Zerostatic

Hey, everybody. I'm going to be buying a car within the next month or so. I was going to get either a Celica GT or a Acura RSX typeS. Well, it seems like my budget for getting a car is considerable less then I thought. So I was doing a lot of research on the economy compact cars out there. I narrowed down my list to either a Civic Coupe EX or a Protege ES. I went to a Civic forum and asked for the advantages of the Civic Coupe (i.e. better fuel economy, better reputation, better aftermarket support), so now I'm here and ask you guys what are the Protege's advantages over the Civic.

dustobub

Have you driven both? I was just about to get a civic then I decided to drive a protege and I am soo glad I did. Go drive both and then come back. There is aftermarket support for the protege however nowhere near as big as the civic. I think there was a topic named protege yes/no. Do a search for that and read it.

Dustin

Shawn

I've never driven a civic before but the camparison has been made in previous posts. If I remember correctly, the protege has better handling, more torque, and is generally more fun to drive.
Also, you won't be labelled by some as another civic driving rice boy if you decide to add some mods to your protege. You will also get more for your $$$ with a protege ES. Hondas are a bit overpriced because of reputation(doesn't mean they hold up better though) so you won't get as many options for the same amount of money.

craigrrrp

hey , i used to have a 92 civis si and a civic ex,i had fun in both of them,your honda people are right about after market suport.... i had no complains(even when i ran into f*#$%^ akle of a suburban after he ran a stop sign ).......now i own a protegeLx2.0 its a fun car and no big complaints and absolutly no problem with it I THINK it handles much better then the ex(my profesional opinion) .....my sugestion: go drive them you will see what i mean

Makaveli

Seeing as my friend drives a '01 Civic Si (equivalent of the EX in the STates), his car is just as fast as mine, if not a bit slower, but nothing to brag about. However there's noooo way that he can take some turns as fast as I can, and his car is rolling too much in turns meanwhile my protege sits nice n flat. All of my friends commend me on my looks, and make fun of his car when he's not around (hope he doesn't read this board hehe)
For a Protege, you don't need to rev it too high to get normal power, however on a Civic you have to stay about 4,000 rpms it seems to be getting anywhere, even when driving normal.
After about 4,000 rpms, the Civic is still quiet and high-pitched, meanwhile the Protege sounds a bit nicer, just my opinion, and my Civic buddy admitted to it.
Last but not least, we got a better board on the web

j/k

Either way you won't go wrong, but my decision on buying my protege was based on a TEST DRIVE, that's what really won me over. I own a Black Mice 2.0 LX now, 5 speed. Another thing, try and get the manual, as it drives much nicer then the automatic from what the review people have said. Couldn't tell you myself, but I do know that Proteges have hydraulic transmission

Good Luck

traffik

Before buying my pro,I tested a few cars,including civics,both '99 lx-g and 2001 with no options,the protege has more power all around,it's really fun to drive,It handles better and it costs less.And the rice boy factor is there too.You won't be looked upon the same way in a protege if you modify it.I also think the pro looks better

KrisA

Test drive both and make your decision based on that. With that in mind I don't know how anyone could come away liking the Civic better. The Protege looks better inside and out, has more power and vastly superior suspension and brakes.

P5Freak

Here is my take on the Honda/Mazda toss-up

My Protege5 is the first Mazda I have ever purchased.

I have only had Hondas. The way I see it is this. Honda is turning into Toyota (boring looks, attracts the average buyer). Toyota is turning into Honda (Attractive risk taking looks, very reliable).

So my dilema was that I won't buy a Corrolla (still needs much work and the Matrix is butt ugly) and I couldn't buy the Honda Civic (very boring looking and the suspension got hit by the pennie saver group (ie. no more double wishbone susp.).

Then along came Mazda. The Protege5 specifically yanked at everything I have ever wanted in a foreign car (wheels, susp, ground effects, big driving lights, etc.). I had to have it.

In conclusion. A Toyota has never begged me to buy it. A Honda used to (95 and older (still have my CRX Si, used to have 95 Coupe)) totally have my attention. Mazda is grabbing the younger generation (I'm 29 w/ family) and sucking us in with looks and handling to boot. I love my P5 and look forward to many years of enjoyment.

