I'm planning to purchase a Mazda Protege5 Automatic.

I am a student and not sure if I should purchase the ABS Brakes and Side Air Bag option for MSRP $800/Invoice $656.

Are these two bundle options worth the money? Would they save my life?

 

The side air bags, I'm sure that will help in an accident. The ABS brakes are great specially if you live in the north. The ABS pulses the brakes preventing them from locking in a slippery road ( snow or rain ) so your car. It works the same in dry pavement, when it encounters an oil patch or anything that will lock the brakes. Besides the insuranse rates are better for cars with ABS and side air bags.

 

There were times when I didn't care for ABS. There were also times I was thankfull for having ABS. Although stopping distance on wet pavement can be worse with ABS, the added control is well worth it. How does that Autoweek saying go? Stomp, Steer, and (?). ABS and Side-impact air bags come as a package for the safety minded individuals. Between the increased safety and lowered insurance rates, the package is well worth it.

 

I did not get the side air bags and ABS option on my P5 as it was not isntalled on the only 5sp on the lot AND I was told that it did not come w/ the 5sp in the first year by the sales guy (I did not do my research well enough ).

Having said that, I really do think that had the car had it, it would have been worth the extra bucks. I have had cars with and without ABS in the past and the ones with ABS are much more forgiving in the New York wet weather. The added control when you are hard on the brakes makes it worth it in my opinion.

I figure that it would cost and arm and a leg to retrofit the car. So, I will just make sure that it has good tires on it at all time and go with the flow....

 

I wouldn't have gotten the car without side air bags. I guess that's where your priorities go once you have a baby. At the time I could have taken or left ABS, since here in SE Texas we don't exactly get snow, though we do get our fair share of rain. But I think the EBD that comes with ABS is pretty cool (the car stops on a dime).

 

i wouldnt really care if my car had abs, but it would be nice considering that i lock the fronts on occasion...i wish my car had side airbags, anything for lower insurance payments, $180/month for insurance is no fun
hey, sunbyrne, what part of tex are you in, i used to live near houston

 

Great, now the dealer tells me if I want

ABS & Side Airbags - $800,

it's required to purchase the POWER MOONROOF which is another $800.

Sux... but I guess I have to do what I have to do ...
I might move to a civic.

 

Quicksilver: I'm in the Houston area--whereabouts did you live?

Kenji: I had to get the moonroof to get the side airbags as well. I was a little annoyed, but I gotta tell you, now that I have it I *love* it. When it's really hot here (and it gets *really* hot here) I leave it cracked when I'm parked, which really helps ventilate the car. And when it's nice, I open it all the way when I'm zoom-zooming around, and it's much fun! Yes, it's a frill, but it's nice. Definitely worth more than $500 for shiny wheels...

 

If you are only wanting it to save on insurance you may want to call your insurance company first and get rates with and without. For me it would have only saved $40 a year. That would take about 25 years of ownership to save the $800 it cost in the first place. For that I didn't get it. If you are concerned about safety then by all means by it. But it doesn't make the car stop in any shorter distance. I probably would have gotten it if I lived in snowy areas but in south Florida that isn't much of a concern. The rest of the time I use common sense. I just don't drive so close that I would require a panic stop.

 

Is it possible to get ABS without side airbags? I am in canada, if that makes any difference, but my dealer never mentioned side airbags.
Stocker

 

I'm pretty sure Canadian P5s come with stock ABS brakes, so the moon roof would be optional. Can you even get the side air bags in Canada?

 

i got the p5 5spd and it has ABS with no side impact bags.....actualy i'm glad it has the ABS, it saved me the other day from sliding through a busy intersection

 

IMHO, ABS just isn't necessary. If you know the proper technique for threshold braking and avoid situations where you need to brake at the limit, you can produce as good or better braking than a car equipped with ABS, depending on the situation. In addition, ABS lulls you into poor driving technique (the stomp, steer and pray) that can be dangerous if you ever have to drive a car without ABS.

Remember, ABS is not designed to shorten straight-line braking distances, it is designed to allow you to steer with the brake pedal mashed to the floor. If you take a bigger look at what this means--and take the advice of many, many driving instructors--you will realize one important thing: The best way to avoid an accident is to drive around it, not stop short of it. You just don't need ABS to drive around an accident. Besides, if you are locking up the front wheels on a regular basis, you are doing something wrong.

As far as side airbags are concerned, there is a limit to how effective they can be since you sit so close to the door to begin with. The door can only move so far before you come into direct contact with it. And while the insurance co. may give you a discount for having them installed (mine doesn't), they will also most certainly take the cost of replacing that very expensive airbag into consideration when deciding how high to raise your rates after a crash. Personally, I just don't want another explosive device in the cockpit of my car.

Put that money to better use: buy a set of good tires and as many laps around an autocross course you can afford.

 

I live in the north where the snow really flies!
We have two seasons in Canada...Winter and Construction!
I was a manager for a car rental agency and therefore drove many cars, 90% with ABS...and it dosen't work worth "beans" on much except dry pavement.
Situation #1
My personal car, '88 Ford Thunderbird Turbocoupe (2.3L OHC EFI 4-cyl turbo/intercooled 190hp)
car had new brakes, and safety about 3 mos. before.
I was traveling (speeding) down a major street in Guelph, Ontario and was cut-crossed by a car facing me turning left. I slammed on the brakes and the car was part on wet and part on dry pavement...car went sideways...driver **** pants!
Situation #2
Driving a '96 Ford Aspire (Aspiring to be nothing!) at a horrific 20-30km/h on a small residential street(about a foot of snow). Went to stop at T-intersection. Slid on ice through intersection (thankfully no one else was passing by) and Aspired toi poke a hole in the snow bank on the opposite side...the brake pedal nicely massaged my foot though!
Situation #3
Driving on a 4-lane road at about 60km/h in a '99 Chev Lumina in late February and narrowly missed mating ritual with a Ford Pickup...the other driver nearly **** his pants...I on the other hand had to buy new ones!
Situation #4 I drove an '86 Ford F-150 pickup through 2 winters with no weight in the back and never once lost control (this should accredit my driving abilities) and never had to clean my pants either.

As you can see I desprately hate ABS!
As for Airbags I haven't had a chance to test them(and wish no one the honor!)

Advice buy the sunroof and call it a day...no one plans to get in an collision.

Besides...death can't be that bad...no one's ever come back to complain!

 

i lived in angleton for 15 years, its about 40 miles south of houston