Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Joys Ride - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By bballa - September 28 - 10:00 am

  A fun sporty little car( 5 speed manual trans.) that is also economical. There is enough room up front for me (62" 210), head and leg room are no problem. The back seats two adults comfortably. Very good value /quality for the money.

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  Fun Mazda - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Violet - September 28 - 10:00 am

  It drives wonderful and is very reliable along with its neat features.

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  Great car for the $ - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By mazdaman - September 14 - 10:26 pm

  Love this car!! It is one of the most fun cars I have ever driven. Unbelieveable room in the driver seat. I am 64 and have more room then I did in my Blazer. Wish I had the compass and temp. Love the handling but the braking could be better.

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  A Nice Little Package - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By DTKWOK - September 10 - 10:00 am

  After looking at the likes of the Nissan Altima 2.5S, Jetta, Honda Civic, Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla, the MP5 is a lot of car for the money. Great looks, awesome handling (for a front driver), good passenger room, decent gas mileage and good amenities make it a serious contender in the sub $20K market.

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  Wagon with zip - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Schultz - September 3 - 2:00 am

  The Protege5 is fun to drive and a practical little hauler. The car gets great gas mileage -- about 27 in the city -- yet it has plenty of pep when getting on the freeway or out of trouble. Fold down second seats make for a nice-sized flat cargo area. The paint allows for a great shine and the wheels are quite stylish. I have gotten rave reviews from neighbors and friends. Great little car.

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  Enterprise AL MP5 owner - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Brian Saxby - August 23 - 10:00 am

  great car. love everything about it but the cargo room...needs more of it. i really enjoy this car excellent for trips. cheap price and well worth every penny.

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  Dont know what to do. - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Runt29 - August 11 - 4:53 am

  I got this car new with 0 miles on it and when I bought it after a test drive it had 53. Great car at 1st but then tons of issues. Now at 120,000 miles I am having the car miss when driving and it idles rough at times. One day it has issues then the next day it runs fine. I already had it in the shop 5 times and at two different places and they keep putting parts in and the next week same issue. I suggest to watch before you buy. Car is fast and a sweet ride but not worth the buck since it will cost you tons of money and the tires are hard to find and $$. Plus the trade in value is very low.

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  Great Car But Beware of Problems - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By jjkarns - August 11 - 2:00 am

  Dont know where to begin. I love the car as its a fun to drive compact wagon. However with all the problems involved with the car it is wearing out its welcome. Engine gets terrible fuel economy, shakes and vibrates like crazy, has no power, and the transmission is already in need of replacement (clutch chatter that of course the dealer cant recreate. Third gear grinds already and pops out of gear sometimes when you put it in there!?! Of course Dealer cant reproduce problem). Interior door fabric is already worn out and the paint chips like crazy on the front.

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  Im happy! - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Steph044 - July 11 - 10:00 am

  Bought the car in April 2003. Im generally very happy. I got it in Lazer blue, fully loaded without leather. The blue is a little hard to keep clean and so is the black interior. If you are a neat freak, go with the leather. Cargo space is not great and 2 sets of golf clubs will just fit. However, this can be solved by flipping down the seats which. Purchased with sport auto transmission. The car is used mostly for driving in traffic so Im happy but coupled with the slightly underpowered motor makes for a lazy drive. All in all I am very happy. You dont have to give up much to get a whole lot!

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  Over-rated - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By acemanace - June 3 - 2:00 am

  Not a good car for any city driving: - Idle drops off dramatically during in- gear decelleration below 3k rpm, creating lurching. - Weak motor/transmission mounts create drive train bucking during street and stop/go driving. - Computer rpms are way too low (600 at idle) causing frequent stalls when starting up from stop lights or stop sign. - Rear suspension soft, causing front wheel to loose contact and traction during mild acceleration on damp roads. - Heater is poor. - Dealers have no solutions for these - Thanks to the "zoom-zoom" ads, logged as sports car by auto insurers (it aint), so very expensive to insure.