Used 2001 Mazda Protege Consumer Reviews
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Great for a first car or for a new feel
Kushiaji, 02/18/2004
2001 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I just recently purchased my '01 Protege, so I may seem biased by posting a review quickly. However, it was one of two vehicles and the Protege was the one I prefered NOT to have. After a day I noticed the ride was smooth, the interior console was sleek, and it has a style of class all it's own. For those who want a car no one else really has, this will make you stand out with shimmering beauty. I recommend this to anyone looking for more quality per buck.
Amazing Reliability, Poor Tire Selectio
Brobas, 03/02/2004
2001 Mazda Protege ES 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I have had my 2 vehicles prior to the purchase of my Mazda bought back on the NY State Lemon Law. Needless to say, I am a fanatic about quality with my vehicle experience. This Protege has NEVER had a problem. EVER. Period. We have had it for 3 years now and it has been outstanding.
2001 Mazda Protege for sale near you
Showing 3 of 5 listings
- LX SedanMSRP: $9,9241,818 mi away
- LX SedanMSRP: $5,9881,901 mi away
- MP3 SedanMSRP: $3,9992,107 mi away
See all 5 listings
Sportiest Car under 12k
Mp3 lover, 04/05/2004
2001 Mazda Protege MP3 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Hands down, best handling compact. Macapherson struts all around, shock absorbers, 1.5 inches lower than stock. This baby obeys all cornering comands with out question.
Nice economy sedan.
gatodelsol, 06/08/2004
2001 Mazda Protege DX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Look no further if you want a simple, more-bang-for-your-buck economy sedan. I couldn't believe how well the 4-door Protege' DX compared to the Nissan Sentra, Chevy Prizm, Saturn SL2, Toyota Corolla, and- its main nemesis- the Honda Civic. The DX may be the plain Jane of the Protege' stable, but she is still a beauty of the first magnitude. I would buy another Protege' in a minute.
Bugdet Beemer!
therealdeal, 06/28/2004
2001 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased this car new in 2001, initially impressed with fit and finish, sharp ride and handling, good braking. It whines on the highway at 3500rpm in 5th gear going 120km/h (a 6th gear would help) The 2.0 litre engine has more potential and at a conservative 130 hp, it chews up more gas than it should. With 83000 km on the clickler, I've since had minor corrosion around the tops of the door frames, my brakes are squeaking, tires are balled, the manual shifter is choppy after starting in cold weather until I warm it up, The radio display is starting to fade in and out, dealer service personel need help identifying problems!
This car makes me grin.
WriterGuy, 09/07/2004
2001 Mazda Protege ES 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The protege is a blast to drive. Its chassis responses are smooth and quick, and the steering is nicely weighted. Only problems have been the EGR valve, which stuck and caused a stalling problem, the brakes, which tend to squeal (but stop amazingly well), and the clutch, which has some chatter in cold weather. My protege has 60k miles on it and still feels new.
Great car...
StuttersC, 10/24/2004
2001 Mazda Protege MP3 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I bought this car brand new. I haven't had any issues with the car. Mazda made a good move in bringing this car to the market which opened the door to the Mazdaspeed brand in the US. The chasis is stiff and can handle just about anything you throw at it.
Great Little Car
John, 01/27/2006
2001 Mazda Protege DX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Great mileage, at times getting 36+ on the interstate. Other than routine maintenance, never had a problem with almost 85,000 on the odometer. Highly recommend this car.
My Protege two years later
totustuus00, 03/30/2003
2001 Mazda Protege ES 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I bought the Protege after driving most of the competition (Corolla, Civic, Sentra). The Mazda felt tighter, handled better and had better brakes. It has been reliable to a fault. I now have almost 40k on the car and it is still running good. I had to put new pads front and back recently and replaced the tires. The 16" Dunlops are next to impossible to find, so I upgraded one size to 205/55/16 Fulda's. The car rides a bit better on these tires. The only faults are that with the wide 16" wheels, it can be a terror to drive in the snow and the gas mileage could be better (25 to 28 typical with automatic)
I love my Protege.
Supergirl, 04/06/2003
2001 Mazda Protege DX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This car drives beautifully. My friend just got a new Accord and he still prefers to drive my car because of the smooth transmission. Great sound system. Nice design inside and out. And while it drives smoothly, when I'm in a pinch and need to move, I push that pedal down and it surprises me. Good for driving comfortably or tearing through traffic like a nut. This car is so much more than I expected.
Review
kurtb34, 04/08/2003
2001 Mazda Protege MP3 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I love it, it's fun to drive and dependable (so far). Only one minor problem. Great online support community, too.
Gets ahead, stays ahead
Daro, 04/16/2007
2001 Mazda Protege MP3 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Have you ever taken the curves on Lower Wacker Drive or on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago? Have you ever tried to enter a busy metropolitan expressway at the speed of traffic - say, 75 mph before the end of the entrance ramp? This car does it. It adheres tightly to curves and accelerates smartly into traffic. Great gas mileage, strong performance, enduring reliability, roomy interior, and distinctive looks combine to make the MP3, all at once, both affordable basic transportation and a pleasurable driving experience.
Mazda missed some small stuff
CoronaRob, 05/12/2007
2001 Mazda Protege ES 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
A fun and sporty car to drive. Replaced a '90 Protege. The 16" tires are nice but the originals (Dunlaps) only lasted 30K. Bought replacements online (Kuhomo) that are 2x better at half the cost. Could use a 6th gear or taller 5th with 3500 rpm @ 70mph the hwy mileage is low 30s. Cup holders only in front and are terrible. No variable setting on the wipers. A lot of road noise (just like the '90). Would have liked a trunk release on the remote. There should have been a power lock switch on the passenger side. Even with the shortcomings I would buy this car again in a minute. My kids are fighting over who gets it when we get rid of it.
