Mazda Protege5 wagon

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion) 01/14/2018 at 20:06 • Filed to: None

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Oppo review. Pros/cons format

My buddy who previously had a stock, teal Civic hatch and a G35 (both totalled) just picked up this beauty so he doesn’t have to keep spending $800 a month on Uber and lyft. 80,000 miles, exterior 6/10, interior 8/10, a few minor mechanical issues, $800. I drove it. I liked it a lot. He doesn’t really like wagons (I’m working on it) but I think he’ll come to love this thing. Plans are window tint, clean up the interior and exterior, and use as a commuter until he can find another G35.

Pros:

Surprisingly decent power. It will scoot

Manual

Awesome white gauge faces

Great clutch, especially considering that this really isn’t a sporty car

Wagon. And a good goldilocks just right size, similar to a mid 2000's wrx wagon.

Interior feels much larger than it is, due to lots of open space and the sunroof

Cons:

Not a great shifter, and gets worse the faster you try to shift

Where is the oil filter...? Could not find from the engine bay, which leads me to believe it will be a pain to change

Body doesn’t feel well-connected when accelerating or going around curves. Could use new engine mounts, maybe sway bars

Probably the cheapest coolant overflow tank I’ve ever seen. It wiggles around like crazy and I’m amazed it hasn’t broken out of its “bracket”

And as an added bonus, I let him drive the Miata. Managed to get a pretty good exhaust clip. It’s crazy how different it sounds when you’re behind it. (I know I know, vertical video)

smobgirl > AestheticsInMotion 01/14/2018 at 20:13

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Your buddy sounds like he needs a Camry.

AestheticsInMotion > smobgirl 01/14/2018 at 20:17

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It was actually considered, but for $800... No way would that ever happen. The Protege5 is bad enough (comparitely), but going to a Camry right after someone wrecks your dream car... That would be tough

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > AestheticsInMotion 01/14/2018 at 20:19

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I had a ‘03 Protege for several years, and it was a very good car for the most part. Rust around the windshield header did it in, unfortunately. The oil filter is a bit of a pain, but no too bad. I had to reach and feel for it when under the car, but it didn’t leak as much oil as the Focus’ filter does, and it is right at the bottom of the engine bay. Ignition coils were also an issue, but they are relatively cheap and an easy fix.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > AestheticsInMotion 01/14/2018 at 20:22

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I hope you’re not in an area where roads are salted....I love the Protege5 and considered getting one for myself back when I got my Subie, but they rust like crazy! :(

wafflesnfalafel > AestheticsInMotion 01/14/2018 at 20:28

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Cartridge oil filter - you will get dirty changing it. But these are super nice little rigs.

AestheticsInMotion > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 01/14/2018 at 20:28

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Thanks for that, it was really bugging me not being able to spot the filter. Didn’t notice any rust, hopefully in this climate it won’t be a major issue. The biggest probl right now is that it goes through o2 sensors and we’re not sure why

AestheticsInMotion > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 01/14/2018 at 20:28

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No salt, thank God.

hellriaser > AestheticsInMotion 01/14/2018 at 20:48

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You in California? I haven’t seen one without massive rear quarter rust in years & we don’t salt (mostly) in western Canada. Friend had one with a full mp3 swap & it was a fantastic mountain road car. Sad they were the most rust prone modern car

hellriaser > AestheticsInMotion 01/14/2018 at 20:53

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My MP3 liked to kill them about every 10k kms, dealer had no idea why, sold it still under warranty. Good luck!

P5guy now GTIguy > AestheticsInMotion 01/14/2018 at 21:32

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Other than the rust these are great cars. I really miss mine.

AestheticsInMotion > hellriaser 01/14/2018 at 21:52

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Washington state. I’m actually amazed that there is no visible rust after hearing from everyone... Hopefully the underbody is fine

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > AestheticsInMotion 01/14/2018 at 21:58

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800 is a total steal

MINIGTI > AestheticsInMotion 01/14/2018 at 22:41

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I always liked the look of these, especially in yellow. Again, shame they all rusted long before their time around here.

AestheticsInMotion > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 01/14/2018 at 22:48

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Right? I was tempted to talk him out of it and take the wagon for myself. Sounds like it may be a unicorn considering it appears to be rust-free

gmctavish needs more space > AestheticsInMotion 01/15/2018 at 02:53

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I got one of these from a friend of mine for basically nothing, had a surprising amount of fun driving it for a couple days. It was chronically damp in the inside and always fogged up and smelled like mildew, which I found out was because the floors were so rusty there was a hole in the drivers side. The back bumper was held on with duct tape since the quarter panel was rusted away where it used to attach. I sold it to 3 traveling dudes who needed a beater for like 4 months, and encouraged them to scrap it after that because of the rust.

One that wasn’t already dead would’ve been a good car, it was fun to drive.

AestheticsInMotion > gmctavish needs more space 01/15/2018 at 03:21

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Sounds like it lived an interesting life. Judging by the comments this must be the most rust-prone vehicle made in the last twenty years

Wacko > AestheticsInMotion 01/15/2018 at 19:43

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I bought a silver protege5 new in 2003. Had it till 2010 when I bought a SX4.

Loved it at first, hated it after 2 years owning it. Rust.... and electrical problems. I kept it until 2010 since I had a 7 year loan. Still love the looks of the protege5.

It was a peppy little 130hp.