Hello to all!

I'm new to the board, though I've been observing the messages on here for about a week.

Well, I'm about to retire a 22-year-old V8 Oldsmobile, and I've been car-shopping for a good while now. In all my review comparisons, dealer visits, and price, the Protégé seems to emerge near the top.

I've been asked to consider the Ford Focus, a VW Jetta (I can't explain why, I'm just not turned on by VW's... ever), the Nissan Sentra... I guess I'm just looking for some opinions as to whether the LX 2.0 would make a good first car. Is it easy to work on by yourself (something I'm very intersted in)?

I'm on the brink, just waiting to be pushed off the cliff

Any and all opinions appreciated... thank you.

 

Here are my 2 cents on this issue. Ford Focus still has some major quality issues. It is a great car, but you will probably be spending some cash to repair it in the long run. VW Jetta, well it is made in Mexico. This speaks for itself....

Nissan Sentra, not much to really say about...I just do not like the bubble shape of the car....good horsepower...just do not know much about the quality of the engine. I checked out the Sentra board and many of them state that the car burns an unusual amount of oil.

The LX....well this is a protege board...many people have had very little problem with the vehicle. The issue that I see the most is that some people shift a little wild and bend the forks in the transmission.

I currently have the protege5....overall a good car....kind of noisy during start up in the morning, but all cars are when you are warming them up. Have no regrets here....

 

I have a Focus as well as my Protege5..you can't go wrong with either choice!

 

My input; Like you I was shopping for a replacement car. I too looked at all the options and found the Protégé near the top. I went to each dealership and drove the cars I had selected (a one hour test drive). I had narrowed the selection down to the Nissan, Mazda, Toyota, and Honda. I took each one over the same course. I told the salesman that I was going to drive the car in the same manner on the test drive that I would in real life. I mapped the road out and drove on the highway as well as in town. I drove it over bumpy roads as well as smooth roads. I drove with the windows down and no radio (for noise) and with the windows up (for quietness). I idled the car at the dealership to check the air conditioner (I live in Florida) to see if it would cool down at idle. Each car had good points and each had weaknesses. The Mazda overall did very well. The kicker for me was ease of entry. I am somewhat tall and entry and exit was easer in the Protégé. The seats were better in the Protégé, and the cooling by far was better in the Protégé. The Protégé is the most fun to drive of all in its class. I have the LX sedan with an automatic transmission. I am getting real world 24 MPG in town driving. I think the Protege is a great car for the money.

The Mazda dealership in my area is outstanding. A dealership can make or break a deal for me. I suggest before you buy your car, take a morning off and visit the service department. Look for how the customers are treated and how the owners feel about how they are treated (very important). Stand around and find out what the problems are. Look for people that are having consistent problems or major new car problems. Drink the coffee and eat the donuts and observe. You will learn more about how the car is doing and how you will be treated in one morning than all the articles you can read in a week

Bob

 

Stay way from the Ford Focus! The focus handles well! Looks are retarded, but it is very comfortable car to drive, but....

As stated above, it has all the problems FORD has been having for years!!!! I owned a Mercury MYstique(FORD CONTOUR) GS SPORT 2.0L DOHC 130HP. It had recall notices being sent every month. Go to www.alldata or aldata and check the # of recalls on the Focus from 1999 and on. Major issues with this car!!! Sorry for slamming FORD as they are major % ownership in Mazda, but.. Protege are the best. I own the 1.6L 2001 SE and I love it. Very good handling, sound system stock is better then a lot of cars stock that I have driven in that price range, and reliability is great. I just wish I could get something fixed by the dealer as I feel I am missing out somehow ! 43000kms so far!

My moms Honda Civic 2002 is also a pretty good car. I like the way the protege handles better, but apparently the Civic is a best buy for safety!!!

1) Protege-Handling, reliability, economical, nice looking!

2) Honda- Safety is better, More power off the line compared to my 1.6L, Resale is superb, not so nice looking.

3) Nissan- Don't know much about these cars, but has to be better then that FOCUS.

