Which vehicle would you buy: Protege ES or Protege 5
April-8th-2002, 07:00 PM
#5
Use this to install stuff
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: State College, PA
Posts: 1,069
I chose to go with a black MP5
I liked both a lot...
heres the story on why..
I drove by Ryder Mazda in state College Pa one Friday evening in my Ford *****(Probe) GT. The damn GT recieved an R title after I lost a high speed argument with a corner in rain...this yeilds>>>nonone wanting to buy the car and trade in value of about 400 bucks. Anyway, I saw this sexy Blue MP3 sitting out front of the dealership. I had wanted one since they arrived and loved the fact that the Mp3 litteraly beat a Corvette Z06 through the slalom in an official Road and Track test(the magazine) I pulled in and for the first time actually looked for a salesman. He came out grinning and quickly told me that it was bought buy their mechanic and I was about the 10th teenager to come in drooling at it, however he showed me a Black P5 and a white 2.0 ES with the optional 16 inch wheels. he told me the mechanic would let me drive the Mp3 if I agreed to drive one of the other Protege models. He also told me i could "drive it like I stole it"(hahah not really, but I did!) I would have drove a Ford Festiva hatchback for a chance to drive one of the 1499 Mp3's(I know of one guy totaling one) I drove it and of course it was awesome. Next I sat in the P5 not knowing what really to expect. I drove it around and was almost as impressed! It was noticably heavier but nearly as nimble. The dealer guy told me about the fact that the extra weight of the Hatchback is over the rear wheels so you get pleasantly neutral handling physics. I then drove the ES and liked it a lot but liked the 3 spoke wheel and exterior styling of the P5. The cars have the same supsension setup mostly. I think the P5 has a bit stiffer springs maybe due to the 250 extra pounds or whatever. The P5 also had a stock strut bar too. Both cars were nice but he gave me a great price on the P5 so I bought it. I traded in the ol' ***** GT for a huge $412 and exhausted my bank account for a hefty down payment. I drove the car off the lot with mats, wheel locks, and an anti-theft system
for $16,400, which is pretty cheap I guess(this included a 400 dollar factory rebate thing).
The choice is yours and I thought both were excellent cars. I think the p5 looks a little better but you sacrifice speed with some extra weight. In my opinion (someone might beat me up for this) The P5 was a little closer in handling to the Mp3. Maybe because I drove right after but it just felt really balanced and solid.
heres the story on why..
I drove by Ryder Mazda in state College Pa one Friday evening in my Ford *****(Probe) GT. The damn GT recieved an R title after I lost a high speed argument with a corner in rain...this yeilds>>>nonone wanting to buy the car and trade in value of about 400 bucks. Anyway, I saw this sexy Blue MP3 sitting out front of the dealership. I had wanted one since they arrived and loved the fact that the Mp3 litteraly beat a Corvette Z06 through the slalom in an official Road and Track test(the magazine) I pulled in and for the first time actually looked for a salesman. He came out grinning and quickly told me that it was bought buy their mechanic and I was about the 10th teenager to come in drooling at it, however he showed me a Black P5 and a white 2.0 ES with the optional 16 inch wheels. he told me the mechanic would let me drive the Mp3 if I agreed to drive one of the other Protege models. He also told me i could "drive it like I stole it"(hahah not really, but I did!) I would have drove a Ford Festiva hatchback for a chance to drive one of the 1499 Mp3's(I know of one guy totaling one) I drove it and of course it was awesome. Next I sat in the P5 not knowing what really to expect. I drove it around and was almost as impressed! It was noticably heavier but nearly as nimble. The dealer guy told me about the fact that the extra weight of the Hatchback is over the rear wheels so you get pleasantly neutral handling physics. I then drove the ES and liked it a lot but liked the 3 spoke wheel and exterior styling of the P5. The cars have the same supsension setup mostly. I think the P5 has a bit stiffer springs maybe due to the 250 extra pounds or whatever. The P5 also had a stock strut bar too. Both cars were nice but he gave me a great price on the P5 so I bought it. I traded in the ol' ***** GT for a huge $412 and exhausted my bank account for a hefty down payment. I drove the car off the lot with mats, wheel locks, and an anti-theft system
for $16,400, which is pretty cheap I guess(this included a 400 dollar factory rebate thing).
The choice is yours and I thought both were excellent cars. I think the p5 looks a little better but you sacrifice speed with some extra weight. In my opinion (someone might beat me up for this) The P5 was a little closer in handling to the Mp3. Maybe because I drove right after but it just felt really balanced and solid.
April-8th-2002, 07:16 PM
#6
Certified Sick Individual
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Houston, TX.
Posts: 1,141
I was going to buy a P5 but then they put almost all of the stuff I liked in the ES for the 2002 model year. I personally prefer the sedan for its appearance (I'm not a big fan of the big fog lights on the P5). The only thing that could be better is the antenna. You also get the added benefits of lower weight (not much) and about a grand in your pocket. I don't think leather is an option on the ES yet though. So I would get a P5 if I wanted the leather. The strut tower brace on the P5 does not really seem to do a whole lot to help the handling. I had a P5 for a short term loaner while I was waiting for my car and they both handle about the same (small differences, you can feel the extra mass on the P5). My guess is that the strut tower brace just helps neutralize that extra mass. It definitely did not give it a clear advantage.
April-9th-2002, 12:23 AM
#12
Likwidated
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Canada (formerly Yugoslavia)
Posts: 2,159
ES, but that's because I like the sedan styling better
People are divided, some think the P5 looks better, some think the sedan does. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so you can't really ask us to judge it. Otherwise, both cars are nearly identical, and the differences are very minimal
People are divided, some think the P5 looks better, some think the sedan does. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so you can't really ask us to judge it. Otherwise, both cars are nearly identical, and the differences are very minimal
