Faults:

There was a TSB that was easily and quickly fixed by the dealer. it was a minor clutch problem that was noticeable, but didn't interfere with operation.

General Comments:

If you're looking for a Japanese economy car, the Protege is head and shoulders above the rest. I sold my old protege (a 1990 I had in college) with 225,000 miles on it, and seriously thought about buying it back with 240,000 miles... it was that good. it never gave me an ounce of trouble, and I didn't even treat it that well.

I've had my 2002 ES for 64,000 miles now, and I can't say enough good things about it. my only complaint is that it could use a smoother, more powerful engine, but the interior is great, the suspension is wonderful for a $16,000 car, and the brakes are the best I've ever used. they are amazing. and it looks a lot better than most Japanese economy cars.

You can't go wrong with a protege..."zoom zoom zoom" is not just a slogan!

Faults:

Bearing left and right depends on the road crown, sway bar gave up already $270.. Did alignment balancing, but nothing happened, still bears to either right and left.

Steering a bit heavy compared to my last car, a Nissan Sentra..

Faults:

I have owned the car for nearly a year and a half, and have had no issues worth noting.

I have replaced the brake pads and 4 tires.

General Comments:

I purchased this 2002 Protege ES after owning a 1998 Audi A4. I have been pleased thus far and have had no real issues of any kind with the car.

Mazda's claim of "zoom zoom" fits as the car is quick, but by no means fast. 0-30 response is good for a car of this kind (Mazda's entry level sedan), but the power unfortunately does not last throughout the power band. However, the power is still adequate.

Handling is crisp with little effort, although it could benefit greatly from either of the suspension upgrades of the MP3 or Mazdaspeed entries, as there is more body roll around rolling corners than I'd like.

A big positive is this car's excellent gas mileage. I can usually get 24-27 MPG if I get in some highway driving.

A big selling point of this car when I saw it was that it had a tougher appearance than it's competitors (Civic or Sentra Base). The car is very appealing with fog lamps, 16 inch wheels and a stock spoiler.

Inside, the car is much cleaner and well designed than I would have expected from such a low priced car. Dark gray upholstery with blue stitching and a few well places brushed aluminum and carbon fiber accents, accompanied with the white guages make you feel like you are in a more expensive car. Plenty of room for 5 people too.

Faults:

- Brake rotors rust repair

- Year later brake rotor replaced

- Rattling noise from exhaust. Dealer tried to fix, but is still making noise specially in summer

- Front window sealing is leaking water/wind and window makes a clicking noise every time hitting a bump. Not good.

- Engine is not running smooth/rpm up and down.

General Comments:

Car is overall good and drives nicely, but the smaller things are bugging me.

Driving it on the Michigan roads is not very comfortable. So far reliability is 10x better as my previous dodge interpid, but still room for improvement.