Mibz

Well I went looking for a new car today and came across a 2002 Protege 5 with 98000km on it with moonroof and A/C. Everything looks and sounds fine with the exception of the front brakes but those can be fixed easily. They're asking $14,999, which I'm sure can be knocked down a bit.

My real question is...
Is there anything I should be looking for specifically with these cars? What normally goes wrong within 100,000?

I love the way it drives, I love the way it looks and the price can work for me. I just need to make sure that this car will be lasting me at least 5 more years.

Secondary to the reliability is tuning potential. How much am I looking to spend in performance parts for a sensible (No turbo for me thanks) increase in power?

E-Mails are welcome but I'll be checking back here later tonight and early tomorrow for responses. Anything you have to say, even if it's one or two words, will be helpful in regards to my decision.

Thanks in advance,
Matt

MyLowPro5

well first off....14,999 for a car with what roughly 60k or more miles on it is waaaaayyyy to much. there are heavily modded mazdasped proteges that can be had for around that price. you should be able to find a p5 for alot cheaper than that. where are you located by the way.



reliability...ill leave up to more of the experts on the board...but ill say that i have 83XXX on mine and have had no major issues whatsoever.



tuning....what do you consider a decent increase in power? 2-3 horsepower?
the only way to get a real nice power increase is turbo. otherwise n/a will cost you. your lookin at a cheap header around 250+ roughly. exhuast prices will vary.
intakes anywhere from 65-70 up to 250. most people with I/H/E see around maybe 15-30 whp. then you got camshafts...the list goes on. add all that up and it could run you.


im not trying to defer you from the car....they are great cars. but if your looking for a reliable car that you would want to tune later...this might not be your best route, but thats my 2 cents.


edit: look at it this way. i went to trade my 02 p5 in for a mazda 3 when they came out. i took my car in with 35,000 roughly....the dealer offered me less than $8,000 for trade in. car was immaculate. so if thats any indication on a price for you.


james

kargoboy

^^good reply but I think I/H/E is more along the lines of 12-18 whp.
Also, I'd point out that even if the P5 is a little underpowered and requires $$$ for an n/a build, they are torquey on the low end and handle GREAT.
If you really wanna blow people away spend a little extra on the suspension.

Also---James, I think he's talking Canadian $$$. Still should be able to talk them down at least
$1000.00

As for reliability, you shouldn't have any problems at all if the engine has been taken care of.

Mibz

Oh yeah, Canadian dollars, sorry I didn't specify, and the price will easily be knocked down to $13,500 or less. I'm not looking for a car to take to the track, just something that I can spend a little time with and have fun driving. From the drive I did take I enjoyed myself (Though I didn't have a chance to get used to the hydraulic clutch...) quite a bit.

So if I manage to get a clean CarFax back on this car it's not that bad a buy? I'm in Calgary, AB so cars here are more expensive than just about anywhere else in the country, let alone America, there's not much I can do about it :P

Thanks again for the input, I'd like to hear more if anybody has anything to say!

kargoboy

Eh, I don't track mine either. It's a daily driver.
I have a long commute, always have. So I've owned just about every Japanese econobox made and I'll tell you, my Protege is more fun to drive than any of them.
I'll never go back unless Mazda starts making crap cars.

MyLowPro5

i kinda figured he was talking canadian thats why i asked where he was located cuz that seemed a little high for the states. and yes they are very torque happy low end and the handling is awesome. the 15-30 whp was my rough estimate....i thought thats all karen had on her p5 and was around 130 whp...she might of had more mods than that...its been awhile since that post.

not to threadjack but i havent sen her on in awhile......and wheres matty...hes disappeared all over the net..lol.


either way...its a fun car to drive.....had mine new off the lot when it only had 10 miles on it and have no regrets buying it. now if i can get some more mods off of gary here sometime in the near future it will make it all that much more fun.

best of luck with your car shopping...and if you pick up the P5 we hope to see you around here more often. lots of good info and people on this board.


james

Da P-Funk!

I am approaching 100K miles and no issues to report.

You can mod the looks easily, some minor mods for the drievtrain and a nod to the suspension - where we really shine!

It won't go real fast - it wasn't designed to. What is your goal?

Unique, reliable & fun to drive? This is the car.

eggynatey

I loves my P5 too. From reeling in RX-8s at Laguna Seca, to picking up my daughter and 4 of her friends from school, to getting a little trophy at the car show, it's ALL good. A lil' underpowered, but that's just typical Mazda. It'll make up for it in the twisties, I promise.



"Did I just get passed on the outside by a station wagon??"

Mibz

I'm pretty much sold. I still need to take another test drive as well as test another vehicle first, but I'm getting more excited about this car the more I think about it.

Thanks for the replies. I'll let you know how it goes.

nicodeemus

Hey Mibz...$13,500 is a good deal on the 2002 Pro5. I'm in Calgary too and that's a good price around here. I just got a second Protege for my wife 6 months ago and they were asking $14,900 for an 01 Pro 5 then. Where are you getting it from?

As for reliability, you can't beat a Mazda. This is the 4th Mazda I've owned now and anyone that has had one pretty well swears by them. I've had the GLC, 323, and now 2 Proteges and they've always been good to me (knock on wood). The Proteges handle amazingly even for stock suspension.

They are definately harder to find tuning parts for, but they do make them. Not as common as Civics and Integy's, but still do able. Your usual intake, exhaust and suspension stuff is pretty easy to come by up here, but the more tricky stuff has to be sourced down in the US.

Mibz

Well yeah, my current car is a 92 Escort GT which is a Mazda chassis, engine and tranny and finding parts was a problem for awhile. Of course most of my parts were found at the junkyard, won't have that kind of luck with this car, ha. I'm heading to Kramer Mazda today for another test drive and probably a negotiation.

nicodeemus

Good luck. Tell us how it goes.

Mibz

Went for another test drive, discussed noise from two of the wheels and made a deposit. The car will be mine provided they fix the wheels and I still like it in 4 or 5 days :P Price has, so far, been knocked down to just under $14,000 AFTER tax and documentation fees. Also got a free hat (:P) and since I told them my girlfriend referred me she gets $100.

I'm excited, not gonna lie. It's really weird getting a new vehicle that's slower than the Escort though.

MyLowPro5

just take the p5 to the twisties...youll love it. i doubt your escort will hang. well congrats and welcome to the club.




james

nicodeemus

MyLowPro5 is right. My sister in law had a Escort GT and my Mazda can definately out handle it in the corners. They're fun cars and it'll have more useful storage space than the Escort too. It's amazing what you can fit in your hatch when the seats are down.