Used 2000 Mazda Protege Consumer Reviews
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2000 Mazda Protege
The only maintenance I have had to have on this vehicle were a recall and routine maintenance. The recall was an oxygen sensor on the emissions system, and before that was replaced, I had to take it in a lot. However, it was covered under the warranty. The Mazda CD player has a mind of it's own, though and is very finicky about what it plays.
Excellent Small Car
Purchased my 2000 protege with the proper 5-speed manual in late 2012. Ever since I purchased it I had no mechanical problems. The 1.6ZM Engine runs like clock work and is zippy,the ride is somewhat comfortable, there are no squeaks and rattles, . However, I wish this car had more power.Another issue is rust. I noticed that the protege has the tendency to rust around the rear wheel arches. I talked to an auto body shop and they told me that Mazda during assembly the wheel arches had two pieces of metal spot welded and over time water and debris would seep in between the spot welds causing it to oxidize. Other than those two minor issues this vehicle is one of the most reliable and tough.
My Mazda Protege
My 2000 Mazda Protege has been wonderful to drive. I have replaced the front brakes and all four tires. Also the windshield wipers. I have 68,000 miles on it. I live in Florida and drove it to Des Moines, IA in September of 2002. It handled very good with excellent gas mileage. I have a stick transmission. The A/C runs very cold. I am very satisfied with it.
Expensive upkeep!
I bought it when it had 12K miles and the car was practically new. I took good care of it; changed oil on time within 3-5k miles - depending on my driving habits, routine maintenance and BRAKES (more on that later) etc. Over the past 8 years of ownership, the car has been very reliable but with a cost! My service receipts so far have totaled up to about $3,800 to date - that's an equivalent to $45/mo or $542/year!! The costliest thing ever to take a toll on the receipts were the 'brakes'; during the course, I have had eight (yes, that's 8!) brake pad replacements which included rotors and rear shoes every other alternate times. The upside: at 125K miles, the car still runs like new.
Basic Transportation
We purchased our Mazda protege off a classified site for $1100 Canadian. It was as is but only required two tires and rear shoes for safety. We've had our protege for just over a year now and it has required minimal repairs such as front stabilizer links serpentine belts (there are two, there small and they tend to break). The 1.6L with the 4 speed automatic is good on fuel both in the city and the highway. The car had 249 000kms on it and it now has 305 000. It handles well in the winter but ONLY if winter tires are equipped. Currently the car runs and drives but when the temperature drops below -5 C the thermostat sticks open and we don't get any heat. I'd recommend this car to anyone. At 305 000 kms we decided to finally retire the protege. It still drove fine but required front struts, rear brake job and rear wheel cylinder (its leaking like crazy and required brake fluid every two weeks, both rear bearing had 1/2 inch of play, the steering rack leaked at each inner tie rod and every single speaker was blown, and there were two holes in the frame due to the rough winters. but it just kept on going!
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