josh02p5

Okay, I'm looking around for my ideal p5 from the 5 nearest dealers (no silver w/manual around here????) and I have 2 questions:

1) mazdausa.com says p5s made after 2/28/02 come
with 6 speakers and not 4 -- any other dates I should look out for? tranny been updated mid-year? I hear side-markers were added but anyone know when?

2) is the perimeter alarm worth it? Some manufacturers make junk alarms not worth anything, some make great alarms. any comments?

I also need to ensure the roof rail inserts are included when I pick-up the car, due to some hassles people have had getting them afterwards.
Other than that I'm psyched!!! 0% APR here I come!!

Thanks!
Josh

nightowl

no the stock alarm is crap and not worth the money....get a aftermarket alarm with 2 way remote

Sir Nuke

ditto on the alarm....there is one on my car...but its not a very good one....if you want/need an alarm...get an aftermarket one added on.

don't know what the date is on the sidemarkers...but it was a midyear addition

there were no tranny mods midyear that I have ever heard of.

other than that Josh....GO FOR IT DUDE!!! you will NEVER be disappointed.

oh yeah....one other thing....if you live where there are a lot of bugs or country roads where you may have a problem with road rocks.....front end chips....you may want to consider the bra for the car....its like $95. and worth every dime to keep the front end looking new.....

hihoslva

There IS a tranny mod (automatic) mid year - I believe these changes are on ALL P5s built after 2/28/02:

*Side markers (they look kinda silly, IMO - because the bumper side lights are still there - too many lights)

*6-speaker stereo (tweeters in those behind-the-mirror triangles - nothing to get too excited about)

*Different style wheels (nothing drastic - they're nice, but no nicer than the original style wheels, IMO)

*Sport-Tronic automatic tranny - has the "auto-stick" thing - you put the shifter in a certain position, and just tap it one way or the other to upshift/downshift - or just drive it like a normal auto. My mom has this on her Chrysler 300M - it's really just gimmicky - I haven't ever met a person who says "I love that auto-stick tranny! Greatest thing ever!" - because no one uses it. I occasionally disengage overdrive on my auto - makes passing less dramatic than flooring the gas. But clicking a button is still easier than taking it out of "Drive" and into "sport" mode, then tap-shifting.

Obviously, the manual is still available, with no changes from the first half-year model.

It must sound like I'm knocking all these changes because I don't have them - they are cool, I guess, but if they were anything to get excited about, I would definitely express it. Just my $.02

tttP5

buy a stick... get yellow,
silver is not flashy enough, I have silver,
black is really elegant and cool
white is good too

don't get the alarm, just get lo jack, chances are if there gonna bust your window and your alarm sounds, no one is gonna care anyway.... and if they drive it off, you have lo jack to track it.

arl240

get a stick, and moonroof.....chicks dig it.

hihoslva

Don't you just love when people ORDER you what to buy?

"tttp5" - not everyone likes yellow, and it is ROYAL pain in the *** to keep clean - just ask anyone with a yellow car (and white or black, too for that matter).

I have the Silver also, and I love it - it is just "flashy" enough for me, and even when it is dirty, it still looks reasonably clean. I love to LOOK at yellow, black, and white cars, but I wouldn't want to OWN one unless I had a garage and felt like washing it every other day.

As far as an alarm vs. Lo-Jack - both can't hurt. LoJack won't do **** if somone is just trying to take your radio. While "everyone ignores alarms", I have my alarm sounding the typical tones, along with sounding the horn - plus, I installed an air horn, so if MY car alarm goes off, I know it's mine and I can run outside and check it out (and I have). And it is loud as all hell with the air horn. The alarm is an aftermarket one, dealer installed. So that means that I paid way too much, but they worked the cost into the financing of the car, so I figured what the hell. I also have a remote-start, which is just a module added on to the alarm - I love the starter, and I'm really surprised how often I use it - at least once a day, just to warm the engine before I go to work. I paid about $500 (stealership, remember), but you can get an alarm w/remote start installed for around $300-$350. Definitely worth the upgrade, IMO. The air horn is a kit for a Miata installed in the P5 (I did the install) - also an awesome upgrade, IMO.

Any alarm can be defeated, but it's just putting another obstacle in the way of a potential thief.

I have the automatic, and about 50% of the time I wish I got the stick. I drive a lot (23,500 miles on the odo in 11 months), with plenty of stop and go - that's when I like the auto. But for small 4-cylinder cars, the only way to get any juice out of them is to use a stickshift. I'm still torn, and don't know which one I'd prefer. Maybe when it's time to buy another car (and I will absolutely consider another P5), I'll get the stick and see how that works out for me.

I won't TELL you what to buy - but I'll give you my ADVICE and IDEAS.

leungwingkei

You don't like the changes because you don't have them.

