I bought my 1999 Protege in January 2001. It had been used for 18 months and had 14600 miles.

My appreciation for the car is as follows:

Exterior Design: After owning my Protege for over 2 years and seeing the same model at almost each street corner, I still think that the car looks great.

Interior Design: The interior is well designed. The dashboard is well designed, the controls are where they should be and don't feel cheap and the steering wheel is just the right size and thickness for a more aggressive drive. One negative note is the annoying reflection of the dashboard (when shined) on the windshield on sunny days.

Comfort: The seats are well designed....especially the rear ones which offer great support and lots of legroom (I often get positive comments from impressed rear seat passengers. The car feels spacious.

Power-train: This is where the car looses some points. I have the 1.6 liter engine which I find under-powered. What surprised me most, is that I test drove a 2002 model-year with a 2.0 liter engine and it didn't feel much more power. I think the transmission (I have and test drove an automatic) slows this car down.

Handling: I bought this car with the original 14" wheels and was surprised of how well this car handles (except on wet pavement with the original Firestone tires). I then replaced my stock tires with a grippier, beefier rim/tire combo (205/50/15). I have had nothing but fun ever since.

Reliability: In general, the car has been quite reliable. With 46000 miles on the odometer, I haven't had any major problems with the car. It has just started to make a clicking noise, which sounds like the cv-joint might be going (they can't last forever). However, 2 issues tickled me: 1) I have had to change the stabilizer links on all 4 corners at least once....and they seem to be going again. This is not an expensive repair, but it is very annoying to have to bring it in almost yearly. 2) I had to get 3 door frames (around the window) repaired due to rust when the car was only 26 months old.....and the rust re-appeared 1 year later. Mazda covers the repair under warranty, but the warranty is only valid for the first 5 years.

Overall: It is a great little car: Reliable (despite it's couple of quirks), very fun to drive (probably the best in it's class), and better looking than Civics and Corollas.....and all at a better price.
Amount Paid (US$): 9000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1999
Model and Options: SE model (Canada), with AT, Sunroof and Rear trunk spoiler