i have been looking for cars lately since i will be getting my license back soon (long story), and i was wondering if somebody could help me out with this.

i've mostly been looking at hondas/acuras since they are cheap and dependable, but tonight i found this....


1999 MAZDA PROTEGE DX
5 speed, 65k miles, cd,
4 door, Yakima roof rack
$5,500

i know that the dx has the smaller engine, but i'm more concerned with handling than with speed. although, i would like to add some torque.

1) Is it a good buy?
2) How easy/cheap would it be to add torque?
3) In general, how reliable are the proteges?

i'm only 16 and only work during the summer so income is pretty minimal. something to keep in mind. i appreciate any advice that is offered.

 

1. yes
2. going to be expensive mind you you can put an intake and exhaust which will give you some more HP and torque, there are less after market parts for the 1.6 then for the 1.8 and 2 litter motors
3. very reliable

 

thanks. i'll probably look around a little more just to see whats out there, but this one seems to be one worth looking at. plus, my parents seemed to like it a lot too, and considering they are the one's paying for the car its not too bad.

 

FWIW it's actually very difficult to get a significant increase in torque on most modern 4-cylinder cars. Their inherent ability to produce torque is limited by their small displacement; bolt-on stuff (i.e. intake, exhaust) will increase it a *small* amount, but the improvement will usually occur only at high rpm, not in the low and mid-range where people usually want it. Most modern 4-cylinder Japanese cars are already tuned for maximum mid-range torque from the factory; they have to be in order to work with an automatic transmission. Trying to tune them for more low-end torque will usually have a pronounced negative effect on top-end power and overall speed.

Significantly increasing ultimate torque usually requires one of the following things: (1) forced induction, (2) nitrous [useless except for drag racing IMHO], (3) higher engine compression or (4) a bigger engine.

However, the car sounds like a good buy, and Proteges are rock-solid reliable. If your parents are paying for it, go ahead and get it; you can get something faster later on. Keep in mind that most Hondas are pretty slow too. Also, to address your other point, Proteges handle GREAT compared to other cars in their class, which is one of the main reasons I bought one. The DX has the same suspension as every other 99-00 Protege; it could use a wheel and tire upgrade, but that's pretty cheap if you do your research. The suspension of almost all newer Hondas is too soft and floppy by comparison.

Good luck!

 

1. yes
2. not as easy/cheaper for u tho since parents buying car
3. very reliable

 

A quick look at AutoTrader.com here in San Diego found several 1999 ES models in the $5,000-$6,000 range. In addition to the larger engine, you will also get alloy wheels, power everything, cruise, AC, higher-grade interior, etc. Plus, there are a lot more performance parts available. If I were you, I would try to find an ES even if it is a bit more money. You will probably spend a whole lot more adding mods to the DX and still not get the power of the ES.

 

i'm not too worried about top speed since its kinda the reason i lost my license to begin with, and the whole torque thing i guess i can deal with, as long as it handles well.

forced induction sounds reasonable, although it would probably be something i'd hold out on for a bit. i'm not big on the whole nitrous thing. i'm not exactly sure what you mean by engine compression though (getting it bored out?). an bigger engine would be nice. when you say that do you mean a swap or just a diff edition?

yeah i've been looking on autrader a lot, but i live in north carolina so i've got a pretty limited selection. mostly pick up trucks and older hondas. plus there are less people in my area than in san diego. somebody i know just got a 2001 protege that was repossed, so i might look into that.

 

I'm talking about increasing the compression ratio (C/R), which is the ratio of a cylinder's volume with the piston all the way down vs. the volume with the piston all the way up. A higher C/R increases combustion efficiency, which will generally increase power and torque throughout the rev range, but the engine will require higher octane fuel to prevent detonation. Increasing the C/R is also pretty expensive because a piston swap is usually required to change it by a meaningful amount.

Could be either one, but buying the bigger engine in the first place is generally a heckuva lot cheaper. Actually, as jstand6 points out, buying an ES or 01+ LX 2.0 in the first place is the best option from a cost standpoint. In addition to the bigger engine, these cars have better transmission gearing, and except for the 01 LX 2.0, they also have bigger front brakes than the 1.6L DX/LX.