thinking about buying a 95 protege es...

[spanky]

hello all

i'm looking to get a "new" used car, and i found a 1995 protege es (it's got everything i want and low milage too). i looked for some reviews online and it looks like a pretty decent car. my primary concerns are reliabilty & fuel efficiency. of course it's be nice to have a car with a little zip to it i'm not a car enthusist, but based on my current research, this protege seems to be a nice fit.

however, i have a cousin who is a car enthusist, and he suggested that i stay away from the protege. i asked him what is so bad about the protege and he just said it was a P.O.S. i asked him what makes it a P.O.S. and he replied that the protege is basically an escort with a different body.

i have heard that ford owns (or at least part of) mazda... so does that make the protege that bad? just becuz it's built by ford? when i was younger, i remember our family had a protege from the early 90's (my sister totalled it)... being that i did not drive back then, i don't really have much opinion about it.

though i trust and respect my cousin's opinion, i wonder if he is just saying the protege is a P.O.S. becuz he is a honda fanatic. of course, coming to a mazda forum and asking if mazdas are good does seem like it might garner some biased opinions too but im just primarily interested in what owners of protege's have to say about the car. all comments and suggestions welcome

thanx in advance!

[Necessity]

Can't go around pointing fingers at Mazda just because ford has large stock in them. In fact, in most cases it's Ford that borrows Mazda technology for vehicles. I believe close to 10 new ford cars are to be based on the 6 platform, the probe was a mazda design, the new focus is based on the 3.

As far as the protege goes - I just went and read a few reviews and 3 out of 4 say the **** thing is reliable up to about 140k miles. AC compressor is a common item to replace relativly early and it may have a rough idle - but other then that people are getting their use out of it.

[///BHRpowered]

its a god bang for the buck

[seldomseen]

the protege is a good econobox/commuter car. however, be sure to get it in the stick and not auto!

[Necessity]

fyi
http://www.msprotege.com/vbb225/showthread...15&pagenumber=1

[spanky]

Originally posted by seldomseen@Jul 24 2003, 09:34 AM
the protege is a good econobox/commuter car. however, be sure to get it in the stick and not auto!

why is that? the car i am looking at is indeed an auto. it's a 95 es with a measely 78k i drove down and met the guy today and took a ride in it.... i kinda like it. it's not exactly as comfy (the overall interior fit and feel) as my 93 integra, but i'm primarily concerned with the mechanics being in good shape. my integra is about to implode.

[spanky]

Originally posted by Necessity@Jul 24 2003, 02:03 PM
fyi
http://www.msprotege.com/vbb225/showthread...15&pagenumber=1

beautiful car

unfortunately, it's WAAAAAY outta my price range

[///BHRpowered]

anything made by honda tends to do that. although I haven't heard anything about the autos being better for the cars then the stick

[seldomseen]

Originally posted by spanky@Jul 24 2003, 10:56 PM
why is that? the car i am looking at is indeed an auto. it's a 95 es with a measely 78k i drove down and met the guy today and took a ride in it.... i kinda like it. it's not exactly as comfy (the overall interior fit and feel) as my 93 integra, but i'm primarily concerned with the mechanics being in good shape. my integra is about to implode.

because i do not know the detailed history of your integra i can't speak intelligently as to why it's gone to ****. :P i can tell you this much though, honda motors produces the worlds best econoboxes............however, a '95 protege would still be a relatively reliable econobox.......

regarding why i suggested getting a stick is so that you can squeeze out every once of sweat from the prehistoric engine of the protege; proteges equipped with automatic trannsmissions scream for more throttle response. additionally, it's kinda a given, that whenever one purchases an econobox that has no more than 120 ponies - you should opt for the manual version.

[Necessity]

Hey now. I had a 96 integra that drove wonderfully.. untill some young lady plowed me

But regardless - The only reason to take the manual is that you will get a little bit more power out of the engine that way. If you arn't concerned with speed and just want a commuter then by all means take the auto.