I bought a Mazda!

[Codym42]

Hey guys, I bought a Mazdaspeed Protege recently. I've always wanted one and I needed a new daily while I repaint my e30. I figured it was time to finally get one. Even though these cars are affordable, they certainly are not easy to find in good condition. I live in the Atlanta area and I searched for 2 months to find one. I found a lot of junk and rust buckets. I finally came upon this car on the Tampa, FL craigslist and had to have it. It was was a great car for the money. The craigslist ad said it was a one owner car with a freshly swapped in, 60k engine. The car was clean inside and out and had brand new struts and rear springs. It even came with a spare interior and boxes and boxes of spare parts. I talked to the owner on the phone. There was one thing that bothered me- he only had driven the car 25 miles since the engine swap. 25 miles!! And I was going to drive this from Tampa to Atlanta. If you think that was a crazy idea, you are right. I had no idea what was about to happen...

So, I get to Tampa and the car is everything I had hoped for. It had some rock chips but otherwise was very nice. It has 234k miles! The owner was really nice and clearly had a passion for this car. I paid for it, loaded up the spare parts in the protege and in my dads car and we set off for Atlanta. The car made it all the way to Macon, GA where it suddenly stopped running. Sadly, I had it towed to the local Mazda dealer. The found some wiring issues and I was back on the road. The fun didn't last long... it died again about an hour later. I finally had it towed home and discovered that the o2 sensor wiring was burning on the exhaust, shorting the wire, and blowing the fuse. After fixing that issue (new extender harness and o2 sensor), it was back on the road.

I've done a lot of maintenance on the car in the past few weeks and have really been enjoying it. I even got a new aluminum SMIC and pipes for it put on today.

On to the pics (in chronological order):

[Exodus_2pt0]

I always loved how those cars looked. Nice pickup!

Future plans? I can't remember right, but don't they have glass transmissions? Not taking a stab, just an honest curiosity.

[E30 Wagen]

I've always liked how those look. I remember searching for one myself and not being able to find one, same with finding a good Infiniti G20. Probably the only two FWD compact sedans I'll ever like.

[kickinindian]

My family has had a protege5 as the family beater, finally had the head blow and my mom just decided to buy a new truck. so if anyone in cali wants a 5speed yellow 2003 protege5 for a project we can sell it cheap.

this chassis though was great my dad was thinking of doing a mazdaspeed swap after the head blew but we have had the car so long it was just time to move on.


not ours just an example

[Stanley Rockafella]

I really was into the Protégé5 when it came out (mostly the look and the reviews at the time). Was seriously considering selling the 325es and putting 10 grand towards one.

decided against it..

best decision ever (financially at least)

[Nick_S]

Always liked those cars. I test drove a few years back but I ended up going with an SVT Focus instead, I liked the hatch. Had they made a Protege5 with all the Mazdaspeed goodies I'd probably own one right now.

[Codym42]

I always loved how those cars looked. Nice pickup!

Future plans? I can't remember right, but don't they have glass transmissions? Not taking a stab, just an honest curiosity.

Thanks!

No real plans right now for it. I just want to make it a nice DD for when the e30 is down. I'm going to address a few maintenance items, retint the windows, and add a subwoofer. That's about it. After re-gapping the spark plugs and putting in the new intercooler, the engine pulls much smoother. It's a blast to drive. And yes, the transmissions are not very strong. Its mainly the stock LSD that can't handle extra power. Luckily there are aftermarket options available.

I've always liked how those look. I remember searching for one myself and not being able to find one, same with finding a good Infiniti G20. Probably the only two FWD compact sedans I'll ever like.

You're not kidding. It took 2 months and a lot of searching to finally find a good one.

My family has had a protege5 as the family beater, finally had the head blow and my mom just decided to buy a new truck. so if anyone in cali wants a 5speed yellow 2003 protege5 for a project we can sell it cheap.

this chassis though was great my dad was thinking of doing a mazdaspeed swap after the head blew but we have had the car so long it was just time to move on.


not ours just an example

P5's are cool. Its too bad they didn't make a mazdaspeed protege5.

I really was into the Protégé5 when it came out (mostly the look and the reviews at the time). Was seriously considering selling the 325es and putting 10 grand towards one.

decided against it..

best decision ever (financially at least)

I like p5's but I'd take a 325es over a p5 any day of the week!

Always liked those cars. I test drove a few years back but I ended up going with an SVT Focus instead, I liked the hatch. Had they made a Protege5 with all the Mazdaspeed goodies I'd probably own one right now.

How did the SVT compare? I see them on CL from time to time. In fact, there was a black one parked behind me at Caffeine and Octane today!

[Codym42]

Here's a pic from C&O today. My buddy parked next to me in his m3 and there was also a bone stock 318is next to him.



Focus SVT parked behind me.



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[Nick_S]

How did the SVT compare? I see them on CL from time to time. In fact, there was a black one parked behind me at Caffeine and Octane today!

I have very little seat time in the MSP but I owned an SVTF for 7 years. Supercharged it, suspension, poly bushing etc. Hands down the easiest car to drive at the limit I've ever owned and was surprisingly quick . While being FWD, it was easy to rotate the rear with some lift off oversteer and a thick sway bar. Best steering I've felt in a car, loved the 6spd, steering wheel was a great shape. Basically I loved the car, haha.

[varg]

One of the best looking sport compacts out there. I've heard the engines and transaxles can't take much abuse though.