2000 Protege Sedan or 1998 GMC Jimmy? For a beater

Im down to these two cars. It ultimately comes down to whether I want an SUV or a sedan as my 2nd car (beater). This car will be driven 5-6 days a week on highway and on gravel roads and super dirty environments. Right now i drive a coupe, so an SUV would perhaps compliment it better than a Sedan would IMO. Driving a coupe with limited trunk space, I do at times miss not being able to transport things without having to ask others in the family with bigger cars to help me out.

Both very well maintained cars and both have had a lot of work done to them.





- 283K km
- The protege, only two owners
- Some rust around the wheel wells but nothing compared to all other mazdas ive seen.
- under body is clean due to undercoating 10 years ago.

Biggest con is its ugly and hate the color. But again its a beater right?





- 250k KM
- owned by a mechanic, only two owners but the previous took very good care of it as well.
- No rust. Saw this car last night and holy it is clean!
- Was told this car is resellable in 3-4 years when im done with it.

Both cars are great for big repairs at the time being and next while and maintenance is up to date. For the time me owning either car (3-4 years), I wont need to worry about timing belt jobs, water pump, rad flush, power steering flush, ATF change since these have all recently been done.

I really want the SUV for the sake of being able to lug stuff around when I need to, but it needs new shocks all round and I can get all 4 replaced for $300 installed by the seller (hes obviously cutting me a deal if I give him his lowest price of $1200 on the car itself). Plus it needs a new switch for the wipers, which is $40 for the part or $100 installed. Also, factor in having to get a lic plate it works out to be about $575-$600 more once I factor in everything. Total cost = $1675ish CDN and this would give me an SUV that would have brand new shocks on and feel like a new car.

Whereas with the Protege, the only thing i need to do on it is recharge the A/C (which is $100 from my mech), it already comes with a plate from the seller, so total cost would be $1100ish CDN.

The SUV is $33/month for insurance (no coverage) vs only $22 for the Protege. $366/yr vs $264/yr. Not cheap either way.

Which would you guys go for to compliment a 2dr coupe?

COuld I live with a small Sedan as a beater in terms of cargo space? Yes. But having an SUV would sure give a lot more flexibility thats forsure. Hoping to decide within the weekend.

Personally I'd take the GMC. More cargo space. But that's why I'm selling my P5 and why I bought my Volvo. The P5 is great, excellent MPG, but having a more utilitarian vehicle suits me better.

Not to mention, the GMC is 4wd (or should be). Winter time it will be better in the snow. And less chance of rusting out over 3-4 years of winters in the great white North.

Honestly, you should be able to get struts/shocks for the GMC for a much better deal than that. Rockauto should have them for about $45 ea on average for a good set of KYBs. When I bough my jeep a few years back (1st gen Cherokee sport) I picked up the KYB monomax (their version of Ranchos) for about $38 a strut, $35 for the rear shocks and installed them all myself in about 2 hours in the driveway. Just make sure ya have plenty of PB Blaster for the front knuckle to strut bolts, and a good breaker bar (3/4" drive would be suggested, 1/2" drive works with a long enough breaker and enough elbow grease. A propane torch also helps a lot)

Wiper switch can be had from the scrapyard for next to nothing, and on those it should be quite easy to replace DIY. Been awhile since I've dealt with that era GMC, but it should pull right out of the column and snap right back in without disassembling/removing the steering wheel. One other thing to watch for on those is the interior door panels. The door pulls are pretty weak and tend to break quite easily. New interior door panels can be had, but most of the ones I see are just as damaged, and when you do find a new one (ebay, etc) they demand a premium price (~$65-$75 on average last time I looked over a year ago).

Whatever you decide to go for, I wish you all the best and hope it works out great for ya :thumbsup: The best advice I can give you on this: Figure out what your primary uses for your new vehicle will be (load lugger?/winter beater?/gas miser?/comfortable yet sporty?/etc) and work out from there. That will influence your decision more than anything else (IE, if need a load lugger/cargo hauler but don't mind lower MPG and want the option of 4wd, go for a larger vehicle like the GMC. If you need a fuel efficient daily driver, but want more space than your coupe, go for the Mazda). Prioritize your needs then factor in your wants from there and compare the 2 options side by side...

I wouldn't drive a Blazer if it was free. Throughout vo-tech and tech school, there was always a Blazer in the shop. We were working on four in the shop at one point.

1. 4.3 has common problems with the CSFI. Can be converted to MPFI, but not cheaply.
2. Lower intake gaskets leak, filling motor with coolant.
3. Transmissions very commonly fail around the 150-200k mark. The live a little longer in Blazers, but still weak.
4. Typical GM electrical problems of that era.
5. Very inefficient for the size. You will be lucky to get mid 20s.

The Protege is by far the simpler and more reliable vehicle, although you're not really comparing apples to apples.

For something reliable and cheap with more utility, you'd be better off looking at a Ford Ranger or S10 with a 4 cylinder, and Toyota or Nissan pickups. For SUVs, a Jeep would probably fit you best, preferably with a 4.0 I6 and a manual trans.

