looking at Mazdaspeed Protege

[stoney]

Hey guys. I have been browsing this forum and found it was a nice place, so I joined so I can get some experts to answer some of my questions.
Question #1: with the Mazdaspeed Protege 2003.5, are they limited production like the first? And if so, when will Mazda stop making them? I want one and I need to know if i should pounce on it now or if I can wait a little for some more money for the down payment or aftermarket parts.
Question #2: What are you guys paying for insurance? Do they price it as a "normal" Protege? If you can list your price, coverage and carrier that would be awesome. Thanks! I need to shop around for the best rates (and I don't want a SafeAuto cut-rate thing).
Thanks for the help, it is very apperciated!


Dave

[t3ase]

#1) Take your time. They are not as limited as they seem. Local dealerships here have orange still in stock. I guess it just depends on your area's "import craze"...
#2) My insurance shows it as a MP3. Just make sure they take pictures of the car before you start drivng it too much so they can't bitch about paint, turbo, etc.

[tddelsol]

you can wait but your missing alot of fun right now. as for insurance mine went up 7 dollars when i switched it from a kia to my msp

[unwrittenLaw]

My insurance sees it as a Protege in their database, but it goes off the VIN..so their database is just their name for it...It is still technically a MSP.

[Captain KRM P5]

my insurance company lists it as a Protege ES. I actually pay $40 more a year for the P5, which means if I had an MSP my premium would be lower! odd world

[stoney]

Thanks for the heads up guys. The 'import craze' around here isn't too hot, if you don't count the normal Civic's with big wings and neon underlights! I saw one the other day with a fake FMIC! It cracks me up.......
I have a question about the avaliblitly however. Will they still be avalible perhaps next year's summer? I know it's a long shot, bit I don't want to get a used one. I just need to get the down payment up so I can get my monthly payments really low.....the dealers don't seem to want to budge on this car's sale price, they all are selling it at $21,000 and I can't get them to lower it. Just have to get everything sorted out.
BTW; I'm looking at the Blazen Yellow exterior color, but my brother says it screams "give me a ticket"! What about the Mica Blue or Titanium colors? I haven't seen them in real life up close so I don't know how flashy they are. I don't want to playdown the car, i just want some extra cash in pocket :) .
And, how supportive are the stock seats laterally? I noticed the bolsters aren't that big. Some magazines say they suck and some say they are great, so I don't know, what's your guys opionon? Thanks.


Dave

[pshaw34]

if you look at the laser blue proteges (p5, es etc) at your dealer, or pics on this forum, that is what the msp will look like. It is an awesome color. If ou want to see some awesome pics of the titanuim, look at Newf's thread on his msp. They are both awesome colors. good luck man. (thumb)

[yashooa]

Originally posted by Captain KRM P5
my insurance company lists it as a Protege ES. I actually pay $40 more a year for the P5, which means if I had an MSP my premium would be lower! odd world

My Wife's P5 is about 40 a more a year than my MSP to!
Far out. Do you use Allstate?

[Captain KRM P5]

Country Companies, actually - but nice to know someone else is in the same boat as me :(

[nmaino]

Mine is for sale. I had a thread on it here, but the Mods kicked it out. Anyways, I started another one in the For Sale section of this Board. Check it out. I'm selling mine for $17,500. Please let me know if you are interested.

[Dexter]

Originally posted by nmaino
Mine is for sale. I had a thread on it here, but the Mods kicked it out. Anyways, I started another one in the For Sale section of this Board. Check it out. I'm selling mine for $17,500. Please let me know if you are interested.

uhh no you double posted across two forums. i didnt just "kick it out" for no reason. you dont need two threads. we get the point, its for sale, and the thread in For Sale was left alone

[unwrittenLaw]

Nmaino..why u selling it? Just want a different car?

[nmaino]

Yes. I'm personally not happy with the MSP at all. It was a rush buy and a very wrong buy (for me). All I want back is just a little money from the $23,000 that I have in the car.

Also, Dexter, I wish that you kept my For Sale Thread here and not in the For Sale section of this Board (the MSP Board gets more foot trafic). Could you move it back here? Thanks.

