I had one of these. Imo, they were a front wheel drive BMW. The only downside is at 80mph, the engine was turning 4,000 RPM. It never rusted or left me stranded and I drove it everyday like I was made at it.
Had one of these and no, it didn't rust. Surprisingly heavy steering and jiggly suspension but 1.8i auto gave very good performance/economy, handling and interior space. Utterly reliable too. Typical Mazda really.
I had a black 2003 Mazda Protege LX in black. I LOVED the spec, it was more stealthy with the black paint and no spoiler, sunroof, or fog lights. It had power windows, locks, a/c, tilt, cruise, etc but looked like a base model from the outside. The suspension was a little softer on the LX too. Mine had the optional 2.0 and 5 speed like the car in this video and it was the most fun car I ever owned, it was really fun to drive. That thing was straight up a 4 door NB Miata
I paid $600 for one these LX 2.0 had the sunroof and everything, guy said it had been sitting for a month or 2 he didn’t even bother cranking it, I put a battery in it, checked the oil, changed it (it was at mechanic shop they let me) and it started right up. It ended up making the 2 hour trip home, and I made it last for 5 years. One of the best cars I’ve ever bought. And I’m about to go buy a protege 5 hyped ASF Edit: I did have the rusty fenders like most do, but nothing like some ChrisFix videos to help fix that.
If they hadn't rusted in 17 minutes, these Proteges would have been nearly the ideal small car. Better to drive than even the vaunted Civic and more reliable than anything but the Corolla, the Civic of that era having questionable engine and transmission long term health.
I've been fortunate enough to own a rust-free one for the past 8 years and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The interior space is super practical and has come in handy when I've needed to move over the years. Visibility is unmatched by any car I've driven which makes it such a joy to drive on scenic mountain roads---and it takes corners like a champ. The only problem I've ever had with my Protege is the failing clear coat over the paint. Not a single mechanical problem in the past 8 years, but maybe that's just me taking good care of it. Despite the balding... a very tough little car. Keep the rust demons away from me! zoom zoom
I assume you live in the "rust belt"? We don't get snow where I live, so no salty roads. We do get lots of sea blast but can't say these have a rust issue from that. I can't say the same for Nissans of the same vintage though... those have such horrible rustproofing from factory, the local dealer applied additional undercarriage coatings, at additional (optional) cost, so not all of them got it
Never realized the MP3 had the bespoke tuning, and definitely should have done the same for the Protege5. It was a pretty good little wagonette, but the power left it behind cars like the Spectra5 (which was fun and predicatable if not grippy) and Matrix XR (let alone the XRS). The Mazda3 may not have hit the spot for most Protoge faithful, but to me it really took the German approach that much further for its interior... they just didn't age well with poorly design manual shift linkage (sadly shared this issue with the Mazda6) and the 2.3L has a reputation for lubrication issues leaving a lot of bottom-ends ruined. They're fun when well kept, though.
My 2003 LX 2.0 started in -34F three days in a row with no block heater or battery tender. I fear the day when I'll have to let it go, I doubt any other car will do the same.
I have a 99 DX 1.6L that I bought at a Mazda dealership for $2000. It had only 41K miles on it. Great little car. I use it for my daily driver and have had almost no trouble despite it being 25 years old this year.
@@ryanlak1234 I bought it in 2018. Actually finding a car that old in a dealership is pretty rare. A used car lot, perhaps, but rarely do you find one that old in a new car dealership. I think I got there just after it was traded in. I saw it parked and asked about it. Otherwise they probably would have just dumped it off on a used car lot somewhere.
I had one of these. Imo, they were a front wheel drive BMW. The only downside is at 80mph, the engine was turning 4,000 RPM.
It never rusted or left me stranded and I drove it everyday like I was made at it.
This was my favorite car I ever owned. It was a 5 speed and I loved it so much.
I love this Mazda Protege. Nice, great and cool car
Had one of these and no, it didn't rust. Surprisingly heavy steering and jiggly suspension but 1.8i auto gave very good performance/economy, handling and interior space. Utterly reliable too. Typical Mazda really.
