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Your opinions on 02 Protege5

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    Your opinions on 02 Protege5

    I've been thinking about buying a used 02 Protege5. Now, I realize that this board will be biased, heh, but I was wondering what pros and cons you guys have had or heard of in regards to the 02 Protege5s. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    #2
    In regarding to what? Some comparison maybe in order. No major issues, except going through tires quickly, no major issues so far.
    2003 Protege5
    Midnight Blue MTX
    2002 Protege LX
    Black Mica MTX

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      #3
      sorry, I guess that was a general request. I was just inquiring into the reliability of the car as well as the fuel efficiency. As well, what are the "must do" mods that most ppl are doing...ie CAI, suspension.

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        #4
        I love mine. More power would be nice, but I really have no complaints with my '02 at all.

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          #5
          cut off the hatch and make it a sedan?
          j/k

          my brother has an '02 p5... he's had no issues other than the fact that it dents when hit by other cars (2 accidents), but neither him nor his GF have been injured.. it's a fairly sturdy car..

          look up Brian_MP5T on msprotege.com... that's most of the potential of the car (25k in mods)


          Kenwood KDC-519 w/ RF 500bd + e12K.44
          RB springs
          Magnaflow catback

          2004 mods:
          MP3 front bumper conversion

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            #6
            meh its alright.























            jk. it roxxorz.
            <img src="http://www.moccforums.com/alan/uclap5sig.jpg">

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              #7
              67,000+ miles, never in the shop for anything.

              Says it all for me.

              And I had an intake, but removed it. It's kinda loud, and hurt my gas mileage while producing no noticeable power gains.

              My advice would be that if you buy it, run stock unless you plan on really doing engine work. There isn't much power to be gained from bolt-on cheap stuff (unless you go NO2).

              ~HH

              Comment


                #8
                My advice would be that if you buy it, run stock unless you plan on really doing engine work. There isn't much power to be gained from bolt-on cheap stuff (unless you go NO2).
                Agreed, to get anything seriously done expect to spend a grand or so, CAI, exhaust, headers, to get any kind of noticable power gains you'll need to do things in concert with each other, unless you go turbo or NOS. Check out corksport, they have recently added a great deal of stuff to there catalog.
                As for mileage, I usually get about 25 mpg mostly city driving (and lead footed, I usually shift around 4500rpm ) Surprisingly, my wife's LX seems to a bit better mileage, could be smaller tires and more broken in engine. The low fifth gear/high rpm at highway speeds hurts the gas mileage a bit in comparison to other cars, but the fun factor makes up for it greatly.
                As said reliability is quite good, no major recalls so far and some minor issues ie ATX problems (common in just about all makes of cars), loud cold start up noise (annoying but harmless), AC resistor issues (again annoying but can be fixed with some tenacity with the dealer). Anyway check out the Man's Protege FAQ and snoop the sight a bit, a search for P5 problems will most likely turn up a enough issues to scare anyone off of the car, but that'll happen on any car forum.
                2003 Protege5
                Midnight Blue MTX
                2002 Protege LX
                Black Mica MTX

                Comment


                  #9
                  Ummm 2002 Pro5's rock! Okay I own one so of course I'm going to say that. I love my car. It's fun has lots of room and for an automatic it has some nice zip to it. I haven't done anything to it to make it faster. I don't think it's necessary. Don't need the speeding tickets. I can fill it up and usually be okay until next payday. Depends on how much extra driving I do besides going to work and back. That's about 10-15 min away from where I live. It's a fun little car and suits me just fine. But I did see a Mazda 3 just yesterday...
                  If you drive a Mazda...you made a wise choice
                  <p>

                  Me if I were skinny

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                    #10
                    Biased? In no way are we biased. True we love the protege but we also accept that that they arent perfect cars. I havent heard of any problems at all with the P5s. I love my car and its a 2000 sedan. I have 79 thousand miles on it and have yet to have any problems with the car at all. I also love my camaro and my boyfriends RX-7
                    Sagaris

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                      #11
                      Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm going to have a look around tomorrow and see whats available at a Mazda dealer.

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                        #12
                        I've had my P5 for over 2 years now and still love it. It has had a few problems but nothing the dealership was not able to remedy (my dealer rocks).

                        There is a TSB for the rusting brake rotors and PCM. The brake rotors tend to rust (a lot) but the dealer will replace them for you if it's bad. There is also a "cold weather rattle" that can be remedied with the reprogramming of the PCM from the dealer.

                        This past winter I had a stuck EGR valve replaced. I'm not sure if this was a known issue or not, but again the dealer replaced it under warranty.

                        Other then these minor problems the car is great. More power would be nice, but the fun factor is so high it make up for it. It handle great and come with a great list of standard options. The interior is comfortable, seats are firm and supportive and the layout looks great.

                        I find a SRI helps a little on the power issue at highways speeds. You lose a little low end torque but gain a little more "umf" in the upper rpm ranges. This is great for me as most of my driving is in the highways.

                        The stock dunlops are ok. Not great, but ok. I've had them on for almost 64k now and they need to be replaced.
                        2002 Blackmica P5
                        CAI - MSP springs - Brembo cross-drilled rotors & KVR pads - Ground wires - Ignition wires - Silverstars - Eurolites - Pilot fogs - Toyo TPTs - Tint - Blue calipers & strut bar - Batsymbol in rear window

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                          #13
                          i have a 03 protege myself bought it not bcuz its the sickess car around or the most powerful car but it was cheap and the body style is unique for $14,800 who can beat that?
                          I have never driven a stock car that handle this good.

                          I like it because....
                          Interior is very nice, carbon fiber look/silver looks great, the seats are nice too, the 6 speakers w/ subs, handling is great, the headlites are damn bright and a lot of room at the back whenthe back seat is folded.

                          i dont like it because....
                          The door lock switch is hard to access, trunk is kinda small, the damn cold start rattle on a brand new car,very, very slow car.

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                            #14
                            I don't own a protege 5, but I have to say that they are nice cars. I have never really heard anyone complaining of anything major on the protege 5. I think it would make a great car for everday use, which sounds what your into. As for tuning you can do some work to them. You just have to be a little witty. I like there shape and the interior is really nice. I don't know if they seats are real comfy, but they look like it. I would definetly put the protege 5 on my list of cars to take on a 1000 to 2000 mile drive.

                            Bruce
                            photo album|photo album 2 (pbase)

                            dbest1a AT yahoo DOT com

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                              #15
                              i've had my 02 PR5 for 4 months now. wish it was a little quicker at first but with not a lot of money it keeps up with the best of them out there. no complaints. and the suspension is great. i got mine fully loaded with leather and sport suspension. walked out paying 12,250.00........don't pay anymore than that.

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