gas milage, roomy for how small the car is, good trunk space, handling is decent

Rattles from system, not fast enough.

This car is pretty rad. The paint on it isn't that strong. The engine has had no problems other then the fact that its pretty weak. I have had it for a little over 6 months now. I had to replace the cv joints on it already. I bought it from my brother awhile back and he said he was having a problem with the cv joints. Over all its been a good first car. I put a system in it and it rattles pretty good. I want a new protege, or a mazda 6.

Styling, Handling, Price, Interior Room, Comfort, Easy view of Components

finding original equipment..ie. TIRES, small sunroof, could use more power to go with the great handling.

I love my 2002 P5. The handling is second to none. My friend in his BMW falls back on the mountain roads of upstate, SC. The car is peppier than the 130 H.P. states although second gear can be a bit sluggish. Thirty more horse power would be nice though. The back reclines and makes it large enough for my Great Dane to fit in with ease. I do wish that the sunroof were a bit larger. I took off my windguard because with it on the sunroof was only about 8 inches of open space. The only other complaint that I have is if you want to keep the the same brand tires on the car when it comes time to replace them they are nearly impossible to find. I hunted for 3 weeks before deciding on some Michlins. You would think Dunlop would have the tires available. Even warehouses in Atlanta had been on backorder for weeks. Other than that minor glitch, I love the car.

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VW GTI, VW SCIROCCO

Great handling, great stereo system, very sporty looking, pickup is extremely quick,love the red illumination dashboard at night and the stainless steel look on the gear changer.Alloy wheels look great.Love the tilt on the moonroof.

Ride is a little bumpy could be better,could use power seats.Antenna is annoying, have to manually push it up and down.Moonroof deflector is an added option should be included in premier package.

Just purchased this car a couple of weeks ago and I love it. Has Automatic,2.0 engine and it really takes off.Had the premier package added in, moonroof,alloy wheels ect.Went to three different dealers until I recieved the price I wanted . Had to have alot of patience because they dont wont to let you out without buying but I was determined to get best price possible , so I had all theses guys competing with each other, show them you are serious and put down a 100.00 deposit on the first dealer and take your quote to other dealers and keep knocking down the price.I also had the warranty extended to 5yrs. 100,000 miles for $1200.I then when out to a local auto stereo store and had a great alarm system put in for $220.the dealer wanted $900.also the dealer tried to con me into buying the alarm system from him telling me the warranty could possibly affected if I had someone put in an alarm system other then mazda ,because it could affect the electrical system , I laughed and told him deal was off , after all the work they put in, They all had a heart attack , manager came over and swore that would never happen ,DONT BE TRICKED!!!. , anyway I love my 2003 Protege es.

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Nissan Sentra

The handling in the protege is excellent

Second gear seems to be a little weak

I purchased my Protege new and it is definately the best compact car on the market. My stock protege will take out any stock compact car.

Performance,handling,mileage.

Crappy factory radio,weak paint,easily dented,high maitainence costs,interior wear.

My wife and I purchased the Protege used (2 years)to replace the completely awful Ford Tempo(rary) we had . The car has performed beutifully for 7 years , not bad for used . Good , if somewhat stiff ride . Great handling and acceleration , good mileage(36 hwy). Only repairs were replace throttle body($1000),EGR valve($150).Total repair cost for 7 years(excluding oil changes,tuneups)$1650. We are considering buying a new one in the near future .

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Toyota Corola.

* Handling (eats turns, nice numbers @ skidpad) * Styling (especially front) * Price ($500 cash rebate if you're a student direct from Mazda, 0.0% APR for 48 months, ~$15k price, can't go wrong with that) * Track record of reliability throughout the Protege lineage

* More power * weak stereo system * requires strong effort from 1st to 2nd * 6th gear would be nice for economy reasons (80MPH @ ~4000 RPMs) * cupholders nearly useless for 32oz.+ drinks (if you buy a big gulp, stick it in the center next to the parking brake) * dual map lights too far back

If you're a student with a decent credit rating looking for a car, this is the car to get. Prove that you're either a Junior or Senior in college, or graduating in 6 months, and Mazda will send you a check for $500! Argue $100 or less over invoice, and voila, you have a good car for a little over $15,000. If you have the credit, then 0.0% APR applies as well. As for the car, it'll eats turns. Gun it through the corner, and she'll barely buckle - not too bad for the stock Dunlops. Acceleration is.. "eh". 130hp @ 6000RPM (around 100hp at the wheels, I think) for a 2.0L engine isn't great, but the aftermarket is supporting this car, so it shouldn't be hard to add components here and there to increase that. The stock power is good enough for highway passing. Gearbox could use some work, 1st to 2nd isn't as smooth as 2nd to 3rd, 3rd to 4th, or 4th to 5th. Feels like you have to FORCE it into place if you're racing. Throw is longer than I'd like (aftermarket short shifter would be nice.) If you'd like, auto and the sport auto is available, but isn't as fun through the turns. Sport wagon or 4-door hatchback? You decide. The back seats fold down, leaving plenty of room for books or bags or whatever/whoever you throw in the back. Don't expect a MASSIVE amount of room, though. Or if you'd like, throw an amp and a couple subs back in the trunk, since the P5 acts as one big round cabin - great setup for high SPL. Interior (all standard): Leather steering wheel, leather shift knob, comfortable cloth seats, red-orange lit gauges, white face gauges Exterior (all standard): 16" aluminum alloy wheels wrapped in Dunlops, 4 disc brakes (easy to change brake pads if you hate messing with drums, not to mention better braking ability), rally-style fog lamps, front facia Misc (standard): keyless entry, roof rack (can be taken off if wind noise is a problem) All in all, it's a bang for your buck car. If you're worried about power, sign up for a turbocharger from Callaway, FM, or Tripoint, or whatever kits are out there.

