Here’s an update on my Curbside Classic, the 1992 Ford Ranger I did back in October 2011. In it, I told of how it was meant to be and how reliable and handsome it was in a straightforward sort of way. But like all good things, they eventually pass and wear out, and thus, the Ranger had reached that point.
As I alluded to in that original post, it was leaking oil and coolant. The oil was disappearing at a rate of two quarts every two weeks. When I had the oil changed in September, it was noted that the cooling system was indeed leaking, but no specifics were mentioned.
As we got through fall, I had to add brake fluid as the brake and/or the ABS lights would sporadically come on ever so briefly, indicating they were low on fluid, but the brakes themselves felt normal otherwise. By January, the power steering was feeling rather raspy when I was manipulating the truck into a parking space one day. Fluid was added to solve that; it’s not the first time that’s happened, but it appeared to be a very, very slow leak.
Then we had a major winter storm that hit the Puget Sound area. Snow, ice and wind hit the area and the truck soldiered on without complaint or issue. But by that Saturday, another issue reared its ugly head. The engine wouldn’t rev beyond 2000 rpm the entire time I was out running errands, and when it did hit 2000rpm, the throttle would drop to 1000 rpm, only to climb once again until it hit that ceiling; rinse, lather, repeat.
I tried to get the codes (OBD I) and since didn’t have a scanner, I had to rely on the flashing CEL light to tell me the digits to make up the codes, but never was successful with obtaining them accurately so gave up on that.
A trip to Midas, which is just a half block from work revealed the issue – and more. The idle air controller valve had gone bad and thus wasn’t reliable anymore; the radiator was indeed leaking, the timing cover was leaking, and so was the thermostat. The battery and serpentine belt were in need of replacement – and that wasn’t the end of it.The truck also had a loose wheel bearing (left front) and the rear U-Joint was also loose. Essentially, it was dying a slow death: it was now time to move on. But to what?
First, I had to determine my budget. I had hoped to begin saving up a down payment and have better income and replace the truck later in the year. Alas, the truck had other ideas and I was forced to do something, now, as I’d hoped to be able to afford a new Fiat 500. I established a budget using a car-buying calculator, and that was the beginning of my search. Last weekend was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission to see what was out there in my price range/budget.
I ended up test-driving a 2003 Mazda Protege 5 out of curiosity. It just felt right, the right size and shape, the right amount of horsepower, good driving dynamics and had most of the features I was looking for. Those included power windows, door locks, AC, hatchback, etc., but the added bonus was it had the sport shift automatic.
The Protegé had leather too, a nice touch. The only manual I found (and preferred) was a 2008 Mazda5 but it was much too much car and didn’t feel nearly as right as the smaller Protege 5.
Another car I was interested in (KIA Spectra 5 with most of the same features, but a 2006 MY) was already sold. And by this time, I really was feeling pretty warm about the Mazda.
So back I went back to the first car dealer where I found the Mazda, and decided that with all the good stuff they’d already done under the hood, such as the oil, fluids and the timing belt, that it was the right car, and decided to buy it.
I got a fairly hot deal and a decent loan too, despite it having 110K+ miles on it. I even got $1000 trade on the old truck. I also had $1100 to use as a down payment, thanks to my tax return, and I didn’t have to deal with trying to sell the old truck either, a win, win in my view.
While we sweated out the loan process (finding one that would finance the Mazda), I figured that if it all went through, it was meant to be. And so it was.
[ED: This is John’s actual Protoge 5. And my apologies for taking liberties with the pictures in your post, John, if they’re not to your liking. It’s the kind of thing that can happen when I’m bach’ing it and working late on a Friday night]
I laughed (in a good way) at the posts with the girls and the cars because it made me think of what teenage boys used to think a drivers licence meant.
I always found these cars appealing. A friend bought one new – he was a musician and needed something to haul an accoustic base violin.
Unfortunately, but the time I was in the market, Mazda had moved on to the Mazda3 wagon, which was nice but a little lacking in rear headroom for my tall kids. The only weakness I have seen in the few that are in my area is a tendency towards body rust getting started.
