Why did you buy a Protege 5?

[REMillers]

The order of how I approached the car when looking at Civic SI's

1.Looks. Same here I love hatches/wagons

2.Interior design and space

3.Price!

Actually bought the car before even test driving it. On the day I went to pick it up the salesperson asked if I wanted to go for a test drive just to be sure. So I finally said sure since I had time to do it. He noticed I have been gandering a new 03 Blue on coming off the trailer and suggested I take that out.

4.BOOM test drive; Loved it.

Went back and said I didn't want the 02 red one that I had came to pick up, and started the paper work on the blue one.

It is a great little everyday car that continues to provide enjoyment every single day.

 

[cbcbd]

1.Wanted something unique

2.Looking for hatchback - tired of sedans and had need for space

3.Within price range

4.When I set out to buy a car, the priority was the "fun" factor in driving it. After test driving all the others in mind the P5 won because it really felt like it was much more fun driving it.


It's amazing how Mazda can make cars that, by HP, don't compare very well to others, but are still a lot more fun to drive.
I know I've said this before, but
Mazdas are drivers cars!


sorry, real drivers don't hit the drag strip.

 

[EviLMaN]

the cost of the mp5 and when i test drove it i realy liked it and when i test drove the civic it felt like a lil s*** box the mp5 is a nice car but its no way near as the car i used to drive lol my Dads Bmw z3 now that car has great handaling

 

[Monstermile]

mp5, thank you for reaffirming my faith, for a few minutes there I thought maybe I was smoking crack! The MP5 is the better handling car. Period.

I'm not trying to start a battle but I am going by what I know and have driven. I have tried to take corners in the P5 that I took everday in the Focus and can't take them at the same speeds. I guess it is all a matter of opinion and experience. I am not knocking the P5 at all. It just doesn't handle as good as I'm used to.

 

[Snacks McGee]

Love the look, especially the front. Also wanted something that looked different from anything else.

 

[Natey]

I needed a wagon, and the only other contender was the Matrix/Vibe. Once I tested a Matrix, I was sold on the P5.

 

[EXA4DRIVER]

I had a 2001 A4 1.8T that I had to get rid of for a few reasons:

1) My wife can't drive a manual.

2) We didn't need two luxury cars.

3) We didn't need two sedans.

4) Needed something cheaper to save up for a house.


So that being said, we were looking into the Passat Wagon. Well, the way we wanted it configured ended up being around $26K, plus taxes it would have been $28K. Then we looked into the Jetta Wagon, well the way we wanted that one configured came out to $25K, plus taxes it would have been $27K. Keeping the A4 would have been cheaper. A buddy of mine was in the market for a P5 so I looked into it. I was really amazed of all the features you get for the price. And the dealers were practically giving them away. I got mine for $500 below dealer invoice less a $1750 rebate. Pretty much fully loaded for $18K OTD including taxes. Can't go wrong with that

 

[eepr5]

Was getting out of school, wanted something to replace 13 yr old Horizon. Looked at celica, tiburon, nice sporty, not enough passenger/storage space (packrat) and too much $. Went to look at Focus zx5 (love hatches), nice but felt sluggish... saw the pro5, was interested. dealer handed me key and said have fun. first drive: highway w/ thunderstorm. I was impressed. It just felt right. what sold me though was the financing. not 0% or that stuff. I told them my situation: still in school, had job lined up, heres promisary letter, etc. They said sure no problem. every other dealer wanted my dad to cosign, which was the last thing I wanted to do. that sold me. been happy ever since

 

[Mike R]

Friend has one. I liked it and needed a new car. Civic didn't have enough room and cost too much with the options I wanted. I looked around this site and protegeclub and saw how much everybody liked their P5's and the handling. So I paid too much and got one (bang) Oh well, live and learn

 

[YellowMP5]

I was sold when I saw the first commercial on tv of that yellow p5

 

[Captain KRM P5]

I think you should go back to the Pontiac dealership and thank the guy, because of him you have a much better car

I wrote GM Financial a letter, actually

every other dealer wanted my dad to cosign, which was the last thing I wanted to do

amen to that. mazda is VERY good about this i hear and in my case as well.

 

[prote5]

Wanted a SPEC V or a Civic..... Both needed parents to co-sign.... Friends mom had a 02 ES and I liked it a lot.... She said she only paid $17k so I went to the dealership and got a P5..... whatever..... should've waited

 

[Matthew]

the color attracted me to the dealership and i was trying to get out of my sunfire bad...i STILL am the only laser blue mp5 anywhere near here...the price was right, the dealership was just awesome, and i loved the car...my wife wanted me to get a WRX in the same basic blue color that they have...well it was obviously a lot more expensive, so i realized this would be much more practical

 

[Glauconite]

luv the look and it's ability to take corners.. and having just learned stick, i stalled once getting out of the lot.. hehe but once i was on the street... damn.. i think i almost gave my salesman a heart attack.. hahaha i was doing a right turn so i got a glimes of his face durin the turn.. hhehee priceless..

other then that it took me a while to find the sweet spot on my seating position

 

[Reitrof]

I echo the person who said they saw the commercial and loved the color. It took 5 months of waiting to get a Yellow 5 speed with no options. I have not regretted the decision.

 

[Astral]

Ok, so I got the LX sedan over the P5: cheaper and I like the sedan look better. Don't really need the utility either (the sedan trunk is plenty big).

Bought it because:

1. Looks beautiful, esp. the front, and the stock alloy wheels, and I love the laser blue color... interior looks great, steering wheel is to dead sexy
2. Very direct, road-sensing feel and handling... I felt connected to the road in this car more than any others I test drove
3. Price: I paid $17.5k w/ sales tax, fees & everything for a loaded LX w/ 0% financing
4. The auto tranny responded really well to gas input, working with me instead of against me. The acceleration was plenty peppy during the test drive
5. I was impressed by the back seat room for the size of the car

Every day, as I walk away from the car after parking it, I keep taking glances back... mmm looks good

 

[jjac28]

Are you serious, Ive driven my girlfriends 2k2 Focus CE and I feel that the cars high center of gravity makes it roll way too much. I think the MP5 handles as well, if not better than the focus.

i'm positive the protege handles much better then the focus.
it's one of the best handling cars out there.

just look at all the comparison tests done by car and driver and motor trend.
they all rave about the protege 5's handling and cornering abilities.

 

[1sty]

I needed a car that was easy yo bang chicks in and looks good enough to attract them (thumb)

 

[Doggone]

Consumer Reports never lie.

 

[uclap5]

consumer reports hardly is a performance oriented magazine. they love soft rides and light steering.

maybe you could take the corners better because you were going slower.

(not trying to stir anything up, ive never driven a focus )