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Civic, Accord, Integra, Corolla, Matrix, Celica, Maxima, Altima, Sentra, etc.

- looks - gas milage - reliability - HANDELING!

- stereo! - paint - notchy second gear - engine could use 20 more horse power

i have a midnight blue protege5 5spd with moon roof i've had this car for 10 months now and i've had absolutly no problems with the car (well other then the ones i've caused). Hell my coworker has had more problems with his RSX!! Engine has decent power but the car could handle alot more especialy with the superb handling!! Gas miliage is good, you get about 500km per tank of gas. stock stereo sucks big time...it was one of the first things i replaced the stock air intake system sucks too...cars engine wezzes at 4000+rpm, but you can solve this by getting an after market one notchy second gear....when i shift from 1'st doing 5000-7000rpm into second, you almost have to force it into gear paint gets easily scrached too which sucks if you want more info about mazda protege's goto this sites http://www.protegeclub.com/forum/index.php?s= http://www.protegemp3.com/vbb225/ all in all i highly recomend this car!

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parents POS tercel

- sweet looks! looks great from every angle - lots of features for a starting price of 20k! - smooth ride, great handling, nice rims and good brakes - great financing rates and decent discounting off sticker price

- bumpy ride (could use more cushy tires) - bad stereo & speakers - no power lock feature for the non drivers - some irratating noises from the steering wheel - awful experience with my dealership. i doubt i would go back there and i am very disapointed especially since my dad had a 626 from that same place.

I have a 2002 P5 in silver. So far the car has been great! I really liked the styling and do not miss my Civic hatch at all! (tho it was my first car and it was also a great handler). The features, looks and handling all drew me up pick up this car. In Canada, they also had a great financing rate of 0.9% for 3years.

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1997 Honda Civic Hatchback

Good Handling on turns and bumps. Nice 16" low profile tires. Bright Lights Good on Gas.

No Power Seats or Lumbar adjustments

I bought my Protege 5 back in May. Four roadtrips later, it already has 5000 miles on it in less than 3 months. I've been averaging between 25-30 mpg in city and hwy. This is the first car that I have purchased on my own and I am very pleased with it. I have the 2002 mid-season upgraded automatic transmission with tiptronic shifting. This is a nice little feature if you don't like driving manual when in traffic. No clutch needed. The front windshield is huge. There is a large range of visibility and the headlights are bright. The car handles well on turns and bumps, but could be better on the ride. Not that I am complaining. Far better than my last car. Unlike some of the previous posts, I have had no problems with the sound system or interior thus far. The 6CD in dash stereo works nicely for me. The bass needed a bit more thump so I added a Clarion SRV303 powered subwoofer for $149. The fabric seats to not pick up much lint at all and have not shown much wear. The seats do feel a bit stiff, are not powered, and do not have lumbar adjustment. I have been told that the back seats are very roomy by both tall and short people. The hatchback is also pretty roomy and has a cover to keep your belongings from being an eyesore through the large back window. I also added a bra to distinguish it form the other silver P5 in town.

-handling -manual transmission... makes shifting a joy -front bucket seats -value

-stock stereo system is awful

I traded in a 96 VW Passat GLX VR6 to purchase my new sliver Protege5. I thought I would miss the HP, handling, size, and comfort of the Passat, but after 700 miles in the mazda, I can honestly say that I DON'T. I love my new P5. The 130 hp isn't going to blow anyone away, but it is MORE than adequate given the size and weight of the car. The handling and manual transmission are the best in the compact class and the versatile hatcback/ wagon configuration gives me plenty of room for four passengers and their cargo. The other nice surprise is how great the front bucket seats are. Again, in my opinion, the best in class. I love all of the standard equipment. Mazda has included options that most other's would charge an extra $1000 for easily... leather wrapped stearing wheel, alloy wheels, roof rack, low profile tires, and keyless entry. I think this car is a steal at $15000- $16000. The only thing the Mazda has given me to miss about my old VW are the extremely high maintanence costs. One note, while the handling is excellent and the road feedback is great on the P5, the sacrifice is felt in the ride. It is geared towards performance... meaning it is a little stiff. I like this but if you are looking for a mushy sedan like ride... look elsewhere. In searching for a new car I test drove a Toyota Matrix (horrible... loud, underpowered, expensive with added options, and the dealers are awful), the Nissan SE-R (great power but unrefined, massive tourque steer, tacky interior, and tiny trunk), Mitsubishi Eclipse (poor handling for a "sports car"), and a Hyundai Elantra GT (I actually liked this car more than I thought I would but still don't have enough faith in Hyundai yet... maybe in another 5-6 years). The Protege5 was miles ahead of any of these.

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1981 Honda Accord 1991 Nissan NX2000 1996 VW Passat GLX VR6