It is a sad thing when a faithful old car starts to get away from you with many demands for expensive repairs. Best wishes on the new one.
Thanks JP,
Fortunately, I live in Puget Sound so rust here is generally not an issue, even though Mazdas tend to rust pretty easily still.
This one shows NO signs of it anywhere that I can see and is a local car, bought at Russ Dunmire Mazda in Tacoma new (yes, I have the CarCheck report from the dealer).
I think it’ll be just fine and is my first Mazda too.
Congrats on the Mazda. I’ve always liked the Protege5 body style.
I live on the Eastside, and I have yet to see a Mazda with any kind of rust in Western Washington.
Oh I know that unless the car originated back east somewhere, it won’t show rust here AT ALL.
I was just commenting in general about them still rusting pretty easily.
And thanks.
John,
I’m just north of you on the Sound, and I was surprised to see advanced rear wheel well rust on a Mazda Protege wagon recently. The owner wasn’t available to inquire about the origin of the vehicle or travel habits to explain the rust.
anonybus,
I think what you saw was more likely a transplanted Mazda from the rust country or it spent a lot of its time on either coast near sat water/air where cars WILL rust out within a decade or less.
I have, so far not seen any Mazdas that have any rust on them around these parts and those that are rusty, either I’ve not noted the rust or it wasn’t obvious.
..even though Mazdas tend to rust pretty easily..
Not expecting a response this late to the game, but does the Protege pic on the dirt happen to be somewhere on Pike’s Peak?
Also, you said Mazda’s rust easily.. I’ve owned seven of them, (lowest starting mileage being 86k), live in the salt belt, and only one of them has had rust issues.. my ’91 Miata’s rockers. (and that only occurs when people don’t properly clean out the rear drains) How’d you come up with the notion that Mazda’s rust any easier than other cars?
On a different note, I always wished they’d made a 3d hatch version of the Protege5, as one could possibly be a replacement to my dated MX-3. Unfortunately it never happened & the 3d era seems to have passed for over sized soccer-mom cars, heh. Still rocking a (2.5L) MX-3 & 1st gen MX-5 here, with MP62 plans for the Miata next year.
Eh, it is what it is Paul,
I know i didn’t provide much in the way of photos since it WAS an update.
Actually, the photos you found of other Mazdas look to be as much about girls as it was about the cars, which truth be told, the Protege5 looks better stock IMO.
This is my first black car and while the Protege looks great in black, it would not have been my first color choice, red, blue or yellow would’ve been preferred.
And who knows I might find a man instead of a woman (yeah, I’m one of those) with it, but I’m not holding my breath. 🙂
John, That very though went through my mind as I was putting them in! Damn…I could google “Protoge 5 cute guys”.
I’m sorry; it’s been a big, long week, and I was getting a bit punchy…I can take them out if you’d rather.
No worries my friend.
it indeed needed more photos than I had provided, next time, I could do one on my thoughts (so far) on the car and get interior shots and stuff. 🙂
As for getting punchy, we all get that way sometimes, especially with a long week.
I replaced a couple of them. Everything looks different on an early Saturday morning!
Thanks Paul!
I tend to agree, when refreshed with some sleep, things DO look different (for better or worse). 🙂
I like these in black. Better than the other colors, I think. I will acknowledge that black cars are hard to keep looking good. They really reward the guy who keeps it cleaned and waxed, but punish the rest of us who make do with periodic runs through the automatic wash.
Some additional thoughts on all this.
When I began the reconnaissance mission, I had no intention of buying a car that weekend and the goal was to see what was out there, first at the dealers, new car dealers used car section first and then see what the used car dealers had to get a feel for what I could afford in my price range and how new to go. Finally, private party but going through the dealer also meant I could trade the truck, which made the whole thing much easier to do logistically speaking.
I knew I was sticking with something no bigger than a C segment hatchback for my next car and preferred a manual, it needed to have AC at the very least, power windows, locks and keyless entry preferred along with USB/Aux for music options, although that could be easily rectified aftermarket if necessary.
