12/29/2023 0 Comments 03 mazda protege lxIf you have a Protégé you better have a very good and loud stereo to drown out the noise. For some unknown reason some genius engineer at Mazda decided to forgo sound insulation and install a low geared transmission so the not so smooth engine is spinning away at an obscene RPM. There is plenty of grip and a firm but comfortable ride, altogether it’s a pleasant car that is until you get it out on the highway. Sure it’s no sports car and will not win very many drag races, yet the Protégé does have a certain fun to drive factor that most vehicles in its class do not possess. Kudos to Mazda for not only making a durable car, but it’s entertaining to drive as well. And so I struck a deal with the former owner and with some negotiation got the price down well below my budget! In the past I have had very good luck buying newish high mileage vehicles and this one appears to have plenty of life left in it. In fact the little Mazda drove so well I had a hard time believing it had travelled almost 300k. Besides, I figure with that mileage in six years the car must have been used for long distance commuting and if that is the case the vehicle must be very well maintained since the owner must rely on it.Īs it turned out the Protégé was used as a daily long distance commuter on the highway and it had been very well maintained. I have always had the philosophy that you have to search out a potential deal even if it might have high mileage or be a make and model that you may not like or be familiar with. The car was advertised for $2500 with a provincial safety inspection and e-tested, too good to be true? I clicked on the ad and quickly discovered why it was so cheap 298,000 kilometers will depreciate a car very quickly! Never the less I decided that the car was worth a look. With that budget you might as well forget about any Japanese vehicle that meets that criteria that were made in the last decade, I had to think outside the box a little.Įndless hours scanning Kijiji brought me and my Protégé together. Not a heck of budget especially if you want something reliable and presentable. Realistically I had $2500 to buy a car, insure, repair, license and complete all provincial certifications. Having a budget of zero dollars necessitated the need to find one of my famous “Deals of the decade”. Honestly I needed another vehicle just as much as a serious case of scabies or gout, but since two of our three cars are useless in the winter months and I no longer have a company vehicle to use a vehicle purchase was necessary. I must say that I am quite proud of the deal that I got on this 2003 Mazda. I can easily do it in under 15.2003 Mazda Protégé LX 2.0 Written and Photography by James Dolan When tightening the 2 small bolts that hold on the coils don't tighten them much, just snug is fine. Run the plugs down until they are finger tight then give them a 1/4 turn more. if the spark plugs fall out of the socket then push a piece of 1/4" tubing over the end of the plug and pull it out of the hole. Using a 5/8" sparkplug socket you can loosen the sparkplugs and remove them. Then pull the coils up, the other 2 spark plug boots are connected to the coils and will come up with them. Now you can pull the 2 spark plug boots up and out of the engine. Then remove the 2 small bolts on each of the coils that hold them to the top of the engine. You need to disconnect the small wire connectors on each of the two coils on top of the engine. You may want to label where everything came from so that it doesn't get mixed up. it has 2 visiable sparkplug boots and wires, the other 2 boots and wires are under the 2 coils and are connected to the coils.
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