Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Zoom, Zoom - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By industrogoth - December 22 - 10:00 am

  Ive only had my car for a few weeks but Im very impressed. I actually bought the car without test driving but it was a gamble that paid off. Its very fun to drive, often come up with any reason to get behind the wheel. It rides smooth, has great handling and comes with every feature standard. A/C works great and the sound system is pretty good too, also gets great gas mileage. To sum it up, this is possibly the best car Ive ever owned and I advise you to check it out.

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  Good Sense for Major City - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By nole795 - November 26 - 1:46 pm

  I have had this car for over a year. Bought it brand new in Sept. 2003 and have over 34000 miles. This car is absolutely great as a commute car. It is great on gas, easy to park and can hold a lot of stuff. I bought this car in Florida on my way to Texas for job relocation. I turned in a minivan packed with items. Everything fit in the Protege5 when I put the back seats down. I have never had a problem with it. The Bose sound system is great. The seats are comfortable. The inside details do look a little cheap but then again this is a cheap car. With a 4 year warrant, you cant go wrong. I will buy another Mazda.

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  Great little car! - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Sam - September 24 - 6:13 pm

  I love my Pro 5. The only aspect I would change is the headroom. I am 6 tall and I like to keep the seat bottom a little higher for better visibility. Mine has a sunroof, which decreases the headroom a bit, so Im right at the roof. Of course, I wouldnt mind a little more HP and better gas mileage, but I think it is a good balance. Ive found the interior transporting capacity to be surprisingly large with the back seats folded all the way down. The seats arent the most comfortable, but the leather feels good and has been durable so far. The ride is a little firm, but with the low profile tires, this helps offset the smallish HP when turning and maneuvering.

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  Good every day vehicle - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By bacondreamer - September 4 - 10:00 am

  This car is a great everyday commuter car but is not ideal if youre planning on taking a long distance trip. I took a 3 hr trip once and my back started to hurt about 2 hrs into the trip. There are some improvements that can be done to the engine and overall stability of the vehicle. Good interior design but can use some work on between door panel and front dashboard.

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  Satisfied - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By Another Mike - August 22 - 2:00 am

  My wife chose this above other more expensive cars, and has had no regrets in the year weve owned it. Only work needed has been normal scheduled maintenance (and tires, see suggested improvements). Although this is our fourth Mazda, it was actually purchased to replace a Honda that didnt fit between the moving vehicle behind it and the stationary one ahead of it. After 20K miles no major complaints and were just as happy with it as we were with the Honda before it was compressed.

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  It is horrible in the snow. - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By LisaC - March 5 - 2:00 am

  I absolutely love the looks of this car and how it drives in anything but the snow. It is horrible in snow and slush. The tires are expensive as all heck! Why put a tire on a lower priced vehicle that costs like $162 a tire to replace? I am very disappointed in this car right now and unfortunately I am more than likely going to trade it in and loose my butt on the trade. I just cant stand the idea of spending that kind of money on tires that who knows if they will actually make the car go any better or not????? I would definitely NOT recommend this vehicle to anyone!

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  Best bargain - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By chezbo - January 15 - 2:00 am

  Perfect city and commuting car, also great for trips. Holds substantial amount of stuff and as they say, it is fun to drive.

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  $20,000 BMW Lite! - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By dstrick7 - December 27 - 2:00 am

  I have the optional semi-manual transmission, and it is sooo much fun. I cant wait for the aftermarket stuff to come out for it...it really could use about 30-40 more horsepower (handling at high speeds/cornering/braking is great, and the car was built to handle close to 200 hp in my opinion...currently, its a slightly weak at takeoff, and it really needs something from about 3000- 4000 rpm). It truly is a small wagon that handles like some of the near- sports cars out there...and it has that expensive-looking styling too.

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  Could be an A+ - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By njgladiator - December 27 - 2:00 am

  I love the looks of this car but I wish Mazda offered the engine performance to match. The handling & brakes are fantistic but 130hp is simply not enough to make this sport wagon go Zoom Zoom.

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  2003 protoge5 - 2003 Mazda Protege5
  By lunchtimer - September 4 - 10:00 am

  2nd one of these owned - absolute delightful fun to drive - excellent for comuting, going to my games.