Mom had spotted an ad for Tacoma Dodge whom was having a used car sale going on so we went to check it out, and on an upper lot were older models at lower price points (I think up to $9000 or so) and ended up test driving an orange 2009 KIA Rio5. A cute car but very buzzy and droning at highway speeds with 54K miles or so on it, even though I liked it quite a bit. It had USB/Aux with the stock head unit but manual everything else and had AC. Next to it was a stripper 2008 Aveo sans AC, but with a manual transmission going for less.
I also checked out a 2007 Nissan Versa but wasn’t impressed with it either.
In the end, the Mazda just felt right, more grown up in terms of driving manners, zippy and while not the quietest car, it’s not in your face noisy when zooming along at highway speeds, which is nice, in the end, everything just felt right, all the knobs etc fell to hand etc and at 171″ in length, it felt shorter than it actually was and easy to park too!
Anyway, it’s done, now to concentrate on cleaning up my apartment, it’s a mess right now. 🙂
That car has a wonderful reputation as a driver’s car with the manual. Now, if they’d only have offered a diesel . . . . . then the TTAC crowd would have to come up with new excuses why they wouldn’t buy it.
Indeed, it’s wonderful to drive and on my test route, I took it down a crooked pretty drive, Chamber’s Creek Drive with Mom riding shotgun and it did that road very nicely.
This has the sport stick in that it has the manual gate for the automatic, rather than the strictly auto so that’s a plus and yes, I CAN hold it in gear like a manual, just doesn’t have that third pedal though and it only has 4, forward speeds though. Oh well.
I spent about a year looking for a yellow Protege5 with a manual, found a couple of yellow ones, but they were all automatics. The plan was to do the ‘Mavic’ decals on the outside and add a Yakima roof rack with bike carriers. Anyone who’s ever watched the Tour de France will catch on immediately to what I was doing – I had built a replica Mavic neutral support bike at the time.
Biggest problems with those cars is finding one with under six figure mileage on it anymore. And they’re 85% automatics, too. Ended up stumbling upon my (black) xB, and that put the end to that project.
Interestingly enough, I spotted a yellow Protege5 early last week, then spotted another one, blue I think and have spotted at least 4 others this week on my drive to and from work.
The car had 110,680 miles on it when I bought it, now, almost 111K.
That always happens to me – I buy a different car, and immediately start noticing others like it.
Indeed and I’ve been noticing the new Fiat 500 sprouting around these parts and I don’t own one!
The same for the new Focus and Fiesta, the Mazda2 etc as well.
I guess it’s because I’ve come attuned to them existing, but the P5 has an understated sporty design that they just don’t stand out like some do. Heck, I notice the Mazda3 more than I had the P5…
I went to the new car show in Davenport last week and they actually had a Fiat 500, even though the nearest dealer is two and a half hours away. It was a pretty neat little car, but it’s basically a two seater. It makes a Beetle look like a mid-size.
Syke, as long as it’s a low six figures and you check the car over, there’s nothing wrong with such.. it’s a Mazda! Most of mine have started with six figures on the clock. 😛
I think I see why you like it!
The third photo from the top: the Protege has a nice touch indeed, and it ain’t the leather! That “nice touch” would make a Cimarron looks good!
RIP, Ranger.
Yep, served me well and was quite reliable despite the mileage until the end.
The MP5 is the best in it’s segment if you are looking for a little fun with your practicality, good choice.
You’re probably right!
It is a fun, but practical car.
These seem to hold their value quite well. I’ve looked on and off for one, and the prices asked for them seem on the high side. No idea if they actually fetch these prices. I bought a Mazda5, and they’re 9/10s a Mazda3. It came down to the Mazdaspeed3 and the 5. I chose the more practical one, I have four kids and they’d all fit in the 3, but not the wife at the same time. I love the 5, and the 2.3 has a timing chain instead of a belt. I don’t mind belts in a longitudinal engine, but it’s pure pain in a transverse mount. The 5 has a cavernous engine bay compared to other front drivers. Its a late 2009 with a spin on filter instead of the canisters in the earlier 2.3s.