4) FORD Focus- Reliability issues and style need to be addressed!! Other then that the cars handles real well)

***These are my opinions, so don't SLAM me unless you bring some wine

 

As repeated several times already, stay away from the Focus. My sister has a '01 ZX3 and my best friend has a '01 wagon. Both have had numerous problems with their cars. Nothing seriously major, but I'm tired of picking them up and dropping them off at the Ford dealership on a monthly basis. Plus, next time you look at a Focus, notice some things... It is nearly impossible to buck the front seat belts without tilting up the rock-hard armrest. Plus, the seatbelt fasteners don't have a stop on them to keep them up where you can grab them, so you have to grab the belt, pull it over you, reach back to find the fastener, then finally buckle. Ford's Belt-Minder system makes sure you have your belt buckled or it will kill you with beeping... even while sitting in a parking lot. I know these are little, minor things, but the other cars don't have these problems. Plus, the majority of Focii, just like the Jetta, are built in Mexico. Perhaps that is the reason for all of the recalls. Or perhaps it is the design, or parts supplier? Does it really matter? Something is definitely wrong. I wouldn't buy one.

The Jetta, although it is built in Mexico, is a nice car. It still have plenty of quality problems, though not as bad as the Focus. However, the Jetta has tiny, little back seats. The base engine is terribly inefficient and not very refined. The 1.8T or VR6 are quite nice, but the price can get much higher than any other car you listed. If you are going to spend that type of money, I would start looking at the Mazda6 or Camry or Accord...

The Sentra is a decent car at a decent price. It definitely takes the cushy route rather than the sporty route (unless it is an SE-R). I had an '02 Sentra GXE as a rental for a week. Engine power was decent, especially for an automatic. It handled decently. The seats were uncomfortable for me. I also found the pedals to be off-center from the seat and the steering wheel to be slightly angled towards the center of the car. So, I don't know if my backpains were from the seat or the wacky angles you had to comform to. Overall, a decent car...

The Protege LX 2.0, in my opinion, surpasses the others in this list. It has good interior room, decent power, excellent handling, and nice styling. The ride is certainly stiffer than the others and it is a bit noisier, but it's combination of economy, sportiness, styling, room, quality, and reliability is hard to beat. Plus, you certainly cannot beat the 0% financing for 5 years! Car and Driver agrees with this verdict as well, placing the Protege LX in first place in their latest comparison test.

 

For what it's worth, the Nissan Sentra sold here in North America is also made in Mexico.

Ford screwed up the Focus. Disgusting appearance aside, they squandered an otherwise excellent car with horrible, shocking reliability, and disproportionate associated recalls. It's a lousy, rotten, vomitous choice.

The VW Jetta is quiet, really cool looking (in my opinion), and roomy up front. But, as others have said, it has a cramped rear seat area and its reliability has never demonstrated it's worth your hard earned money. It's a poor value overall, unfortunately. And VW has a long, legendary record of revolting reliability overall. I considered a Passat for awhile, but decided it'll take multiple years of proven good reliability before I'll ever even think of buying something from them. And they also, for years, offered an insulting warranty on their cars-- 2 years or 24,000 miles (the worst in the entire industry), thus proving that even THEY knew their cars couldn't cut it.

So, out of the cars you've mentioned in your post, indeed the Protege is the best value. I think the LX is an excellent first car, and geeze, think of all the fuel you'll be saving over a V8 Oldsmobile...

 

Thank you for all your responses! My God, I hadn't expected so many...

Well, I can see that most of you share my aversion to VW's. Someone told me to really consider the Golf GTI, but for it's asking price, $33,000 in Montreal (and no doubt the small fortune it would cost to insure), I think I can live without the turbocharged power, LOL! Nah, I'm pretty much settled on the LX 2.0

Ahhh, that Oldsmobile. It's a 1980 Cutlass Supreme Coupe with a 4-barrel carb, and a 305 V8 engine. It just makes the sweetest sounds on highway. But the door seals are going, and I can no longer stem the tide of rust that's slowly overtaking it.

The other question I have, which I know most of you have passionate opinions on, is: Auto or Stick? My route to work is frequently lousy with traffic (both going and coming back), and I'm not sure I want to wear out my clutch after a couple of years because of that. Any opinions?

