Used 2003 Mazda Protege Consumer Reviews
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The best 1st car to have! 30 years of service!
Mazdarican, 07/13/2020
2003 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 3 people found this review helpful
This was my 1st car ever to own, needless to say I took great care of it. Just like any other car you need to mind the maintenance and never miss a single service. This car needs to be checked constantly because of the many components it has; Power-Steering Fluid, Brake fluid, brake pads, engine oil, transmission oil. I recommend that if you just bought it check all those, maybe replace them all at once. CHECK THOSE LEVELS!!! Add stop-leak fluid/oil everywhere you can, as a preventive measure, it won't do much once you actually see a leak. If it has a leak, take it to a profesional and make sure you use original seals, it loves original seals. Keep the original rims/wheels or get lighter ones. On that note: It likes wider tires (205. Never tried any wider because 205 felt pretty nice, it stuck to the road dry and wet). After 180k miles the transmission starts to act up, but who wouldn't, right? NEVER carry more weight than it can handle, it's a sedan made for light travel / daily driver, it's not a tool-box nor a pick-up truck. It tends to run hotter than most cars for some reason, remember to flush your radiator and check all hoses for blockages and cracks, it's better to keep it as cool as possible. Speaking of cool air, keep a sharp eye on you HVAC system. It tends to act up every now and then. Fun Fact: It doesn't use an A/C Cabin Filter. Try and get LED headlights retrofitted, it can help a lot for night time driving and it's still legal. Other than that, it's very fun to drive, it handles beautifully for a car that old (1991). We kept it from release in 1991 up to 2020. I think it proved itself to be a sharp, comfortable, exciting, durable car (WHEN CARED FOR). PS. You can actually have a good night's sleep if you ever need to take one in it.
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Never Again!
elyarne7, 03/09/2011
2003 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
2 of 10 people found this review helpful
I bought this car with 29,000 miles on it. That was 3 years ago. It now has 90,000 miles on it. It has only had problem after problem - battery, multiple wheel bearings, tire links, brakes, alternator. The alignment is easily messed up. The car is not well made - it's cheap, lightweight and already starting to rust. It's a money pit. Do not buy it! Oh, and my Mazda is the automatic, not 5-speed standard.
Don't Get One
historiker33, 09/16/2012
2003 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
4 of 21 people found this review helpful
In 2 years, Ive gone through: 2 wheel bearings Front axle alternator Seat belt $900 valve job Heres the bad thing, and BE ADVISED: A valve job on these cars will often result in the piston rings going bad; this happened to me. There is no easy fix for this - the car needs a new engine and smokes like crazy. The newest versions of these cars are now 13 years old. Do not buy one
2003 Mazda Protege
Buzz Wichmann, 03/01/2009
2003 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This is a fun car to drive .. not as fuel efficient as my 96 Protege was but the better looks on the 2003 model negates the lower mpg rating for me. Still 34 highway/24 city not bad .. roomy comfortable car despite being so small with good sound system - highly manuverable as well with tight steering
My experience
vhdlwhiz, 12/31/2007
2003 Mazda Protege LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I bought this car because of my previous experience with the protege. I owned one 1997 DX model from 1997. It proved to be a very reliable car and fun to drive. It lacked a bit of power but the mileage was about 36 miles to the gallon on average, not just highway. The 2003 was loaded compared to the stripped 2007 model. The larger more powerfull engine would make the car even better. Turns out that going to the automatic transmission cost me some of that power. The driving on the new model was better because of the cornering. The larger low profile wheels made the drive much better. The mileage stunk. It dropped to 27 miles to the gallon. I have liked the vehicle.