Very peppy acceleration when starting from standstill and handles very equiped/nicely at high speeds (130++mph). Good on Gas it's a saver not high but just good enough getting 26-32 highway speed around 80+mph. Also i like the engine noise doesn't have to be shift early can easily shift at 3500-4500rpms with no big sounds from the engine like other compact's in it's class like Honda/and toyota.

Had to have the Cv joints fixed twice just over some stupid problem no(biggie)
The tempature gauge was raised high at the H area thought the engine was going to blow the guage was messed up and no other major Problems.

Have had this since day one and it still runs like new with 0ver 95,000 miles. Replaced the stock air box with a watya call it ah cold air intake and some plugs/wires also i read a review if you put a front strut tower brace it handles better on sharp and tight turns. Well my car features alot of things it has been so reliable to me and i plan on keeping it for a long time.

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90 Honda Civic crx-Si/ used to own one and traded it in for this Babe. I'm glad i traded it in that was a tiny slow peace of junk couldn't even fit 2 adults in the back seat's had scwooshing problems. (Honda is not even comparable in roadhandling, economy, looks, quality, and PERFORMANCE)

handles well
accelerates quickly
quiet
nice looking
good mpg
AC
roomy
decent interior

idle speed varies
little picky as far as gas goes

This is my first car. I named him Max :) I absolutely love my car. We bought him with 87,000, and I'm almost up to 90,000 now. We had to have something repaired when we first got him, but I didn't really understand what was wrong. Something equivalent to a shorted out wire to the engine--$300 repair. The only other imperfect things I've experienced with my car have been his choosiness as far as gas goes and a varying idle speed. At red lights, the idle speed will drop and rise. It's never died though. And my car didn't seem to be thrilled with some Citgo gas I got once. Nothing bad happened, but he spit and sputtered a little bit when I started him up.
On the positive side though, he runs well and smoothly, gets excellent gas mileage, and of course, zoom zoom zoom. I drove my friend's 95 Saturn and came running back to my car, realizing just how good he really is :) It's not a race car or anything (if I had one, I'd already have a million speeding tickets), but it's very speedy. It has tight handling, a decent interior, the AC gets cold within about 30 seconds and the rest of the car doesn't take much longer to cool off, has plenty of room in both the front and the back (even with the front seats pushed all the way back), and is quiet, as far as I can tell. I always have my music on, but I've never noticed any rattling or taken notice to the engine, so I'm assuming he's not that loud.
I would definitely recommend this car for any other first-time drivers, even experienced drivers. It offers good get-up and go and good handling. Fun to drive and fun to look at :)

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The interior is great, premium sound system, handles great at high speed. Very reliable,looks like a more expensive car. Great take off power and acceleration.

No bad things as of yet.

I bought this car mainly because of the 0% financing and the newness of it. I believe I was the first one in my neighborhood to own one. I wanted to buy the 626 but too expensive instead I bought the loaded Protege and I believe I made the right decision. I am about to take this car on a road trip, so I guess I can give you more detailed praises later.

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'95 Honda Civic. I used to think Honda made the best cars until I drove my Protege.

RELIABILITY RELIABILITY RELIABILITY RELIABILITY RELIABILITY RELIABILITY
HANDLING HANDLING HANDLING HANDLING HANDLING HANDLING HANDLING HANDLING
GAS MILEAGE GAS MILEAGE GAS MILEAGE GAS MILEAGE GAS MILEAGE GAS MILEAGE
FUN TO DRIVE - THIS CAR GIVES YOU THAT IT WILL LAST FOREVER FEELING.....

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PERFORMANCE -
CV JOINTS SEEM TO BE SOMEWHAT UNRELIABLE -
WIND NOISE & ROAD NOISE

