Mazdaspeed Protege

[mu_ohio]

Well, I test drove one today and I really like the car. I'm seeing what they can do on a trade in with my Vibe. I would recommend anyone that wants to see what they are like to take one for a spin. The trannys shifts so smooth that I almost wished my Vibe shared the same one. The engine pulls fairly strong and the turbo sounds awesome. I really didn't see anything in the car that I didn't like and the reports of a harsh ride are inaccurate. My Vibe GT with 17" rims feels exactly the same and so does the Mazda6. I'm just hoping for a good call back from the dealer. Only bad thing, the Vibes aren't terrible to trade-in or sell.

[mu_ohio]

quote:So you are getting rid of your Vibe for a another car then....Only if they can do the deal for whatt I want. Otherwise I'm not going to throw away a ton of money just to get one. I've become vary unimpressed with the quality of my Vibe and the Proteges have always been good cars.

[mu_ohio]

I'll still hang around and post. If I do trade it in, I'll have TRD springs and strut brace to sell for a good price. I may also try to swap the airbox back in.

[mu_ohio]

The brace should fit all models. I would sell it really cheap since they are $100US new. It's a big if right now as to what will happen. If I did get the deal, I'd probably sell the brace for $50 shipped?

[mu_ohio]

Well this turned out to be an April fools joke. The dealer didn't want to give me anything for my Vibe and the Mazdaspeed isn't worth the price they wanted.

[BrentDev]

I saw the review on the Mazdaspeed Protege on Car and Driver TV this past weekend. Looked ok. I think they said it was pretty fun to drive, and handled well.But - arent they up there in the loaded WRX price range? I cant remember.

[slbpsi63]

No they are about 4-5K less. Not a bad deal, but I would rather get an SRT-4. more HP for the same price.

[mu_ohio]

quote:No they are about 4-5K less. Not a bad deal, but I would rather get an SRT-4. more HP for the same price. The SRT-4 is ok if you want a Neon. I would rather have a car that was fun to drive daily and will hold up for years to come. The Protege is a very well built car in its standard form.Also, the price of the Protege is very close to that of a WRX which is a reason why I changed my mind. The Mazdaspeed is limited production so you pay at sticker or more. The WRX is going for well below sticker at almost all dealers. For example, I've seen WRXs around here going for $22k if you bargin. The Mazdaspeed is $21k plus most dealers are asking $2k for market adjustments. Personally I would not allow them to tack it on, but that's up to the dealer. So, WRX for $23k and the MSP $23k is very close

[slbpsi63]

I checked http://www.courteseycars.com when the mazdaspeed came out they had 2 of them one was black at $19.900 and an orange one for 21K. I found that odd b/c there aren't alot of options for the car. I thought it was a color premium. i think they are making less orange ones compared to black. I'm not sure though. I agree with the haggling on the MSRP on the WRX. I was just referring to MSRP not what they will cahrge you.

[BrentDev]

The orange is neat. Would really like to get a vibe in a oarange-y color. But - hopefully we will be able to find a monotone Shadow. If not, hopefully we can find a satellite.

[mu_ohio]

There are no options for Mazdaspeed and they are charging a premium for the orange. The dealers around here had the black for $20,500 and the orange for $23,000 which sucks. Then I saw how Subaru was wanting to sell a $26,000 for $23,000 and that really changed my mind.