Used 2003 Mazda Protege5 for Sale

This started as necessity purchase because my old car just needed too much work. I love Mazdas. This is the fourth Mazda I have bought, and I will be a lifelong customer. It has always performed perfectly, and has never left me on the side of the road. It's fun to drive, everything still works after all these years and the cost of ownership totally beats the fact that it's 15 years old.

My family purchased our Mazda Protege5 hatchback when it was brand new and had exactly 6 miles on it. From day one the car was the closest thing to a practical Miata that Mazda had ever produced. The Protege5 has a low curb weight, which makes for very fun drives, moderate body lean, and very precise steering. The base brakes are powerful and linear, nerving jerking the car or skidding, even under hard braking. The bucket seats are comfortable, even for long drives, and the backseat is easily habitable by almost any sized person. With a combination of the backseat and hatchback trunk space, the car has great cargo capacity, making it easy to carry anything from groceries, to school bags, to guitar case and full size amplifiers. I opted to purchase the manual, five speed transmission, and would never even think of swapping it out for an automatic. With the manual, acceleration and overall car control is superb. Despite it being a standard hatchback, speed and control is surprisingly good, even through it's seemingly low 130 horsepower engine. The car does have an unusually high amount of noise coming in from the outside, including wind, road sounds, and the engine, but a strong base audio system and subwoofer can easily drown out any outside noises. The car needs very minimal repairs, outside of basic maintenance, and any repairs needed are inexpensive for the parts and labor required. A full tank of gas can take you around 310 miles if you drive conservatively, or around 280 miles if you push the car often. A full fill up takes around $40 to $50.