I thought Canadians were supposed to be smart? Shut the **** up, dumbass.

Anyways, my advice is, P5 or Mazdaspeed

 

oh so you were just kidding now?

sorry, I must have missed the joke



Anyways, the p5 handles great, looks great, and weighs more than the sedan! The utility and great looks make up for any worse performance for me. (if you are looking at proteges for performance you're not looking in the right place) I was able to fit a mountain bike and luggage for 2 people for a week in the back without obscuring my rearward vision and stilll keep the passenger seat free!

 

i say..wait for the 2004 Mazda 3..that thing is way better than the protege and the protege5, the auto has 148 hp while the manual has 160 hp and "it's well under $20,000" the interior looks nice for an econobox....
i have a 2003 protege, im quite happy with it, put a subwoofer in during the summer. the trunk rattles when the bass hits..so if you're planning on putting a subwoofer in, then get the p5...otherwise..get the ES

 

Drove a '01 ES2.0 for 18 months and loved it. Now I have driven my '03 P5 for 9 months and love it, too. I think I like the P5 a little more though. I see a lot of sedans on the road. The rear speakers are better in the sedan, but put a sub and amp in and you won't hear the differrence.

I like the leather option I think you only can get in the P5.

The P5 is a smaller car then the sedan. It is around 5-6 inches shorter.

Both cars drive so well though and I believe it is a personal preference that will make your choice, like all of us on this board.

-R

 

Totally ES. I just bought my loaded 03 model 3 months ago for thousands less than the P5. I too wanted a Speed protege, but out of my price range. The spoiler standard is a nice touch. My boss owns a P5, and it is not as smooth of a ride as my ES. Plus, I think of "station wagon" when I look at the P5.

 

If you were never going to buy any mods, then the P5 would be an obvious choice. It rides maybe an inch lower than the sedan, and sway bars are just a hair bigger. You're going to buy mods, though, and the last thing you want is an extra 70 pounds tied onto your package shelf.

I prefer the ES. For one, you'll probably find one you like at a cheaper price. Price is important, or else I suppose you would be shopping for a WRX or AMG instead. You may not like the sedan's wheels, but you probably want aftermarket wheels anyway. The 6x9 speakers in the sedan make the stereo sound better than side-firing 6.5's. I think the sedan looks infinitely nicer, especially if you get a Mazda skirt kit. If you skip the fog lights, then you can pipe yourself some ram-air intake into the sedan's outside bumper holes (involves just a little bit of metal cutting, doesn't hurt the safety of the car).

Here's one vote for exercising the spoiler-delete option.

 

I have a P5 and just bought my parents an ES GT and they love it! (So do I). Good luck on getting what you want!

 

There is no difference between the handling of the P5 and the ES, other then the tower strut bar. I asked some P5 owners (in another forum) about purchasing one after market for my ES and th general consensus was not to bother because the difference was negligable.

Style wise the skirts on the P5 look better, but the hatch back thingie spoils the look of the vehicle completely.

 

Both are excellent cars...it's a matter of personal choice

 

Quite true