Faults:

I didn't have many problems with the car.

Replaced struts and tires, radio at 48K miles.

Brakes were replaced at 42K miles.

General Comments:

It's a nice little car for starters. It was my first car, I bought it used at 48K miles. I needed to replace the tires and struts when I first bought it. I owned it for about 7 months without any problems, just did the oil changes.

It lacks power, but good enough to drive mostly in the city. In the highway, it was noisy to drive over 55-60 mph, especially the wind noise was high. Manual transmission was nice. Very good gas mileage, 26/33mpg in city/highway.

Faults:

Check engine light keeps coming on. I took it to the shop and was told it was an IAC motor and idle conrtol valve. After replacement (for $800) the car ran no differently. The light stayed off for just over a year. It's on again. This time I went after it myself. Simply checking the ROOM fuse and replacing it caused the light to go off... so far, so good.

Belts squeal despite multiple replacements. Seems to be temperature dependent- just when starting on cold mornings. I've had the alternator belt and power steering belts replaced twice by two different shops. At this point I'm going to drive it until something falls off!

General Comments:

My 1994 Protege was a dream- no problems in 9 years. Unfortunately, I had to leave it overeas. The 2000 was bought used, but is not as well built or solid as my '94 model.

Faults:

Only one problem, an O2 sensor at 4000 miles that was replaced under warranty.

General Comments:

Always been reliable.

Handles pretty good except on downhill’s curves.

Has aged well over 6 years and 70,000 miles.

Very noisy at highway speeds.

Faults:

After 5 years of ownership I have had very few problems with my vehicle.

I recently replaced the tires which I consider to be normal wear and tear for a car with 100000+ km.

The muffler is starting to rattle a little bit while the car is warming up, I think it is a loose internal exhaust baffle.

I have noticed a rattle sound coming from the front suspension.

General Comments:

This has been an excellent vehicle. Originally purchased for a second family car it quickly became the vehicle of choice for both my wife and I.

It's handling around town and in city traffic is nimble and it has reasonably good acceleration for a compact car.

After 5 years of driving (and teaching a teenage son and my wife how to drive standard) the clutch and 5 speed manual transmission still shift perfectly.

The upholstery and carpet have been very durable and the interior fit and finish are certainly on par with anything from Honda and Toyota.

The CD player, AC and power options continue to work faultlessly.

I would highly recommend this awesome little car to anyone looking for a reliable daily commuter.