Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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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.

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  Good car for the money - 1999 Mazda Protege
  By mjones78 - January 28 - 7:03 pm

  I bought this car used with 36k on it, today I have 185k on it. Its starting to run rough, but I have driven it very hard! I have changed all the belts, hoses, radiator, and some small things. The AC just went out last fall. (radiator only went because of the thermostat). In the 6 years, its broken down 3 times, and its been through an accident where I t-boned someone, so I would say this car has definitely given me all it could!!! Great car for the money.

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  Great little car - 1999 Mazda Protege
  By Pete - October 13 - 10:56 am

  I have always been a truck person, but bought this car to limit my annual mileage on my truck. This has been a great car that I bought cheaply with 87K on it. I changed the timing belt, and change the oil every 6K with synthetic. I now have 143K on it, and it runs better than when I bought it. I use it like a truck, and even have hauled my jetski with it. It just has a little trouble pulling it out of the lake but manages. It gets between 30 and 34 MPG with a mix of freeway and town driving. Its not the fastest for sure, but it is sufficient, except on big hills.

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  Stylish, fun to drive daily commuter - 1999 Mazda Protege
  By zitro1987 - August 15 - 10:16 pm

  Background: My parents bought the car in 1999 and I got ownership by mid- 2005. The car is still doing well but starting to show its age. Despite being intended as an economical vehicle with great mileage, it looks beautiful in green and has above average handling for its class, making driving a more enjoyable experience. The fun is enhanced by its features such as cruise control. Driving on hilly roads can be a bit of issue due to small engine but it was a needed sacrifice for better mileage. Reliability is rather average as the car needed some costly repairs during these eleven years.

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  Some work, but very reliable - 1999 Mazda Protege
  By satisfied owner - July 18 - 4:40 am

  Been very happy. Did all my own work, and yes, had to replace things, but to be expected with 210,000 kms. I find the car takes care of you if you take care of it. Brakes, battery, intake manifold gasket, alternator, engine mounts (front and back), as well as transmission pulse generator, front exhaust pipe, radiator were needed repairs. Regular maintenance (i.e., timing belt, even oil pan gasket, and trans gasket/filter) relatively easy for mechanical types. Apart from a bit of a combustion chamber carbon-buildup issue (think it is a flaky EGR valve), it is running beautifully, hitting 35 MPG on a recent trip.

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  Superior Ride - 1999 Mazda Protege
  By tennesseejed - April 20 - 8:40 pm

  I have owned my Protege for almost 3 years and have very much enjoyed the experience! It now has 162k and everything, including the power windows and moonroof, is still working well.

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  Nice Car - 1999 Mazda Protege
  By Jake36 - November 30 - 10:00 am

  It is a nice car to have and i only had one small problem with the car. Mazda sent me a recall letter saying that i have a defected coil ignition.

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  Reliable little workhorse - 1999 Mazda Protege
  By 99ProtegeOwner - October 25 - 2:00 am

  I purchased a 99 Protege DX (used for only 5 months - repoed) in 1/00 for my wife. I have had to invest no money in this car other than for gas and oil. No electrical problems, no mechanical problems. Comfortable for our family of four. Adequate acceleration for a 1.6 auto; dont expect to be pushed back into your seat. Good fuel economy - high 20s to low 30s in mostly urban driving. Nice, conservative styling. Could use more sound insulation, though. I recently acquired a Montero for my wife, and plan to use the Protege myself - itll make a good substitute for my 96 VW Jetta money pit.

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  Excellent car; underappreciated name - 1999 Mazda Protege
  By glent33 - December 24 - 2:00 am

  Ive been driving this car almost every day for 4 years, and it has not failed me a bit. It has been reliable, durable and economical. The car certainly is underappreciated, which works for me because I did not have to spend a fortune to buy it. Overall an excellent vehicle. As testament to the Mazda value, I decided to buy a Mazda Tribute as 2nd care for treacherous winter driving.

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  Still a great car! - 1999 Mazda Protege
  By LeiInSeattle - August 30 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car brand new after graduation from college back in May, 1999. ES model I added powered sunroof. When I drove out of the dealer room, its only 13 miles on its odometer, now its almost 47000 miles. So far I had 3 problems, first happened in Twin Cities, MN in 2000, check sign was always on falsely, esp. during rainy and damp days, finally fixed it after several trips; Next happened in 2002 CD player didnt work, probably due to some scrached CD effect, changed a new player and another to make it work again. Both of above were under warranty. So I didnt pay a buck at all.