Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Sad to let her go - 2000 Mazda Protege
  By soosa - September 30 - 8:50 pm

  I keep vehicles a very long time. This 2000 Protege DX was purchased used in 2002 and has been a reliable ride ever since. I mount 4 snow tires every winter and hold my own with the mid- size SUVs in Colorado winters. As an older woman taking solo road trips, Ive laid the seats down in this hatchback sedan to sleep in the "capsule" when the tent was blowing away. I would never buy a car I couldnt sleep in! Dont know why I get an incredible 38-42 mpg, but I do. At 155,000 miles I replaced the clutch as the manual transmission took a beating on 1-70s slow crawls up into the mountains winter & summer. Id keep her until 300,000 if I didnt have to go to an automatic for health reasons.

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  Zoom Zoom - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By icspots - September 29 - 11:10 pm

  This car is not the car I wanted when I went shopping! I wanted the SUV but couldnt really afford it then and sort of settled for the Protege. I fell in love with this car. I recently had the chance to trade car in for the SUV, I was tempted but I couldnt part with car. I plan to pay off the car then get the SUV also!

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  way to rusty - 2001 Mazda Protege
  By nannyp - September 18 - 1:56 am

  Overall my Mazda performs well, but body rust is a BIG problem. I only have 100,000 KM on it but it started to rust the 3rd year I had it. I had a special rust coating applied at the time of purchase but the dealership will not honor it until there are holes in the body. For that reason I will not buy another Mazda.

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  Great Small Car - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By JimB - September 11 - 10:00 am

  I wanted a reliable and economical small car that looked good and performed well. After extensive research and several test drives, I bought the Protégé. The Protégé LX does not disappoint. At $13,499 after rebates, I doubt there is a better new car in this price range. It has ABS, CD, alarm system, alloy wheels, and all the standard LX features. Im very happy with its styling and performance, particularly its handling. Its great fun to drive. If it lives up to its reputation for long term reliability I will be very happy.

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  Excellent Car - 2000 Mazda Protege
  By silentguilt - September 9 - 10:53 am

  This is a quality small car that is easy and cheap to maintain. I have had no major problems with 28k on the odometer. The one problem I had was a airbag sensor, and a quick fix under warranty. The 1.6L has only 105hp, but makes use of all that is there with a slick shifting auto tranny. Complaints: The car has one small rattle, and is a bit rough and loud on the highway. If you have a chance to pick one of these up used, do not hesitate!

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  My Protoge - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By sendel74usa - September 5 - 10:00 am

  I have had no problems with that car, have had it more than a year now, the only thing i have had to do is change the oil and rotate tires. Overall an excellent car!

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  Great lil mobile - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By ann80 - August 26 - 10:43 am

  I really like this car. Its fun to drive, good in the snow, takes turns well. I take pretty good care of it and it takes better care of me. I would recommend this Mazda to anyone.

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  Finally MY BABY! - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By TotalBoy13 - August 6 - 10:00 am

  I have wanted a Pro since 1996 when I got my license. It has been well worth the wait, it is everything I ever wanted in a car, and MORE! Beat the crap out of v-6s all the time. I Love this car and would recommend it to everyone.

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  My Amazing Mazda Protege LX 5spd. - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By littlemissinjured - August 2 - 4:30 am

  My parents bought this car for me when I was 15. I loved it then, and I love it now. It is more than reliable and very good on gas. On average I get up to 34 mpg - somehow. Learning to drive this car was a breeze. The clutch is great and hasnt gone out on me yet. I drive it to school and back daily, so thats at least 40-45 miles. The only problem Ive had is that sometimes my gears stick and my trunk popping mechanism was broken. But, it got fixed. I highly recommend this vehicle to new drivers and drivers who want the feel of a sports car wrapped up into a sporty, fun to drive sedan.

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  Great but expensive to upkeep! - 2000 Mazda Protege
  By RetroDude - July 31 - 7:20 am

  I love and hate this car. I like the fact that it gives pretty good gas mileage for being a 3-speed auto trans. I also like the design of the car, its got lines and not too "rounded off" which made it unique in its class. What I hate about this car: noise level. You can practically hear almost anything even with the windows shut. The engine noise is almost unbearable especially when driving on the fwy, it tends to rev at an average of around 3,500 RPM/65MPH. Also, maintenance on the car isnt cheap. Parts for Mazdas are the highest compared others. To date, Ive spent more than $3,700 just on routine maintenance - but with 125,000 miles, it still runs like brand new.