BCjetta

Hi

I'm considering buying/leasing a Mazda Protege 5. My current car is a 91 Tercel. Its a good car but its older, has no power going up hills, no air conditioning and there's no way I can get it, and the dog has to go in the back seat so I can only ever have 2 people and the dog in the car.
I test drove a P5 and the dog fits easily in the very back :-) and there is a lot more leg room in the back seats for passengers.
I was just wondering if you guys could tell me the pro's and con's of this car (anything you know).
I really like its look (the hatchback), and the one i test drove was a standard (I don't drive standard) and it was so easy to drive and so quiet compared to the tercel. At an idle, it was almost hard to tell the car was even on.

Thanks, Sarah

HS8

well ill give you my 2 cents

Pros:
Styling
handling
price
reliable
fun to drive

Cons:
power (this is debatable, some people says not enuf power, but i find it alright, remember it ain't a racing car)
well power is the biggest issue i would say, however some people like to nic pick about some stuff, like no rear cup holders and etc....
Well, there are some little problems, like the paint job, the engine is kinda loud and other small stuff, but nothing serious. It's kinda hard to say about the cons, I'm sure there are some cons, but i can't think of any at the moment. For a hatch it's an awesome car in it's class and price range.

hihoslva

Hoenstly, I think the P5 is by far the best value in the class when taken as a whole package.

The styling is beautiful. The handling is world-class (for real - it's been compared to BMW's by car magazines). And it is loaded up right off the lot - power everything (well, not seats, but who cares?), AC, etc, etc.

It's a great car. Sure, it could use more ponies, but it gets me around just fine. I rarely feel like I NEED more power, and the gearing (auto or manual) seems right to take advantage of the power that is available.

And reliability is nothing short of excellent. I just ticked 30,000 miles last week, and have ZERO mechanical issues. (knock wood, huh?) Also understand that these are tough miles - stop and go, shitty roads, Manhattan driving (which will put ANY car to the test), and loaded with 150lbs or so of tools and crap every day. Plus the occasional "spirited" driving from me when I get to off-load the tools and have some fun. The car eats it all with joy.

And under $20k? For a car this cool and fun? (and PRACTICAL, too!) There was no other choice for me. I love my car! And as it stands right now, I'd say that when this car bites the dust in the future, I'll be seriously considering another P5, assuming they are still being made and sold.

Cons - very very few. Yes, the paint kinda sucks. Not from a rust-out standpoint, but from the point that it chips easily. I've also noticed that the doors ding easily too if they get whacked by a frigging rude **** next to you. But these issues are really secondary.

If you want a fun car that can still haul some crap around, the P5 is the way to go. That is, of course, unless you like the Focus hatch or the Matrix/Vibe twins. All of which are about the ugliest things I've seen in a while, and can't touch the P5 in handling and fun-factor. (maybe the Focus can handle okay, but it still doesn't have that "feeling" of a fun car. Mazda knows how to build the zoom-zoom right in!)

Go for it!

~HH

pr5owner

yeah its pretty hard to tell if the cars on.. even if your standing outside (only if its stock though ), i love my pr5 i wouldn't of gotten any other car!!! its the best car for the money since most things are standard.

hey got an off topic question for ya, has your tercel ever broken down?
________
DRUIDISM FORUMS

SEA_P5

Go for a test drive

Then your mind will be made up.

pingdum

Hmm, new P5 vs. 11yr old Tercel. Tough choice..........................NOT!!!

MPChi

I love a P5, and own a MP3 myself. But since most likely you'll hear good things more than bad on this board, I'll just point out some common CONs from people hear for you to consider. If you can get over these, the colors and options are the main things you need to consider next

- High rev engine, which results in relatively lower gas mileage compare to Hondas, Toyotas..etc. of the same class. It takes a P5 to rev up around 3.5K rpm at 65-70mph freeway speed, while it only takes a Honda Civic (e.g.) to rev up to 3k mph or less.

- Potential weak transmission. Not necessary a bad tranny. It is actually very good in terms of feel and performance, but more like not too reliable if you are very unlucky or very rough on the gears. A good number of owners(mainly MP3s, but they share the same transmission with P5) report transmission break down within 20-30k miles, which needs a total replacement sometimes from Mazda dealership. Luckily it is covered by warrenty in most case.

- Mysterious squeeking noise heard from some cars that Mazda still need time to figure out what the cause is.

- Cheap paint. Very easy to scratch & chip. And very thin too.

- Weak windshield. Very easy to chip or crack by flying rocks on freeway.

- No rear cup holder? (Doesn't bother me though )

- Roof rag makes a lot of noise on freeway, but can be solved by taking it off. Just a little troublesome.

