileage almost double, no car payment .... that helps ease the pain of 200 less horsepower. It is a fun car though. You don't have to go as fast to get that " WHEEEEE!!" sensation.

 

[mazwelmurder]

well ultimatley that what i need!
im gonna graduating in 2 and a half months so i need to start watching my money better, and i hope to save a few bucks in this switch, at the initial sale and over time with gas and insurance

anyone have any tips on performance and style mods?

 

[rapter]

well if you wanna save more money, then dont do any MODs lol.

well do something, lol, just not alot.

 

[raserx]

Short throw shifter is a big improvement over stock.

 

[rdaex]

Where are you located mazwell?
I am in columbus oh and I just picked up a heavily modded 02 P5 for 6238 total with tax tile and fees.. I would say try to get down to around 5kish on a private party, 5500-6000 at a dealership.

 

[Glisten]

Oddly enough, I'm looking to switch from Mustang to P5 myself...

 

[mazwelmurder]

hahaha its odd aint it glisten?

and im in north fl, really hoping to have some cash after selling the mustang and pickin up the P5, put a sound system or start doing some performance mods, or lights, hell i dont know yet.
i need to write myself out a list of everything i want to get then prioritize.

 

[mmiiimp5]

Im looking to sell my P5 it has 142k runs great there all hwy miles i used to travel the country for work, hoping to get 4k out of it. White, manual, in dash cd changer, sunroof. I think it has ever option avaliable but the roof rack

 

[mazwelmurder]

problem is...i cant drive stick...