3rd Gen Protege/MazdaSpeed/P5/MP3 General/Maintenance Discussion for 1999-2003.5 Models Only (BJ Chassis)

Traded in the Protege5

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Old April-23rd-2003, 11:44 AM
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Traded in the Protege5

Last Friday I traded in my auto Protege5 for a 2002 silver 5 speed WRX. The protege will be missed but the transmission won't. I really liked the car but I've always wanted to drive a 5 speed, also, one day this winter, the protege got stuck in the snow 4 times in one day. After that, I seriously started looking for an AWD car.
I'll still be hanging out on this forum though, I've learned so much on here.
On a lighter note, driving a 5 speed for the first time was tough! I stalled quite a lot at the beginning. I'm happy to say that I'm now comfortable with it after spending a few hours driving around last night.
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Old April-23rd-2003, 11:46 AM
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hummm....what can I say....

CONGRATULATIONS for you WRX!!!!!!!!

hope you will still come around here ..on this forum...
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Old April-23rd-2003, 11:50 AM
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better to learn and practise driving manual stick NOT with a new $30,000 car... that's what I heard. The stalling part might hurt your car...
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Old April-23rd-2003, 11:58 AM
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Wink

Yes, I know that it probably wasn't the best thing to do. Luckily, I learned fast and am proud to say I haven't stalled it or came close to stalling after the first half hour or so. But I agree, it would have been best to learn on a cheaper car. Now I just let out the clutch nice and slow

But for that first half-hour...
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Old April-23rd-2003, 12:02 PM
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Originally posted by Shawn

But for that first half-hour...

congrats on the new car. I'm sure you'll enjoy it more.
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Old April-23rd-2003, 12:28 PM
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Originally posted by Shawn
But I agree, it would have been best to learn on a cheaper car. Now I just let out the clutch nice and slow

But for that first half-hour...
Just make sure you keep being gentle. The WRX's 5-speed has acquired a reputation for breaking when it's shifted hard. The car's indestructable clutch and AWD traction mean that all drivetrain shock is channeled directly into the tranny. Be nice to it.
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Old April-23rd-2003, 12:32 PM
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Shawn, how much did you pay for the WRX (after-everything)?
How about the trade-in value for your P5? What year was it?
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Old April-23rd-2003, 01:12 PM
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Congrats on your new car , WRXs are sweet. I'm curious though, why didn't you get/wait (dunno when theyll come out) the ones with the new facelift?

About the manual tranny, youll be fine as long as you don't hear any grinding. My pro was my first manual car as well, it took me about 30 min to get the hang of it and I stalled a few times, but it's all worth it once you learn how to shift properly. I'm never going back to auto, that's for sure .
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Old April-23rd-2003, 01:18 PM
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Agree. Probably won't go back to auto until I've in my 40's and have 2 kids and have to drive them to school & to work on local stop-n-go traffic daily
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Old April-23rd-2003, 02:14 PM
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Originally posted by SirTidus
Agree. Probably won't go back to auto until I've in my 40's and have 2 kids and have to drive them to school & to work on local stop-n-go traffic daily
First off Shawn....congrats dude on the new ride....you will surely enjoy it....I know I would!

and Tidus.....no you won't.....take my word for it....when you get in your 40's you SHOULD want to have just as much fun as you do now.....at least I hope you do.....I know I do. :{D
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Old April-23rd-2003, 03:23 PM
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i have a modded 02 wrx myself...stalling on that car is not good..especially not a good car to learn manual on. you will
introduce clutch shudder in cold morning starts especially
if you suck at MT on that car. and if you continue to suck
you will permanently make the clutch to shudder.

the wrx is one of the hardest MT's to drive smoothly..been in
BMW, Honda, etc. on the contrary, my pro5 MT (my commuter)
is so easy to drive that i forget its even a MT. hahaha.

for street, pro5 MT is definitely easy on the feet and mind.
but for weekends, pro5 will never replace the wrx.
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Old April-23rd-2003, 05:18 PM
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I've read all about clutch shudder and have not yet experienced it. I dearly hope I don't get it. I no longer stall or lurch the car so things should be ok.
I suppose on a good note, if I can drive my WRX smoothly, I should be able to drive ant MT fairly well

I do not like the look of the 2004 WRX as much as the 2002. I actually like the bug-eye look of the 2002 and the larger fog lamps. However, I prefer the rear lights on the 2004.
I also heard that the 2004 WRX's have a black-box that records your driving style(RPMs during shifts, etc...). Apparently now the SUbaru dealership can read these little black box computers and decide whether to void your warranty if it looks like you race or dump the clutch at high RPMs. This is only what I've read on WRX forums though, it may not be true.
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Old April-23rd-2003, 05:51 PM
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Good Luck with the WRX! I saw the STi version at the NY auto show this weekend and its something, but I've always liked the look of the original.
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Old April-23rd-2003, 05:57 PM
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I also heard that the 2004 WRX's have a black-box that records your driving style(RPMs during shifts, etc...). Apparently now the SUbaru dealership can read these little black box computers and decide whether to void your warranty if it looks like you race or dump the clutch at high RPMs. This is only what I've read on WRX forums though, it may not be true.
Wouldn't it be invading one's privacy? The car was designed to run at so much RPMs and it shouldn't have any problems doing so...
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Old April-24th-2003, 12:08 AM
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For real, I wouldn't buy a car with that **** in it.

Is this a fact or just a rumor?
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