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View Full Version : cannot decide (ES, P5, MSP) help! long read.



deadstock
04-09-2007, 11:00 PM
alright, first off, don't get me wrong, i do know some stuff about the 3rd gen protege, and i do know all the advantages and disadvantages of the es, p5, and the msp, though i honestly spent a long while trying to decide which one is the best one for me. my plans for the car i get are just simple engine mods, suspension mods such as a drop, and cosmetic mods such as a set of wheels. so lets break down my problem here:

ES: the colour i am aiming for is black. and i know the es does come in black. i'm a much bigger fan of the sedan model rather than the sport wagon, but i have to admit that the es somewhat disappoints me because it doesn't come with the stock aero kits that the p5 and msp comes with, and i do not plan to spend money on a separate stock aero kit for the es, though i do love how a lot of the es' owners have made their sedans look just as stunning as the other protege models. props there. i've experienced driving one of these first hand and i do like the look and how the handling is very precise for a hatchback

P5: don't get me wrong, i love the protege5. and again, it does come in black!. though as i said before, i'm more of a sedan type of guy. i guess you can say that the only reason i would buy this over the other 2 protege models is because of the stock aero kit that comes with the car, looks fabulous and the look sure does amaze me when some cash is put into the looks.

MSP: yes i know there was a black msp that released in 03, but i live in canada, and unfortunately we didn't get the black one (shrug) . what i like about this car is the obvious. i've experienced this first hand and i have to say that the added turbo is well enough speed for me. i just loved how the power was gained so quickly rather than some other sport compact sedans with a couple more horses under the hood, and how you could keep the speed up in corners. some people must be asking "so why doesn't he buy this one?" well, because first off, it's NOT EASY to find one here in BC. and if you are lucky enough to find one, it doesn't come cheap, in fact, i do not know anyone who would buy a used msp for 22 grand cdn. used when finding a late model ES or P5 with low kms is very easy to find for 10 grand cdn.

so i have test driven a P5 as well as a MSP and i have to say i am impressed with both, especially the msp's power and handling stock, but not impressed with how rarely i see one for sale and the price, and how if i do buy one, it won't exactly be the colour i wanted to buy into the first place. i have yet to test drive an ES model, though i'm guessing with the same engine and very similar suspension setups and handling, the drive will be the same. i really need help deciding, i would just like to see other people's thought on this and why. thanks for reading

ps: hmm i've also thought about the mp3 cuz it may seem to fit my wants and needs the most, though it's even harder to find than the msp, maybe someone who lives in vancouver can correct me on this one, but i've never seen a single mp3 in BC for a few months now.

JCell
04-10-2007, 12:27 AM
all 3 are great cars, but the power in the sedan and p5 get pretty old quickly, you can get some more out of them with a header and intake, but you'll be very limited

the msp is great, i could remind you that blue was available for the 03.5 but i could be a lil biased. either way the msp is a better choice as far as power and handling, but if you are having trouble finding one in your area...

msp03.5
04-10-2007, 12:33 AM
the only thing with the msp is shit breaks on it lol I have only had minor problems compared to some people on the boards. wastegate diaphragm had to be replaced and clunk is all I have really had go wrong (knocks on wood) and I am at 65k miles thats on stock boost and I try not to beat the shit out of it either.

daonly1around
04-10-2007, 12:52 AM
i donno what it is like to get an american car registered in canada or what not, but this guys has a black msp, and is really trying to sale it, he's already down to 8.5K... and its black.... just thought id throw it out there
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123664590

deadstock
04-10-2007, 01:26 AM
thanks for the replies, guys, very helpful indeed. yeah as said before, it's not easy to find a msp here in BC, canada, and if someone were luckily enough to find one for a decent price, it would be limited to only the orange, T.gray and yellow ones, yellow being the most to pop up in used car ads and gray being the most rare to find. not that i don't like the yellow or orange. i've tested an orange one and i just love the shade of orange mazda used as well as yellow and i wouldn't mind owning an orange or yellow msp, though i honestly would prefer to be driving a darker coloured car, in this case, the titanium grey. i'm not so sure how much it would cost to register a car from the US, but i just don't think i have the time to travel over there and either get one transfered over or to pick it up and drive it back, no matter how much i would love to buy a black msp. i guess so far i'm leaning towards the msp. i do really like having the extra power and better handling, even though i won't be as happy paying for premium gas when gas prices are rising high over here again.

jeg0024
05-03-2007, 01:46 AM
If you have the $$$ go MSP, if not go ES, unless of course you like to drive a wagon lol....

But to straight up answer your question... MSP.

mikeski
05-03-2007, 01:51 AM
msp most def.

mazda protege 2
05-03-2007, 07:26 AM
yeah i wish i got the msp , but the sedan so far (touch wood) has had no problems, mazda did there homeowrk on these cars!

Simply Silver
05-03-2007, 07:52 AM
This should be a no-brainer. (p5silver)P5 all the way.

J/k. There really is no wrong desicion here. They are all get cars, all there own personalities(or problems).

kevcouto
05-09-2007, 04:09 PM
more $$$ = MSP

CantCMe
05-09-2007, 04:13 PM
i was pissed cuz about a month after i purchased my '02 ES the MSPs came out!!! DAMN!!! and they were ONLY about $800 more than my car.

again i say DAMN!!!! GET THE MSP!

Mutmatt
05-09-2007, 05:36 PM
you could always come down to MN and buy mine! :)

D-rock240
05-13-2007, 09:48 PM
You could get an ES and buy used skirts and lips here if you can't find a MSP. Sedans FTW!

Mutmatt
05-13-2007, 10:18 PM
where be the turbo boi!

CantCMe
05-13-2007, 11:00 PM
Or you could get an ES for a good price, then get pissed when you see a MSP, then buy the skirts, grills, front bumper and reinforcements, have it looking like a MSP but STILL no power, then buy a turbo kit, get it installed and tuned, then count up all the money you spent and realize that u have spent about 6-9K OVER the price of an MSP.....yes, I'm bitter.

clicknext
05-13-2007, 11:04 PM
You may want to try bcprotege.net, or even bcmazda3.com. Someone might have info about any MSP/MP3s being sold.

D-rock240
05-14-2007, 02:16 AM
Or you could get an ES for a good price, then get pissed when you see a MSP, then buy the skirts, grills, front bumper and reinforcements, have it looking like a MSP but STILL no power, then buy a turbo kit, get it installed and tuned, then count up all the money you spent and realize that u have spent about 6-9K OVER the price of an MSP.....yes, I'm bitter.

For me I'll eventually have spent as much and have something faster, but as of now I have spent less than sticker price for my DX.

Falango
05-14-2007, 02:27 AM
As Click said, check out BCProtege.net. Where abouts are you in BC?? There aren't too many MSPs around here. Around Vancouver, I can think of maybe 12 or so, that I atleast know of. MSP is a great choice off the line, but alot of us around Vancouver have gone aftermarket turbo, lots of us. :)

Mutmatt
05-14-2007, 10:03 AM
p.s. come buy mine

MakeMeGoFast
05-14-2007, 10:15 AM
out of the box your best bet it obviously the MSP.

mhrebin
05-14-2007, 10:23 AM
but some run into reliability issues when they get the modding bug on MSP's.

ive heard many good things about the MP3 out of the box, it stands out more in the reliability factor and still has all the key features that many look for.