Very reliable engine and transmission. More zest and flair than Civics or Corollas. Great gas milage in the 1.5 liter engine. Actually has sporty handling and is fun to drive. Good value if bought used or new and kept forever.

A few rattles from the interior panels. Engine compartment is tight for repairs. Car is narrow so front seats are relatively narrow. More difficult to find good used parts at junkyards compared to American models(but I did find a OEM muffler for $6 and it was easy to repalce).

The best car I have ever owned. 140,000 miles and it still runs like new. Gets 35-40 mpg on the highway. Does not leak or burn any oil. Clutch and 5 spd trany are still strong. Interior fabric still looks great and is easy to clean. White paint still looks great. Problems have been minor: a muffler that cracked at the flange connecting it to the exhaust pipe, a recall for a light switch, a rear defrost switch under warranty, a small crack in the exhaust mainfold that required the part to be replaced, and a front O2 sensor. I really believe this car will go 300,000 trouble-free miles! I take good care of it and used Mobil 1 for the first 100K and am now using Castrol Syntech because I can usually buy it cheaper. I have done all the preventative stuff and at 135K I had Mazda replace both the timing belt and water pump. If you are looking for a great used car value, find a well maintained 95-98 Protege in the classifieds. Sorry, mine won''t be for sale for another 10 years!

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92 honda civic

looks-it is hot and practical space: 4 doors & hatch handling-body is tight, suspension feels firm, loves corners reliability-excellent reputation safety features: ABS, side airbags

needs AWD needs more power

I was looking for a car that handled well, had more usable space than my Subaru 2.5RS coupe, was made in Japan, and looked hot. I loved the WRX wagon but did not want to put out the extra money. The Subaru Outback Sport and TS wagons, although having AWD and a wonderful engine, did not handle very sporty. I was impressed with what you get for your money in the Protege5: a reliable, fun and functional car that is also very pleasing to the eyes. Handling is tight and firm. This car loves being pushed hard through corners. The body just cries out for more. The engines sounds impressive, with a low, whiny growl that becomes more satisfying the higher you rev it, but the power curve is a dissapointment. I was willing to settle for less hp and torque for the fun handling and low price, but I keep thinking about how I can improve the performance to increase my satisfaction. I paid extra for the ABS and side air bags and think it was well work it. I missed AWD this winter for the way it hauls a car through the nasty crap, but was very pleased with the Micheline Arctic Alpin tires I put on the car. I would definetly recommend this car.

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98 Subaru 2.5 RS I miss the Subie very much, but appreciate the space and quietness of the Protege5.

Good Back seat and trunk room, styling. Good engine, good runner.

Drivers window (electric) is creaky and sticky going up, windshield washer sprayer came loose, low-beam headlights don''t reach far enough. Driver''s cockpit a little cramped. Now it vibrates/grinds upon acceleration, don''t know what this problem might be, sounds and feels as if I''m running over lots of little ridges in the road--something wrong with the CV joint maybe, which is one of the most common complaints. Hope it''s not the transmission. Paint job is not great. Wish the intermittent wiper had more than one setting.

Handles well; a nice little sedan. Good room inside except I''m tall and this doesn''t have tilt-wheel, so I have to drop my head down to see the speedometer. Can cruise all day. Mileage okay too. I''ve discovered that if you put Exxon gas in it, even regular, that it''s like rocket fuel! Especially on the highway, once that brand of gas hits the engine it just flies effortlessly. Only Exxon has done this. Has 133K miles on it and still runs very well.

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Toyota Corolla

With 12,000 miles the car is a dream. Incredible sound and paint coupled with good pickup and economy make this truely a top of the market auto. The interior construction and quality surpass the over-loved Civic or eternally unimaginitive Corolla. And with a crisp but comfortable ride, it''s no doubt that used low mileage rigs will be difficult to find in coming years.

Common complaints of this car such as a pull in the steering to random things breaking (door lock, window trim, etc) are true. The protege will pull- but with 50% tread on my tires, they still show even wear. And after working for various dealorships, I can say with confidence that EVERY manufacturer has small defects happen on a percentage of cars. That percentage is no higher for Mazda than for Toyota or any of the other major players.

From a tee-shirt, surf-shorts and shades, to a more formal ribbed black turtle neck sweater, the new body style of Pretege has the perfect look to compliment your day.

