Hi, I just got a protege 5, and I was checking out some forums, this one seems to be pretty good. Anyway, I'll give you some background on me and my car.

2002 White Protege 5 - mint condition
5 speed, black interior, moonroof, etc. etc.
Ready....17,500 miles as of 4/16/07.
The only problem is, it was in a slight front end collision and so the dealer replaced
the stock front end with a regular protege front. Its really plain, but Im gonna
get an aftermarket front bumper.

I love the car, it has a little bit of pep, handles great, and is just really well made.
I was gonna get a speed3, but the payments were a little too much. I can afford this car ($8500).

Bought a vibrant intake for it, peice of crap, I'm returning and just gonna drop in a
K&N panel filter, next I'm gonna get an exhaust.

I was rocking a 1987 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, with about 100+ hp over stock. This car is a big change, and a lot better gas mileage.

Just wanted to say hello, thanks.

 

Welcome aboard!

It is a fun little car...

 

welcome to the forum. Sounds like you've got a nice ride. Postup some pictures so we can seewhat you're dealing with.

I myselfgot into imports via the 2.3L turbo fords. I hold the 2'nd highest HP for a drawthrough 2.3L in the country. They are a ton of fun.

Check out out vendor section for some info on good upgades for your car.

 

Welcome to the forum...P5 with a sedan front? That should look interesting! Actually I think they sold those in Europe.

 

actually the front end is very boring, anyone know a good place to find quality front bumpers, maybe even a stock one?

 

Well, the P5 and sedan have different headlight assemblies, grilles and front fenders.
If you already have the sedan front end you should get the MSP front clip.
It looks similar to the stock P5 (round fogs but a lower lip) and you won't have to
replace the headlights.
Contact Ken at protegegarage.com, he'll hook you up...he's a good fellow vendor.

 

Hey welcome to the board!! You did a good job of picking us out, we're a friendly bunch and always willing to help out. Newcomers are always welcome

And about the intake problem you mentioned, if you would like to replace the Vibrant then you may want to contact Kargoboy (the guy who posted above me) as he offers the hands down best intakes available for our cars!! His prices are half of what most merchants sell intakes for, and the product is fantastic. It's not an eBay intake that comes with a piece of crap filter, so you might wanna consider him instead.

Here's a link if you wanna see pics of his products:
https://www.mazda3club.com/vendor-section-88/gi-sri-cai-1-6-2-0-3rd-gens-3-a-41775/

Also, he sells great exhaust products too (made by Thunder Racing) at a very reasonable price so you might be able to save on shipping at least if you order both. Here's a link to some of his exhaust stuff:
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showt...hp?t=123631351



If you wanna see any pics of the intake installed lemme know and I can show you what it looks like.