Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Great Little Grocery Grabber - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By C Cubed - October 21 - 2:00 am

  So far we both love this little puppy. The 130 HP is sufficient for gettin around town, and it is really FUN to drive! Have been able to haul large items with rear seat down, and theres plenty of head & leg room, front & back. Better value than similar cars we considered (esp @ 0%).

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  Wo-hoa! Look at it roll!! - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By mikebythesun - October 21 - 2:00 am

  Best car Ive ever owned yet. Beautiful inside and out, very solid handling, great shifting and steering, and overall just very fun to drive. It looks great, too.

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  Great car at a great price - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By chumly - September 28 - 4:24 pm

  I bought my Protege 5 in January 2004 for $13,900 due to its being replaced by the Mazda 3. Im on my 7th year and it has been a great car! I have 160,000 miles and Ive had few issues. At 120,000 miles it started running rough and I found that the hose connecting the airbox to the intake was cracked. It cost about $90. At 100,000 miles I replaced the timing belt, belts, hoses, water pump for about $1000 through the dealer. Other than that it has been basic maintenance and has been very reliable. It now needs new struts, but otherwise works fine. I hope to get a few more years out of it.

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  My MP5 - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By dlai0001 - August 28 - 10:00 am

  The first few things I noticed is the the MP5 feels sportier, and for some reason I wanted to sit up straight. Given that, the interior felt really roomy. Definatly a lot of head room in all 5 seating positions. The bucket seats in the front feels like they are gripping you, reassuring you through turns. The 6spkr + sub stereo system was nice (even though woofer was weak), good compared to other stock sound systems. As for the downsides, I agree with the editor, but definatly a fun car until you fill it up with 5 people.

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  Only 2 days BUT - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Coruvs - July 27 - 2:00 am

  If your in the market for a small car . . . skip the NEONS and Fords . . . Check out the Mazda . . . WOW!

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  protege5 value and style - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By LouP5 - July 16 - 10:00 am

  Satisfied with everything about this car. Sporty styling and great handling make this a tremendous value for the money for cars in this category.

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  FEEDBACK - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Mandi Means - July 4 - 2:00 am

  I think the Mazda Protege 5 is stylish, comfortable. It handles very well in snow and high water. The only down fall is that you cannot enter the car by alarm key if the car is running and locked. I warm up my car in the morning and lock the car and cannot open vehicle by other car alarm key pad.

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  Protege5 - Pretty Good So Far - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Troy Winston - July 4 - 2:00 am

  Since I have only 3000 mileson this new Mazda Protege5, I cant comment on overall reliability.I can give a basic review. Handling is good for a car in this class. Fun. Exterior design is top notch, and FAR superior to its peers like the Toyota Matrix. Interior is nice with decent quality of materials, and with a great sound system, easily besting its competition. Some weak elements are the front strut tower brace that I can bend. The only real gripe I have is that is certainly does NOT deliver "zoom zoom". Its 130 HP motor is a pathetic performer that does not rev willingly to its peak at 6k rpm. I should have got the 3 model that just released.

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  Perfect - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By rwantin - June 8 - 10:00 am

  I am not entirely sure this much fun (especially handling), looks, usefulness, and quality can be found anywhere at this (or even a bit higher) price. I love this car!

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  Fun car, but unfixable problems - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By mike187 - May 18 - 7:00 pm

  This is by far the most fun vehicle I have owned. Looks cool and handles awesome. I bought new and planned on owning it a long time. I properly maintained this vehicle from day one. At around 20K my MP5 started having problems. Squeaks from the front and rear suspension over bumps. The rear noise was fixed, but after multiple visits the front was never fixed. During warm weather, the vehicle smells strongly of coolant. The radiator was replaced, but it still smells of coolant. The auto-transmission leaks -- multiple visits, multiple attempts to fix, still leaks on my floor! Worst of all, the car intermittently would die after pulling away from a stop. Looked at many times. Never fixed.