Gonna buy a new toy. Need advice!

[Cam]

I am seriously looking at a used one of these (http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/ke.kb.rp?kbb.IN;;IN057&46074;46074&11;Mazda;2002%20Protege5&02protege1) Anyone have anything bad/sad to say? The one I am looking at is about 3K below KBB and a lot less miles....

[nissan gtp]

we have a 2004 6 Wagon. it's a really nice car, esp for the price, so i'd say :thumbup: for Mazda

[Kiwifan]

Oh, it's a car! I thought you might have been after a rugby ball or cricket bat. ;) What's up with you Aussies these days? :)

Good luck with the car, Cam. Don't know much about Mazdas as I'm a FORD man but have driven one when my Falcon was in for a service. (Same dealership.) Was pleasantly surprised.

Take care mate.

Rusty.

[Redwing]

I have a 2000 sedan with over 80k. Great car, zero problems. With good wheels and tires, it can be great fun to drive. These are going to be real performance sleepers in the next few years because they handle well, used ones are cheap, and the performance parts area is growing.

[TRDfan]

Great car. I've been trying to find some to put on our used car lot without much success.

If you are shopping for a used car right now, shop hard and deal hard. There is a glut of used cars and the market is in total chaos. Most dealers are going to be anxious to move metal, although the Mazda you are looking at isn't as distressed as some of the other brands are. Good luck !!

[Sean O'Gorman]

They are great cars.

Three years ago I pushed my cousin to buy one, but instead he bought an optionless Cavalier for $15,000. Three years later the thing wont idle in neutral, and is probably worth half of what the Mazda would've been.

[TurboTodd]

We own a 2002.5 Protege 5.

We've owned it since May 2002. It currently has 125,000 miles on it. In June of this year, it drove 3900 miles in 12 days without a hitch, on our trip to the USGP and Cleveland by way of the Canadian "longcut".

I have changed the oil semi-religiously.

We have changed tires 4 times. The stock Dunlops suck, especially in the rain. We then went with Yoko's that worked great in the dry, semi-great in the wet, but only lasted 50K miles. The last 2 sets have been Kuhmo's that work good in the dry, and awesome in the wet. Wife would like to go back to the Yoko's saying she can tell when they are going away better, and the sidewalls work better for her.

The car still has the original brakes, clutch, timing belt, etc. Next spring, she will be getting a thorough going through for her 4th birthday.

Only issue we have ever had with the car is the passenger side back door lock actuater has quit, and I haven't bothered to pull the door panel to work on it. Car gets awesome milage, is a blast to drive, and seems as solid as a brick.

Previous Mazda experience was with a 2000 Protege LX that we put 100,000 miles on in 2 years before I backed it into a concrete highway divider in a rainstorm. It too was rock solid until I tried a Danny Sullivan spin and win maneuver on the turnpike in Oklahoma.

YMMV

[Cam]

Thanks for the advice gang! Based on what you guys have said I will hopefully be the proud owner of a 5 tomorrow.....

I obviously need to gert used to a 4 banger again..... The 100 HP decrease in my daily driver will be interesting... Mind you the agility will hopefully make up for that! :thumbup:

[devilmaster]

I obviously need to gert used to a 4 banger again..... The 100 HP decrease in my daily driver will be interesting... Mind you the agility will hopefully make up for that! :thumbup:

Some really late night shopping down the backroads of Speedway would probably get you some help in the get up and go dept...... ;)

[RacinM3]

We have changed tires 4 times. The stock Dunlops suck, especially in the rain. We then went with Yoko's that worked great in the dry, semi-great in the wet, but only lasted 50K miles.

"only" lasted 50K? I have trouble getting 15K out of tires. 50K sounds pretty good!

Oh, and I'm another Mazda supporter. Great cars.

[rabbit]

Don't know much about Mazdas as I'm a FORD man ...Ford owns Mazda.

[Fitti Fan]

Ford owns Mazda.

I thought it was something like that. Weren't the little mazda trucks the same as the little ford rangers?

[Kiwifan]

Sorry rabbit, it was my attempt at Kiwi humour which has spectacularly failed, again. :) I shoulda put a ;) in.

Every car I've owned has been a badged Ford (no laughing, they support OWRS remember!) but the car dealership I go to gave us a Mazda as a loan car while ours was being serviced. As I said, it drove ok. Mazda 3 if I remember that far back. lol.

Take care,

Rusty.

[Cam]

Well..... I didnt get the one I was originally looking at (a red automatic). However I picked up a black 5 speed that is just way too much fun to drive and I think looks a lot sharper than the red one! Now I need to find some back roads to go rallying on!

This thing is a blast! I am gonna enjoy the h311 outta it! :D