THIS CAR IS AWESOME. I GOT THIS CAR IN 1994 BRAND SPANKING NEW . THIS CAR HAS NEVER EVER EVER EVER BROKEN DOWN ON THE ROAD. IT NOW HAS 145,000 MILES
AND IT RUNS AND LOOKS AWESOME. IT STILL RUNS NEW LIKE WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR. IT STILL HAS THE ORIGINAL ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND NONE HAVE EVER HAD A PROBLEM ! THIS CAR IS MY BABY. I TREAT THIS CAR GREAT SINCE I BROUGHT IT. NEVER MISSED AN OIL CHANGE OR TRANSMISSION
TUNE-UP - OR TUNE-UP . OUT OF ALL CARS MY FAMILY AND I EVER HAVE HAD, THIS CAR IS JUST AMAZING. ALOT OF PEOPLE HAVE CARS WITH HIGH MILES BUT THEIR CARS SOUND AND RUN OLD.... NOT MINE.... I HAVE ALWAYS USED STUFF TO PROLONG IT AND I MUST SAY, THOSE PRODUCTS REALLY WORK CAUSE THE CAR IS SILENT QUIET , SILKY SMOOTH STILL AND JUST RUNS AWESOME AND AS GOOD AS SOME OF THESE NEW CARS THAT YOU BUY THESE DAYS... I MUST SAY THOUGH , I HAVE ALWAYS DRAINED THE RADIATOR ON TIME TO FLUSH IT, NEW CAP AND ROTOR , NEW SPARK PLUGS, ALWAYS USED PREMIUM OR PLUS GASOLINE, SYNTHETIC AND
SEMI- SYNTHETIC OIL AND NOW HERE I AM IN THE LONG RUN WITH A CAR THAT'S OUTLASTED IT'S 50,000 MILE WARRENTY BY 3 TIMES ALMOST. I GO ON LONG DRIVES ALL OVER AND SHORT DRIVES AND THIS CAR CAN TAKE THE BEATING BECAUSE OF MY MAINTENANCE. WHEN I DRIVE LOCAL OFTEN I CHANGE OIL EVERY 2500 MILES AND HIGHWAY MILES I CHANGE IT EVERY 2700 - 3000 MILES. I'VE USED SLICK 50 , MOTOR UP , FUEL INJECTOR CLEANERS , ANTI-FRICTION STUFF, TRANSMISSION PROLONGERS , JUST FOR PREVENTIVE MAINTANACE RIGHT AT 100,000 MILES , I PUT A BRAND NEW WATER PUMP, RADIATOR, AND ALTERNATOR FOR PREVENTIVE MAINTANCE, NEW BATTERY , NEW HOSES , AND THEN CHANGED OVER TO THE GM BUILT RADIATOR FLUID THAT LASTS 150,000 MILES . I'VE HAD BELTS ( ALTERNATOR , TIMING , AND SERPENTINE BELTS ALL CHANGED ON TIME ) THIS BASICALLY ENSURED ME ANOTHER 100,000 MILES OF TROUBLE FREE DRIVING . HEY IT'S WORKED SO FAR , ALMOST HALF WAY TOWARDS 200,000 MILES ON THIS CAR.
TIP *************** I WON'T BUY ANOTHER PROTEGE... IT HAS A FORD TRANSMISSION IN ALL THE NEW 2000 AND 2001 PROTEGES FROM WHAT I HEARD. I WOULD PREFER SOMETHING JAPANESE IF THE NAME IS JAPANESE. I ALSO HEARD THAT NEXT YEARS 2002 PROTEGES ARE GONNA HAVE THE FORD FOCUS ENGINE IN IT SINCE FORD OWNS MOST OF MAZDA. BUT HEY, IF I HAD TO GET A NEW PROTEGE, I'LL GET A USED 1994 PROTEGE AND JUST MODIFY IT LIKE THIS ONE SO I GET A GREAT CAR AGAIN ......

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TOYOTA COROLLA - GREAT RELIABLE CAR BUT NOT AS FUN TO DRIVE AS THE MAZDA
HONDA CIVIC - NO PERSONALITY - RELIABLE BUT NO FUN TO DRIVE - DOESN'T HANDLE AS WELL .

Plenty of power for a little gas sipper. Comfort is great. Looks ok. I tuned the suspention, cost $45.00 and this thing hugs.

Should have a shorter shift throw. Not having any cup holders bites.

The car has been a real joy. I drive it like a rental if ya know what I mean. Ive replaced both front axels due to cv joints but did it myself only cost $120.00,new muffler $56.00. Other than that I havent had any problems. Ive been in two car accidents in it and let me tell you this car is tough. I fixed the first accident damage myself $350.00, from junk yard and waiting on estimates on damage from second accident so far they tell me $1300.00, the damage is from being rear ended at 35mph my car wasent moving. The rear looks as if I was hit at 10mph, THIS CAR IS TOUGH. When I change my oil it looks as clean and clear as the new oil I put into it. I plan to keep the car 2 more years and then buy a 2001 Protege 2.0 ES, I drove one and compaired it to many other cars I drove and from a scale from 1-10 Id give it a 10. My mother gave my car its nick name (puddle jumper) My kids love to go for a ride in my eleven year old Protege and sigh in disapointment is we dont take it and take the Town&Country mini Van,so I guess you could say little kis and big kids (fathers) like it and think its a really fun car to drive.

