Nobody forced you to buy the Protege. You test drove it, and decided to buy it on your own free will. If you want a quiet ride, buy a caddy. If you couldn't afford a better car at the time, you should have waited.

 

I tried this. Used the green (TurtleWax brand I think). Washed away after 3 weeks. And thats after I applied a coat of Carnauba.

 

i rode in a friend's 2002 pathfinder (she traded in an mp3 for it, go figure) and the windnoise from the front was just as loud as in my pro. i was very surprised that it wasn't quiter. and don't even get me started on paint chips. don't blame mazda. every single car has em in the same amount. my bro's civic had them, his prelude has them, his brand new accord (bought 1 day before i bought my pro) has em. and guess what? the new ferrari that i have seen on display at miami grand prix in october HAD THEM TOO. they only way you will get rid off or stop paint chips is if you ban trucks from the highways and make sure that ******* construction crew workers sweep up the road after they are done fixing it.

 

I did. Bought one of the FIRST 2001 models. First of the new front fascia. Never saw anything about crappy paint. Never saw anything but positives in the mags about interior noise. Hey, you get what you pay for. The Protege is king for the price and class.
But in the end you're right. Guess I'm not made for economy cars, it's a learning experience. I'm glad you like yours, tho.

 

Mr. JDMstuff, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I've ever heard. At no point in your rambling incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it.
I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul.
Jack-***.

 

you watched billy madison too many times

 

If you have problems with paint chips, then use 3M ScotchCal, otherwise known as X-Pel, StonGuard, InvisiShield, etc etc etc. It's a thin plastic film you put over the paint in any area you want. You can cover the entire front of the car with it, like one of those ugly bras, but it is almost invisible if applied correctly.

It REALLY works, and you can remove it in a couple years if it gets really messed up. I have a friend who has the entire front of his car done. It's been on there for 3+ years, and the front of the car looks brand new.

Also, ALL Japanese paint sucks. Take a look at any Japanese car after a year or two and you will see the same thing, unless the paint is clearcoated.

 

well we can talk about the paint as many times as all of u want.

my plan: i've had my car for a year, almost exactly. in exactly one more year i'm gunna fill all the chips, get whatever little nicks i have out and getting a good thick coat of paint on it. with a nice pearl coat over it.
ya the engine is a little loud, but i start to worry when i drive a car i cant hear the engine in,... is it running?
and my music plays over wind noise.

i'll never sell my p5 as long as i'm financially capable of keeping it. but eventually it wont be my daily driver either. i'm buying a yugo

a car that is only held together by the paint, and a lil tape

 

Yeah, don't complain about proteges people, its awesome.
and Jay, you have seen this on our club board before.

quotes from yugo owners:
"I once test drove a Yugo, during which the radio fell out, the gear shift **** came off in my hand, and I saw daylight through the strip around the windshield."

"The Yugo's first stop after the showroom was the service
department: 'Fill 'er up and replace the engine!'"

"Any time we made a right hand turn, we all had to lean to the right to prevent the driver's side rear tire from scraping against the wheel well."

"At least it had heated rear windows--so your hands would stay warm while you pushed."

 

haha those Yugo quotes are jks


but for the protege, comeon y'all.....you get what you pay for, if you don't like it, don't sit around bitchin and complaining...just trade it in for something else

Paint chips happen, if theres contruction...or trucks moving around....chips will happen.

the little inside rattles don't bother me....sometimes i'm blasting my tunes...and you can't hear them

the loud engine noise i love. I ove hearing the engine rev...especially when i blip the throtle while changing gears....its wicked....

all in all i love the car. My parents test drove it and loved it....and i love it too.

had the car for over 3 years now....(since May '99).... and the pic in my sig was taken about 1 - 2 months ago. MY paint still looks really nice...there are chips here and there....but what you expect.

 

At least, I wasn't the one who bought an econobox and expected a BMW. Do you go to McDonald's, buy a $.49 cheese burger and expect filet mignon? You should be happy you got a Protege. If you really want a disappointment, get yourself a Toyota Matrx. It costs $25k and it makes more damn noise than the Mazda ever will!

 

I totally agree, what kind of luxury car did you expect for 15k? And I'm sure you should have had a chance to hear the loud engine noise the first time you test drove it, I sure did. But for 15k... and 0% financing for 5 years and a freaking 6 year warrenty... man I was on that like a virgin visiting the playboy mansion. Toyota, Honda, Nissan... wouldn't have even come close to those kind of prices or financing.

Then again, if your mommy bought your car... you should have done your research buddy. But for the rest of us who are poor college students... fu** i'll live with the $200 a month payments, and worry about a benz when I'm retired.

 

I also love my car, but paint improvement is needed amoung all Japanese cars

Noise is common amoung all small economy cars.

The only thing we can do with these noises is to get them atleast addressed with Masda, so they can find some fixes.

Other then that, its a pretty good car for the price and dependable. I did not buy this car for its speed as I also did research before buying and found that proteges as slow.

I simply wanted a dependable stylish commuter and my 2001 cavalier spent every week in the shop and was the biggest piece of dog droppings I have ever had. Towed twice with less then 50 000kms, air bag problems rectified in only 4 trips , Wiring harness being squished in the firewall and coroding and shorting (Buy BUY lights!) (Makes for great nightime driving Then theres the engine light that came on and off and has been turned off by dealer many times as I was unwilling to simply disconnect my battery everytime it came on. (Made them work for that POS!) Oh ya ~$500 for strut mounts for the front end after 40000kms! YA! The dealer of course had to suck up the cost! They even went as far to tell me that this problem was not a fix and will reoccur after waranty was up, Therefore buy a extended waranty! Ya! (SELL!)

Anyways, overall teh protege now has some awards that prove that its a pretty damn good car and we should be happy.

The paint thing is a whole other story!

As for the others here slamming this person for hating these problems. Lets face it, we all hate these problems too and the sooner masda gets these problems resolved the better.

 

Watashiwa Amerikan zin desunee. Nihongo a wakarimasenka?

 

Exactly what I was saying!