I had a black 2003 Mazda Protege LX in black. I LOVED the spec, it was more stealthy with the black paint and no spoiler, sunroof, or fog lights. It had power windows, locks, a/c, tilt, cruise, etc but looked like a base model from the outside. The suspension was a little softer on the LX too. Mine had the optional 2.0 and 5 speed like the car in this video and it was the most fun car I ever owned, it was really fun to drive. That thing was straight up a 4 door NB Miata
I paid $600 for one these LX 2.0 had the sunroof and everything, guy said it had been sitting for a month or 2 he didn’t even bother cranking it, I put a battery in it, checked the oil, changed it (it was at mechanic shop they let me) and it started right up. It ended up making the 2 hour trip home, and I made it last for 5 years. One of the best cars I’ve ever bought. And I’m about to go buy a protege 5 hyped ASF
Edit: I did have the rusty fenders like most do, but nothing like some ChrisFix videos to help fix that.
I love my 2002 protege. 130 horse, nippy chassie, rust (we dont talk about that). And after 130k it drives like a dream!!
If they hadn't rusted in 17 minutes, these Proteges would have been nearly the ideal small car. Better to drive than even the vaunted Civic and more reliable than anything but the Corolla, the Civic of that era having questionable engine and transmission long term health.
I've been fortunate enough to own a rust-free one for the past 8 years and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The interior space is super practical and has come in handy when I've needed to move over the years. Visibility is unmatched by any car I've driven which makes it such a joy to drive on scenic mountain roads---and it takes corners like a champ. The only problem I've ever had with my Protege is the failing clear coat over the paint. Not a single mechanical problem in the past 8 years, but maybe that's just me taking good care of it. Despite the balding... a very tough little car. Keep the rust demons away from me! zoom zoom
I assume you live in the "rust belt"? We don't get snow where I live, so no salty roads. We do get lots of sea blast but can't say these have a rust issue from that. I can't say the same for Nissans of the same vintage though... those have such horrible rustproofing from factory, the local dealer applied additional undercarriage coatings, at additional (optional) cost, so not all of them got it
Yeah it’s rough, especially here in the salty winter lands of New England
This car is mad reliable out in the Southwest, like Nevada. Desert
As a 1996 baby, I remember my parents getting the gold one new back in the day.
I remember seeing these when I was a kid in the early 00s and a teen in the 2010s
Never realized the MP3 had the bespoke tuning, and definitely should have done the same for the Protege5. It was a pretty good little wagonette, but the power left it behind cars like the Spectra5 (which was fun and predicatable if not grippy) and Matrix XR (let alone the XRS). The Mazda3 may not have hit the spot for most Protoge faithful, but to me it really took the German approach that much further for its interior... they just didn't age well with poorly design manual shift linkage (sadly shared this issue with the Mazda6) and the 2.3L has a reputation for lubrication issues leaving a lot of bottom-ends ruined. They're fun when well kept, though.
My 2003 LX 2.0 started in -34F three days in a row with no block heater or battery tender. I fear the day when I'll have to let it go, I doubt any other car will do the same.
I have a 99 DX 1.6L that I bought at a Mazda dealership for $2000. It had only 41K miles on it. Great little car. I use it for my daily driver and have had almost no trouble despite it being 25 years old this year.
$2000 for 41k? You got the deal of a lifetime. What dealership did you buy it?
@@ryanlak1234 Actually at a Mazda dealership. I think it was a trade in. It has hail dents but otherwise like new.
@@kl0wnkiller912 Nice. How long have you owned it? And would you say dealerships are still the best way of finding these cars?
@@ryanlak1234 I bought it in 2018. Actually finding a car that old in a dealership is pretty rare. A used car lot, perhaps, but rarely do you find one that old in a new car dealership. I think I got there just after it was traded in. I saw it parked and asked about it. Otherwise they probably would have just dumped it off on a used car lot somewhere.
These were great cars. I had a 00 ES 1.8 5MT sedan and a 02 P5 2.0 AT wagon. Both with sunroofs. Only complaint is they were both pretty noisy.
The Mazda 3 that came out in 2004 was worlds ahead of this. This wasn’t a bad car for the time though.
Lol 😂🤣 those have horrible engines that threw Rod's and transmissions that broke like crazy 😂🤣
The Protege still beats out the Mazda3 in terms of body design.
Mazdas are generally just superior. As long as normal maintenance is done they’re very satisfying automobiles.
Zoom zoom 🏎
Lol remember when the payment for a new sporty compact car was $250 a month
The Protege kicks the Focus out of the water.
Zoom-zoom
Ojala estuviera en Español 🥹
Well the 1998 Mazda was 2 seconds quicker
Lighter because it was more of a death box because it lacks the safety features 😂🤣