Need some advice about a potential Mazda Protege5 purchase

[SodiumSulfate]

Hey Everyone,

One of my dad's co-workers is going to be giving up his 2002 Mazda Protege5. My dad took a look at it and thought it might be a nice general use car. I checked it out and know zero about cars. I would appreciate any help that you all could provide.

Here are the specifics:
- Mustard Yellow colour
- seems to have all the ammenitites (auto, air, power locks, etc)
- drive seems okay, a bit "wobbly" but my dad said that it's might be the tires
- driven on a construction site, so it's pretty muddy
- about 50K kms
- alloy wheels (will need a new set of tires)
- a few *tiny* rust spots here and there, i'd say about the size of a drop of water at various locations around the lower body

I can have it for about $11,250 (I take over the end of lease buyout).

Is it a good price? What additional costs am I looking at to nip the rust at the bud, new tires, etc?

Thanks for all your help!

[Action Jackson]

Take it for a test drive. Check the service records.

Under $12k for a car with only 50k km on it. It's a great price.

I would suggest that you do not get the OEM tires as they're more expensive than most great summer tires. Plus they're pretty poor in the rain. Great in the dry though.

Some people have reported the rust spots. I haven't seen any myself but I've used Krown Rust since I got the car.

Come check out www.toprotege.com and read through the posts about potential problems.

You can also check out www.msprotege.com.

[wrcfocus]

Those cars are quite the looker especially in red or yellow. It seems like a fair price, but take it for a drive as mentioned above. Has the car been rust proofed? To me that's a major selling point, due to the harsh winter climates here.

I test drove one back in 2002 both manual and automatic. They're really peppy around town, doesn't feel like a 130hp, more like 150. But get it on the highway and they sure are buzzy. 100km/h comes in at 3000rpm, 120km/h comes in at 3500 rpm, which is on the high side if you ask me. My 1990 Ford Tempo was doing the same amount of revs and it was a 3-speed auto. Makes you wonder sometimes.

I couldn't stand the highway noise, so I went for a Ford Focus ZX5.

[SodiumSulfate]

Thanks for the advice!

To my knowledge, it's only ever been serviced my the Mazda dealership it was bought it. I don't think the guy ever did any rustproofing because he was going to give it back at the end of his lease.

I did take it for a test drive...I found the engine noisey/knocky, but my father said that it was because it was a 4 cyclinder car (i'm used to V6 cars) and the drive as a whole was okay. We used to have a Mazda back in the day and I remember it being hard to turn (I find Toyota's are easy to make turns, the steering wheel just needs to be pushed slightly). I found that I had to use more force on the Mazda.

The car itself seemed okay, but I found that it was really wobbly...like driving with a flat tire. My father said that it was probably just the tires, and the owner recommended that if we do pick up the car, we get new tires. Driven on a construction site, so I'm sure he's driven over a bunch of nails and just had it patched.

All in all, i'm thinking for around $13K on the road, I should be able to pick up the car and fix the rust, rustproofing, etc...is it a good buy?

[Neb]

Check trader for similar milage/year. If it's really in good condition then 13k seems fair. The yellow paint tends to flake off the plastic, they had a problem with that on the earlier models. Definitely check the bumpers. The rust is another issue i would be concern about. Get it checked out by a mechanic. The car is a little noisy :) that is my complain too.. But overall I am happy with mine. Bought new and have over 100k on it.

Also check the rear brakes, make sure the calipers are not seized and rotors are in good condition. It's a common problem wiht the P5.

[wrcfocus]

I just wanted to point out that some drivers have complained about the thin paint applied to the hood. This may be a concern if you do a lot of highway driving and are concerned about the appearance of your car. Just another thing to look out for...

[Narci]

Also go check out the price of replacement parts...last time i Owned a Maxda (1994) parts were just as expensive as mercedes parts.

[Anessa]

Also go check out the price of replacement parts...last time i Owned a Maxda (1994) parts were just as expensive as mercedes parts.

I think some RFDers said before to Join the Toronto Mazda club and get a 15% discount. Buy a 3M hood protector if the paint is thin and if you're going to be doing highway driving.

[lumlum1013]

I think some RFDers said before to Join the Toronto Mazda club and get a 15% discount. Buy a 3M hood protector if the paint is thin and if you're going to be doing highway driving.

actually 17% discount in some other sponsored dealerships...
but generally 15%.....again, plz visit www.toprotege.com for more info.

i love my yellow p5, but i will soon give it up for a 2007 MS3...
i still feel lack of horse power in the P5.....

watch for:
-rust under wheel well, pass/driver side window trim (triangle window)
-rear caliper corrosion
-cheap paint, stone chip everywhere @ front ends
-cheap OEM tires
-foglight lense (crack easily)

3M protection film for P5 front ends are expensive..it runs about $450 parts/labour.... IMO i don't think' it's reallly worth it...
you could repaint the hood for like $200+/-....

i used 3M films on my fogs, for 2 years now, it's still strong!