Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  GOING TO MISS HER - 2001 Mazda Protege
  By Willowbefree - June 9 - 7:40 pm

  Ive loved this car for the past 9 years that I have owned it. The tires have been the greatest disappointment...expensive to replace when I had to replace them after the first 30,000 miles. (Dunlop has a set that fits and lasts much longer...however still at $120.00/piece) Zoom zoom zoom is very true..I love this car during the summer here in WI..it grips the roads and I can fly! In the winter I need to change modes and respect what the season brings. I love the 60/40 back seat split as I take my xc skis and boating gear with me often. Overall, Im going to miss my Mazda and hope my "new" Subaru treats me 1/2 as good. (needed room for more gear and a puppy)

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  I cant justify replacing it - 2001 Mazda Protege
  By 200kcarsonly - June 6 - 7:59 pm

  I have zero regrets about keeping this car for 130K. I have had to put new struts on it to rejuvenate the ride but it was worth the expense. If you are looking for one, I suggest trying to find an ES because it has ABS and side airbags. The ABS saved me from a collision once for sure. If I am going to drive around in a little car I need a few modern safety features. The ES does require more expensive tires but Kumho makes a tire that fits the ES rim that has been a decent tire me. Unfortunately, this car is not good in snow with the factory rims/ tires. I bought snow tires on steel rims to put on in winter when the car was in Wisconsin.

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  Look around, then come here! - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By GreyFox - June 3 - 2:00 am

  Did a lot of looking around for a 4- door car with a manual and sunroof being my base criteria. Had a 98 Mercury Mystique which I consider to be a fine automobile. Mazda has this market all figured out. Awesome styling, amazing handling, and great options...this is a winner. Get the 5- speed, its impressive. Also, get the 15" wheels...theyll set you apart!

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  Excellent - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By buffet2 - May 24 - 10:00 am

  This is the first new car that I have purchased. I have enjoyed the car! It is roomier than its competitors. With a family and a busy schedule, that is really important. I am still getting high gas mileage even though the car is a year old. It was difficult at first to get used to a 4 cylinder, but this car still has enough horsepower that I dont seem to notice it anymore.

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  Should have bought a Civic - 2000 Mazda Protege
  By HSworker - May 21 - 4:56 pm

  This car is OK. It has a bunch of little problems. (keyless intry works some of the time, CD players volume goes up when turned down, CD plays some of the time. CUp holder sucks. AC is loud as can be yet doesnt blow that much air. Dealerships dont want to fix things under warranty. They cant find anything until repeated trips are made. No loaner cars offered even for multiple day factor fixes. The plastic clips that hold panels on break randomly and just fall off. This from a guy who Meguiars his car inside/out + engine. I should have bought that used Toy Avalon or new Honda civic.

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  Sad Its Gone - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By Ryan - May 13 - 9:20 am

  As my first car, my 02 Protege was everything I could have hoped for. It had good handling, brakes, and was comfortable to drive on my trips back and forth to college. It was reliable and ran good for 90,000 miles. After only having it for 2 years, an unlicensed driver hit my side and totaled my car and only got 5,000 dollars for my it which is way less than what the car was worth to me. I since have gotten a Mazda6 which is okay but different, but while looking at other cars and the Protege really was great compared to everything else I test drove.

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  High quality, low price - 2002 Mazda Protege
  By Colleen - May 8 - 11:26 am

  This is a reliable car! Ive had this car for 7 years and have put 120,000 miles on it and Ive never needed to get any repairs done. If you look at this car, theres nothing about it that would make you say "wow thats cool!" but its reliable, spacious, handles well, comfortable, efficient, affordable, has good mpg, and when a friend spilled a slurpee on my fabric seats I discovered that theyre stain resistant. A S2000 owner drove my car once and said "wow this little car handles well!"

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  King of the compacts! - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By wetcoaster - April 25 - 10:00 am

  Bought the Protege as a replacement for a totaled Corolla. Suffice to say, the Toyota isnt missed too much! Mazda has done well with its Protege series, blending attractive, if not standout, looks, sporty performance, and a good range of features. The Protege is great fun to drive around in with its tight handling characteristics. Its comfortable interior is well-appointed and coordinated for a car of its price range. All in all, its a good-looking car thats equal parts practicality and sportiness. Lets hope Mazda is able to maintain this balance with the new 3. So who says nothing good comes out of an accident?

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  Great Car!!! - 2000 Mazda Protege
  By Bill Nye - April 23 - 6:53 am

  I commute several hundred miles a Week for work (800+ mi.). This car just runs and runs, no problems, just change the oil and it goes. Has almost 30K miles and takes a beating.

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  What happened? - 2000 Mazda Protege
  By buzz - March 28 - 10:00 am

  Bought this car new at the end of the model year. Just got it out of the shop, again. This is the second time in 1 1/2 years that the fuel injector had to be replaced. Both times I took the car in for repairs, it took a while to diagnose the problem. Overall the drive is clean. Only major complaint is inadequate power for acceleration when merging on the highway or driving up a hill (especially if the air conditioner is on--then you can forget it!!) As long as you can get a good "run" towards a hill the car will GO.