Used 2000 Mazda Protege for Sale

I really liked the gas mileage. There are a lot better options these days though. But for a 20-year-old car, it did great on gas. I did not have to repair the car often. When I did, the costs were reasonable. All the tires for it are all-weather tires, which are better. A negative about the car is its size. its on the smaller size, so there's not a lot you can do with it. We have owned our 2000 LX with auto transmission for 14 years and 227,800 miles. Other than a new ECM about eight years ago, we have only completed oil changes every 3k miles and the occasional brake job (all completed by me). At 225,000 miles, I decided it was time to replace the original timing belt (which, believe it or not, didn't look too bad). At that time I also replaced the following: valve cover seal, spark plugs, cam seals, crank seal, water pump, timing pulleys and tension spring, struts, control arms with lower ball joints. Replace four qtrs. tranny fluid. Outer tiered ends. New driver side axle. I completed all the work myself, and it was fairly easy to complete. All for about $800 in parts. If you are a do it yourself type of person, then this car is for you. Very easy to work on. I drive this car 60 miles per day and am confident it will make it to 300,000 miles.

I bought my Mazda Protege about 10 years ago, gently used from a friend. In the beginning, I was a little intimidated by it because it's the sport version and I'm not a great driver--I had never owned a vehicle that could go that fast! However, I have logged about 100,000 miles on that car without any memorable incident or problem, and I have come to love it so much that I would certainly buy another Mazda, maybe even another Protege. The Mazda Protege is a great car for women and older people: it is easy to drive, has excellent acceleration (fast) when passing someone, and one feels very safe driving it even if one is not a great driver. It is sturdy and mine has only broken down twice in ten years (although both repairs were in the $1,000 range). It is also quite forgiving if you're a little remiss with regular maintenance. The exterior has aged well: no visible rust or dents (of course, not having accidents helps!), and so has the interior. The rugs and dashboard still look fairly new, albeit a little faded by sunlight. Overall, that car is the best one I've ever owned.