You're going to be surprised to hear this...

White95Max · 03-11-05, 03:24

You know those new 17" wheels I got for the Max?

Well...I'm going to sell them. I'm not installing them, or even getting tires for them. I've decided that I'd rather get a different car. For several reasons...
1. ~160,000 miles

2. It has 2 dents that frustrate me every time I wash/detail it.

3. Pearl white is hard to do touch up work on, and my car has lots of stone chips and a few cracks in the paint from the accidents.

4. I'd like to get a 4cyl, since I do a lot of commuting in the summer for my job. I get reimbursed $0.32 per mile driven, so I can make more profits by getting better gas mileage.

So I'm looking into Mazda Proteges. They look nice, and have a decent 4-banger in them. I'd prefer a blue or silver one, and I'll try to find a 5spd. Of course I'll throw a couple subtle mods on it to make it a bit better, like a chrome strut tower brace like I have now, and probably an intake to give it a little more power. I'll buy a different set of wheels for summer tires just like I did with the Max (although I haven't used the summer wheels) and put snow tires on the stock wheels.
Here's a blue Protege I found online.

Slackmeister · 03-11-05, 03:37

Maybe if you put the rims on your car, you wouldn't notice all the body damage as much.

Seriously, those Proteges are nice driving cars. Probably would have bought one if Ford didn't have the Focus.

Setec Astronomy · 03-11-05, 04:46

You're right, I am surprised. You remind me of my friend Bob.

White95Max · 03-11-05, 04:52

I thought you would be surprised Mike!

Here's what a silver one looks like...

sQuashed · 03-11-05, 04:52

After all the pics Ive seen of your car,I had no idea it had body damage

Must have been the zaino, I hear it does wonders

Have you looked into the Mazda 3's ?

JohnnyDaJackal · 03-11-05, 04:57

Thats a huge downgrade IMO, but I understand your situation.
Have you been having problems with the car mechanically? If I owned a car with 160k miles and rarely had problems with it mechanically, aside from regular maintence, i would think its a keeper. Buying a used car these days is like playing the lottery, you never know whats going to happen.

hirosh · 03-11-05, 05:14

oh wow, who knew your car had those dents?

well, a protege is a good car, but maybe you might want to look into the protege5? i think it's the sportier version of the protege, next to the mazdaspeed protege, and in a wagon form. i heard the handling is suppose to be pretty good too but can be on the harsh side. or yeah, maybe mazda3? nice handling car without being too harsh.

good luck.

White95Max · 03-11-05, 05:43

Well I'm still in college so I don't have enough money to afford a Protege5 or Mazda 3.

My car has a couple problems that worry me. Those dents really have an impact on how much I like the car.

TW85 HHI · 03-11-05, 05:46

Other than the V6, why not find a replacement Maxima of the same generation?

Corey Bit Spank · 03-11-05, 07:00

you'll save on gas

That's how I feel about my car. The dings/misaligned fender/etc. kind of...negate the detailing. But as long as it starts and drives well it isn't bothering me.

If I had your kind of mileage I would consider what you're doing, but with mine (109k) it's really more worth it to just drive it until you can afford something out of college. Plus I've driven Protege's and they are fun. More fun than the 3's, I think.

I'm sure you know well that having a dingless car in college is kind of impossible.

White95Max · 03-11-05, 09:49

Quote:

Originally posted by TW85 HHI
Other than the V6, why not find a replacement Maxima of the same generation?

The smaller, more nimble Protege would be a fun car. It's 600 lbs lighter, and the gearbox feels a lot more precise than the one in the Maxima. So I think it would be a blast to drive. It only has 122 HP with the 1.8L, but it's lightweight. A car doesn't have to have tons of power to be fun. I'll get a strut tower brace and intake off of Ebay for less than $75 combined, and it will be even more fun. Then come the Miata 16" wheels, and stickier tires...then I'll be all set for some winding roads.

And I'll have lots of fun detailing my own car, that has NO DENTS!

And a big factor is the gas mileage. I'll be commuting a lot for my summer job (150 miles in a day is not uncommon), and I'll also be living about 100 miles from my parents when I transfer colleges this summer. So gas mileage is somewhat of a concern. On top of that, the Max takes premium, while the Protege does not. Plus the gas stations around here sell regular and mid-grade at the same price. Then premium is a 15-cent increase per gal. So I'll just put mid-grade gas in the Protege all the time, since it's the same price anyway.

White95Max · 03-11-05, 09:52

Quote:

Originally posted by Corey Bit Spank

I'm sure you know well that having a dingless car in college is kind of impossible.

I make a point of finding an end spot in the parking lot every day. Otherwise, I park on a side street next to the campus. I've had my car for 2.5yrs now, and it only has one door ding...the one that came with the car.