2002 Mazda Protege ES review from North America
"Good car for people who want to keep a car 4 years"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
First there was a problem with the IAC Valve. Wasn't covered under warranty for some reason.
Alternator died at 76,000kms. Thought that was a bit too early.
Rust... EVERYWHERE. Still rusts like Japanese cars did in the 80s. Every panel of this car is rusting, the under body looks like one of a 12 year old car. Under the hood the strut towers and engine walls are rusty too. Yes it's true that cars rust when exposed to Salt like in Toronto. But it shouldn't be this bad this soon.
Engine Sounds really rough when first started.
Seats are Fading from limited exposure to sun.
General comments?
The car does handle very well however. The chassis was well designed, it's too bad they didn't use better steel on it.
Transmission is mushy, but acceptable for this type of car.
Fuel economy is reasonable for a 2.0L engine.
I'd never buy a Mazda again until they have proven to get this rust problem under control.
Recommended Reviews:
  | Drives like a 3 series costs like a Mazda |
| Nice in a lot of ways, but overall unrefined and illogical |
All 2002 Mazda Protege reviews
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 Manual |
| Performance marks | 6/10 |
| Reliability marks | 7/10 |
| Comfort marks | 8/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 86000 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 5th February, 2008 |