Thanks in advance

 

It is really your preference. Currently I go through a lot of hills and stop and go traffic here in Seattle. So I chose an auto due to me not wanting to shift like a maniac.

Throw this into your hat when you decide though....will you be the only driver? Can the majority of your friends or family drive a stick? What other uses will you use the vehicle for?

Another major reason why I chose the auto...many people who I ask to drop me off at the airport or an event can not drive manual properly. They will end up grind the gears to powder if I let them.

 

Get a stick P5 and don't look back.

 

I would suggest you go test drive a stick and simulate slow speed, stop and go traffic as you would experience it on your route to work to help you decide.

I love my 5 speed, but I drive mostly on fast country roads to work, the perfect situation for a P5. But I swear to God I feel like ramming the car into a wall whenever I'm stuck in traffic! The car tends to buck like crazy in creeping traffic when I'm on and off the throttle very lightly. I have to constantly slip the clutch, or leave it in second gear to control the bucking. I have never been able to get away with using throttle only in creeping traffic, like I have in many other sticks I have owned. General consensus on the board seems to suggest the culprit is the soft motor mounts, which allow too much engine movement. Personal observations make me think that harsh -off idle- throttle response (maybe poor low RPM fuel mapping) aggravates the situation.

The P5 is easily one of the best choices for a car in its field. But as far as a transmission choice, consider this fair warning. Choose the right weapon for your mission.

 

Beginning of 2002, all I wanted was a VW Jetta. But around here in San Diego, to many Jetta's running around with hot Latina's in the driver seat's, so I'm like dude, is it mandatory that girls must drive these cars. Then mid year I thought about the ZX3/5, and the Sentra Spec V (what ever it is). Sure liked the ZX5, cheap and the aftermarket is bursting for it. I never thought of the Protege 5 until it was October. In the end it was a toss up 2002 Black Civic 4dr EX at a phenomenal price (i think the dealer wanted $13,000 at $200 a month with 4.9 APR), or the '03 Protege 5 (at $17180 invoice with the sportshifter, and moonroof, with 6.5% APR $330 month). Long story short, I'm here in these forums because I gots me my lovely '03 Black Mica Pro5. Sure it was more expensive then the civic, "you buy the car you like, not what its going to cost you." Ironically the person that said that was the same Honda salesmen that was going to sell that Civic to me

 

Ha Ha! My first car was a 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Coupe Brougham Edition (it was my grandma's car). What a Boat and gas guzzler. It ran well for a while, but then things just started going because of age, door seals included the trunk turned into a swimming pool. I must say my protege5 is the best car I have owned and I have so far driven

1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass
1995 Nissan Pickup (barebones no options)
1996 Nissan Pickup (XE edition)
2003 Protege5 (My first NEW car )

As for your dilemma, I commute 70 miles roundtrip everyday and I did it in both of my Nissan pickups which were both stick, and let me tell you, working the clutch in commute traffic got rather tiresome, especially here in the Silicon Valley home of some of the worst commute traffic in the country. Sure when I take the car out for a weekend drive along the local backroads I miss having a stick, but the Sport Mode for the automatic transmission is a saving grace. Ultimately it's up to you to decide how you will be driving the car and make a decision. Given the chance to buy the car would I still go with the sport auto, the jury's still out. I can tell you if I didn't have that awful commute I would take a stick in a heartbeat.

 

Automatic seems to have less problems. (I think) I hear a lot of issues about 5 speeds and less about auto's. I prefer automatic as your resale value is much greater because of the simple fact that a lot of people can't drive stick!! Therefore less people will be interested in your car. I have driven both and loved my stick for control. But overall you might enjoy the automatic in stop and go traffic.

 

I have the sport shift automatic, and I say driving it is a lot of fun, because you have a lot more control about shifting gears. Unfortunately it's still only 4 speeds. When I'm playing with it on the road I wish it had a 5th gear. I'm always like "OMG I need more gears to play with!!!" And yes auto's seem to have little problems with the Protege5, but then we may just have a lot more manuals here on the forums.