New guy needs help buying his first mazda

[The_Hriczko_Kid]

Hey all,

I am looking into buying a 2003 Mazda Protege5 2.0L with 98,000 miles and a 5spd manual trans with the original clutch. Granted,the car looks to be in great shape, I just wanted opinions on how reliable these cars are and what type of repairs/trouble I might be in for. I know its high mileage but I always thought of Mazda as being a good company with long lasting cars. I also believe Ford owned/ownes them and have seen people on here with escorts so Im assuming these have alot of the same parts.

Some concerns of mine would be things like the reliability of the motor, timing chain, clutch, trans, motor mounts, etc. Ive had cars that seemed to do fine up until 100,000 miles and then everything started going at once.

Also Im wondering how expensive ownership of these cars are?

Im excited and woould love to buy this car but before I rush into anything I want to know what you all think...

I know I have alot of questions and its alot to ask for but any help/advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

[tireboy]

welcome to c.p. from my experience mazda's are very good cars... as for parts they are reasonable to buy . the only time it can become expensive is if you are abusive on the car..

as for the mp5 i'm sure someone will chime in with the info you seek...

[goldstar]

Welcome to CP.

Assuming it hasn't been abused, and has been maintained properly, the '03 P5 should be a great purchase. I own an '02 Protege DX sedan which is virtually identical to the P5 with the obvious exception of the hatchback and the OEM inclusion of 16" alloy wheels and a front strut tower bar which makes for a good-handling car as it stands. Although it's down on power, it's a real fun car to drive.

My car has been totally reliable with no major, or minor, systems failures. In fact, more reliable than my wife's '06 Mazda3. I've done a brake job and replaced tires but that's to be expected. I've replaced the stock suspension system with the complete MSP suspension and I subject my car to hard cornering and have taken it on many long-distance trips at high cruising speeds without problems.

I have a friend with a P5 who has never regretted buying the car and I'm not aware of any major problems inherent in 3rd Gen Proteges. I've never regretted my purchase.

The FSM calls for the replacement of the timing belt at 60,000 miles so if you buy the car, unless you have positive proof that it has already been done, you must carry out the replacement yourself or have it done by a mechanic as soon as possible. This is a costly job if done by Mazda. A broken belt will strand you but not damage the engine as it's not an interference type design.

With the above cautions in mind, I'd say buy it.

Happy Motoring!

[The_Hriczko_Kid]

Thats good to know about the timing belt. I think thats a little beyond my mechanical ability so I'd have to get that done. If I get the car I plan on flushing and changing all fluids, tune up, etc.

Also since its a 5 spd manual how do you feel about changing the fluid? I can do that myself and I saw a post on here about doing it but is it necessary?

[goldstar]

Fluid change is a good idea and definitely change the M/T oil if you don't know how long it's been in the car. Consider using a synthetic here.

Happy Motoring!

[LUIGI323]

Welcome to cp