I'm seriously considering getting a P5 (midnight blue mica... ) but want to test drive the Focus ZX5 and the Sentra SE-R before I make my final decision. I like the exterior of the ZX5, but loathe the interior/dash; and like the extra HP and torque of the SE-R.

I know the SE-R isn't a hatch/wagon like the other two, but I figure a good bike rack would help me out with the utility I'd be missing by having a trunk instead of a hatch.

So, what did you all test drive and consider before signing on the dotted line for your Mazdas?

-djb

 

Depends on which Protege. Before we bought my wife's 99 LX, we looked at (and by that I mean at least sat in) *everything* in the price class. That exercise narrowed it down to the Protege and the Civic for us, and then driving them both made it pretty clear, and the reluctance of Honda dealers to cooperate on price made it a lock.

When I (we, whatever) bought my P5, I looked only at a couple other hatch/wagons. This was pretty easy since we love my wife's Pro (though it's totally underpowered with the 1.6 and AT) and there just wasn't much competition. The ZX5 wasn't out yet, the Focus wagon is just too, well, wagon-y, the Jetta and the Subaru Impreza TS don't have big enough back seats, etc. Basically what I wanted was a more powerful version of my wife's Pro, but in hatch or wagon form. I was resigned that I'd end up in a Passat (pricey, kinda ugly), but then Mazda released the P5. Easy choice.

 

I looked at the following cars before buying the Protege5, actually my Mom and Dad were paying, so I didn't get much say.

1. Toyota Echo- cheap and CHEAP, felt like I was sitting in a bar chair, shifter is taller than some basketball posts, ugly exterior, interior was too sparse, but pretty roomy, and good fuel economy yet never considered it. I protested against the purchasing of the car constantly.

2. Toyota Corolla-the old one-cheap again, cramped, ugly and boring interior, exterior was better than the Echo but was boring, felt like a learner's car, lots of middle aged women drive it, and you tend not to have a good impression after owning a MUch better Camry.

3. Nissan Sentra SE-great engine (turbocharged version on many Jap Nissan sports coupe, looks good (better then the SE-R IMO that was not released yet), great driving position, nice steering wheel, but outdated and cheap interior, cramped driver's seat-I couldn't drive in a comfortable position, and the back was very tight for room.

4. Honda Civic- family car like, roomy interior, comfortable like a Camry, exterior and interior kinda bland, nice fit and finish, nice gaugeset and ergonomics are excellent. But Honda salespeople are too cocky, they even ignored us when we asked him questions, so **** HONDA.

5. Toyota Celica GT- Very nice exterior and interior, excellent fit and finish, actually this was my second choice, LOOKS fast, very racy feeling both in and out. Mechanicals were a different story, drum brakes in back, 15 inch wheels only, non-sport AS tires, Corolla engine, high insurance premiums, kinda expensive for a chick car, especially when there is the GTS, which I craved. Pretty expensve too. Toyota has really great service BTW.


6. Acura 1.6EL- Very luxirious for a car its size, felt like a small Mercedes inside, the exterior is luxurious also. The Pro can't compare to it in terms of appointments or luxury. But like Honda, extremely bad service with cocky sales people who even insulted my mom. And in the middle of us asking questions, the bastard went outside take a stroll and smoke with his friend. So **** ACURA also. The sales people think they're rich because they have an Acura provided to them to drive.

7.Acura RSX Premium- Expensive, but still affordable, luxurious and sporty, strange looking exterior that is ugly without the body kit options which Acura rapes you on. Kills you on the options, lacks the excitement of Integras, the caminess has been phased out, smooth engine though, but again it was the service that disuaded me from getting an RSX.

8.VW Jetta GLS-too expensive for me, great 1.8
T engine though, vault like construction, great handling. The cheaper GL version lacks standard amenities and is still too expensive.

9.Subaru Impreza RS-Nice looking, 4wd I can do drifts, Yay! Cheap sounding engine, expensive, hate driving a lesser version of a car when they're is the WRX above, a much better value. Does that make it a WRX wannabe?