Sir Nuke

OOPS....forgot about the "SPORT AUTO"....LOL....but drive them both...the auto and the stick...the stick is certainly a lot more fun.

as far as color...well hiho...I disagree with you there...I have a yellow P-5...and its not hard to keep clean at all...it doesn't show dirt NEARLY as bad as the blue or the black....my wifes P-5 is black...and you can detail that thing....drive it around the block on a NICE day...and you can see dirt somewhere!! I LOVE to look at black cars done right...but I hate to have to keep a street driven one up....

YOUR color (silver) is by far the easiest when it comes to LOOKING dirty...I have owned silver cars before...and like you said...they can be a LITTLE dirty..and you don't even notice....

Alarms....you speak the truth there....and I agree....if the theifs are after your stereo, and they aren't there to butcher your dash....a real theif probably has the right tools to have it out in seconds...and they are gone before anyone gives the car with the alarm going off a second look.....however....there are plenty of cars out there without alarms too....why put a big red light on your head with the alarm going off....there are easier pray out there.....get an alarm...

IF its a CAR theif....well the best advise I can give you there is to have an alarm that not only makes a bunch of noise....but one that disables the car as well....has some sort of kill switch involved in it. that will at least keep it from being dirvin off....and when you go places....park out in plain sight....don't go for the AROUND THE CORNER empty spots that no one notices....make your car stick out like a sore thumb.

hope you get EVERYTHING you want...one thing is for sure...you will not be disappointed with the P-5

arl240

They are right about the alarm. I got my car broken into 3 weeks after I got it, just because it looks so expensive . I am now in the process of ordering a car alarm to protect the stereo I am in the process of upgrading. That is another thing, upgrade the stock stereo.

mnkyboy

HEY! You didnt ask me! I love my Vivid Yellow, and wouldnt trade it for any other color. Hard to clean!? LOL Its just like any other color. If it gets dirty, clean it. I clean my car once a week, sometimes every other week. Unless you go mud racing, you dont need to clean it every other day!

You might be right about not everyone liking to own a yellow car, but EVERYONE likes to look at em!

josh02p5

Thanks for all the great feedback!

I'm definitely getting stick! I learned auto first but after I learned stick I love it and don't see myself going back.

And my first two cars were rather flashy so I'm frankly sick of getting hassled and sticking out like a sore thumb. The yellow is nice, but I figure the silver will blend-in better so I won't get pulled over for doing 2 mph over the speed limit along with everyone else and crap like that.

I'm buying it as soon as it comes in! They're looking for it now. I'm getting silver w/cloth, manual, ABS/moonroof, moonroof deflector and now the alarm is debatable. I know I could get a better aftermarket alarm, but it's less hassle to get it all in one package. *shrug*

Anyway, thanks for the feedback, this site is great! My first new car, WOO-HOO!

Josh

Unzipped

Sorry to kill the vibe, but I'd tell you not to buy it. I'd sell mine in a heartbeat if I could get the same amount back on it. Anything that I'd classify as "wrong" with the car gets brushed off as normal operation. If it drove like this when I test drove them, or had been told that it would have a rattle indefinitely, I sure as hell would have left it there at the lot.

For starters, it bucks or "sutters" when letting on of off the gas, even gradually (I haven't driven a stick with such pronouced bucking before, this is up to third gear)

It has a clutch chatter, very pronouced in the morning and happens at times in other gears, but slighty. Temperature does not make a difference.

The intake rattle still exists, even with the warm weather.

Something inside the driver side doors taps against the windows if down while driving.

There's a high pitched whistle while driving at high speeds.

Don't even think about taking tight turns on wet roads with the Dunlops.

<end rant>

hihoslva

Well, "Unzipped" - have you aken he car to the dealer to have these things checked out?

The stutter/bucking could be a misaligned clutch (could easily cause BOTH of those "problems").

The rattle in the door should be taken care of - sounds simple enough.

The engine rattle is a known VTCS issue - there is a temporary fix for it by disconnecting the solenoid, but Mazda knows about it and is supposedly working on a fix. Report it to the dealer so yours gets fixed when the solution is made available.

The Dunlops are excellent performance tires - in the dry. Almost ALL performance tires trade some WET traction for high levels of DRY grip. Maybe you should consider different tires (I am).

Overall, I am VERY pleased with the P5 - especially considering the price. I feel the build quality and value are excellent.

You should raise these issues with the dealer - perfection is a lot to expect from anything - that's why we have warranties.

mnkyboy

Unzipped, why are you so negative? Talk about the positive. If the negative outways the positive, then I can understand. I bet if you buy a M3 or 5, you could have a list of "problems" also. No car is perfect...