2001 Mazda Protege LX 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Exceptionally frustrated and disappointed in this product

Faults:

Repair items, all within a 13 month period:

02/27/06 - 103,382km - Front exhaust pipe

05/26/06 - 110,000km - Ignition Coil

07/07/06 - 114,298km - A/C Pressure Switch/repair

03/16/07 - 134,454km - EGR Valve

03/23/07 - 136,017km - Transmission and clutch.

Total cost - $2283.82.

In addition to the above, I also have an unidentifiable noise in the front end when accelerating in a turning position from standstill.

Plastic on this car is frail - plastic at base of windshield and windows chips very easily if scraping ice (I'm very careful to avoid any contact), hubcaps are cracked/chipped and one is missing.

Shifting still feels stiff to me, especially 2nd gear (I've driven four other older vehicles with standard transmissions that all shifted much easier)

General Comments:

Car is fun to drive, when it runs properly, but I can't believe the repair costs lately. I'm almost afraid to continue driving it at this point as it has emptied my bank account.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 4th April, 2007

5th Apr 2007, 11:24

Wow, I have to say I am quite surprised that all of these things happened on a Mazda. I assume that you did all of the required maintenance on it. Goes to show that no car maker is perfect.

12th Apr 2007, 17:20

Wow. That's a lot of money to shell out. In a way I can feel your pain. I have a 2001 LX 2.0, auto trans. Mazda had to replace my transmission before I had 1,000 miles on the car, it had a torque converter shaft seal leak the dealer just couldn't fix--and it was a minor leak--maybe a quarter size puddle in a 7 day period--which is no big deal if the car was used, but it was brand new so they replaced the whole tranny. My main gripe is there is no Chilton or Haynes manual available for this car--the only one available is one from Mazda and it costs 145.00 USD. The car has 101,000 miles on it now and it is going to need a timing belt and oxygen sensors, and a hand full of other parts which will add up to about 500 bucks. The car has performed flawlessly otherwise--paint and plastic on this car are frail. Does not take much to chip paint, but I find this is the case with any manufacturer these days. This is my second Mazda--I had the Protege's predecessor, the 323, and I drove the wheels off of that car--over 350,000 miles on the first engine, 100,000 on the second before I got rid of it. I plan on keeping my Protege for at least 3 more years because it is cheaper to maintain it compared to having a 350.00 car payment which I just cannot swallow financially right now.

2001 Mazda Protege LX 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Not Bad, but not Great..

Faults:

Ignition Coil Pack went at 95,000 km. Garage couldn't diagnose the problem for weeks as it wasn't a typical failure. In that time period, the cat converter blew out, but was luckily under warranty. Much worrying and headaches, but only $200.00+

AC failure at 110,000 km - $400.00.

Knocking noise when turning, accelerating from standstill - mechanic can't diagnose, so I'll just keep driving it!

One radio speaker sounds like its on the outs.

Cheap plastic all around - moulding at base of windshield easily broke when scraping ice one morning in '03 - luckily, covered by dealer. Paper-thin hubcaps are toast and I'll definitely get some after-market ones to replace with.

Rough idle/stalling/lurching issues at this time - mechanic can't diagnose as no engine code thrown yet.

Some clutch shudder and you must ensure clutch is <b>totally</b> matted when shifting (since new).

General Comments:

Although the quality isn't as good as I would have hoped for, it isn't a bad car and in the big scheme of things it hasn't cost me much in the past 5 1/2 years. I find the 5-speed 2.0 to be quite peppy in its class (quicker than the Honda Civic that I test drove at the time), although you pay for it with some extra gas.

Handling is also good, and the stock 15" Potenzas were a nice bonus! The car loves to corner! The ride is a little rough, but I don't mind it - it's not really a family-type sedan.

If I could only get the stall/lurch issue fixed, I'm hoping to get some good time out of it yet as I can't afford anything else right now!

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

Review Date: 20th February, 2007