Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Great Value - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By COOLIGOTANEWCAR! - June 6 - 2:00 am

  I am very happy with my new Protege. What a great car for 15 grand! Good looks, great 5 speed, and it really does have a nice quick engine. Looked at the Sentra, Ion, Corolla, and the "Out of my price range" Galant. Sentra was nice, def my second choice, although the GXE doesnt have alloys standard and I dont think it felt as quick or handled as well as the Protege...if you are shopping for a small car, dont go to the Mazda dealer last like I did...go there first!

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  Watch out for Mazda Protege Transmission - 1999 Mazda Protege
  By Alicia60 - June 1 - 2:00 am

  Purchased this car new, ran great until just after warranty expired, then had one problem after another from O2 sensor, catalytic converter, and finally when out of warranty, transmission sensor went, and Schwartz Mazda in NJ misdiagnosed and repaired with a rebuilt trans. After 3 more visits, still having the same syptoms that originally brought me to the bring in the car, spedometer drop out, o/d off light flashing, and car revviing out of control, they finally replaced the speed sensor on the transmission. This is after a $2000 transmission. Let the buyer beware, when your 50k warranty runs out you are on your own.

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  Civic would have been better. - 2000 Mazda Protege
  By bleu4917 - May 26 - 3:10 am

  The car had a good solid feel in during the first 2 years, but after that things go down hill. The radio volume control doesnt work properly, hard to control volume. The auto memory doesnt work. Rust on most Mazdas of the same year (right side passenger door and trunk). Passenger mirror ripped off easily. Engine problems (RPM is not stable). Automatic door lock failed for one of the doors. Ac has a leak. ABS module has failed. Manual shift doesnt shift smoothly after 2 years.

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  Frequent Maintence for the 2000 Mazda - 2000 Mazda Protege
  By adingle - May 13 - 10:00 am

  Once this vehicle started aproaching the 30,000 mile mark it requires alot of maintenance. Trasmission problems, fuel injection problems, check engine light comes on repeatingly even after getting the require servicing.

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  A Great Value - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By tc - May 13 - 10:00 am

  Ive driven Hondas in the past, but the price comparison and features of the Protege outweighed brand loyalty. I was also frustrated by the awkward position of the parking brake in the 5-spd Civic I test drove. I bought the LX Protege with moonroof,abs,side airbags, floormats and cargo net all for $13100 plus tax and tags, (includes $1500 rebate). Entrance is easy and the driver seat adjuster is great for my back. A quiet, fun car to drive.

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  Quality Auto - 2000 Mazda Protege
  By Ted W. Lee - April 28 - 3:46 pm

  In the ten yrs.that I have owned the car, with the exception of when the battery "died" it has never failed to start and has never stalled. Its always been parked outside(in Mich.) The only major negative problem has been the suspension the last couple of yrs. Going over the slightest bump results in a very noisy and "rattley" ride.It sounds and feels like the suspension system has completely failed.I have about 90000 miles on the car.The car still looks almost like new (because of a paint sealant applied each year.) Never a problem with wheel alignment(never had it done).

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  Hard to part with, unbeatable car - 2000 Mazda Protege
  By Miatajeff - April 21 - 2:00 am

  My Seventh Mazda, this little ES is a wolf in sheeps clothing. I love the conservative styling, the comfortable interior, the unbeatable handling, the perfect reliability! This car has been outstanding, with nary a problem since new. Cheap to own and to maintain, a joy to drive, I am having a hard time parting with it. I have been looking at new cars and am going to take a step up to a Volvo, but I cant bear to part with my Protege! Suggestions: put Nokian tires on all fours and the cars foul-weather handling improves. The only complaint I can muster is that it is a loud car- lots of raod noise, but that is minor compared to its graces.

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  Would not buy another one - 1999 Mazda Protege
  By ronbchamp - April 12 - 12:50 pm

  This car has not been too bad overall but it has had some issues with idling which have never been resolved. Its a problem in the cold climate of Canada. When it gets very cold it cranks really slow then floods. The CD player is junk - sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt. The rocker panels rust almost as fast as a GM or Ford. Maybe because Mazda is now owned by Ford and is no longer a true import. Buy a Toyota and you wont see that kind of rust on it so fast and they start easy at even minus 40 deg F.

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  Fantastic Little Car - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By Landric - April 11 - 9:53 am

  I bought my 02 Protege ES new. It was a fantastic car, fun to drive, excellent handling, good performance, comfortable, decent gas mileage, great safety features, and completely reliable. I had the dealer find me an ES that had the ABS/Side Airbags/Power Sunroof package. Gas mileage on the highway hovered around 32 mpg, low 20s in city driving. The transmission shifted smoothly and easily, the engine reved up quickly and offered decent power. The real treat with this car is the handling, its fantastic, and especially nice with the sleeper looks. Its feels a lot faster and sportier than it is. I replaced the front brakes at 70k, 2 sets of tires, and oil changes. No problems in 115K.

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  Perfect Protege - 1999 Mazda Protege
  By St. Denis - March 31 - 10:00 am

  Ive been very impressed with the Mazda Proteges performance and quality. Everything seems solid and well-made. My mileage is in the high 30s and even though it only has the 1.6 liter engine, it is really peppy.