Dependable
Big John, 07/17/2007
2001 Mazda Protege DX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Needs more head and leg room. Only one problem, the ground wire on the wiper motor broke and I fixed it myself. One new set of front brakes put on at 80000. Interstate MPG up to 39 at times. Great little car unless you're a great big or tall person.
Mazda Good, but Needs Improvement
Freebird, 08/03/2007
2001 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Quality car, with great handling, solid build quality and lots of interior room. Handles like a $25000 sports car. This is a reliable car with great mpg. Problems include constant idle shake, LR power lock went at 65000 miles All 4 suspension links failed around 80000 miles. Come on Mazda! Suspension is also a bit jostly on bumps. Seats are also uncomfortable on long trips. Trunk is too small.
Hind sight says I made a fine pick!
JT99, 03/07/2002
2001 Mazda Protege ES 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Two thumbs up with my Mazda Protege ES-GT model. Lots of time and thought went into the purchase and we did good. We started looking at the Protege5 but supply and demand didn't work in our favour so we managed to negotiate much better terms for the ES sedan, with the GT package to jazz it up as much as we could. Seven months later, I'm still grinning ear to ear as I love this car.
Protege 01 ES w/GT
dapplegrey, 05/13/2003
2001 Mazda Protege ES 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I am very very happy with this car. I have not had any problems with it, other than the usual wear and tear and hope to enjoy it for many years to come. I would not hesitate to buy another.
I love this car!!
Natalie Bowman, 08/20/2015
2001 Mazda Protege ES 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I have owned this car since it was new and I love it. It is 14 years old and has 158,000 miles on it and I plan to keep it to 200,000. Just this week I spent $1100 on new front brakes and loose tie ends. I didn't hesitate to spend that amount of money on an older car because I know how few repairs this car has needed in the last 14 years (not many) and I trust it will continue to give me good value. It is just starting to get a little rust around the tire well. Did I mention that I LOVE this car?
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
nice car good value
protege jim, 03/23/2002
2001 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The car is a real gas saver,I have had up to 42w/mpg I like the car best of all no trips back to the dealer for any thing.A nice little car for the money.
Reliability is the name of the game
Bert, 07/23/2020
2001 Mazda Protege LX 2.0 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I bought this car in 2010. It was 9 years old at the time and had 50,000 miles on. I have now owned it for a decade and added another 125,000 miles. In 10 years I have replaced tires, brakes, shocks, and an alternator. That is literally the exhaustive list of repairs. The only other thing I’ve done is put stainless hose clamps on just about every exhaust heat shield as each one started to rattle at some point. Im a big dude, 6’2” and about 250-260lbs. This is the most comfortable car I’ve ever driven, and how the seat has not worn out yet is beyond me but it hasn’t. This car is rusty, and at this point it will more than likely disintegrate before any mechanical parts break down. Unbelievable car.
Fun little go kart
Joseph C. , 03/20/2021
2001 Mazda Protege LX 2.0 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Great little cars. Ive owned 2 now a 98 lx and a 01 dx and can say i most definitely love to drive them. Great on gas, major plus. And also if you can work on them yourself, parts are really cheap online. I consider them glorified go karts because i love to drive them.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Understated Underrated Overpowered
Scott Romeo, 12/29/2021
2001 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Bought it over ten years ago, & has been the best car I've ever owned. It can tow a trailer full of bluestone gravel up our 17% gradient street. Great in the snow.
My Protege
MedinaC29, 07/22/2008
2001 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
I love this car. I bought it used with 48,000 mi. Now it has 115,100 mi. It is so great on gas and now with gas prices being almost $4.00 I am not feeling as much pain as others. I've had minor problems, unexpected issues but other than that I am satisfied with it. I've added a couple of different things to it like, a spoiler, euro carbon fiber tail lights, wind visors, tinted windows etc. I also replaced the radio because the factory radio was messing up on me big time. You would press clock and it would show the CD track # and vice versa. So I replaced it. Just recently got a new paint job and it looks even better!
way to rusty
nannyp, 09/06/2008
2001 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Overall my Mazda performs well, but body rust is a BIG problem. I only have 100,000 KM on it but it started to rust the 3rd year I had it. I had a special rust coating applied at the time of purchase but the dealership will not honor it until there are holes in the body. For that reason I will not buy another Mazda.
fun car takes a licking, keeps ticking
jsmsp, 07/12/2003
2001 Mazda Protege ES 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Nearing 2 yr mark, 42k mi, just repl. plugs and air fltr for first time. Not one defect or problem other than usual wear. AC could be better (I often drive in wool suit). Aftermarket window tint has helped dramatically. BMW 3-series-like handling. 2.0 Engine not in BMW class, but low-rpm torque is very good. MPG would be much better with 6th gear for highways (only 5sp man). Trans works well if not too short- geared and long-thrown. Overall, a fun to drive, practical, sexy small sedan that's also a good value.
2001 Mazda Protege LX - Minor Problems
kevin111, 07/17/2006
2001 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Quality compact with excellent fuel mileage. 35 mpg on a trip with automatic and the air on. Overdrive sips gas. Tight build quality. Great handling. Impressive interior room. Stylish exterior design. Relatively quiet except when engine is pushed. Very compliant ride. Quality car but Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic might be better.
Not that Great
protege666, 04/26/2007
2001 Mazda Protege DX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 5 people found this review helpful
I just paid off my Protege and I am sooo ready for a different car. I bought it for the four door and fuel economy aspect. Those two things aren't disappointing...pretty much everything else was...teh electronics were always if-y and the drivers seat kills your back...theseat belts in the back have all but ceased to function. It's just NOT THAT GREAT of a car.