Why should I buy a Mazdaspeed Protege?

FlannelBoy711

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2002 Mazda Protege 5
Ok everyone I currently own a 2002 Mazda Protege 5, and it just aint cutting it. When I first bought my Protege 5, I had about 8k to spend, I saw the Mazdaspeeds and immediately wanted one, but the lowest price for one at the dealership was 16k, so I went with the Pro5. I look around all the time for cars and it catches me by suprise to see that Mazdaspeeds are sometimes the same price as Protege 5's. Ive seen the LSD list and that kind of scares me away a little. Are there any other problems that seem to be inevitable? Also it looks like this isn't a very cheap car to keep up with. Maybe im wrong, but it seems everything is more expensive. Anyways, any insight would be helpful. thanks
 
the car is fun as hell, but the LSDs are time-bombs and the rods aren't very strong if you're trying to do mods and up the boost for more power. After a point you have to start worrying about the tranny too, but thats at pretty big numbers (that is, big numbers for a protege).
 
I'm yet to have an LSD problem @ 48k miles. But suspension squeaks (seems all fixed for now) and the exhaust system crumbling apart (twice) have been a PIA.
It seems that if you leave the car alone, as it was engineered some ofthe problems people speak of are a non issue. There is a reason car companies employ engineers to tune/test the vehicles.
 
Off the theives radar
Off the cops radar
Off the insurance companies radar (cheap to insure)
A good used one can be picked up for $11,000 - $13,000
Unique and fun to drive
All of it's quirks can be remidied - you can build a reliable street-stormer for under 20K out of it

Just don't count on it ever being a viable "collectors item" - have fun with it.
 
I'm considering selling mine

I've got a Spicy Orange for sale cheap. 11K obo. 62K miles. Nothing wrong with the car. I've had it for 2 years, I am the second owner. The car is totally stock and has all the bugs worked out, the ecu flashed, bushings, LSD is fine. The car is out in West Palm Beach, Fl. Let me know if you are interested or if you want pics of the car.
 

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i think the msp is a good car. i have no mods on the vehicle and it is still running strong. the suspension does sqweak alot but that can be fixed. the only other problem i have had is the cd player but nothing major. lsd is still fine, tranny seems good, no problems yet and at 72000 miles it is still running strong. havent done any mods yet though but plan to in the future. mods do seem kind of expensive but the car is rare. can always try to find used parts or go custom.
 
i had the same doubts about the car until i bought it and now im completely in love with it. its unique(not a me too car) its a great performance platform if you take ur time and do it right and to let u know mine has 65k miles on it u can see my mods at the bottom and i autocross it every month at least once and have yet to see any real problems with tranny or lsd, no oil leaks, no anything. i will say tho i am very anal about maintanence. i do full synthetic oil changes every 3k and i just did all the seals and gaskets(head, valve cover, cam seals, crank seal, oilpan, timing belt, etc). anyways these cars are great, dont get discouraged due to parts breaking because any used performance car you buy will eventually break something or need some money put into it.
 
No offense but I was meticulous about my maintenance and my diff went. I did get 104k miles out of it first but these diffs are definitely a weak point and eventually they break. If you take just one look at how they are assembled you will understand why. It's like they were pressed together just well enough to get off the assembly line. LOL (glare)
They go at all kinds of miles, under all kinds of conditions with good upkeep and even when they are babied. I love my car and have really built it up well but I think anyone who even thinks of buying better think really hard about how they feel when it comes to a $1000-$2500.00 repair bill.
I did mine myself and just the new diff (which was welded so it won't break again) the bearings, clutch kit and some other things was $1047.00 then you have to factor in the time it takes to pull the tranny, tear apart the tranny, rebuild the tranny, and then put the tranny back in the car.
It is not a light hearted undertaking for a novice.
Just a thought...
 
Don't buy one unless you want to spend a bunch of time in the repair shop. The car handles/looks good, but it sure causes many a headache.
I took my MSP to dealer so many times I've lost count. My '93 S10 pickup with 120k miles has been once in the same period.
 
My LSD went at 32k and I don't rag on my car. When it went I was creeping in 1st gear, lol. Buying a MSP out of warranty without a beefed up LSD would worry me. Then again, if I had a good mechanic and thought I'd be keeping the car for a couple of years or more, I'd get the MSP and go ahead and get the diff welded. Then you can plan around having it out of commission for a few days rather than it leaving you stranded.

There are easy fixes for the squeaking/clunking bushings, and there are still several choices out there for full or partial exhaust systems. Other than the LSD and the bushings, I've had zero trouble out of mine in 60k mi. Proper maintenance and oil changes with good oil are key for a car like this, and I keep up with it. I still enjoy it every single time I drive it, and even got 31.4 mpg from my last tank. If I had it to all over again, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Oh, and as far as collectible value goes, there's plenty of potential for that, but it will take 15 years or more to occur. More than anything, the rarity will help slow the depreciation to a point. It seemed that used prices dropped a bunch right off the bat (like when I bought mine in Jan. 04, then leveled off for a good two years. Now they're dropping again like I expected them to. A bunch of people are now past 60k and looking to get into something with lower mileage. I'd expect the price drops to continue for 12-18 mo., then they'll probably level off again at between 7-9k.
 
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I have about 55K on my MSP.

No problems with the LSD, and while I don't often get on my car, I have done my fair share of romping in it.

The suspension does squeak. Stock, the worst noises I got were an occassional squeak and clunk. But something happened shortly after I installed my Tein S-Tech springs -- and the tops of the rear struts squeak like MAD. I'm definitely looking forward to switching out my suspension soon and getting rid of that goddamn squeaking. It makes me crazy. But I've never heard of anyone else with my particular problem -- and it's my own fault it's there, anyway.

The stock head unit is also a time bomb. Mine went approximately a year ago. Just up and died. I have to admit, I do still miss it at times. It was a nice unit for as long as it lasted.

If you want a car that will require an decent-sized investment to get it SAFELY to a good performance level, you won't be disappointed. However, if you expect to dump in only $1000 and double your boost via a MBC and think your MSP won't explode -- you've got another thing coming. This car is about realism. It won't let you pull off too many stunts, that's for sure.

But if you treat it right, it won't let you down. :)
 
Rush said:
I have about 55K on my MSP.



The stock head unit is also a time bomb. Mine went approximately a year ago. Just up and died. I have to admit, I do still miss it at times. It was a nice unit for as long as it lasted.

:)

Yes, I forgot my headunit died to :(
However, the car overall has been great. I just hate the fact the diffs break.
The head unit wasn't a big deal and for the first 104,000 miles I had almost zero issues.
 
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