PostModern

Alright if anyone saw my thread about buying a car you'll know i'm looking for one of these
but i need to buy soon
and nothing is coming up
I think the protege really stands out in it's class, but it seems i'm forced to look at alternatives in the mean time.
Wondering what you guys would call competition-worthy for the protege.
this buy has to go through the rents.. so it has to be 4-door, deecent fuel economy (for them) and somewhat sporty (or sportier than most, for me) and not a sunfire or cavalier.. it has to last me thorugh many years of school and highway driving
my budget is $8000, after taxes and what not
thanks chums!

JHew84

well in all honesty, a cheap, 4 door, that can be turned sporty, with an 8K dollar budget? a cavalier sounds like it would be at the top of the list, you could pick up a 97 with LOW miles in GREAT shape for around 3 grand, and then use the other 5 to make it perform the way you want... older suburu's can be had for resonably cheap, just shop around, check out cars.com...

and also, i've seen a couple 02 protege's that had dipped down close to 8K dollars, where are you looking? because i've found an IMMENSE amount of deals when it comes to these cars, i'd already have one but i have 4 problems... 3 cars and no money ...

good luck with your search

tyvan27

Have you checked out www.usedcarsontario.com I just went on there quickly, and there was a 2000 Mazda Protege LX (good model) for $7,900.00. You could probably get them down to $8,000.00 with taxes in. I'm not sure how far Grisby is from Burlington....but check it out.

As for other alternatives to Mazda, Here would be my choices. Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, Acura Integra, or Mitsubishi Lancer. You could buy a Cavalier or a Sunfire, but everyone and their dog has one in my opinion. Just cause you are buying a car for 8G's, doesn't mean you have to go domestic. Just my 2 cents though.

PostModern

I'm looking in Burlington, Ontario, Canada (in between Hamilton and Oakville)
Not too sure how far Grimsby is either but it's worth a look, maybe you guys can tell me what you think of this car:

2000 MAZDA PROTEGE LX
Dealer
km's: 150,000
"5 spd., air, sunroof! CD! Spoiler! PW, pl, cruise, tilt, 5 star alloy wheels! Silver! Mint condition! Gas saver"
6,990.00 CAD (5,271.86 US)
autotrader link here:
http://search.trader.ca/Results.asp?...ategory=&CAT=1

I like it but km's are high.. this car shopping is aggrivating.
I wanna avoid the cav's sun's cuz my friends alreay have them and basically everyone i know, like you said. i'll check out those alternatives and usedcarsontario.com i've never heard of that, so thanks.. what you think of this ^

kargoboy

If the car is in good condition (and dealer-prepped & detailed with some kind of warranty) that is not a bad asking price at all...

juddz

For eight grand, older Dodge/ Plymouth Neons are a lot of fun. You could probably find a mint pre-2000 DOHC car for not a lot of dough. I know one guy who found a 97 RT manual with only 60,000 miles on it for 4 grand, and it's mint. I had a 2001 Neon with a bunch of aftermarket parts on it, and it was a lot of fun. But the first generation cars have a tighter, more direct go-kart feel to them, lower curb weight, and they are cheaper. The most basic ones come with a 2.0L good for 132hp - about what our Mazdas came with stock. Plus, there is a lot of aftermarket support out there. They also did well in SCCA, and thus make excellent track cars. An enthusiast can love one of those cars... almost as much as a Protege.

PostModern

what about the chrysler neons?
sounds good, i'm looking at neons too i just dont trust the reliability of them.. they aren't rated very high, from my research anyway
is the DOHC model the R/T? it's hard to find the right model, as most of the adds hardly even say what litre engine it has
looking at that protege listed above on saturday, it comes with a 3 month warranty w/ optional 1 year, etc.. hopefully the rents approve i'm really itching to get it
i'll post any decent neons here too

juddz

The R/T has the DOHC engine, that is correct. The DOHC is rated at 150hp, and the SOHC is rated at 132. Both are 2.0L in displacement. My Neon was quite a good car, no problems with it. Friends that have owned them also had a good experience. They are pretty solid cars, but if something ever does go wrong, keep in mind that they are simple to work on and parts are really cheap. My opinion is that any low mileage car is going to be much more reliable than a high mileage car. Neons are so cheap that you should have a lot of very low mileage choices in your price range.
Stay away from the basic Lancers. They are dogs to drive, no fun at all. The Evo, of course, is quite a different story. But you're not going to find one of those for eight grand!

Racing Beat

VW Jetta, MK3 (95-early 99) chassis...reliable, can be moded EASILY and fun to drive...also available in your price range

gcs118

I wouldn't buy a Chrysler unless you budget in $3000 for a new transmission haha

juddz

Hey, gcs118 -

Chrysler manual transmissions are fairly durable. And, I wouldn't consider anything but a manual on a car that I was intending for performance...

Yeah, it's not a Camry. But I wouldn't drive a Camry unless I had my ********* removed.

gcs118

All I know is that 100% of the Chrysler transmissions my family or friends have had have crapped out.

Matty Mooling

my mom has a 2000 neon and it had some major transmission work done about a year after she got it and it still has problems. that car sucks major donkey *****