Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  A Little disappointmenting - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By sunrup - March 20 - 2:00 am

  I like the drive the Protege offers, have a milion complaints about the gas mileage. The car has 12000 miles on it and still does not give me good mileage in the city. It does not go beyond 23 miles to a gallon. The overall build is pretty ok, it is definitely fun to drive. A few creaks have developed on the front doors, but the dealer said that was how these cars were built. The Accords give better mileage and I feel a little short changed on that front, may be I should have got a bigger car. The engine is now far more noisier, for 12000 miles I am a little disappointed at that.

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  fun and functional - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By alan4491 - March 20 - 2:00 am

  looked at other cars in its class (civic, corolla, lancer), but this was the best value w/ options i got (auto, abs w/ side airbags) . . . cool alloys and dual front airbags are std. on LX. great for commuting to work and large enough for my growing family (4 so far).

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  Best car I have owned, hate to see it go - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By Peter - March 5 - 7:50 pm

  I have owned the Mazda Protege LX for seven years now, I purchased the vehicle in 2004 with only 20k for the mileage and I currently have over 195K on the vehicle now. Besides normal wear and tear parts that you expect to wear out, I havent put more than like $100.00 into this vehicle. I always changed my oil regularly and did other minimal scheduled maintenance like filters, plugs, trans fluid, etc....and this vehicle owes me nothing. The gas mileage was good, I was getting about 28mpg on the highway and about 22 to 24mpg city depending on how fast I was driving. I also put sporty aggressive tires on it and it greatly improved the driveablitity, I put the Yokahoma "S" Drive tire on

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  gas tank leaking & rust - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By fuel tamk leaking - February 19 - 7:43 am

  This car Just over 5 years old, the gas tank was leaking, cost me $1400 to replace the pump, gas tank and etc. Complained to Mazda company, but they did not care. I will not buy any Mazda again. The Mazda company cut too much cost to build this Protege, not only the rust on the gas tank, but also other areas. I make a big mistake to buy this mazda protege. Gas tank leaking is a safety issue!! I can accept other problems, but not gas tank.

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  Mazda Protege LX sedan 2003 - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By Luigi - February 16 - 11:03 pm

  I love my Mazda. It works well and Ive never really had a problem with it even after someone hit me going 40 when I was at a complete stop. Not that much damage done to it when it was hit, but it did cost a few thousand dollars to get it fixed. Very fun to drive. Pretty fast (obviously not a Corvette or BMW, but still fast enough to make you happy). Very good handling and easy layout of controls (minus the power windows switch for driver. I always press the back ones on accident). Other then that Im glad I have it. Gas could be better especially with the prices the way they are now.

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  Great Car for the Money - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By alloway70 - January 20 - 10:00 am

  After reading some of the less than steller reviews...I havent had one problem with my car which is now approaching 2 years old. It has been a great car on long and short trips. I can always use more power, but the car performs quite well and better than other comparible cars. The best thing about the car is that all the "clones" drive hondas and toyotas and I have something more distinctive. Ive had my car modified and even the mechanic (who normally modifies hondas) said he didnt realize the Proteges interior was so nice. Take that honda.

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  Mazdas worst car. - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By thejackal86 - December 26 - 8:46 pm

  The transmission went out early on, which started a chain reaction of other problems months to follow. This car was nothing more than a money pit and certainly not one worth investing in. Ive replaced just about everything in the car besides the engine, which I hear is something Mazda actually does fairly well. I ended up finally trading the car in at around 153k miles. It seems like a lot, but not considering maintenance costs. In addition to the reliability issues, the interior was cheap and started to literally fall apart. Poor mpg as well. The only positive thing I can say about the car is that it was kind of fun to drive and had nice acceleration. It felt like a go-kart.

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  Maza vs. Subaru - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By Matt - December 22 - 11:03 pm

  My wife drives the Mazda and I drive the Subaru. She loves it. Only issue so far - passenger window fell off the track. This vehicle comes with a 50,000 mile warranty. Dealer fixed it, no hassle. I raced my wife one time off the line with our 2000 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon (165hp). She won! but not by much =). Weve been very pleased with this car. Never bought Mazda before, happy we did. Would definitely buy Mazda again.

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  my new ESSA - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By Curt1962 - December 14 - 10:00 am

  Overall, a very fine small car. I miss a stronger A/C that a V6 would provide. The handling is excellent and the ride is just firm enough to feel the road, but not so rough that my wife cant sleep while I am driving. The exterior design is sharp! I really like the 4 year/50,000 mile warranty also. I have a lot of faith in the Protege so I dont expect to use the warranty, but it provides peace of mind. This is the only new car I have ever bought that I have not had to take back to the dealer several times right away for minor stuff. Built solid!

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  Awesome Little Car - 2003 Mazda Protege
  By Flaming Moe - November 19 - 10:00 am

  This is a great little Car. I tried all of the other cars in its class, and I found this in a league of its own. I cant believe that some people buy a Cavalier over this little gem. You are getting half the car!!!