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Neon-short power band Focus-sluggish Jetta-expensive

Amazing handling, solid, little body roll.
Very wide powerband out of the 1.8L.
Great sound system

Higher level of wind noise than expected

From the day I picked it up from the dealer, the Protege has been near perfect in every aspect. With a 5-speed manual that doesn't mind the occasional traffic jam, and the 122hp 1.8L that enjoys cruising down the highway, this is a fun to drive car.
A stiff, but not hard suspension makes the car feel as if it is on rails through corners. The engine starts making most of it's power around 2500 rpm, and sings right up to over 6,000.
The Protege has also started to receive its fair share of aftermarket support, as well, playing catch-up to the popularity of Honda.

Overall, for its comparably low price, you get an amazing car with change to spare.

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Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus
Protege rates above and beyond all competition.

Has shown alot of reliability,sporty compact,like the new exterior. The Protege has lots/lots/lots of power for 8 horses & 15 more torque over the 2000 and new 2.0l engine

Really haven't noticed any yet and hope i won't in the near future.

I love my new ES2.0 i have been suprised with mazda's new engine for a 2.0l and 130 horses. I hate honda's and also when it is upgraded with aftermarket products everybody thinks honda's are fast ain't really nothing compared to my first gen Protege lx. I know for a fact i will smoke any honda especially an Si took one on couple months ago and killed it on the long run he was doing maybe 110..115mph not sure but i was gone going over 125..getting to 130mph. Now with my new ES2.0 i'm not racing this babe yet still hasn't broken in miles yet but been able to do an easy 115mph, just one time i done that Because a Honda Passed me and i took it up to 115mph easy other than that usually cruse at normal speeds and average pretty decent on Gas. I'm planning on upgrading it with aftermarket parts after awhile not now, maybe a few more months later. I'm happy with the new ES2.0 i don't know how many times i repeated that word but it sounds good when i say ES2.0.

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I'm a Mazda lover have the first gen Protege Lx and it feels alot more peppier than the ES2.0 only, 5 horses less than the 2001 and the car weighs alot lighter so can go alot faster and also i average about 28-30 miles to the gallon sometimes 26-28 when driving fast/125mph and 30 when crusing 70-75mph.

gas mileage, spacious interior, reliability

had some problems with the door locks getting "sticky"

I recently traded in my 1994 Protoge after nearly 6 years of reliability. It was absolutely the most reliable car I have ever owned. The interior is incredibly roomy; my boyfriend, who stands 6'5", had more than enough headroom. The air conditioning is amazing. The Protoge is peppy and gets unbelievable gas mileage. It's nothing fancy, but is a heck of a value.

-great gas mileage (still getting ~35 mpg, in Wash DC commute, and it's a '95)
-smooth, for a compact (people would ride in car for a long time before they even noticed it was a stick)
-no real repairs needed (only a broken driver's seat bolt and regular maintenance)
-interior room best of all compacts I drove; headroom especially
-in spite of normal dings with a 6-year old car, paint/exterior still look shiny and new
-roomy trunk
-quiet engine at idle (people used to comment "I didn't know the car was running")

All of the following are minor compared to the strengths:
-rear view mirror placement obscures my vision of cars to my right, like interstate on-ramps
-cup holder placement (just below stereo) causes cups to hit buttons on the stereo (also: cup holders not adjustable and aren't big enough to hold many cups)
-tilt on wheel isn't enough to keep wheel from obstructing my view of portions of the dash
-speakers started crackling very soon after purchase
-hood rattles a little bit at low idle

I have been very pleased with the Protege. Well made, has continued to get great mileage, even when I haven't maintained a consistent maintenance schedule. Virtually no mechanical problems.

Reliability, above average gas mileage, plenty of room, easily maneuverable, nice factory radio, fun to drive. Great A/C.

I love this car. I can't think of any.

This car has taken me everywhere that I wanted or needed to go while giving me only minor one problem.
The first problem I had was nearly three years after buying it - but it was brought about by the way I would forcefully click up or down the turn signal switch. After a period of time the headlights would flick on or off, sometimes staying off for extend lengths, when I would try to use my turn signals. I got that fixed, no problems after that.
I would recommend this car to everyone except people that are used to buying fancier cars in the bmw or lexus range. It is a nice fit for a family of four on down.

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