[boostisgood]

Dave,

You can buy mine. Its spicy orange with a few upgrades already. AND ITS LOCAL :D

[yashooa]

Most people are coming here to this forum when they want an MSP. Just look all thre threads in here from potential buyers.
I think it has a better chance in here as well
:D

[nmaino]

Thanks yashooa.

[Mazdaspeed1]

Dave--- to answer some of your questions.. yes you can wait, until next summer i doubt it.. there were only 2000 made of each body style (2003 & 2003.5). as for colors. you have a better chance of waiting for the blue mica since it hasn't even been released at all dealerships yet. it's the last color to come out. the yellow doesn't scream "hey give me a ticket" as much as my spicy orange, especially since there are a lot more yellow cars out there now. if you drive on the interstate you see like 2 orange cars. as for insurance.. i'm listed as an ES, but it goes by VIN. my insurance is 178$ a month. and that's with good student discount, multiple car discount and no severe accidents. It's through state farm. i couldn't find anyone lower, so i just stayed where i've been since i was 16. hope this helps. let me know.

[stoney]

thanks for the feedback

boostisgood; how much? How many miles? And what upgrades? Where in Pittsburgh are you?

nmaino; how much for yours? How many miles? Any upgrades?
some of the stuff you guys are telling me about the MSP isn't too good :confused: . It seems to be plauged with problems just like the 3rd gen RX-7 (which I used to own). I hope it isn't like that......
Anyways, I'm going to a local dealership that has a yellow 2003.5 on the lot for a test drive. We'll see how well it drives.

Dave

BTW: off topic a lil but I have a single-owner '74 Nissan 260Z for sale, a classic Z! Maybe we can organize a trade, like a coupe hundred bucks off the Mazdaspeed.

[boostisgood]

Stoney, I got a few "mods" done, but you probably could get a new MSP for what I want for mine with 4400 miles on it. :D I take into the money I have for mods, and your looking at a price more then what a MSP would cost new, with tax.

[Mazdaspeed1]

boostisgood-- why are you selling your MSP if you love it?? what mods do you have done and how much are you looking to get for it? let me know

[boostisgood]

Im not "looking" to sell it lol. Im keeping it, for now. If I was interested in selling it, I would at least want 22-23k for it, with the work I have into it already. Mods-Injen intake, HKS turbo timer, HKS Camp system with a custom fabbed dash monitor, custom 12 inch fiberglass sub enclosure (will be finished by next weekend.) Door inserts currently getting done in orange, and a few other mods that will remain nameless, for the sake of security, right now. :D

[nmaino]

Unlike boostisgood, I'll sell mine for less then MSRP. I want $17,500 for mine with about 6,600 miles on the clock. Here are some specs:

Greddy Electric Warning gauge 60mm.
HKS Type-0 turbo timer.
Kartboy shift linkage.
PIAA head/fog light upgrade.
K&N drop in filter.
DGM custom carbon fiber radio surround "kidney covers".
Corksport carbon fiber gauge bezel cover.
DaveB brushed alum. gauge rings.
Lifetime paint and fabric protectant.
Full warrenty.
LoJak.
All receipts for service, aftermarket parts, window sticker and I even have all of my gas station receipts.

Let me know if you are interested. I also broke in the engine as told, I did not over-rev the engine, I have had three oil changes performed on the car. Everything runs and works perfectly. The car has no "clunk" but does come off part throttle to idle very jerky. I can send you some pics and some more information too: nmaino6@hotmail.com

[Dexter]

Originally posted by yashooa
Most people are coming here to this forum when they want an MSP. Just look all thre threads in here from potential buyers.
I think it has a better chance in here as well
:D

there is a reason there is a for sale section, to keep everything organized. the injen group buy thread was fspecifically for the mazdaspeed, but it wasnt posted here, it was posted in the proper section. if you want to let people know your car is for sale, you can PM them and refer them to the For Sale thread.

i'd like to stop crapping on this guys thread now.

[nmaino]

Poor form Dexter.