MP5x2k3 said:

Personally I'd take the GMC. More cargo space. But that's why I'm selling my P5 and why I bought my Volvo. The P5 is great, excellent MPG, but having a more utilitarian vehicle suits me better.

Not to mention, the GMC is 4wd (or should be). Winter time it will be better in the snow. And less chance of rusting out over 3-4 years of winters in the great white North.

Honestly, you should be able to get struts/shocks for the GMC for a much better deal than that. Rockauto should have them for about $45 ea on average for a good set of KYBs. When I bough my jeep a few years back (1st gen Cherokee sport) I picked up the KYB monomax (their version of Ranchos) for about $38 a strut, $35 for the rear shocks and installed them all myself in about 2 hours in the driveway. Just make sure ya have plenty of PB Blaster for the front knuckle to strut bolts, and a good breaker bar (3/4" drive would be suggested, 1/2" drive works with a long enough breaker and enough elbow grease. A propane torch also helps a lot)

Wiper switch can be had from the scrapyard for next to nothing, and on those it should be quite easy to replace DIY. Been awhile since I've dealt with that era GMC, but it should pull right out of the column and snap right back in without disassembling/removing the steering wheel. One other thing to watch for on those is the interior door panels. The door pulls are pretty weak and tend to break quite easily. New interior door panels can be had, but most of the ones I see are just as damaged, and when you do find a new one (ebay, etc) they demand a premium price (~$65-$75 on average last time I looked over a year ago).

Whatever you decide to go for, I wish you all the best and hope it works out great for ya :thumbsup: The best advice I can give you on this: Figure out what your primary uses for your new vehicle will be (load lugger?/winter beater?/gas miser?/comfortable yet sporty?/etc) and work out from there. That will influence your decision more than anything else (IE, if need a load lugger/cargo hauler but don't mind lower MPG and want the option of 4wd, go for a larger vehicle like the GMC. If you need a fuel efficient daily driver, but want more space than your coupe, go for the Mazda). Prioritize your needs then factor in your wants from there and compare the 2 options side by side...

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For my uses, the Sedan would do fine. I wont be lugging big stuff often but it sure would be nice to at least have that option for when I do. But also milage is important as well and the Protege will obviously have better milage and most likely by 50% better if not more. Id hate to buy the Sedan only to regret it a month later lol wish I had more space. But then Id also hate to buy the Jimmy only to regret it a month later telling myself i dont need this much cargo space and wishing I had better milage.

The shocks that I was quoted for, for $300 are installed by the seller. Ive called around to my mechs and they all quoted me $1500 lol. He didnt say the brand but he said the shocks are $60cdn a piece and because he gets a deal on parts, he can get them for $35 a piece making it $140CDN. So he is only charging me $160CDN for about 2.5 to 3 hours labour to install them.


Essentially, if I ask myself why I want a beater, its because my main car is a 2dr coupe and its white with a perfect paint job. I travel to the barn 5-6 days a week, which covers about 6 or 7km of gravel roads. I mean serious gravel, huge rocks and chunks. I dont even like driving over them with my car going at 5kmh lol.

Its super dry, dusty and come rain season, these roads as you imagine turn into off roads, serious slick muddy terrain. Right now Ive been using my main car (since I got it 8 months ago), on these roads and doing 30km/h on these roads, taking 15mins to cover the scretch (when you can get through it in 5mins if you go at normal speed) has been a major PITA. I go slow because I dont want to ding up my car with rock chips from the gravel and also try to keep the car clean. Of course it doesnt help having a white car lol.

I like to detail my car but all it takes is one time on these gravel roads and there goes my clean car lol. So if I want to keep a clean car, I essentially need to wipe down the entire car every single day. Its a PITA and time consuming.

Also, in the summer and fall it was a major PITA last year when I had to clean and wipe down the entire front end of my car of dead bugs. Of course being a white car you notice any tiny squashed dead bug on my car. Im very cautious about leaving dead bugs on my paint as it will eat your paint so I would constantly be wiping down my front end of the car 2-3, times a day, almost everyday. Major nousense.

WIth the beater, I would leave the dead bugs on there and just hose it down maybe once a week. I definitely would not bother wiping down my front end 2-3 times a day, everyday thats forsure. Its time consuming especially on a white car.

With a white car, even on a mid hot day, because I drive on the highways, even for a good 5mins of highway driving I would literally have 30-40 dead bugs on my front end of the car. Bumper, hood, fenders, headlights, mirrors. Serious PITA to wipe down each time (I keep a spray bottle and a bunch of rags in my trunk lol). Not fun cleaning that stuff off every time.

So with that being said, with the beater it would be so nice not having to clean my car 2-3 times a day. Then when it gets muddy, I have to worry about taking the extra time to wash out my wheel wells of mud, the under body etc.

MrGiggles said:

I wouldn't drive a Blazer if it was free. Throughout vo-tech and tech school, there was always a Blazer in the shop. We were working on four in the shop at one point.

