My P5 has just passed 17000 miles, and not a problem to report.
I would like to point out that it took 6 months exactly to accumulate those miles.
Worst issues ...rattles (not out of control, I am just a freak).
Fixed most of those with Dynamat in all 4 doors.
Road noise (fixed with Dynamat as well)
The paint on my front end (and windshield too) chips really easily. (I live in a rural area, and there is alot of construction and I drive a lot) but it is still a little sensitive in my opinion.
My fuel mileage is averaging 28 MPG city and Highway, highway only is 32MPG. No complaints there.
Hope that helps..

 

I've got 36200 at just a shade over a year..

 

I know exactly what you mean. That annoys the hell out of me too. The paint does chip rather easy too. My job requires that I drive through a lot of construction sites so there's not much that can be done about that.

oh and I've only put 7,000 miles on it in 7 months. How do you guys put so many miles on your cars???

 

Well, I drive @40 miles to work each way plus I'll take it out avery chance I get. I've had mine since Nov and am coming up on 12k

 

I guess driving all that way to work would do it. I only do about 15 each way to work but I do put a lot of miles on the car on weekends driving to different job sites.

 

yeah... for almost the better part of that year I was merely a student in college, so I had a lot of free time. My mileage has decreased consiberably since then, but still, I drive about 20 miles each way to work and then school on top of that. It still adds up. :-\

 

I just bought a protege 5 and I love it. The only problem is the pep. I also own a 67 mustang with 350hp so I'm used to a little more than the 130 stock my protege has. Anyways, I am looking at buying a cold air intake system and I see some at my import dealers' for like $150-200. I then see some on ebay for like $25-50. Has anybody ordered these ebay intake systems? If so how was the install/fit?

 

As far as reliability, I did a bunch of reasearching before buying my P5, and that was one of Protege's strong points. One of the reasons for this is your overly rich ecu tuning which is a good thing for longevity, and a bad thing for fuel efficency. This mixture thing is the reason why similar toys and hondas get better mileage. They're tuned leaner and thusly generally get more power as well as using less gas. Ppl prettymuch claiming that mazdas aren't as well-engineered are being downright silly, though. It's all a matter of calculated risks, and mazda err'd a bit more towards the safe side...

And yes, there IS the handeling appeal. I had a lowered/swaybar Civic SI before this, and honestly I like the way my 5 drives better. It's actually pretty similar but witht he extra stability of longer wheelbase, and granted a tad more bodyroll, but a swaybar'll handle that.

Thatsaid, GET A P5 dude! unless you want the scoot of a MSP, 5's are just plain cool-looking and 100% functional. I find one of the coolest things is noone can make fun of you. Very clean smooth good styling and all sorts of function that the parental-types can't deny. Perhaps it's just the group I tend to roll with, but I rarely catch crap for the wagon thing, and at that it's sarcasm. Who can argue with being able to tote 3 of your freinds and all of their gear in comfort and style.

 

I've put almost 30,000 miles on my car in just under a year

 

In the past, I've been averaging 35-36k/year. With my new P5, I am making a HUGE effort to limit my driving to 2,000/month, 24,000/year. It's not going to happen, but it may come close. I cannot imagine putting only 1,000 miles in a month unless you have several cars. I guess I just love to drive too much.