The fact that the Protégé was the entry level model, designed purely for transportation, was obvious to anyone with eyes. But like most inexpensive compact cars, the Protégé was also boring inside and out. It was a fun to drive compact that handled well, was mechanically reliable, and most importantly, it was cheep. The Protégé was a small, inexpensive car designed to introduce young car buyers to the Mazda brand. The Mazda Protégé MP3 was a special edition of the standard Mazda Protégé, Mazda’s entry-level compact later replaced by the modern Mazda3. Mazda, in an attempt to appeal to these younger buyers, made a car specifically aimed to appeal to music lovers and car enthusiasts alike: the Protégé MP3. Younger car buyers, particularly young car enthusiasts, want their cars to be like their music: loud and proud. While some higher end trim vehicles use systems outsourced from companies like Bose, they all suffered from the same problems: the speakers were placed wherever they happened to fit, and were designed for clear sound rather than high volume. Most car speakers are small, and crammed wherever they happen to fit, with no regard for acoustics and sound quality. However, there has always been a problem: car stereos have traditionally been less then impressive. Now we could listen to our favorite music on the radio, and with the later invention of the cassette tape and later the CD and MP3 digital format, listening to our favorite music became even more a fundamental part of the driving experience. Combining the two was one of the greatest innovations in automotive history. Cars provide a sense of freedom and an escape from the mundane of everyday life, while music helps express emotions, personality, and is often meant to be shared. Not bad while moving though.Young people love two things: cars, and music. the car blends in and looks like every other nondescript car on the road. Driving this car is like being invisible. a new tranny and exhaust and the car would be fairly decent again.Ĭomment. pull out my Blaupunkt AM/FM/CD player and let the car go. no I just can't hear it since the engine is running without an exhaust system!!! At least the transmission noise has gone away. I think all new pipes/mufflers are needed except for the cat conv. The exhaust system just went last week after years of rust and rotting. They also said we could keep driving it so we have been. Local shop wants $2000 to replace the tranny with a rebuilt one. It's loud enough to be almost painful! At first I thought it was the front brakes, but it is most likely the transmission (which most likely was NEVER serviced at all). The car now makes a really irritating intermittent noise from the engine compartment while highway driving. Collected some $ from their insurance company. not too smart as the car was legally parked, turned off and she was inside the house. Cracked the front bumper cover and some other things. Became a 3rd car/station car from then on.Ī few years ago the car was parked and a neighbor backed into the front end. Put a new drivers side sun visor in too! The old one was torn up and anytime you moved it a lot of stuffing would come off.Ĭar worked fairly well for the next few years and was driven regularly until Summer 2007. including timing belt replacement and a bunch of other stuff. Immediately spent about $1000 on routine maintenance items that were never performed. We got the car used from a family member in 2002 for free with about 85k miles on it. Have a 96 Mazda Protege DX 1.5L & auto trans with 120k miles or so.
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