Well here in Japan the Axela will be released in3 weeks from now..the price of a new Sport20..yes with the FS-ZE engine, 170HP stock, AWD, went down to 16000$..from 21000$..

that gives you an idea..

 

That's kind of how I felt in 2000, when I bought my Protege ES. Then the next year they come out with a 2.0L engine, and the MP3 Model!! Oh well, what can you do?
You can use your car- get what you pay for. I Autocross my protege- almost as much as possible. As my only car, its fun to sport around tight turns in an unassuming Silver Sedan (well OK I've got Mazda logos on the sides, but its quite). 85K miles later, I've made a few mods for racing, and I've had a lot of fun with the car so far. It would be nice to have a MSP, but then I probably couldn't afford it.
As far as the Protege5 goes- its arguably the best looking 5dr car ever. The 3 is nice, but I think there will always be people to prefer the more subtle design of the P5 over the new 3. Its like comparing the old 93 RX7 to the new RX8. Some people just don't like the new styling of cars that have come out lately.

The "problem" I've seen with new cars, is that they are getting heavier, and have rediculously large wheels. Yeah its got 160 Hp, but it's probably not much faster. And when you need new tires, prepare to pay.
Look at the Honda Civic Si- the 90-91's made only 100 hp, the 2002 makes 160, but it isn't any faster or bigger on the inside- just newer.

 

Some exotics can be good investments...Ferrari was smart enough to require a contract to be signed against owner spiking for the new Enzo...650,000 shark teeth for the fastest production car ever created IS a bargain (it is almost half the cost of the McLaren F1) and there are a lot more software CEO's, Investment Bankers, collectors, and Celebrities that would plunk down over a cool 2 million for one than you think...so if you could sell an Enzo you would profit almost 1.5 million or more if you found the right person...Same with a lot of Bentlys, RRs, and Lambos...as long as they are not daily drivers and are in absolutely perfect condition, you can still sell it at or more than what you paid for it...

In our price range: about 1 minute after you drive a brand new Protege away from the dealership, you lost about 3 grand...and it will only go down hill from there...

 

dude, the 5 is a great investment regardless of what comes out in the future. some ppl don't see it as an investment, but i do. the return is tremendous (fun, practicality, better on gas than my old grand prix, warranty, FUN)... and even tho the mazda3 will be released, i shouldn't affect any decision on ur purchase of ur p5.

personally, not one of my favorite designs...