Reliable, and very dependable. For the money, the best car i have seen.

Luxurious ride is not the strong point of this car in any package.

This little car seems to thrive on abuse. I bought this car to give my wife reliable transportation and I got that in spades. The car was a five speed DX, little frills but good enough for us. She drove the wheels off of this little car, wrecked it, neglected it for many years and finally traded it in for something bigger. You can''t beat this little car for reliability.

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Honda Civic (still not a match for the mazda)

Nice interior, mechanically sound vehicle,good paint-keeps the shine,nice size trunk, nice pep to it,the car still looks great,really has aged well!

the speakers are not great, they rattle and just are poor quality, the car doors have also been known to have some unknown/unfounded rattling sounds.

We have loved our protege! It has been a very RELIABLE car and it drives very well. This is the second protege I have owned and the only reason I am planning to trade/sell is due to the fact that I am ready for something a little roomier. My husband is 6''2 and for a car this size he has had plenty of leg and headroom.This is a great car for the money! It has 80000 miles and is still looking and running very well!

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protege,escort,nissan altima

Very good handling Good Looking Nice Interior I love speed-sensitive power steering A lot more

Armrest two small Should have VARIABLE intermitent wiper Should have remote trunk release (on keyless pad)

This is a good "fun to drive" with a GT Package. It''s a compact car with full options compare to others

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Corolla, Civic

I can''t find any

transmission can''t keep up in stop and go situations.she don''t change smooth. she hesatates sometimes when you are turning on to the street which causes her to drop in to gear hard and kind of push you back in the seat as she cuts in . The check engien light comes on for no reason sometimes.when its cold the gear shift is very hard to move and sometimes you have to put the car in seconed on the shifter to get the car to move when the gear sheft is like this.sometimes the car has a lot of guts and others it labers to get up to speed.its very noisey on the highway because its so close to the ground .the drivers seat is louse in its mounts.the oil filter is in a very hard to reach place you need to stand under the car so your shoulder and all can go up to reach the filter.drink holder is in a stupid place it screws up the radio. fluid conpartments are not well labeled.gas tank release sticks.

My car is a 1995 new style mazda 323 protege LX 1.5 .I will never have another one. This car has cost me a lot of money not only in payments but in repairs as well as the saying goes it don''t rain but it pours. Between Jan. and April I have had to replace two rear struts,mounts and sway bar linkege that cost me just a little less then $1000.00 because only the dealer had access to the parts this did not inclued the cost of labour to have all this installed.I also replaced front ball joints, cv joints and axels,weel bearings front sway bar linkege(now the sway bar it self has to be replaced),back bracks don''t last,hand brake cable can''t be adjusted. Every time I need parts I have to go to the dealer it cost an arm and a leg for the parts as it is and then they turn around and tell you that this part needs 4 nuts to instale it and they will be an extra $2.99 and tax each. Or another example back brakes I got the pads at a local suppler for $18.00 and tax but thay never had the anite rattel clips so I called the dealer and they told me that the only way they sell the clips is when you buy your pads from them so as you would I asked the price, the pads were $89.00 and tax and an extra $29.00 for the clip kit so why not sell the kit seprate they charge you seprate.(use cilacone does the same as the clips)

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1991 Dodge Shadow 2.2 had more guts

*Looks nice. *Handles really well. *Nice torque. *Alot of factory options standard. *Seats me and 4 of my friends. *Can''t beat a hatch-back. *4 Speed auto is quick enough to have fun with and still have a hand free to mess with your radio. *GREAT car for the money. *Mazdas aren''t clogging the road like Hondas, Fords, and VWs.

*Mazda''s engine technology is a few years behind, 130hp out of a 2.0L? Weak. *Intake is too small! *Muffler is too narrow!! Try putting your hand over it, lots of pressure build-up. *Whinny engine, sounds like I am killing it.

I will just give you the strengths weaknesses. Note: I traded in my Corolla with $9,000 still owed on it, so my Protege5 costed aprox $30,000. OOF. "Sure ladies, I drive a $30,000 car!" "Wow, what kind?" "...A Mazda!" "(this is where people laugh at me)" "(cry)"

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I wanted this one, why try another?

Build quality and finish for price. Performance. Rich looking interior. Roomy, practical, fun- will drive like a race car when pushed.- what more can I say It''s almost perfect.

Some black interior plastics are easily marred- especially the classy looking steering wheel. Stereo could use more power and clarity.

