Quote:
Originally Posted by 1337
I know I play Mazda fanboy _way_ too often when giving car advice to ecomodders, but I would recommend a Mazda Protege5. The gearing isn't great, but you'll be turning 3000 rpm at 65 mph. That's definitely better than the Scion.
Also, you'll start out with a Cd of 0.32, which is significantly ahead of the Focus and just a hair behind the Scion.
The reliability is bulletproof. I've never had a problem with mine, and Consumer Reports gives the Protege great ratings in its reliability survey.
Best of all, the Protege is cheap. Scion might be a relatively new brand, but they're doing a great job with brand image. As a result, Scions depreciate very slowly. If you play with Kelley Blue Book (as I did when choosing a car to ecomod), you'll see that the Protege is significantly cheaper than an the same year of Scion xA/xB, Civic, and Corolla.
Oh, one last thing--the Protege isn't fast, but I drove a Fit and a Protege back to back once, and I prefer the Protege's sporty handling.
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Well, the last year for the Protege5 was 2003. That means I'd be starting with a six year old car. I would prefer, and can afford, something newer. I'm looking to spend roughly $10-12K. The Protege was of course replaced by the Mazda3, which I love, but it would force me to take a little bit of a hit in fuel economy, because of it's 2.3 liter engine and slightly higher curb weight than most compacts. That being said, it's not exactly a Hummer either. I think it's going to come down to that and the 05-07 Focus ZX5 or wagon. I'm really looking forward to having a slick handling car and a stick shift.
P.S. - There is no such thing as being too much of a Mazda fanboy, they make some great cars. Zoom-zoom.
It really is more than just a marketing slogan.