Used 1995 Mazda Protege Consumer Reviews
Great small car
I have owned my 95 Mazda Protege for 9+ yrs and 137,000 miles now and am just getting ready to replace with a slightly bigger vehicle and I thought I'd write for it the fine review that it deserves before I part with it. This car has been absolutely great. I have only had to do scheduled maintenance, replace tires twice and replace a tail pipe once. The manual transmission functions so smooth and feels very 'natural'. The car is zippy at highway speeds and passing is a breeze. The interior ergonomics are great - I am 6'3" and it seats me comfortaby with good lumbar support & head/leg room. It still gives me 34mpg city/39 hwy. A finely engineered Mazda that drew me to buy another Mazda.
This is how Mazda won me over
Bought brand new. Put a lot of miles on this car and have had to replace the following: Timing belts x 2, Exhaust Manifold, full set of tires x 3, radiator, full set of belts and plugs x 3, transmission fluid flushes x 3, brakes x 3 and of course regular oil changes. Engine is great and entire car has surpassed my expectations. I'm sure this would make a great car for anyone looking for a small sedan.
Hate It
I bought this car 2 yrs old with 30K miles on it. I've had it 10yrs - replaced the exhaust system SIX times, cloth seats have ripped apart from the leather backing, brakes cylinders fail inspection every yr, oil a pain to change, cv joints have been replaced 3 times. The headlights are very dim - even when newly replaced. Just a pain and I can't wait to get rid of it and the headaches!!
fair
i've had my car for 6yr. and only had a few problems out of my car.axle replaced,tires replaced every 1.5yr.
Best car I've ever owned
Purchased this car new in 1995. Chose it over Honda and Toyota because of superior interior room. I'm 6'3" and fit well in back seat, plenty of headroom. Very refined driver for size, although the ride can be less than cushy on rough roads. Precise steering, excellent brakes. Acceleration is adequate, but I choose fuel economy over power. Mine is a 5 speed, the 1.5l engine with automatic would probably be on the sluggish side. Excellent build quality, very few repairs. Trouble-free car. Plan to keep it a few more years. Rust is starting around rear wheelwells, but car still looks and runs like new. I check fuel economy with every tank, this car consistently averages 32-34 mpg.