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As an X-Honda fan, now an X-Acura fan, I''m happy to say this car has kept my interest longer than any other. Especially considering the low profit margin that Mazda Corp. operates under, thus saving

I love this car, and I have had no problems with it..I''ll buy another one when I''m done with this one.

no comment

I bought this car in Jan. 2002 and ever since I got it, its been giving problems. It handles well but it constantly pulls to the right. I took it in to the dealer and they tell me all proteges are like that. I want to know from protege owners if this is true. Even at speeds below 60km/h it pulls to the right very quickly. I am not happy with the way mazda is treating me and would like to know from you, fellow owners of proteges to please tell me if your cars pull to the right. My email is cbaruco@rogers.com

Roomy Great Handling No speed limiter (been up to 115) Attention getter Seems easy to work on

Needs more HP. 130 doesn''t cut it. No automatic locks for safety. Alarm sounds random & annoying. Folding seats not pull out seats.

i just bought this baby with all the trimmings. I love it. I get tons of attention. Unfortunately I have been stalling at the light more than a few times. Still learning the clutch. Never been happier.

Likes to rev Stop and Go Doesnt Matter! LX Premium package. Sunroof (great) Roomy. decent trunk space.

Brakes on LX not as good as ES, but will do. No other weaknesses!

This is an update. I first reviewed this car back in August of 2001. With 700 mi. I was very happy and commented on how well the car passed, and handled in both city and highway driving.I have now had the car almost 9 months just turned it over at 7000 mi mark. I can honestly say that the car, up to this point, has handled everything ive thrown its way. Short trips, semi-long trips. Ive bounced the needle off of 5500 rpm once or twice. It seems to like the castrol gtx. You here people talk about the engine being loud when its cold, but this IS NORMAL! Once it gets the oil moving and you take off slow, you are getting it prepped up for excellent driving. It ran great in the cold! It just likes everything you throw its way. Steady low rpm driving, and YOU CAN PUSH THIS THING TO THE LIMIT AND IT JUST ASKS FOR MORE!! It Revs very good! HOWEVER. It is tempremental! You have to know how the car is reacting and when its asking for soft and light driving. It WILL RESPOND TO YOU. Seriously, these Mazda''s completely adapt to your driving!I hope this good reliability continues and the car has long life. By the way it has responded so far, Im confident that it should.

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85 Honda Accord Hatchback .lol Wish I would have had a 323 back then

Overall a bullet proof vehicle.

Road noise at over 70MPH speeds

The car has been simply amazing. We have driven over 175,000 miles with no major problems at all. The car still has the original clutch in the manual tranny. It still runs great, doesn''t burn oil, and gets in the mid 30''s MPG. The old rascal still has plenty of pep and we still drive it on long hauls at freeway speeds of 70-80 MPG with no problems.

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Toyota Corolla, Mazda GLC, Buick Century

* Handling. Man, I do love the handling. * Versatility. I can carry five, or stuff, or five and some stuff with the roof rack. Excellent. * Comfort. Great seats, enough room in back for rear-facing baby seat. * Styling. I''ve never owned a car that got this much attention before. * I like the leather-wrapped steering wheel and white dials. * Good ergonomics on the stereo. * I never thought I''d have any use for a moonroof, but I love it! * Handling. It''s just so sweet around the corners. * Excellent brakes, especially with EBD. * Mileage is decent, particularly for how fun it is to drive. * Doesn''t suck up the whole garage, amazing considering how much interior space there is. * Good ergonomics on the cruise control. * Reliability. Not a single problem so far, good chance that''ll continue. * Friendly torque curve, especially with the stick. * Did I mention the handling?

* Cupholders suck. * Center console/armrest is too small for both of those tasks. * Only one intermittent wiper setting. * Door lock sticks up into arm when you rest it on the door. * Speakers and speaker placement leave a lot to be desired. * Rear defroster should be on a timer. * Car should be 4" longer to give a smidge more room in cargo area. * Gas fill on the wrong side.

Somewhere on here, I have a review of my wife''s 1999 Protege LX, which I always really liked for what it was. However, the car has no balls and doesn''t have the hauling capacity of even a simple hatch. I was resigned to having to fork out a ton more cash for a Passat wagon, all the while wishing that Mazda would just make a wagon version of my wife''s car, but faster. Then BAM, they did it. Kudos to Mazda. Exactly the right car at exactly the right price.

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I also liked the Subie Impreza TS wagon, but the backseat is too small and I didn''t want to pay the extra bucks for AWD, which I don''t need in SE Texas.