Soon to be an owner of a 2003 Protege 5

[Scavenger]

Hi there.

Next week i'm planning to get myself a 2003 Mazda Protege 5, its going to be a manual. Though ive been driving for a while, this would be my first car. After having a chance to sit in one and see it up close (not drive yet), and by the information here i think this will be the perfect car for me. And going by the material on here, im definitely going to have some fun with it, especially later on when i get into some basic addons and tweaks

On to my question, other than some of the general used car bying tips, is there anything P5 specific i should keep an eye out on when getting this car, to make sure it is a good buy? Particular things to look out for?

Im definitely going to take it to a mechanic as part of the purchase to get it checked out, but if there is anything that i can spot off the showroom, that would be ideal.


Thanks for any input!

 

[JoshP5]

On to my question, other than some of the general used car bying tips, is there anything P5 specific i should keep an eye out on when getting this car, to make sure it is a good buy? Particular things to look out for?

Welcome to the forums!

Common specific problems for 2003 P5s include dirty EGR valves, loose VTCS screws (there's a known range of VINs affected), and failing motor mounts. It would be useful to check the TSBs posted on the Protege Faq.

 

[SooberDude]

The nose is low so check out for srapes and such. And make sure that the driving lights work.

 

[mzdp5fan]

I found this out yesterday at the Mazda dealer when i was getting my EGR valve replaced. The tire sidewalls tend to blow out easily (and the rims bend easily too). I bought my P5 (back in september) and two weeks later i noticed 2 of my tires were leaking air. The freaking used car dealer that i bought it from refused to change them. It's not something you can really see with your eyes, but if you get a chance to bring the car to a mechanic before you buy it, just ask them to do a leak test. It could be a few hundred bucks saved.

Good Luck with the buy. This is my 2nd car but my 1st manual. No offense, but my guess is that if it's your 1st car and your 1st manual, you probably won't have much feel for the car. It's just something that comes with time. I would ask a friend/family member who's been driving for a while to test drive the car as well to see if he/she can detect anything off. I remember i was just happy to have a car when i got my last car.

 

[JoshP5]

I haven't heard of any problems with the rims bending before, but if the car was driven with low tire pressure, I could see it happening.

I also haven't heard of sidewall issues, but if they're the stock Dunlops, they suck profoundly so it's not too surprising.

 

[Scavenger]

Thanks for the tips. Yeah i definitely plan to bring a friend along who knows cars fairly well to give me a better chance at the dealership! Or if anything it adds an extra set of eyes to look over things that i may have missed.

Should be fun.

 

[BadKarma]

Good luck with your purchase! P5s are great fun, I'm sure it's one you'll enjoy for a long time to come.

When I picked mine up almost a year ago, the right low-beam headlight was out. I looked at it, and turns out, the entire adapter was missing! Just goes to show that you should leave nothing unchecked before you hand over your hard-earned coin.

I'm not sure about back east in TO there, but here in Vancouver, P5s are fairly abundant. So take your time and browse until one feels really right for you.

 

[MyZmZm]

haven't heard anything about the rims bending easily either... in fact, mine have taken quite the beating on our roads and are fine.

definitely look the car over thoroughly, and when you think you've looked at everything look again - any way the dealer can get away with not fixing something, etc, they will. not that they'll purposely not fix something, but if something's been overlooked, once you sign, you're SOL.

you will love the P5 - it is truely a driver's car. these forums are a great resource and have lots of great people (for the most part) willing to help out a new owner.

 

[Shasta]

Did you find one yet?

 

[Scavenger]

Found the perfect one, but funding went short! Had to put it off until the end of March =/

BUT... i did get to test drive one, and loved it. Very spacious for its size i thought, and im a big guy @ 5'11", and was comfortable with the space having a passanger up front, compared to other compacts ive driven. Manual shifter was fun too.

Also... now i kind of know the difference of the lower and higher end of the price spectrum. So i'll definitely want one of the better ones