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Mazda Protegé

24043 messages,  Last post on Jun 10, 2012 at 12:01 AM

You are in the Mazda Protege Forum.

What is this discussion about? Mazda Protege, Sedan

Messages Page 2241 of 2405

#22396 of 24043 mazda protege parts by steven39

Sep 05, 2003 (9:50 am)

hello all, i am getting closer to purchasing a 2003 mazda protege es fully loaded including auto, 4 wheel anti-lock disk brakes
and the 6 disk cd-moonroof package. i have compared with honda civic, corolla,elantra gt
and the protege has the best features to price ratio in my opinion. plus i also like the loaner vehicle for warranty repairs. can you believe i looked at a 2003 corolla brand new with only auto, ac. pw, pd. for almost 20,000.00 no abs brakes, no moonroof, no 4 wheel disks, no 6 disk cd stereo system, what a rippoff. the protege es with those option packages equal a great deal compared to civic, corolla, and elantra gt. my question is this, since the 2003 is the last year for the standard protege, will parts still be readily available should i ever need repairs.
i also test drove a vibe and thought i was driveing a city bus, very sloppy handling, on the other hand, the protege es handles very well, even better than civic, and corolla.
by the way the corolla does get blown around on the highway very easily due to its high stance off the ground,which can become very annoying espesialy when a semi is passing you you better hold on tight to the steering wheel, where as the protege stays firmly planted at all times. thanx steve

#22397 of 24043 Steven by boggse

Sep 05, 2003 (9:50 am)

"In California, the 2.3 is the base engine."
 
Are you in California?
 
I think the 6 is an excellent option based on what I have read. I haven't had the chance to try one myself.

#22398 of 24043 Parts by boggse

Sep 05, 2003 (9:52 am)

I wouldn't worry about parts availability. Many of the parts in the Protege are used across the majority of the Mazda product line. There is plenty of financial incentive for parts suppliers to continue to make Protege parts.

#22399 of 24043 Especially since the gen 3 Proteges & P5 have been selling well. by mazdafun

Sep 05, 2003 (11:01 am)

I've noticed air filters are also more readily available than they used to be. I'm still in the habit of buying 2-3 at a time since they were somewhat difficult to find for my '89 323.
 
You can also use the 626 V6 oil filter instead of the dinky one specified for the Protege/P5 and 4cyl 626. There's still enough room you can work it on and off, even though it's about an inch or so taller.
 
It'll last longer than the short filter, which is important for me since I use synthetic oil in mine, and I know it easily outlasts the filter. I tried changing just the filter once. That was a mess. Don't try it.

#22400 of 24043 FYI by boggse

Sep 05, 2003 (11:40 am)

Mazda has apparently standardized on a new oil filter design for all 1.6-2.0L I4 and 2.5L V6 engines. It is smaller than the old 626 V6 filter which is no longer available at my dealer. The gasket has a slightly smaller diameter as well. The new filters are made in Germany, not the US as the previous Tennex filter was.
 
As a result, I have switched to the Purolator PureOne filter in this size which apparently has he original gasket diameter. The Purolator part number is PL14612.

#22401 of 24043 Meade... by vocus

Sep 05, 2003 (9:22 pm)

Sorry to hear about your accident and glad to hear you are ok. Figures you get hit right after just paying the car off not long ago.

#22402 of 24043 mazda protege es by steven39

Sep 06, 2003 (8:38 pm)

hi folks,i think an interesting point here
regarding the protege and some other cars
that i have been looking at including the
civic,corolla, jetta, and elantra is that
the mazda protege is 100% made in japan which
in my opinion says alot regarding reliability.all the others are made here.

#22403 of 24043 But by dinu01

Sep 07, 2003 (5:57 am)

Isn't the Elantra like all Hyundais made in Korea? Not that I'd brag about it...
 
Dinu

#22404 of 24043 If you are a J.D Powers reader by gee35coupe

Sep 07, 2003 (7:49 am)

They say U.S. Built Civics are slightly better initially than the Japanese ones. Early 2001 model year cars being the exception the Civics have stellar reliability records for the segment.

#22405 of 24043 2003 protege es vs honda civic ex coupe by steven39

Sep 07, 2003 (10:06 am)

hey folks, which is the better deal here?
both cars sticker close to 19,000.00 but the protege with the all wheel diskbrakes,and the
6disk cd stereo-moonroof package with compass and temp display and auto dimming rear view
mirror, might be hard to pass up. also mazda
warranty is better with 4-50,000 including loaner cars for warranty repairs. is the civics better milaege 30-38 compared with the protege 25-30 enough to make me go with the civic? its not that great a difference in fuel economy. thanx

Messages Page 2241 of 2405

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