I had one of these. Imo, they were a front wheel drive BMW. The only downside is at 80mph, the engine was turning 4,000 RPM. It never rusted or left me stranded and I drove it everyday like I was made at it.
Had one of these and no, it didn't rust. Surprisingly heavy steering and jiggly suspension but 1.8i auto gave very good performance/economy, handling and interior space. Utterly reliable too. Typical Mazda really.
If they hadn't rusted in 17 minutes, these Proteges would have been nearly the ideal small car. Better to drive than even the vaunted Civic and more reliable than anything but the Corolla, the Civic of that era having questionable engine and transmission long term health.
I've been fortunate enough to own a rust-free one for the past 8 years and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The interior space is super practical and has come in handy when I've needed to move over the years. Visibility is unmatched by any car I've driven which makes it such a joy to drive on scenic mountain roads---and it takes corners like a champ. The only problem I've ever had with my Protege is the failing clear coat over the paint. Not a single mechanical problem in the past 8 years, but maybe that's just me taking good care of it. Despite the balding... a very tough little car. Keep the rust demons away from me! zoom zoom
I assume you live in the "rust belt"? We don't get snow where I live, so no salty roads. We do get lots of sea blast but can't say these have a rust issue from that. I can't say the same for Nissans of the same vintage though... those have such horrible rustproofing from factory, the local dealer applied additional undercarriage coatings, at additional (optional) cost, so not all of them got it
I paid $600 for one these LX 2.0 had the sunroof and everything, guy said it had been sitting for a month or 2 he didn’t even bother cranking it, I put a battery in it, checked the oil, changed it (it was at mechanic shop they let me) and it started right up. It ended up making the 2 hour trip home, and I made it last for 5 years. One of the best cars I’ve ever bought. And I’m about to go buy a protege 5 hyped ASF Edit: I did have the rusty fenders like most do, but nothing like some ChrisFix videos to help fix that.
I had a black 2003 Mazda Protege LX in black. I LOVED the spec, it was more stealthy with the black paint and no spoiler, sunroof, or fog lights. It had power windows, locks, a/c, tilt, cruise, etc but looked like a base model from the outside. The suspension was a little softer on the LX too. Mine had the optional 2.0 and 5 speed like the car in this video and it was the most fun car I ever owned, it was really fun to drive. That thing was straight up a 4 door NB Miata
Never realized the MP3 had the bespoke tuning, and definitely should have done the same for the Protege5. It was a pretty good little wagonette, but the power left it behind cars like the Spectra5 (which was fun and predicatable if not grippy) and Matrix XR (let alone the XRS). The Mazda3 may not have hit the spot for most Protoge faithful, but to me it really took the German approach that much further for its interior... they just didn't age well with poorly design manual shift linkage (sadly shared this issue with the Mazda6) and the 2.3L has a reputation for lubrication issues leaving a lot of bottom-ends ruined. They're fun when well kept, though.
My 2003 LX 2.0 started in -34F three days in a row with no block heater or battery tender. I fear the day when I'll have to let it go, I doubt any other car will do the same.
I have a 99 DX 1.6L that I bought at a Mazda dealership for $2000. It had only 41K miles on it. Great little car. I use it for my daily driver and have had almost no trouble despite it being 25 years old this year.
@@ryanlak1234 I bought it in 2018. Actually finding a car that old in a dealership is pretty rare. A used car lot, perhaps, but rarely do you find one that old in a new car dealership. I think I got there just after it was traded in. I saw it parked and asked about it. Otherwise they probably would have just dumped it off on a used car lot somewhere.
