Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  I love this car! - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By Chris - April 22 - 2:20 am

  What can I say. Ive had the car for two years now and I love it! Many will complain that it doesnt have enough power, however I am satisfied with the 130hp. It out performs anything in its class so what more do you want? This car has a sports car feel while still remaining utilitarian and economical. Mazda got this one right, I cant say the same for its predecessor, the Mazda3. I wont be trading in my Protege5 anytime soon.

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  this car rocks - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By xostarbunnieox - March 31 - 11:30 am

  This is a very reliable car. Fun to drive and great handling. Its hard to believe its a wagon! Ive had it for 4 years now and hope to have it for many more.

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  So far I am a happy camper!!! Zoom Zoom - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By Chafic - March 31 - 10:00 am

  The P5 has an outstanding style, from the exterior and interior. It has the capacity to respond when I demand sudden acceleration, not to mention an amazing curve handling. This car drives like a sport machine. The low profile tires help handling those 30 MPH curve at 50-60 MPH w/o a glitch. As for the interior, P5 offered a nice European styling, as opposed to the competition (i.e. the Civic, or Acura which I test drove). My hope is that the reliabilty of the P5 is as good as my Nissan Quest Van which we owned since 95!!!

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  Happy - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By englishmastiffzeus - March 31 - 10:00 am

  I am happy with our choice. We got the car with moonroof, ABS, side airbags and alloy wheels for $16,750. Excellent value. Fun to drive. Pretty big inside, even for my 67" frame. My biggest beef is that the car has some wicked interior rattles on the highway. They drive me crazy. I will be taking it in to the dealer to take care of these. Also, you absolutely cannot store anything in any of the storage compartments without them rattling. A power point in the cargo area would be nice. Right front cupholder is unusable if you need the 12 volt power point at the same time. Handling is awesome. Would have liked a 175 hp version like the Matrix/Vibe.

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  Good car, good value - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By The Defender - March 31 - 10:00 am

  Ive had the car for two weeks and just passed the 1,000 mile mark. So far, so good. Other than a minor glich with the keyless entry, I have no problems at all to report. Overall the car handles good and looks great. I got the windows tinted and now they look even better. The cargo space is better than I expected for such a small car and the gas mileage is average at best. I got 32 mpg on my first half tank (boy was I excited!), 27 on the second, 28 on the third and 24 on the fourth (reality sets in). The incentives Mazda offered helped in my overall decision to buy this car, otherwise I probably would have bought either a Toyota Matrix or a Pontiac Vibe.

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  My Mazda Protege-5 - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By PrincipezzaJen - February 1 - 10:00 am

  I have been mildly pleased with this car. I like that is has pep, and a sporty look on the inside. It does not drive well in the rain/snow/ice. It hydroplains very easily and is very unstable in the snow. There are limited tires that you can purchase for this car, and they are very expensive and NOT good in adverse weather conditions. The tires you get for the car are very soft and wear down faster than other cars. Ive had to get the wheels balanced many many times. The roof rack makes a lot of wind noise, and the cross beams have to be removed. I have not been able to find a comfortable position in my drivers seat-knobs very hard to turn.

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  Great little car - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By JM - January 22 - 4:53 pm

  Great car fun to drive. Handles like a Nissan Maxima but the price of a focus.

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  Love my zoom zoom - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By shayshay - January 16 - 1:26 am

  I had to hold out a little while to get my P5 because I wanted the leather interior and tip-tronic shift, but it was worth the wait. I still smile when I look at my car and often get compliments on it. It is a blast to drive and I have yet to have any major problems with it. The interior is comfortable to sit in, cornering is exceptional, and the hatch cover makes a great table to use at tailgate parties! Gas mileage is a bit lower than I anticipated but not bad. The only other dislike is that the paint seems to chip rather easily.

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  Fun, Reliable car to drive with some not so good features - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By jwonger - January 1 - 11:06 am

  I bought my car from my brother 4 months ago. It currently has 157k miles on it and it runs great. Just changed the timing belt at 155k and so far its been running like a dream. Its a great affordable commuter car that has some quick speed on turns. Very reliable, every Mazda my family has owned has had 230k+ miles put on it. Definitely will be buying another Mazda after I put another 100k miles on this one!

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  Great Value Sport Wagon - 2002 Mazda Protege5
  By hank - December 31 - 2:00 am

  This car handles like a champ. Nice 130 horses to zip around in. Overall fun car to drive and extremely practical! 5sp manual is the way to go for this car. Great gas mileage as well.