Hmm...that's about all I can think of right now. And I am sure most of these may not happen to you if you end up deciding to be a P5 owner. And they may apply to cars of other brand as well. So if the merits of the P5 outweight the potential problems, Just go out and get one

Fobiah

When you guys purchased you mp3s and mp5s, how was the paint situation handled? Did the dealer put some kind of protective coating or did you do it yourselves? That would be the most important con IMO

messenjah

I just have to say that i love my P5. I went and test drove the matrix and some civics before i got mine and i was just totally blown away by the P5. And since you have to carry a dog on board it would be quite perfect for the job. I think it would be a smart buy for you.

jimbo

Okay, I know that most of the posts on this board that have the word "civic" in it usually mention something negative about them. My wife and I just got and MP5. So, here's my two cents...

Pro's:
1) The stock handling is awesome. It beats any of the current Civic's (including the Civic Si).

2) It's really comfortable in the front or back seats. The Civic Si has better from seats. IMHO, the back seats were more comfortable and spacious than the WRX, Civic, Matrix.

3) It get's good gas mileage.

4) It has a nice BIG 14.5gallon tank. Makes it a great "Vegas" car.

5) The AT4 automatic transmission is really smooth shifting and the ability to use the "Sport" shift mode is an AWESOME option that you won't find on any other competitor's car in this class.


Con's:

1) The stock handling is so extremely good that it makes the engine seem even more underpowered than it really is.

2) Trying to get the ABS and Side Air Bag package is a real pain in the ***. Hopefully, in the 2003 model year it will be standard.

3) There SHOULD be a rear cup holder. The Civic has only one cup holder for the rear. The Matrix has a fold down two cup holder.

4) The driving lights should have a separate LED indicator to let the driver know that the driving lights are on. This would be a good "How To" for someone to work on.

Should you buy the car? It depends on a bunch of things. If you drove a HUGE number of miles per year I'd recommend the Civic Hybrid over this car. If you wanted to be able to get something with strong aftermarket support I'd recommend the Civic Si, Celica GT, MP3, Neon RT, RSX. If you wanted a prepackaged freak'n fast car to haul your friends in I'd recommend the WRX. If you wanted that did all of the above relatively well at a good price I'd get the MP5.

Tetonman

Several of the cons though are sporadic at best. For example, I have a 2002.5 P5 and have not noticed the whistle that some have coming from the roof rack w/sunroof open at high speeds (70 mph+), the manual tranny is solid and shifts very cleanly, loud is a matter of opinion (mine seems sport sounding, I like to hear the engine... it's not a lexus), no squeeking sound, and the car has enough power for me and my family.

Pros are stated above, but I will add one other... you won't see yourself everytime you drive in a P5. I rarely see other P5s here in Chicago area, civics are everywhere. I also get comments about the looks of the P5 from strangers all the time...everyone really loves it. Some even say it looks like a mini-audi wagon. I just laugh and say that it stays out of the mechanics' shop more often the the audis. When I tell people that I bought mine for $16,500 they cannot believe it.

Good luck! As someone mentioned, go test drive all the cars you are interested in, then decide what is right for you.

fossil boy

Yes, the P5 works well for two of us, a dog (55 lb) and a bird (143 g)... The functionality of the 4 doors and a hatch is indeed a positive asset. And as per other posts, this is a mighty fun car to drive. While there are +'s and -'s , please remember, in this price range ($16K) you can't expect a Lexus. When making our purchase we also were looking at the Impreza TS...
the Mazda not only seemed better, but also, less expensive.
I am a major Toyota believer (at least in the older ones), but the Matrix wasn't out yet, and now that it is it too suffers from a bad case of the uglies as do the Foci...
The power of he car is more than adequate fo most people

- i couldn't resist addressing this comment...
new P5 v. 17.75 yr old GT-S - the old Corolla still will whip the little P5, and I just couldn't get rid of my other silver ride. It's not the number of ponies that counts, but rather, how you treat them. In the case of the GT-S, the 10.5:1 compression and .411 rear-end is a great start, even though it has a lot less hp than the P5. Then again, i don't have a Tercel

pingdum

I definitly agree with that. My 20 yr old Scirocco with 95 hp glues me to the seat OTL. And it's a much bigger kick to drive. But a Tercel is not a Scirocco or Corolla GT.

And BTW get the cargo tray. It will help in keeping your pooch from damaging the rear of your P5.

hihoslva

Hear, hear!! I'm even going to fiberglass a subwoofer enclosure with my cargo tray in place, so I don't have to cut it!

~HH