10.Mazda Protege MP3-I REGRET NOT GETTING THIS CAR. Could't because my mom wanted the car to have ABS and an Auto so she could drive it occasionally. So far in 1.2 year she has just driven it once.

I'm glad I got the Protege 5, great handling, good power, very exciting to drive, and good service, well before you bought the car. And also the best deal out there right now. I got mine below invoice and my moonroof free. Out the door at $25,000 CAN, that'a about $16,700 US, but then car prices are different so can't compare. Brand new silver Protege5, that I had to wait 2 month for from Japan. What car gives you a standard body kit, fog lights, spoiler with integrated LEDs, a firm sport suspension, strut bar, cruise, nice interior for less than $20,000 CAN? Lots of people ask if the front kit, side skirts, fog lights, spoliers, strut bar etc were aftermarket add ons. I say to them "Nope, everything is standard!"

I just want to drive up to the ******** at Acura, and say "The stuff you rape your customers on. I got for free!". $600 for fog lights, $700 for side skirts, $700 for spoiler, $800 for front valence is absurd.

Add on the hopefully forthcoming Callaway turbo and I'll be eating RSX base and premiums for lunch.

 

pretty much the same here~
test drove everything within the price range~

Acura 1.7EL
Civic Si
ZX3, ZX5 <- pretty nice...but they are "FORD"
Jetta, Golf GTi <- GTi was my top pick...but a bit too pricey
SE-R
Corolla <- 2003 - awesome "family sedan" but not sporty at all
Sunfire <- **** car

1.7EL was nice...top of the line had leather and everything

Civic was nice too, but interior not as nice as the EL, but it was a 2-door coupe

ZX3 and 5 were fine cars...handled great too! surprised Ford came out with such a nice car...but styling was pretty whacky

GTi was just simply irresistable! but pricey

SE-R was pretty good, but the styling is very off-putting~ doesn't feel special at all...look like mom's grocery getter...

new Corolla (Altis) - Belly Belly Nice Sedan! totally surprised! unlike the previous Corolla at all!!!...but again...feels like mom's grocery getting...even the Altis S...

the choice was clear...since I was paying for the finance...and GTi, 1.7EL and Civic, and SE-R had 7% finaning...I chose the P5 with 1.9% financing

not regret buying the P5 at all...damn the thing can really handle!
beating lotta cars in the corners~

trust me...if you wanna get the best handling sports wagon/sedan...get the Protege or Protege5!!!

Great interior, made in Japan (quality and reliability) and razor sharp handling! can't go wrong man!

add a NOS or the turbo charger coming out this summer...the P5 will kick Civic's **** all day long~

 

NOTHING...there was no point to it. the P-5 was/is the best there is for the money....not to mention its styling.

 

I confess I did most of my looking online but I did actually check out the following cars in person:

VW Jetta - Very nice interior, kinda bulky for what it is though, snobby sales staff, rape on financing, overpriced especially seeing as they are now built in Mexico and not shipped from Germany. Didn't bother driving it cuz the salespeople were so uninterested in dealing with me. And to think I am roughly the age group that VW commercials are for!

Ford ZX3 - Actually I wanted the SVT but no one knew when it would be out (it was originally supposed to be Feb '02), all the sales guys are old men, and they never had a manual version in stock to test drive. Also built in Mexico. I have driven the Focus sedan and wagon and they both suck! Very bad ergonomics and the engine is way underpowered. That's why I was hoping to drive the ZX3 version which has a better engine but no such luck.

Subaru Impreza - Very nice car.. but overpriced. Nice sales people though. I actually like the older Imprezas better but there weren't any used ones available around the time I was looking.

Sentra SR-R Spec V - Good deal for the power you get. Nice sales people ... cheap interior quality though (hello, am I in a Pontiac?). Not so much in love with the styling.

