2002 Mazda Protege ES review from North America

Nothing.

Since I had the car at 53,000 miles I haven't had a single problem with the car. The transmission shifts fine and the engine runs great.

I am a mechanic and I love this car. I don't know what has gone wrong with the car before I had it, but I know it has been a great car for me.

I do regular maintenance and I do a lot of city driving. I do go through a lot of brake pads, but that doesn't bother me. The one thing I did find about this car that I didn't like is that it's a little difficult to work on, but what isn't these days. I have definitely considered trading this in for a newer Mazda 3. I wouldn't be surprised if I can get way over 200,000 miles on this car with minimal repairs.

All of my suspension and steering parts are in great working order too. I bought an extended warranty when I got the car, but I feel I have wasted my money because nothing broke.

If you're looking for reliability and affordability and fuel economy this is the way to go. Just remember this isn't a 40,000 dollar BMW so options and comfort may be lacking. I do agree that it is noisy.