Hi everyone,

My friend is looking at buying a 94' Protege. She has never owned a Mazda before and wants to know if this is a good decision. I wanted to post this to see if you could give some advice on whether 94's have any major pros or cons about them. You know, any kinds of problems that might be important or good things about them that she might want to hear.
If any of you own a 94 pro I would like to hear from you.
Thanks for the time.

 

i don't think there any cons...the 1st gen pro has proven itself to be VERY reliable. i'm still on my original alternator, starter, power steering pump, etc. i have had to replace the ac, radiator (it was 11 years old), water pump, and thermostat. but that's fairly 'typical' stuff

 

aside from the usual routine maintenance of the timing belt and various gaskets etc. you should be fine. The engine will burn oil after a bit of time, but dont worry, thats a bp engine trait. The stock suspension usually goes out around 200,000 kms so you may have to deal with some work. All in all proteges are a very good bang for the buck when compared to other cars like Hondas, however the resale value is not as high.

 

protege's are fun cars to drive, great in cornering, and the 94 LX trim is the way to go as it has a dual overhead cam instead of a single cam, making for about 20 extra horsepower, at least thats what the specs from the factory say. i drive a 94 lx automatic and it's great. they're reliable, and there hasn't been a time that my protege hasn't turned over and kept running. they're fast to accelerate, hug the turns like nothing else, and give honda civics (and various other imports) a good run for their money. common problems with the cars, but not necessarily bound to happen: Mass Airflow Sensor, a faulty seat belt warning on occasion, and sometimes weak transmissions. any other car would have been towed off to the junkyard if it was driven as hard as i drive my protege. hope this helps, and remember, whenever you need help or there is a problem with a protege anywhere, we're here and ready to help you out.
peace

 

To keep you guys updated,
I sent my friend this thread and she found it very helpful.
Yesterday, she picked up her White 94 Protege LX and thanked me for the advice. Who knows she may even join the protegeclub now!