2001 Mazda Protege SE from North America - Comments

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.

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.

You stated that there is a weird noise coming from your suspension. I have a 2002 Protege LX which recently has a "weird" noise coming from the suspension when the steering wheel was turned. The faulty component was a "link" arm which connects the front stabilizer bar to the control arm. The ball joint grease dried out and the ball joint rusted. Fortunately the part only costs $60 CAN. The labour to change it is about an hour.

Me I have a protege, and personally I love riding it, low gas cost, good comfort, good handling, but like you said, I had to change my left front wheel bearing and that done with handling fees it cost me 150$, other than that I have the weird noise coming from the suspension, but I have no clue what that it. But the car runs great and brings me where I want to go!

I bought a new 2001 Mazda Protege DX 1.6L 5-spd standard; it is now 2008 and with 102K miles, this car has given me no major trouble. It's pickup is adequate, even on highways. I've driven it on long trips and average city driving. Sure, the ride could be improved, but not bad for a low-end car. My first Mazda was a used 84 Touring Sedan Hatchback and that's when I was sold on Mazda. I just purchased a 2008 Mazda3 Sport. The dealership I use has excellent service (southeastern Mass.)