Looking to buy...anything to watch out for?

[Ilikebikes]

Just as the title says....I am looking at getting a new to me car, and I have always had a soft spot for the Protege 5. Truth be told, I'd like a Mazdaspeed 3...but the 5 is more in my price range at the moment as I dont want to finance...anyway....is there anything to look out for that is a common problem on these? Obviously they are timing belt, so I'd change that out unless they had receipts.....but any other pitfalls? Common places they rust? Things like that....thanks everybody!

 

[Targaryen420]

They are rust buckets.

 

[nickthaskater]

I hate to be "that guy", but this info is readily available with 5 minutes of searching.

That said, I'll add one thing: the motor mounts are garbage and will likely be torn if they haven't ever (or recently) been replaced.

 

[Maroon]

If you live in the rust belt you should choose another car (and another make). Seriously, these have terrible rust problems.

Severe oil burning is common.

 

[MrGiggles]

Everything that's already been said. Rust and oil burning.

Look for rust under the drivers side door, on the passenger side fender, and on the hatch near the P5 badge. It's strange how the cars all seem to rust the same way, but that's how it works out. At least the factory was consistent.

Oil burning largely depends on the previous owners diligence with oil changes. These use rather low tension oil rings that are easily susceptible to carbon deposits. Otherwise they run pretty happily to 200k and beyond.

 

[ReginaldWagon]

I would recommend you get carfax and check plates/VIN # of vehicles you're interested in. There should be some reported maintenance depending where the owner had it serviced, it should also note reported accidents and the last reported mileage. You will also be able to see if the vehicle failed a emission test and was labeled a gross polluter at any point. If it has multiple failed emissions tests it probably will continue to have those unless someone throws a ton of $ or time into it. Not something you want to deal with. I've found shopping for these in my area (where P5's go for a premium) that odometer fraud is rampant. Always someone trying to make more money. Two vehicles I also checked out shuttered when you made a complete stop. Not sure if it was electrical or a misfiring cylinder, didn't want to deal with that. Generally the cars you see listed for a long time are ones you want to pass on.

 

[lvevo]

^^^. Thought that was the EGR issue, the studder that is.

 

[Ilikebikes]

Thanks for the responses. I live in California, so rust isnt a big deal, but I was checking Denver as well, parents live there. Stepdad checked one out, said it had a bit of rust, so I'll stay away. Im mainly looking to get away from my 20 year old high mileage,low MPG SUV, but I still want a bit of room to haul camping gear, mountain bike stuff etc.

Also, is there a rhyme or reason for the different trim packages? I dont see a designation, was it a buyer option for moonroofs, roof racks, leather, etc?

 

[Hank3]

Correct. No trim levels on the P5. Just options (eg. moonroof, roof rack, leather).

 

[ReginaldWagon]

^^^. Thought that was the EGR issue, the studder that is.

One of them could have been but I didn't think so. A majority of non-private party sales are by small dealers who bought the vehicle at auction. They don't know what they're really getting and other than cleaning them up and smog that's about it. In my area, there's two private dealers in Sunnyvale that both acquire P5's at auction because they know they sell for a premium here. Sometimes the risk of buying at auctions pays off (I bought my first one from one of these guys) but other times no. The last 3 P5's I looked at that these guys had each of them had issues. One had clearly been in an accident and poorly repaired and then sat for a long time until it was auctioned off. You could tell in the pictures that it had previously sustained front end damage because nothing lined up even from 10ft away (it had some aftermarket parts and was white, so it sold quickly). The other two were in great condition cosmetically but one I am pretty sure had an electrical issue some backyard mechanic had attempted to fix which is why it ended up at auction. The one that kept dying during the test drive I also don't believe was an EGR issue, it was something worse. I know that dealer, he took almost 8 months to sell that car at a loss. If it had been the EGR I think he would have repaired it rather than take that kind of loss.

I spent 2-3 months each time buying 2 P5's in the last year. In California used cars are going for a premium already, even the ones with expensive problems. If you want something that's more reasonably priced get a red P5, they sell for less and generally have lower miles.

 

[Yonzy]

You can buy mine, I'm in CA for a couple more days. 123k, red. AC doesn't work and needs input shaft bearings. Runs good despite that. Oh and yellowspeed coilovers XD.

Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk

 

[NaturalFlavored]

^^^ BUY IT!!!!

Just bought myself a P5 and love it.
Check it out http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123849287-NaturalFlavored-Build-*New*