Yep, they sure do. The Honda dealer that had it tried to get $8422 for it with 110680 miles on it, but since I had to finance it, they had to drop the price and I got it for $6635, minus the deposit and trade, add in the tax (prorated to $27.50 since it was renewed back in Nov), the tax and the GAP insurance, I got it for a bit over $6 grand, out the door. Not bad at all I think.
The price got reduced as that’s the only way to finance since the car went over 100K miles but is not the only reason for it though, and it’s almost a decade old and the price may have been WAY too high to start with for the age alone.
And I should say that the Mazda 5 had been $13,995, reduced to 11,995 and I forget what the miles were on it, but it was a manual transmission though, had a CD changer, an Aux jack, but no USB port though and was a 2008 MY.
Good choice on the Mazda they are the only fun to drive Jappas wierd to hear of rust in a car now all JDM/NZ cars have galvanised bodies have had in Toyotas anyway since 1990 my previous beater a 1990 JDM Corona diesel wagon had plenty of bare steel and NO surface rust even. Id like to think I would have repaired the ute but the list of minor repairs needed to keep my Corona on the road is why Im now driving my Citroen hatch plus the fact the Corona drove like a pig and the Xsara is fun to drive.
Bryce: With newer cars in the U.S., rust issues tend to be rare and isolated to a few models. It also seems to be more of an issue where salt is used to treat the roads during the winter.
Does Southern Australia ever get icy enough to warrant the use of road salt? I’m curious, having never had the pleasure of traveling “down under.”
I lived in Tasmania for several years and there was talk of salting certain roads due to ice but it never happened same with New Zealand they grit the roads but no salt so we get regular road closures during winter.
I bought a white 2001 Protege5 from Phillips Mazda in Laguna Hills when they first came out… they told me it was only the second one sold in “Thee OC.” It was a fun car! Nice, tight chassis and a wagon for practical reasons. I added an AEM Air kit and a B&M short shifter in 2002. I kept it until I could afford a 2004 Mazda RX8. Of the two, I’d take the Protege5 over the RX… it was actually more fun to drive because you really had to DRIVE it to go fast and it was otherwise a very cheap care to own/operate. The RX8? Well, 13mpg, expensive maintenance and 2 speeding tickets soured that relationship! OH… and I’m one too… some cars deserve a cute guy picture… but no Miatas please… too much a stereotype!
LOL on the Miata, I know guys who’ve owned them, and yes, they were gay too. I even dated one who had a later one – briefly.
He got cold feet and backed away, but his big issue was getting soused on Martinis almost nightly.
The clue was he’d call me in the evenings (8-9PM or so) and already sounded inebriated by that time.
Congrats, and EXCELLENT choice. I had a 2003 Protege5, yellow, which IMO is the best color for this car! But black is nice too. I liked the electric blue too, had a hard time deciding between those 2 colors when I got mine. It was one of the best cars I ever owned, the perfect combination of performance and practicality. I should have kept it, they are nearly impossible to find in decent condition anymore. I am sure you will love it.
Thanks, this just confirms my hunch about this car in general, which is why I said it felt right in my post. A nice combination of engaging driving dynamics and practicality, you can’t get any better than that IMO.
Plus, it still sports an understated, but modern sporty good looks that still look pretty good nearly a decade later.
nice choice, that Protege5 looks a proper drivers’ car. I’ve also been backed into a corner w/ my 90 Mustang. the 256k on the odo is the least of my problem, it needs yet another convertilble top (this would be #4), it has an electrical short located behind the dash that features incessant beeping which makes driving it something like Chinese water torture. Rust has started to eat away the DS rear quarterpanel and floor boards and a handful of other locations.
I am staring a 12 state relocation to boot & I’ve already 3 other cars so I find myself having to cull my string by 2 at least.