This is a follow-up to some intital impressions I posted back in Spetember. Well it''s been about 8 months and this car has continued to impress me. It''s solid, fun, and an incredible bargain for the performance and features you get. This is my third Protege and I have to say that Mazda engineers have done a great job continually refining the design. I''ve had no less than 5 people commment to me on this car''s looks. The Protege is the perfect combonation of Toyota reliability and VW looks. I was originally going to get a VW Jetta but pulled back after hearing the horror stories associated with it''s shoddy durability. Great Job Mazda. Hopefully Ford won''t ruin a good thing. I have had no problems whatsoever. Just oil and filter maintenance

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Toytoa COrolla, Toytoa Tercel. Honda Civic EX (My wifes car-what a rip-off). Protege 94 and 95

Handling! Lot''s of standard features. Excellent fit and finish. Cloth seats. Proteges in general have strong reliablity record. Looks. ( A mini Lexus RX-300?)

Cup holder placement. Could use extra horsepower. Radio/CD

I wanted to get a practical, 4-door, reliable, relatively inexpensive car that I could occasionally haul a 9 foot ladder with. What I got was all that and much more! It''s Practical! It''s FUN! It Looks Great! I appreciate that it can carry 4 adults comfortably. I appreciate that I was able to go and buy a barbeque and fit the box easily into the car without straining my back. I appreciate having a 4 door vehicle so the third person doesn''t have to "climb" into or out of the rear seats. I like it''s styling but what I love about this car is driving it. It''s a blast on curvy roads.

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90 Acura Integra

The suspension and Mazda''s trapzoid links in the rear and the torsion bars up front and back produce a tight secure ride feel. The styling is not to space age, but has the look and accessories that would have to be bought for thousands of dollars more on the aftermarket for other cars. The peppy feel of the engine around town is adequate. Overall I would recommend this car.

The engine could use a bit more tweaking but it is adequate. Depending on your preference the ride may be a bit firm, but that could be a combonation of the sized up tires and rim combo. It is made for younger people without hemmoroids. The gearing set for the speeds could be more suited to highway driving. The 3500 rpm at 120km/hr seems a bit high for a 2.0 4cyl but a better breathing apparatus for the car with a better exhaust would lower that.

This is a neat little car competing with the likes of the Toyota Matrix, Corolla Sport, Suzuki Aerio, Pontiac Vibe, Nissan Sentra and the Civic. 5spd is the only way to go with any Japaneese 4 cyl. The engine could use a little tweaking for a bit more performance maximization. I will do this when the warranty wears off with either a K&N filter, a cold air intake and without the pea-shooter muffler. I like to hear a more subtle deeper tone from a muffler when I shift. This is what the younger generation wants, to hear proper shift points with a bit a sound without having to glance at the tach for economy shifts. Reminder!! this is no race car and should not win you drag races at the intersection, but its torque is good enough for everyday commuter traffic and highway merging. I chose the P5 because it probabbly has the cutting edge styling that is not to ''futuristic ugly'' like other automakers. Fuel economy is excellent and is quite acceptable for a car in this class. The target market, pricing, options and styling is definitely for the mid 20-30 ''ish yuppy crowd. The engine and durability of the tranny that I''ve read about, comes from a long lineage of quality and dependability. From what I''ve read and heard from other owners I really can''t go wrong. The handling is what was the determining factor for me. The suspension is a sporty firm and the seemingly short wheelbase is a bit bouncy over moderate wavy roads. However the internal noise is minimal at normal commuting speeds but highway RPMS can get a bit bizzy with a slight buzz.

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Honda Civic- could use more torque and they could get less cocky with their product.

handling, interior, comfortable, overall speed is still good, lots of room.

take off power, could use a little bit better stereo system, overall, just needs more power

Overall pretty nice car. Nice handling, lots of room, comfortable, but needs some additions to make it faster, espicially at take off. 1st gear is really low.

fun, handling, gas milage, room, styling, seats fold flat, after you take off headrests, lots of headroom in all seating positions, lots of leg room.

stereo was terrible, I replaced it with one that suited me more. The CD player skipped easily (maybe because suspension is stiff), and the sound was muffled. After replacing all the speakers with Infinity brand, and adding an Infinity Basslink, and Pioneer head, it sounds great. Also, I dont really like the fact it only has one power outlet for radar detector etc. Finally, the trim around the shifter and stereo has scratched in a few places.

This is the first new car I have owned. I bought it to replace an Escort wagon with 220,000 miles on it. I looked at the Focus, and was not impressed with the quality feel it had. The interior felt flimsy, and the seating position was wierd. Plus, the Focus wagon was too big for me. I love this Protege 5. It is not fast off the line, but, around 3000 rpm it really kicks in. It is really fun to drive with the 5 speed. It rides rough, but, I like it. The handleing is better than any other car I have ever driven (including sports cars). Lots of room inside. It is a blast on the highway, and it doesnt struggle to go 125 mph!!!

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Focus, Escort, Corrola (boring), Subaru (too expensive)