Sir Nuke

well here goes...I gotta add my two cents as well.....

there is no better judge than yourself.....you can read all the technical stuff you want....get all that type of information about reliablility, durability, functionallity....but when it gets right down to it....take these things into consideration....then, what do you FEEL about the car you are lookin at....if it weren't for the fact that you consider your ride something more than a way to get from point a to point b you wouldn't even be here....THUS.....dirve them both...let them send you a message....feel the ride....talk to it....does it talk back? when you mash the peddle down and head into a corner does it scream DO IT AGAIN!!!!......is that how YOU feel? if you do....then I think you found your ride. As many hours as we spend in our rides going from one place to another.....I believe its imparitive that we are surrounded by something we enjoy being seen in....something we connect with....a ride that others look at and think to themselves..."damn, I wish I had gotten one of those!"

sunbyrne

When we were shopping for a new car for my wife in '99, we hit the auto show and sat in and looked closely at *everything* in the price range. Based on that, we narrowed it down to the Civic and the Protege. We went and drove both we both liked the Pro driving experience much better. Plus the Pro was cheaper, looks better, and isn't such a "me too" car. This is not to say the Civic is a bad car--it isn't. But for us, the Pro seemed a better fit to what we wanted in a car.

I have to say that I like Civics even less now than I did in 99. I gotta wonder if the goal of the Honda design team is to make the least attractive/interesting exterior possible? The new ones look like crap. Just my opinion, though--if you like how the Civic looks and drives better than the Pro, then I'd say buy one.

The Civic guys are certainly right that they get noticeably better mileage. If that's really important to you, then the Pro is not the right choice. Frankly, I'm pretty unimpressed with the Pro mileage, but for me it is just SO worth it for the driving pleasure...

craigrrrp

sir nuke you brought a tear to my eye lol

carguycw

The Protege has more torque, more interior room (especially headroom, I am 6'-2" and I don't fit into a Civic coupe) and they handle MUCH better than the new Civic. You can generally buy Proteges cheaper than Civics, and you can actually get a Pro with *options*, rather than being stuck with whatever features Honda decided to add to that particular trim line. For instance, if you don't want a sunroof on your Civic EX, that's just too bad because they all come that way.

Also, there are tremendous amounts of aftermarket parts available for the *old* 88-00 Civic platform, but the new Civic shares nothing with the old Civic. The front and rear suspension is totally different, and the engines are so different that they don't even turn in the same direction 8-) The 99+ Protege has aftermarket support that is just as good or better than the 01+ Civic. For instance, you can't get aftermarket performance struts for a new Civic, but there are a couple of brands currently available for the Pro and more on the way soon.

Just a thought,

protejay

craigrrp,
i MORE than agree with you - i cried after readingthat one....!!! good post sir nuke!

oh and bty, get the Pro

Double D

aight....new it was coming....here is my opinion...

I have owned nothing but honda's and acuras first off...the MP5 is my first Mazda! My previous car was a 98 civic hybrid, it was a fun car, but I destroyed the "reliablity" issue by swapping the motor. Anyhow, stock for stock, the MP5 is far superior to the Honda, if not by it's appealing looks, torquey 2.0l engine, solid construction (close the doors of a civic, then the protege), and superior handling, than it would be for the visually appealing interior (aluminum and CF, silver/black leather, etc... )....

Coming from a previous Honda boy who thought he would always be a honda boy, i am telling you now that if you wanna jump on the bandwagon, get a honda, but if you want a really nice solid performer for your money, go with the Protege, any trim level, they are awesome rides....but don't take our words for it, go ahead and test drive em both, be sure to hit up some hairpins too, and then your decision will really be made!

Good luck!

pulse

When comparing the Civic and Protege, I think the biggest factor is the interior. Apart from the space (which isn't that important if you don't often carry around large items and aren't very tall or big), the design of the interior and aesthetics is what puts the Protege above the Civic. My friend has a 2002 Civic Si (I think that's the equivilent of the EX in the States) and although the exterior appearance of the car is comparble, and to be honest, teh handling and performance of the car is about the same, once you take a look at the design of the console and steering wheel and door panels and you'll notice that the Protege is sooo much better. I drove a 99 Civic DX sedan for about 2 weeks while my old car (a VW Beetle) was being repaired and although the Civic isn't that bad compared to something like a Corolla or Sunfire (drove them all as rentals while my Beetle was getting fixed, very problematic), the design of the console and everything is just horrid. It's got the overall design of the Civic from 1992 and basically nothign has changed except for a little silver trim on the controls. EXTREMELY DATED. However, for both the Protege and Civic and various other cars, since i'm pretty short (5'7"), I have to reach to use the radio and a/c controls (well, I do recline my seat a lot ) while most European cars have that nice driver-oriented dash that's tilted toward the driver which is a much better design in my opionion. Anyways, well, my post is way too long now

Anyways, in general, let's just say, if you care about the interior (which you should since you're in the car 99% of the time), go with a Protege!