![]() ![]() Where the roads are salted, small Mazdas predictably start to meld with atmosphere about six months after the five-year rust perforation warranty ends. Consider the Mazda Exhibit A in the case that it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. In subjective terms, the P5 feels so alive and is so much fun, even in daily driving, that it has made nearly every car I’ve reviewed over the past decade seem dull, even boring in comparison. Even without stability control (which was never offered), every ounce of potential can be extracted from this car safely and easily. Testing out the car’s handling early on in a snow-covered parking lot, I had to resort to pulling the hand brake to get it to spin. (The thick, heavily padded steering wheels favored by many people and consequently common on performance-oriented cars block feedback.) A MINI or a 500 should feel as agile and provide communication as plentiful and nuanced, but doesn’t.īy lifting off the Protege5’s throttle as you enter a turn you can coax the rear end out a bit, but in general the car’s chassis is extremely stable. Though the low-effort steering can have an over-assisted, rubber-band feel at modest lock under light loads (a trait shared by the current Civic Si), both on-center and when you’re tossing the car precisely through a curve the rack and column seem to transmit EVERTYTHING through a relatively thin, minimally padded rim to your fingertips. First of all, despite a 2,800-pound curb weight, the car’s reactions to steering inputs are quicker than in any compact hatch I’ve driven since buying it. The Protege5 remains relevant for the same reasons I still own it. How does it possibly remain relevant today? So the P5 was designed and engineered back in the mid-nineties. I got a great deal ($18,900 MSRP, paid $13,400) because the new Mazda3 was in transit. Car is now in Nevada away from salt.When I bought my Protege5 back in November 2003, it was already at the end of its run. The exhaust rusted apart just after the downpipe so it's a little loud but fixing that means a full exhaust replacement. There is now a hole in the back seat floorboard from rust and the seat belt mechanism broke - replaced with junk yard piece. Still runs great, which means in over 155k miles it has never had a mechanical problem. 16 years later, it's now the teenager's car. Repaired the hood and front-end plastics myself summer 2019. Hopefully it doesn't cost too much because this car still has LOTS of useful life in it. I have not had an estimate for repairs yet, but the hood is crumpled, the grille is gone and headlights smashed, but the fenders seem OK. Shortly after 150,000, my son rear-ended another car. It runs perfectly - if it wasn't for rust, it would look and work very much like new. Both passenger side electric locks no longer work. Still no mechanical problems or break-downs. Rust wreaks havoc on these cars, though not as bad as some other cars. The timing belt et al has been changed and the car continues to run great. The worst thing on it by far … is the rust in the rear fender wells.Īfter 105,000 miles, everything else still works great.Īt 150,000, I've replaced the right rear strut because it rusted apart. The passenger side electric door lock stopped working at about 50,000 miles. The sway bar bushings wore out at 85,000 miles and the tubing to the mass air flow sensor cracked, but a redneck duct tape fix still works. It's been a great car, extremely reliable and is still fun to drive. I bought my 2003 Protege ES new based on handling and ride - and looks.
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