1991 Mazda Protege DX review from North America

This was the first car that I bought when I graduated from college in 1991. It currently has over 200 thousand miles on it, and with gas prices going to 4 dollars a gallon, it's not going anywhere any time soon.

Problems to date:

1. The coils were replaced at 110,000 miles.

2. Automatic seat belt warning light comes on and won't come off. It has been disconnected.

3. The paint on the front bumper pealed off after 50,000 miles.

Everything else has been good. It's seen what I call "normal" maintenance since I've owned it.

The clutch is the original clutch.

The head gasket seal has been replaced twice.

The major belts have been replaced numerous times, and I've only had to put one muffler on it.

I just noticed my first signs of rust, and for living in northern Minnesota and all the salt we see on the roads in the winter, that's not too bad.

The car handles well and still has lots of "giddyup" to it, considering that it's 17 years old. My kids loving driving in it because they know that I'll go around corners quicker. My wife can't drive it because of the manual transmission, so I'm hoping that it's still around for my daughter to learn on.