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.
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.
Attachments
Last edited: