2000 Mazda Protege - Great car. I have no complaints.
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 ... (more)
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.
Gas mileage, repair costs, and lasted a long time.
Gas mileage, repair costs, and lasted a long time.
2000 Mazda Protege -
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'r... (more)
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.
My car is silver and its body shape is not unique, and I'm absent-minded! So I had to put quite a few stickers on it to make sure I could find it again in the huge parking lots of our supermarkets and shopping centers.
My car is silver and its body shape is not unique, and I'm absent-minded! So I had to put quite a few stickers on it to make sure I could find it again in the huge parking lots of our supermarkets and shopping centers.
Good performance: the Mazda Protege drives smoothly and accelerates fast. It is not very noisy at all--to the extent that you'll notice any abnormal noise immediately, which is useful to get it to the garage and repaired fast.
Practicality: That car is easy to park, not too large to fit even in a slightly exiguous parking spot. However, it is also roomy enough inside to fit five people without too much squeezing, and the trunk is of average size (I can fit five large grocery bags and the rather large repair kit my husband has equipped me with, plus a small fire extinguisher--also a husban... (more)
Good performance: the Mazda Protege drives smoothly and accelerates fast. It is not very noisy at all--to the extent that you'll notice any abnormal noise immediately, which is useful to get it to the garage and repaired fast.
Practicality: That car is easy to park, not too large to fit even in a slightly exiguous parking spot. However, it is also roomy enough inside to fit five people without too much squeezing, and the trunk is of average size (I can fit five large grocery bags and the rather large repair kit my husband has equipped me with, plus a small fire extinguisher--also a husbandly gift).
Comfort: it's a very comfortable car. I have chronic back pain, and if I have a choice I'd much rather drive my car than ride in any of my friends' and family members' cars. My car aggravates my back less than any other car I've ever owned or ridden in.
Fuel economy: I get 30 miles per gallon and can use the cheapest gas at the pump. Financially, this is a fairly good deal for a vehicle that is advertised as almost a sport car.
Styling: the Mazda Protege is quite unnoticeable. For some, this would be a problem, but I am not particularly interested in having my car stand out, so for me it's another good point.
I've experienced only one serious drawback with my Mazda Protege: a few years after I bought it, the radio quit on me (the volume control broke), and it's not important enough to spend money on, so it's still broken.
I've experienced only one serious drawback with my Mazda Protege: a few years after I bought it, the radio quit on me (the volume control broke), and it's not important enough to spend money on, so it's still broken.
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