RotaryMan88

I'm just curious as to the fact that there really isn't anything available for the 2.0 '03 proteges, I mean..no bodykits, few catbacks, very few intakes, etc...where's our aftermarket? Granted, my protege is just a dd, and owning an rx7 i am used to hardtofind parts, but STILL...i'd like to think these cars are more potential then a honda or focus...

mtbfreak40

well what are you lookin for... turbo: begi/fm or tripoint, catbacks: racing beat, skunk 2, borla, bosal, jic magic, coilovers: tien or JIC magic, body kits: mp3/autoexe (check out my pics to see what it looks like), erebuni, wings west, intake: aem for the short ram guys, or injen for the guys who want a CAI, mazdaspeed also makes a good selection of stuff, high compression pistons, intake and exhaust cams, and an intake manifold to name a few. check out www.protege5online.com , www.srmotorsports.com , www.dgmotorsports.com , www.mazdamotorsports.com for some more parts to check out. i duno, but if you ask me theres plenty out for our cars considering there jsut economy cars and not exactly popular tuners. just some stuff to consider

mtbfreak40

i agree, theres plenty of stuff to make your car look good, go fast, and handle well, even though theres not a great variety of stuff. at least one or 2 companies make just about any part you could want.

eggynatey

"Variety is the spice of life".
It would be nice to have more stuff to choose from, but the sad fact is that there aren't that many people souping up thier Proteges compred to Hondas, Acuras, Focus's, even RX-7's. It doesn't make sense economically for companies to spend big bucks developing hi-performance parts for the relatively small(by comparison)Protege enthusiast market.
The good news is we're growing fast! Just by driving around, you cant help but notice: MP3's, P5's, plus a lot of people fixing up thier 1st and 2nd gens...it's a beautiful 'ting.
Mazda is COMING UP! There are more and more goodies showing up lately. ****, a year ago finding parts for a P5 was a joke!(Dude, check out my new rear bumper guard!)
So keep looking, and you'll find something that catches your eye sooner or later...Did I mention my "piston" valve-stem caps?
There's a K&N intake for sale around here somewhere...that'd be kinda unique and cool!

jowettw

i think it's because the aftermarket companies don't think it's worth the research and development time for them to put and their returns will be minimal ...

i don't think they see the real potential market for the pro ... but that's just my opinion.

VagaBond-X

Also considering that the pro/p5 will be dead soon, and the Mazda 3 is taking its place, i think aftermarket companies don't see the use of developing parts for the pro/p5

maybe everyone thinks the mazda 3 will be a big hit, so aftermarket companies are saving all the money that they would use on th pro/p5 for the mazda 3.

I sunno, just my specilation.

Phantom Cruiser

2 years ago we were going crazy trying to find aftermarket parts for our Focus, now they are everywhere! I feel like we're going through the same thing with the Protege5, although there is some really good stuff available right now. A couple more places to check, Corksport, Racer Parts Wholesale, and Kartboy (for those great shorty shifters!) I pretty much got everything for my P5 from these three places, plus my intake from ebay!

TheMAN

some != none

Phantom Cruiser

Do what? and a HUH?

RotaryMan88

Well...there are parts for proteges, but more specifically...there aren't many for an '03 sedan. The body kits currently avail(besides erebuni) are for the mp3 or p5, not the regular ES sedan. As far as other parts, a larger variety allows people to be more unique with a car...if tons of the same parts are avail...then all the sedan ESs I see will have the same as me...no variety leads to a boring car...i like to be different...i love rotary: different is what I am, lol...

Jaster Mereel

Basically nothing has changed from the 2002's to the 2003's, so all the aftermarket parts for the 2002's will work for the 2003's

PhotoPro5

Very few people race Proteges, so there isn't a big development base for these motors; no trick heads, manifolds, etc.

eggynatey

I'm pretty sure that Wings West has a body-kit for your car...
Check on protege5online's for sale page, it says "'01 and '02 sedans", but I dont think he's updated his site in a while, that's why it doesn't say "'03".

pingdum

My guess is that our cars are still too new. Even the oldest MP3 is only 21/2 years old. People have been tuning and souping up Honda's for 10 years or more. Plus, if some 16 year-old with no money is looking for a cheap car to fix up he's going to buy an 89 civic and spend tons on aftermarket stuff, thus fueling the R&D for newer stuff. I'm looking forward to the day in 5-7 years when my P5 is fully paid for and stuff like the exhaust and such is starting to wear out so it's worth upgrading. Like my old boss at a bike shop I used to work at says "Use it 'till it breaks and THEN upgrade".Also there will be many more used ones being bought by kids wanting to hot rod them out. How many people here bought their P5 or mp3 used? My guess is not a lot.

JFanaselle

The fact that there aren't many parts available is nothing but a challange to me. That just means that you have to be more creative when you fix your car up. Have an exhaust bent, make your own mesh grill, make your own intake, paint your own tail lights, etc. There are many benefits to this:
1) You make it look how you want it to look
2) It saves alot of money
3) It's VERY rewarding when it turns out looking awesome
4) It's unique - your project or part will look nothing like anyone else's

Just to name a few. I'm personally all about being unique. That's the whole reason I bought a Protege in the first place. The last thing I wanted to buy was a Honda. Not that they're bad cars, I just don't want to be like everyone else on the road. How many people see a nice fixed up Civic with about $10,000 dumped into it and even blink an eye? I don't. But when you see something you don't see everyday, you think it's awesome. There are a million parts available for Civics, but if you notice, every one of them sports the exact same parts made by different manufacturers: short ram intakes, fuel rails, headers, Altezza tail lights, clear corners, body kits, etc. They all look/work the same (or very similar). I would rather make my car look how I want it to look, instead of having a company research it and tell me how I want it to look by limiting me to a select few products. Your thoughts and creativity are your only limit on parts availability!