Canadian models - General questions

[Natural]

Well the body is starting to rust out badly in my first gen, so it's time to retire it. I'd like to stay in the mazda family, so I'm considering looking for a 2000-2002 protege as a replacement. My questions are: How do I identify which engine a car has by its model? Is the 1.8L a better engine than the 2.0L?

I have a passing familiarity with the models, and I'm fairly sure that DX means 1.6L (avoid!), ES means 1.8L and 2001+ most come with 2.0L, but if I knew for sure it would make the buying process easier. I have no interest in purchasing a vehicle with the 1.6L engine.

I've also heard rumblings that the 1.8L is, in some ways, a better engine than the 2.0L. Is this true? I realize that a protege isn't going to be a race car, but I've gotten used to my first gen being a fun car to drive around town with the 5 speed, and I'd like to repeat that experience with a 3rd gen.

Thanks!

[inferno94]

I have heard the 1.8 can be more reliable but it's the same engine as the 2l just destroked/debored.

My fiancee drives an 02 2l auto and its great, decent on gas and peppy as well as a pretty decent factory suspension. My lil bro drives an 03 5sp 2l and its quite fun, better on gas than my fiancee's but he sucks at driving 5sp so she can smoke him (driving either car!).

The one biggie I've heard (goes for many other protege dohc engines) is you have to rev them or the egr screws up (happened on my mom's 98 z5 and it was backfiring and failing emissions tests). The techs at my local dealer told me that they often replace egr's in the 2l cars cause the middle aged ppl that own them think revving to 4k is torturing the car.

With either engine do the "ram air cut out" it seems to give the car a bit more pep in the high revs at highway speeds (info on this is around here somewhere).

[Natural]

bump.

Does anyone have reliable information on which engine's were in which models? I'm still in the hunt for a 3rd gen, but I really don't want to get stuck with the 1.6

Everything I'm reading is contradictory. For 1999-2000, some publications state that DX and LX sedans received a 1.6, while the ES got the 1.8. But consumerguide states: "A 105-horsepower 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine went into DX and LX sedans, while the SE got a 1.8-liter four that made 122 horsepower". Isn't the SE a 1.6 in canadian models? According to Canadiandriver.com it is. What about the 'touring edition' LX? Tough (or impossible) to find a definitive guide online. I can handle no information, but when everything I read contradicts everything else, it's frustrating :/

[Kitty]

Just buy a 02+ and it'll have the fsde.