1. 4.3 has common problems with the CSFI. Can be converted to MPFI, but not cheaply.
2. Lower intake gaskets leak, filling motor with coolant.
3. Transmissions very commonly fail around the 150-200k mark. The live a little longer in Blazers, but still weak.
4. Typical GM electrical problems of that era.
5. Very inefficient for the size. You will be lucky to get mid 20s.

The Protege is by far the simpler and more reliable vehicle, although you're not really comparing apples to apples.

For something reliable and cheap with more utility, you'd be better off looking at a Ford Ranger or S10 with a 4 cylinder, and Toyota or Nissan pickups. For SUVs, a Jeep would probably fit you best, preferably with a 4.0 I6 and a manual trans.

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Are Blazers and Jimmys the same?

I always thought the trannys on these cars are awesome.

My mech said the same as well in that the PRotege would be more reliable but he warned me about leaks on this gen of Proteges.

I was concerned about buying an american car and this is definitely one of my biggest concerns (I dont want to risk buying a money pit).

TysonTonko said:

Are Blazers and Jimmys the same?

I always thought the trannys on these cars are awesome.

My mech said the same as well in that the PRotege would be more reliable but he warned me about leaks on this gen of Proteges.

I was concerned about buying an american car and this is definitely one of my biggest concerns (I dont want to risk buying a money pit).

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Yes, a Jimmy is the same thing as a Blazer.

What engine is in the Protege? If it's the 2.0 that's in the P5, there are few leaks to worry about.

MrGiggles said:

Yes, a Jimmy is the same thing as a Blazer.

What engine is in the Protege? If it's the 2.0 that's in the P5, there are few leaks to worry about.

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What?! I always thought Jimmys have a different engine than a Blazer lol. Cause I know that Blazers are prone to problems.

The Protege has the 1.8L. Its a LX model.

With a little money into the suspension, that Protege will be about a zillion times more fun to drive than the Chevy. s***, even stock, it'll surprise you.
The 3rd gen Protege was pretty successful as a racecar, believe it or not.

More fast = More fun in a beater...or any car! (headbang)

TysonTonko said:

What?! I always thought Jimmys have a different engine than a Blazer lol. Cause I know that Blazers are prone to problems.

The Protege has the 1.8L. Its a LX model.

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Nope, both had the 4.3 Vortec V6 and 4L60E automatic in that generation. If they offered a five speed manual, it's really rare.

MrGiggles said:

Nope, both had the 4.3 Vortec V6 and 4L60E automatic in that generation. If they offered a five speed manual, it's really rare.

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So its the same crappy SUV. Hmmm im hesitant getting it now. The last thing i want is it being a money pit then i have to pay someone to take it off my hands

All these cars you "want" would be money pits. Stop the clutter please.

If its not going to be your main car, and you dont intend to take care of it and its just a rusty hunk, why not just pick up a small pick-up. Because then at least your rusty pile of junk would be more utilitarian. I see no point in driving a crappy little car when you could be driving a small crappy truck.

Jackie chan said:

All these cars you "want" would be money pits. Stop the clutter please.

If its not going to be your main car, and you dont intend to take care of it and its just a rusty hunk, why not just pick up a small pick-up. Because then at least your rusty pile of junk would be more utilitarian. I see no point in driving a crappy little car when you could be driving a small crappy truck.

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+1

I mean, good grief, the OP has started three threads about purchasing a beater. Might as well use a magic 8 ball to help you decide at this point. None of the choices seem to really satisfy, yet when it seems to be headed down the path to purchase, another choice pops up. Seems to me the OP is enjoying the pursuit of the car instead of owning one.

Jackie chan said:

All these cars you "want" would be money pits. Stop the clutter please.

If its not going to be your main car, and you dont intend to take care of it and its just a rusty hunk, why not just pick up a small pick-up. Because then at least your rusty pile of junk would be more utilitarian. I see no point in driving a crappy little car when you could be driving a small crappy truck.

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But how would an old truck not be a money pit?

I do plan on taking care of whatever beater I get, I will only do whats needed.

If Im getting an old truck, then this GMC Jimmy could do the same job.

I'm not saying it wouldn't be a pit, but atleast it would be a useful one. Or if you're looking for an SUV get something a little better like an old Cherokee or 4runner. All I know is that I feel sorry for all of the random car owners I'm sure you've been pestering.

OP, you're on a Protege enthusiast forum talking about using a "very well maintained" Protege as a beater. That's pretty tone-deaf. I would suspect you were trolling if it weren't obvious that you just don't get it.


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Im sorry but owning any vehicle is going to be a certain degree of money pit. Even if you buy a brand nee car, it will prob cost the value of it in upkeep and fuel over its lifetime.
Doesnt really matter what you buy, if you neglect it, you are wasting your money.
Buy something, anything and take care of it, which requires effort. Or lease a new car and return it when your done.

That protege should go to a college chick or something and last til 400+ k lol.