Hyundai Accent GSi - I like how it looks, and they compete in WRC nd SCCA Rallying. Good price. Ready for swapping a 2.0L tiburon engine and tranny. Nice sales people. But it is not available without a sunroof, and the interior is just too cheap I couldn't bring myself to drive a car that felt that cheap on the inside.

Didn't even bother with Hondas really as the new Civics are ugly and no one knew when the SiR hatch was coming out for sure. It looks like a focus anyway. But I still want to test drive one for fun.

 

I test drove a Civic EX, 2.0L Jetta GL, a 2000 integera, and a 1998 eclipse GST. I didnt' like the integera or eclipse just because i wanted a new car with a full warranty. i think the jetta has better styling, but it had no power at all. I also liked the civic, but the dealer wasn't willing to give me a deal on the cost...he wouldn't go under sticker. The protege was the best car for the money so i went with it. i havent had any problems yet and it handles almost perfectly.

 

Thanks for the responses.

Sunbyrne: I forgot about the Subaru 2.5 TS. Aside from the backseat being too small, how did you feel about the car? How would you comapre the ride and handling to the P5?

Mazda is offering 0.0% financing right now if you take delivery from dealer stock before 7/8/02 (someone please correct me if I'm wrong on that) which makes a sweet deal even sweeter, and I saw in the paper this morning that Subaru is offering 1.9%, but I'm not sure when it expires.

Thanks again

 

The are the ones I looked at in order:

1.Matrix XR - great inerior space, Toyota reliability and resale, good MPG's, but hard to find with your specific options, no special financing, handling not as sharp, and the styling is just plain weird to me. IMHO a very competitive vehicle.

2.Sentra SE-R - awesome power for the money, handled well, nice radio, few more amenities. However has a small backseat, ugly styling, cheap interior and no hatch. If it came in a hatch probably would have went for it.

3.Elantra GT - several thousand cheaper and with lots of standard equipment. Actually drove and felt very nice. Just felt the Pro5 was younger and sportier and more 'me'.

4.VW Golf - great interior, standard equipment, and crash ratings. Even liked liked the styling. But the crappy 2.slow engine, poor fuel economy, soft suspension, and bad reliability killed it.

So, like everyone else, to me the P5 was the best combination of sport and utility, with the best styling of the group IMHO. Add in great reliability and a low price with the financing and you have a winner.

 

i only drove one car before my p5. subary legacy GT. i like the looks drives very well and i think looks dope( also has tons of aftermarket stuff no one knows about, but the only bad thing is that the stuff has to be imported from japan, good thing i go there about once a year). anyways the ony thing was the $27,000 dollar price tag (i dont make that much). but then i saw the p5 on the net before it came out and i fell in love. i was the second person to get one in washington state . i love my car

 

oh yeah and the subaru dealer lied to me and said they didnt make black

 

remember this was back in the summer of 2000, so the choices at that time were limited.

I test drove 2 Foci (ZX3 & SE, don't ask me why), a Civic EX, a Corolla LE (2001 MY was out already), a Sentra GXE (couldn't find a SE to test), and of course my ES

if I had the choice I would've picked the P5 over the sedan, I like the versatility of a hatchback

but I love my Pro anyway!

 

first we had an eye on a 2001 Ford Ranger 4x4 extended cab with a manual for me...... but then we found out about the p5 and as soon as i saw it, i knew that was the car i wanted.....sitting in and driving it made it that much more of a want. before we bought it, we went and looked a toyota RAV-4, and a subaru impreza wagon.... ugly as a butt, and just didnt feel good

so we got the p5


on a side note, i saw one of the new Nissan SE-R SpecV yesterday, and dang that was a sweet a$$ car, very much a target competitor for the MP3/Mazdaspeed proteges.

 

I was also checking out the Focus ZX3/ZX5, and the Civic Si Coupe

I choose the MP5 cause it felt like the better buy to me, i liked it more, found it was easier to drive, more space, better styling inside and out.

 

none....i did not even compare it to other cars, my mind was made up from the comercial