AS it’s a relatively rare special edition, I don’t want to just trash it but looking for a good home for that old pony will not be easy. The bright side :without the converstible, I’ve been given the go ahead by the Sgt. that I can start looking for that mid sixties Triumph Bonneville that I”ve been dreaming about !!!!!
Go luck w/ the new wheels, enjoy!
Thanks, being backed into a corner isn’t the ideal situation but it is what it is.
I think I will enjoy it. Already planning on upgrading the older Alpine head unit for one that incorporates Bluetooth built in, and like a very new Alpine double din model that’s not out yet and has most, if not all of the existing features of the HU I have already, but it’s currently a single DIN model.
Congrats! I liked these when they were new, and it still looks good today. I’m always sad to see old timers like your Ranger go – they become like family, warts and all – but life goes on.
I too am upgrading to a decade-newer vehicle very shortly. Except I’m looking at a Volkswagen, because I’m clearly an idiot.
“I too am upgrading to a decade-newer vehicle very shortly. Except I’m looking at a Volkswagen, because I’m clearly an idiot.”
LOL. No, you’re not an idiot, just a masochist. 😉
That said, I have always liked the Rabbit/Golf and of course, the new Beetle, but it’s clearly not nearly as reliable as the Golfs/Rabbits are but neither will be as reliable as the Mazda though (but both should be equally as fun to drive).
John, nice car. I hope you enjoy it. My cousin has a red ’06 Mazda 3 hatch and it has been a super car, she and her husband have put over 100K on it. I still see Protege5s here from time to time, but it seems like they are all either silver or yellow.
I’ve always liked black cars, but they are higher maintenance. I would suggest getting a car duster. My ’91 Volvo was black with a saddle tan interior and since it was my first car, I was a little OCD and would wash it when it got even slightly dusty. Someone told me about the california car duster, and it’s so much easier than washing the entire car. Just throw it in the back and use as needed. I’m still using the same one I bought about 12 years ago.
The weekend prior to last weekend, it was quite sunny and boy did the car show that it was dusty (you may notice it on the hood in my photo of mine) and yes, I’ve thought about getting one of those dusters but hadn’t thought anymore of it since then.
I am well aware of how difficult it can be to keep these looking nice and this paint is in very good shape, no swirls or anything like that, outside of a small scratch or two, which is very good for a car this age. This car happens to have the metallic black with clear coat. Personally, I prefer the non metallic black, but add the clear coat on top for a deep luster that at least rivals lacquer.
My best friend had a 1980 SAAB 900 that was black, though his was not a clear coated metallic black like mine is, but the non metallic, non clear coated black of days past and it was also the turbo variant with red velour seats that by the late 80’s were fading a bit along the tops of the seats and had orange/yellow/red stripes that were, I guess the Turbo graphics of the day. It was one, sharp car and he did his best to NOT wax it in the sun but one day, accidentally did so when it was still a bit too warm and got swirl marks all over it. Eventually, they got buffed out IIRC but man, it really showed once done though.
He had bought it used in fantastic shape, though with lots of miles on it and when he sold it around 1992 or so, it had well over 200K on it and it was beginning to nickle and dime him at that point with things like $200 wheel bearings that were going out.
Interesting, this is one of the cars I was steering my sister towards when she was car shopping last year, along with the Hyundai Elantra and Peugeot 307 – which had the advantage of being a newer generation car and available with stability control and side airbags, which I felt offset the slightly riskier reliability, although it was easier to find mint lightly-used, garage kept Peugeots than the others.
What is most surprising is that $6600 is about what they go for here too, which is pretty astonishing in a US-vs-Aus comparison – there really has been a change in the used car market over there!
Yeah, used car prices really are ridiculous right now I’ll agree. However, this car is such a good, clean example with low miles for its age, it’s worth what I paid for it.
All I care about his this – who is the girl! (By the way I have a very nice Protege 5 ’02 that has served me well.)
Paul and I have NO idea. He snitched the other photos, but the one at the end off the ‘net.
That last photo is mine, and I’m single.