[Newf]

No, Dexter is right. Too many people in this MAzdaspeed section think they can post whatever they want where ever they want. There are sections in this forum for a reason.

There is a For sale Section, there is a Off topic Section, and 90% of people here with Mazdaspeeds can't figure this out. Look at how many srt f'n 4 and Spec fn V threads have been started here when they belong in the off topic section. It's like the logic is, "I have a Mazdaspeed so I must post every random thought in the Mazdaspeed section".

geesh

Anyways, Most insurance companies around here go by VIN. MAtter of fact when I called on mine, they didn't care what name it was ( MAzdaspeed who what?) they wanted the VIN. My MP3 did cost more then the ES. I originally had it insured as an ES, but they ran the Vin and it went up near 80 bucks Canadian.

I had to pay a difference of 17 bucks for the mp3 to the Speed. I still think that's wrong too, seems way to low.

The 2003.5 are a limited run, but there are way more of them. They have blue/silver coming out ( 500 each I think?), then there's the yellow and titanium which there are what 2000 of ( I really can't remember the numbers now ) but basically, there are more 2003.5's then there were of the 2003's, but not much. They are still limited though, and it being the last year of the protege's production, rest assured, there's not going to be any more. Think of it this way too, the 2003.5's are the only ones with that spoiler, and front lip etc etc. The 2003's look the same as the MP3's so to the average joe, there's a lot of them around too.

The production #'s are listed here over and over. Just search

[unwrittenLaw]

Originally posted by nmaino
Yes. I'm personally not happy with the MSP at all. It was a rush buy and a very wrong buy (for me). All I want back is just a little money from the $23,000 that I have in the car.



I know how you feel..I kinda went through buyer remorse and almost was going to take the huge hit and trade it in for an Evo, but then realized I didn't want to be a slave to car payments, and I need to save for a house. I like my MSP, its grown on me and even more so since I upped the boost..

[jersey_emt]

2.0isthewaytogo:


Why are you posting in a thread that's almost a year old?
What is your problem with the MSP? If you don't own one, then there is no reason to come here and troll. First in the Modder's Guide, and now here?

[jersey_emt]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but please do not come in here and start trolling, bashing the MSP. It's only going to lead to a flamewar every time.

[daperspeed]

[should have got tiburon or specv
lol..(lol2)

A tiburon which a shitty Korean car which is totally outclassed IN EVERY SINGLE MEASUREABLE PERFORMANCE category by the MSP??

A Spec V which is a decent car but YET HAS LOST TO THE MSP in every review and is not as moddable (no turbo) as the MSP??? (And has a inferior chasis and suspension setup..)

Why do u waste valuable oxygen in this world ??(2thumbs)

[ukqueen]

[QUOTE=nmaino]Yes. I'm personally not happy with the MSP at all. It was a rush buy and a very wrong buy (for me). All I want back is just a little money from the $23,000 that I have in the car.

(hi) dude, tell me your story...

[Captain KRM P5]

none of these cars are bimmers for christ's sake, msps included - but a tiburon?!? BWAHAHAHA i don't think I've seen a car put together worse other than a GM product. Spec-Vs make nice torque, but the ones I've ridden in/driven in feel like small Buicks, chunky and heavy, that are about to fall apart when you hit the gas.

[KyRaceFan]

BACK FROM teh DEADLY!!!!1

edit: tiburon and specv's arent really performance cars... theyre stuck being slow.

Now, go on and /yourself.

[1sty]

[should have got tiburon or specv
YOu actualy just named the only 2 cars with worse reliability then the MSP.
Jesus my buddy is on his 3rd Vspec tranny and second enigine. I have listened to the machanics bitch about what a unreliable POS that car is not to mention I have a hand full of PMs from various sights asking me about the MSP from people sick of their Spec V sitting in a shop.

[Shane5425]

Most people are coming here to this forum when they want an MSP. Just look all thre threads in here from potential buyers.
I think it has a better chance in here as well
:D
yeah, i am checkin to see how much insurance would be today.. that will determine if i can get it or not.. it would be sweet if it will be the same price as my 00 lx ..