Very impressed :)
 

I am a Honda/Acura guy, and have been impressed with this car since it came out. I started Tech school in March and am saving up for a down payment to get a new car in 2 years when I graduate. I am seriously considering buying one of these. What is the HP & 1/4 mile times on these things? They look great! Haven't ran against one yet though :(

Yeah these are great cars, The first time i was in my buddies 2002 ES GT, I was like uh...bah. Then he showed me these cars are 4 door go karts by taking some 'agressive' corners. :)
These truly are great cars.
I'm also impressed with the fit and finish of the interior and the stock cd player.

hehehe..I think I will go with the MP5 hatchback..although a sedan model was in front of me the other day and it looked awesome :)

Glad you're impressed! However, the horsepower is one of the least favorite things that most drivers have found about this car. The P5 and the regular sedans have 130 horses under the hood while the MP3 carries 140...but still, it's pretty comparable to pretty much any other car in the same price range...

The real plus about the Protege is the handling. You'll find that it'll take corners better than pretty much any other car in its class!

Yeah, one of the guys we drive around with has a Taurus, its fun to lose him by hitting the twisty sections at a high rate of speed.

wow nice HP package :) I assume they are DOHC motors? I hope so.. Yea going into the twisties with a taurus behind you will usually result in the taurus leaving rear view mirror :D

Hey Travis,

I"m sure you'll be very pleased with the car. Being a previous Honda/Acura guy myself, (lookat sig) i can tell you this car is nothing short of a honda/acura within the same price range, infact i think the style and performance/handling is better in the Pro 5. I had a 2001 Civic and the handling sucked, too much body roll and only 115 hps. With the higher trim levels you're still only sitting at 127, and then again the 2k1/2k2 civics have no supercharger/turbo and VERY few aftermarket support. I just traded my civic in for the Sunburst yellow MP5 and man it turns heads everywhere i go, handling is awesome, and at the right RPM's.. this thing's got some kick! Also you can have mazda install Intake/Exhaust for you from Mazdaspeed or Racing Beat and it won't void your warranty! :D

awesome :) Nothing like puting performance parts on your car and not losing warranty (usually just un-install them when taking to shop :D) I agree, I can see how it out performs all the SOHC Civic models, but what bout the Si (DOHC Vtec)?

Answer to your previous question: Yes MP5 is DOHC. Regarding the Civic Type R or SiR in Canada, they can beat our cars, but given they have 160 HP and about 130 torque. BUT they're not as nice in design and looks to the MP5. The new Si(r) comes only comes with 15" alloys, and no side skirts. You also pay $26,350 CAD + tax + pdi + freight + AC tax + documentation tax + a bunch of other Levys and crap so ya, they can beat us, but you'll be paying around $29,000 Canadian for it.

edit: I realize you're in the US so you can do the conversion.

ah ok I see. I would think with a DOHC 2.0L motor it would have great potential for modding..

Yes there's plenty of aftermarket support for the MP5.

That is good to hear, I plan on going FI for sure. I hate NA cars hehe.

I will agree! Just came out of a 1999 VW Passat that I purchased new. This car is amazing in the curves, even better than my Passat which had H&R OE springs and Bilstein Sport shocks. The ride is still very comfortable as well. I would certainly take this car over a Jetta any day, and even though I never had major problems with my Passat (it only had 43,000 miles when I traded it) the maintenance was out of hand. $800.00 for a timing belt change (have to remove the front end of the car) and lower control arm bushing failure that VW new about, but won't do anything about, and of course you can't just buy the bushing, you must get a complete control arm. I'm sure this Mazda will be more reliable than my VW. This Protege totally blows away the bigger 626.

I keep hearing all these goodies about handling, I like handling :D I am stuck in a rut now, MP5 hatch or go for the 4 door, do they come in 2 door also? man that would be a small car hehe

I would go for the P5 (you happy now menace? :D) if I had the choice back in 2000, it's cool looking (with the body kit and fog lights standard), fun to drive, AND versatile! (instant camp-out bed after flipping down rear seats!!)