Faults:

A/C compressor at 170,000 km.

General Comments:

I have found this car to be very reliable and economical. The 1.5 L DOHC engine is surprisingly lively.

I have had very little trouble with this car aside from a ceased A/C compressor. The car however, and this seems to be common in Proteges, has always idled very rough, and the vibration rattles the heat shields on the exhaust system. I've clamped them down time and time again, but I can't completely alleviate the problem.

For the 96 protege Mazda switched the headlight bulbs to a 9003 which are often hard to get, and quite pricey, in comparison to the 9004.

I find working on the car quite easy, and have been doing my own brake jobs, tune ups, and fluid changes since I bought the car.

Faults:

The first time I took my car through a car wash after I first got it, (at about 7 miles), a bunch of the paint started peeling off. So I had to take it in right away for a re-paint.

At only 20,000 miles I had to have the front right drive shaft replaced. Luckily it was still under warranty so I did not have to pay for it. However I had a difficult time getting it in to the dealership since they were always booked up and then didn't have the parts in the shop. It took them three months to actually get the parts and then no one from the shop called me back.

At 53,000 the front right drive shaft went again. So I took it in to a different Mazda dealer. Same issues: terrible service, did not have the parts, most of the time, no one even answered the phone at the dealership, AND they replaced a different part at first because they didn't know the real problem, turns out the first part did not need to be replaced! The cost of labor was $85 per hour and the OEM part was outrageously expensive.

My AC compressor went at 69,000 and supposedly it is going to be $800 to replace (parts and labor).

The lights on the radio and air controls went out at 30,000 miles, but I have never gotten them fixed.

I am also not certain if this is semi routine, but I have had to have the brakes replaced three times already (and I am pretty normal driver), and parts of the exhaust system twice.

My car has always started in the winter, but sometimes it takes a few turns of the key.

It has died several times when going in reverse. I was told by the dealership that they can't diagnose that problem unless it happens all the time. So they won't even look at it.

General Comments:

Thankfully my car has never stranded me anywhere. Most issues are things I can drive with until fixed, but they are all very expensive. I keep up with all the maintenance religiously so I hope I won't have many more issues.

This car is very difficult to fix on your own if you work only a little bit with cars. It is very low to the ground so a person will need jack stands. Also the heat shields prevent simple work like oil changing from happening very easily. Despite the inside being pretty roomy for a compact car, the engine is so tight, it is hard to have room to fix things.

The trunk is pretty big for a compact car and the back seats fold down for even more room for cargo. However, the opening between the back seat and the trunk is very small so it is difficult to fit much through there.

It is difficult to see out of the car when driving because the rear-view mirror is not high enough to be out of the windshield line of sight.

Faults:

Air compressor at 120,000 miles.

General Comments:

This is my 5th Mazda owned, none have failed, all have had at least 250,000 miles when sold, have found with all to upsize the tires to 10mm wider for better handling.

Ex 175-70-13 to 185-70-13.

Faults:

Nothing at all! Going on 5 years and all I've had to worry are just standard: oil changes, tires, and tune up.

General Comments:

You don't have to worry about having this car in the shop all the time.