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Does the Protege compare in reliability to Civic or Corolla? - READ ONLY

110 messages,  Last post on Feb 10, 2003 at 12:05 PM

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What is this discussion about? Mazda Protege, Sedan

Messages Page 11 of 12

#95 of 110 Walter by dinu01

Jan 09, 2003 (5:51 am)

The late 80s 323 engines of the Proteges wre great! Many great cars that are still on the road today, yet no one looks at them b/c it doesn't have an "H" on the hood.
 
I know my Protege bought in 2001 is as reliable as a Civic/Corolla w/out a doubt. Most people have this notion that Hondas and Toyotas are the best cars on Earth, yet this stems from past years when they oferred inovative technology and more features than the domestics or their Japanese competition. Nowadays, I believe Honda makes the best 5spd trannies and engines, Toyota still delivers on longevity in a package that cannot be made more boring than it is (thus un-appealing for myseelf and others that want to drive, not be driven), and Mazda has a somewhat negative reputation b/c of problems in the 626 sedan, B-series truck and more recently teh Tribute, the last 2 being Fords 100%, the 626 having a Ford auto tranny.
 
The Protege, Miata, MPV are all great cars that have been on Consumers Report recomemded list for many years. The Protege, a I said before handles much better, brakes better, looks better (personal view), has a better interior and feels more of a quality car than a Civic since the new Civic was introduced in 2001 - a step backwards for Honda in the eyes of many. The Protege is also much cheaper when you factor in rebates and interest rates.
 
Dinu

#96 of 110 Guys ... nice to see Mazda getting some recognition. by mdaffron

Jan 09, 2003 (6:44 am)

I'm a repeat Mazda customer. I had a '92 Protege LX that I bought new. When I traded it in after driving it for Pizza Hut delivery -- 83,000 miles in only 28 months (almost 3,000 miles a month -- 36,000 a year!), all I had done was scheduled maintenance.
 
I now own a 2000 Protege ES that has 49,000 miles on the odometer. I have yet to have a problem with the car. A year ago this month we purchased a 2002 Protege5 for my wife, and in 14,000 miles she hasn't had one problem with the car.
 
Meade

#97 of 110 Mazda 121 by walterchan

Jan 09, 2003 (8:48 am)

The Ford Festiva is based on the same platform as to the Mazda 121. I think the Mazda 121 is the best Mazda product in history, in my opinion. New Mazda, even built in Japan, is not as good as the 80's.
 
                      Walter Chan

#98 of 110 2003 ES by disgruntled4

Jan 13, 2003 (12:27 pm)

I recently bought a 2003 ES as a replacement for my '90 SE. Now, that car was a beast! 250,000 miles on it! Given, virtually everything quit working...AC, heat, auto seat belts. But the engine was created to last. Now, this new car, I'm having trouble already at 1300 miles! There is a rattling in the engine under cold acceleration. Mazda has told me that it is an engineering problem, and they hope to have a fix for it eventually. So, even though I checked for problems prior to buying, no one mentioned this. So just know that Mazda has not posted this problem yet, but it exists. I'm currently looking for anyone with the same complaint. Anyway, they told me just to ignore it. One bit of advice: don't wait until 1000 miles to rev the engine. Do it before you buy it. I made the mistake of babying it, and didn't know about the problem until it was too late. Now I'm stuck.

#99 of 110 Death Rattle by boggse

Jan 13, 2003 (12:58 pm)

The death rattle has been documented here before. I suggest those with it band together and threaten Mazda with class action litigation. Even though it is obviously a small number of individuals, Mazda must be held accountable.

#100 of 110 Woah... by protege_fan

Jan 13, 2003 (1:06 pm)

Class action? It's a known issue, but Mazda has stated that it does not affect engine performance or long term wear. It's annoyance to those that have it, but what are you suing them for then? Annoying you?

#101 of 110 class action by disgruntled4

Jan 13, 2003 (1:54 pm)

i didn't even know about others having this problem. although Mazda has said it's not a problem, it DOES affect performance and will surely bring down the resale value. I can only imagine trying to sell it and telling the potential buyer "hey, that noise is nothing." I know I wouldn't have bought the protege if I had known about it. I am frustrated that I couldn't find anything about this problem prior to my purchase. It is obviously something they keep a lid on, right? Where can I find info on this problem?

#102 of 110 My opinion on Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs): by zueslewis

Jan 13, 2003 (1:56 pm)

As contained in my reports:
 
The manufacturer’s publishing of a technical service bulletin on the engine noise issue does not relieve them from having a minority of vehicles that are defective and does not relieve them from being liable for a vehicle with uncorrected mechanical problems. Manufacturers tend to think that just because they publish a TSB on a given issue, they have a “get out of jail free” card. The manufacturer, in my opinion, is still responsible for the appraisal differences between this car and one like it without the problems described in these repair orders.
 
When looking at potential used car purchases, appraisers may choose between the vehicles with the minority of the vehicles with these issues and the majority of these vehicles without these issues. In that light, there is a huge value difference.

#103 of 110 zues by newcar31

Jan 14, 2003 (5:37 pm)

Have you heard of the Protege engine "rattle" before?

#104 of 110 Actually, no, I haven't. by zueslewis

Jan 14, 2003 (7:21 pm)

My opinion on TSBs is the same, whether it's a common issue or not.
 
TSBs were designed to help technicians diagnose problems and now, unfortunately, they are used as a legal defense (excuse).

Messages Page 11 of 12

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