2000 Mazda Protege DX review from North America
"I will consider buying another Mazda in the future, because this car has held up so well"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
At 80,000 miles the Rear door weather stripping came off. Some adhesive took care of that.
Not sure what the mileage was when the heat shield on the exhaust pipe started to vibrate.
At 90,000 miles the "radius rods" (that's what the mechanic called them) broke, but that was caused by hitting a pot hole.
At 100,000 miles the engine started running rough. You can't buy Items needed for a basic tune up at the local parts dealer. So a tune up is rather pricey. And the check engine light comes on.
AT 110,000 miles I put a new clutch in it. While removing a bolt the bell housing broke. The steel bolt seized to the aluminum bell housing. I always thought putting two different metals together was a bad idea.
At 120,000 miles the transmission started to leak destroying the clutch. The cause was a bearing that went bad. I had the transmission resealed. A month later the transmission has gone completely out of it. The driver's (American) side drive shaft popped out of the transmission.
All of this happened after the warranty expired.
General comments?
This car has been a good car in general terms. We have put some money into it over five years of ownership, and 120,000 miles of HARD driving. With all things considered the car has held up well.
It has started to use a little oil, but I'm not very religious with the oil changes because the car is always on the go.
I consider myself a shade tree mechanic. I think the Protege is easy enough to work on, but all the electronics make it a little more challenging.
The interior is still in great shape even with three small children. No tears or holes. Everything still works as it did when we left the dealer with it.
The exterior has held up to two very minor accidents. (so minor the air bags didn't deploy) One in the rear and one in the front. The body seams are still good and the car still tracked well.
The car handles well even after five years of rough driving.
The engine could use a little more horse power, but it is a economy car.
Gas mileage is still upper 20's even after all the abuse.
Recommended reviews
| Very reliable! |
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| High quality, ergonomics, handling, comfort, and reliability in an inexpensive, handsome package |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 2000 |
| Year of manufacture | 1999 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6 Manual |
| Performance marks | 4 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 6 miles |
| Most recent distance | 121000 miles |
| Previous car | Volkswagen Vanagon |
| Date of Entry | 2nd December, 2005 |