2002 Mazda Protege SE review from North America
"Used? Buy a Cavalier or Focus; it'll cost less and you'll have just as much problems with it.."
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Bought new... In the first year;
The Rack (Direction) did a weird knocking noise when turning the wheels - had to replace it. (Thank god it was under warranty 'cause = 1500$ job)
Front Wheels bearings broke down.
Weird noise from suspension - Still not fixed (Mazda didn't find the problem)
The car must be made with very cheap/thin metal because it was in a hail storm and it was the only car on the street with damage.
3rd year;
The shifter bushings had to be changed (350$ job) - I know this is a common problem with Proteges.
The battery is already leaving me, but, not as frustrating as other problems listed above.
General comments?
I had small cars before; 1987 Corolla, 1992 NX-2000, Volkswagen, Chevrolet...
And it is by far the most UnderPowered car of all. It's like driving a car from the 30's. I tryed the 2L Engine and it is just as bad.
Overall reliability is average.
The service in Mazda dealers is really poor and they take a lot more time to fix the problem than regular garages.
Comfort is average too. I enjoy the quality of the dash board. Definitely a +.
Handles very very well in snow. I never got stuck with it, and it endures Abitibi/Québec snow falls.
Handling is very fun when the car is new, but it gets old fast.
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| Pure driving excitement for the money |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 2002 |
| Year of manufacture | 2001 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6 Manual |
| Performance marks | 2 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 150000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Nissan NX2000 |
| Date of Entry | 19th February, 2006 |