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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  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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  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.

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  Fun car with some annoying quirks - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By DCdriver - January 13 - 7:43 am

  I bought this car in 2008 looking for a sporty hatchback on the cheap. At the time there wasnt much in the offering, unlike today where it seems like hatchbacks have caught on again. Its a great car for most occasions with plenty of "get-up", lots of room with the seats down, and a great exterior (imho). Unfortunately its not without its problems: anything exhaust related (EGR valve for instance, the fact that it has TWO cat. converters that like to fail!) and of course the headlights, as most other reviewers have mentioned. All in all its a fun car, but if I had to do it again I might have spent a little more money and gone for a Mazda3.