First Time Mazda Owner With a 2002 Protege ES

[CDC2.0]

Hey everyone!

Well I'm now a member of the Mazda club and am looking forward to putting some km's on my new used 2002 Protege!

I own a 2013 F-150 and have been commuting with it too and from work for the past 6 months. Its not bad on gas for a truck but in real terms its a pig, adding the fact that my gf lives out of town I needed to start looking for something to commute with that would prove more economical and save the truck for weekends. My main budgeting concern was that the car needed to pay for itself in a year (from fuel savings alone) and it had to be in half decent shape. I wasn't looking for anything special but I didn't want to get myself into a money pit either.

Did some research and heard lots of great things about the Protege so I decided to investigate further and check a few out. I saw some that were in rough shape on the surface but they all still seemed to run great, even at close to 200,000 km's. I started hunting and came across a 2002 with 153,000 km's on it at a used car dealer just south of where I work.

It is an ES model with the following features (all still work great):
2.0 engine (runs and sounds smooth)
Power locks
Power windows
Power sunroof
Power mirrors
CD
AC
4 wheel disk brakes
5 speed manual transmission (clutch feels great)

The car has some rock rash on the front, a few little scuffs and some surface rust spots on the roof, nothing that some touch up paint cant fix. Other then that the body is in very good shape for a 12 year old car. The engine runs great, sounds great and the car drives really nicely, feels like a go kart compared to my truck. Also came with a clean car-proof. I got a good deal on it with safety and certification included. The interior is immaculate and the seats are surprisingly comfy and supportive (I'm 6'1"). I pick it up this coming Saturday and am very excited! I'm planning on clay baring it when I get it and putting a good coat of wax on the body for starters, tint will come next.

I need to look into a new timing belt (manual says they are good for 160,000km) and water pump. Is there anything else that you fine people can suggest I look out for? Your first hand experience will be very helpful.

 

[02ProtegeDX]

Looks nice almost exactly like mine except mines a DX

 

[concept]

I would replace the power steering fluid with new fluid, using a turkey baster bulb. Also, why not replace the gear lubricant and check the coolant to make sure it is still good.
Personally, I stay away from used car dealers, as they tend to buy at least some of their cars at auctions. A private party is more likely to be able to tell you how often critical fluids and filters have been changed and why they are selling.

But your choice of make and model is a good one; my ES handles better than most Corvettes. (I'm serious.)

 

[03protolx]

Always remember to run a carfax. it will show you exactly where it's been, how many owners, any wrecks, and any title issues. buying from a dealer doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad car. Many dealers DO buy cars at auctions but if you do your homework, it shouldnt be a bad car.

I've owned several proteges, and bought my 2003 LX from a used car dealer 2 hours away. Been a great car. My 1997 protege got me about 305k miles on the original drivetrain before it took a dump.

That protege looks to be in good condition, considering how much it may cost it could be worth your while!

EDIT: Didn't read your whole post, but now i just did. Congrats on your purchase!

Many people have complained about the auto trans proteges having transmission issues, which i've owned several and have never had an auto trans issue.

The wheel bearings like to fail between 70k-150k miles, which varies by vehicle.

at 150k kilometers, your timing belt should be inspected and be replaced soon, but no rush.

 

[MaxPower]

Congratulations! The Pro's a great car: fun, reliable, and cheap. At 153,000km your Protege is a teenager, forum members have reported their Protege is going with 400,000km+.

Two other issues to keep an eye out for:
1. cracked air intake accordion tube - commonly fails on Proteges, causes a rough idle, $30 for a new one
2. EGR valve - gets stuck open intermittently, causes a rough idle/stalling when coming to a stop when engine is warm

 

[CDC2.0]

Thanks for your replies everyone, I had them run a car proof on it before I bought it, there have never been any reported accidents and the car was never registered outside of the area that I live. The dealer got the car from a Mazda dealer just north of them that got it on a trade in so it wasn't bought at an auction .
There has been some rust work done as I can see that whatever body shop the previous owner used applied a thick anti-rust paint to the under body and rocker panels. I did a similar thing to a 2004 Taurus I owned before buying my truck. Tells me that the previous owner cared about the car's appearance and hopefully that diligence translated to the car's mechanical systems as well.
I will be taking it to a trusted local mechanic for a complete fluid flush (transmission, brakes, coolant, steering etc) as well as have the timing belt / water pump changed before 160k. I may also have it rust-proofed as I hear these things tend to rust up if neglected. Looks like its an easy car to work on in terms of brakes, plugs, coils and other basic maintenance so I am planning to do lots of work myself. I'm hoping to get many good years out of it!

 

[CDC2.0]

I picked up the car on Saturday and so far so good!
I had to replace a brake light, do an oil change and change out the power steering fluid but other then that its ready to rock.
I went ahead and clay bared it as well as touch up some of the rock rash before giving it a good thick coat of wax. Came out pretty nice. The thing drives very nicely and I am already seeing the savings in fuel over my truck. There are a few squeaks and rattles but its 12 years old so I can look past them, so far very impressed.
I do notice that it is geared pretty short, especially 5th gear which makes for some higher rpms on the highway but I guess the benefit to that is you don't need to downshift as often to pass.

 

[concept]

Very nice!

Sent from my Windows Phone 8X by HTC using Tapatalk

 

[janson34]

glad your happy with it. question on economy, how much does it cost to fill up+miles?

I picked up the car on Saturday and so far so good!
I had to replace a brake light, do an oil change and change out the power steering fluid but other then that its ready to rock.
I went ahead and clay bared it as well as touch up some of the rock rash before giving it a good thick coat of wax. Came out pretty nice. The thing drives very nicely and I am already seeing the savings in fuel over my truck. There are a few squeaks and rattles but its 12 years old so I can look past them, so far very impressed.
I do notice that it is geared pretty short, especially 5th gear which makes for some higher rpms on the highway but I guess the benefit to that is you don't need to downshift as often to pass.

 

[CDC2.0]

So far I am seeing an average of 7.5L/100km. Apparently the car has a 55 liter tank which for me would translate into a possible range of 733km. I usually fill it at 3/4 or so and it drinks close to 45 liters.