1999 Mazda Protege LX from North America

Summary:

Love the car, incredibly reliable

Faults:

Valve cover gasket replaced at 150,000 miles.

CD replaced three times under warranty; never worked longer than 10,000 miles.

The hubcaps all came off a while ago; they were cheap and just fell off at some point.

General Comments:

Car is extremely reliable, runs like it will never quit after 170,000 miles.

Seats are comfy, which matters a lot since I have back problems. Love the moonroof.

MPG are still very good after 11 years.

It has a roomy trunk, big enough to transport son's hockey gear and several sizeable items from Home Depot (Not the hot water heater, though!)

It started off having great acceleration, which faded after about 40,000 miles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd August, 2010

1999 Mazda Protege SE 1.6 from Ghana

Summary:

Excellent, but for poor fuel consumption

Faults:

1. Rusty rear stability link

2. Broken oil dip stick

3. Leaking oil crankcase

4. Brake pads wore off and replaced couple of times. Still hear a sizzling sound

5. Lower arm suspension replaced with 'used part'

4. Excessive fuel consumption.

General Comments:

The engine has appetite for fuel - my only nightmare. Was initially returning 10-11km/l in town without the use of the AC and regulated speed 70-80km/h max. Once I got 14.4km/l on the highway at about 90-110km/h.

Now the engine returns 8-9kmh/l in city driving and appears slower than before.

Otherwise, the car is very, very, indeed absolutely reliable. Not quick of the pace though, but gets me to my destination on time. Handling is very good, but I'd be more careful taking bends on wet roads.

Comfortable cabin and spacious. Was surprised to notice it has the same cabin width as the 99 Mazda 626.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 17th March, 2010

19th Mar 2010, 17:13

Did you try to clean the MAF sensor?

22nd Mar 2010, 15:11

It seems your brake pads are dragging and reduce your fuel economy. Try to clean the pins that hold the pads in place with a wire brush, and put a thin coat of high temp grease on them. Worst case: you may need new calipers.

24th Mar 2010, 03:58

Hi friends. Most grateful for your helpful and educational comments. I'm pleased to respond to the 2 comments passed on my initial post.

1. Cleaning of the MAF

Is MAF (Mass Air Flow) = AFM = Air Flow Meter? If so, then yes it was cleaned with ABRO fluid cleaner. Grazie!

2. "It seems your brake pads are dragging and reduce your fuel economy".

Yes I hear a "sizzling" noise from the front wheels when driving. I'll get the mechanic sort that out shortly. Furthermore, I'll heed your advice. Thanks.

I also did read that a repair/replacement of broken or damaged air hoses and possible replacement of the PVC valve would be helpful in abating the problem.

The good news is that the fuel consumption is improving or has improved to a little over 10km/l. It also picks up relatively faster than before.

1999 Mazda Protege LX 1.6 from North America

Summary:

Pretty good for the money, Would like more safety

Faults:

First problem I had with this car was the muffler rusted & rotted. The car had less than 40,000 on it. Cost approx $400.00 to have Mazda replace it. Really aggravated me to have to pay out that kind of money when car had so little mileage.

Shortly after that, it was the engine light. Of course I got the bank 1, too lean codes.. tried changing oil, flushing the trans, getting fuel injection flushed.. The car was still not running right, idling hard, would clear the code and it kept coming back. The car had to go to dealer so I could shell out more money to replace the O2 sensor. WOW, is that a pricey little item.

The car was OK for about a year, maybe 18 months.

In July this year, surprise, engine light again, car running badly, progressively got worse, bucking, bogging down, hesitating, started stalling. This turned out to be a really easy fix... all the problems were being caused by a $20 /$30 vacuum hose that had 2 huge splits that were not obvious unless you looked at the hose and physically checked it. My brother was looking at the car at my house, told me to rev the engine a bit and air came blowing right out at him. Changed the hose, cleared the code. Car is fine and passed inspection.

Check your hose.

General Comments:

The location of the locks jab you in the arm because they do not recess all the way.

Basically quick & reliable.

Handles pretty good at higher speeds.

I don't feel really safe in it as the doors are very light.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 10th November, 2009