[blackasta]

Originally Posted by blackasta

Sent in the ol' one for the promised fix up today - should get back the car with the suspension squeak and the central locking thing sorted out!
Few things good about a 10 yr old car - Starts like new even in subzero temperatures, and (knock on wood) no belt screeches (this thing really drives me mad!).
Plan to go in for a oil+filter change this coming January.

Suspension squeak - almost non existent after thorough greasing of the front suspension parts.

Central locking - driver side actuator replaced.

Got the Pioneer DEH 3200UB (payday folks!!) for some music on the road. could not find the wiring harness (factory to open) in walmart, and thus could not install it today.

[maddy42]

@blackasta: Thats an awesome car you got there. The miles are a bit too high but i am sure it would run another 35000 more. The car looks good but just wanted you to be a bit careful with the HU.

How much does full coverage insurance for it cost? As in zero liability? Just wanted to get a clue

Have a great time driving.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by Thunderbird77

Mazda is actually a Ford subsidiary.

No. It's not.

Originally Posted by Thunderbird77

Not sure about the quality (in US Standards).

I owned a 99 Mazda Protege for 6 years. It's a very good car. My car had less than 30% US localization - it's most of it was built in Japan. A 2000 Protege would also not be much different.

Originally Posted by Thunderbird77

$3750 sounds slightly on the higher side for a 1.3+ K miles car, to be honest.

Yes, it's rather high. When I sold my car, you could get a 6 year old Protege for anything between 5000 to 6000$. So based on that, 3750$ for a 10 year old seems rather steep. That's the price you would pay for a 10 year old Corolla, I think - so a Mazda would be slightly cheaper. A Mazda doesn't have as much resale value as a Toyota in the US.

Originally Posted by maddy42

@blackasta: Thats an awesome car you got there. The miles are a bit too high but i am sure it would run another 35000 more.

It should be good for 70000 miles more atleast. Most Japanese cars are good for 200000 miles.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by maddy42

@blackasta: Thats an awesome car you got there. The miles are a bit too high but i am sure it would run another 35000 more. The car looks good but just wanted you to be a bit careful with the HU.

How much does full coverage insurance for it cost? As in zero liability? Just wanted to get a clue

Have a great time driving.

Thanks. Could you please explain - 'just wanted you to be a bit careful with the HU'? Any mismatch/mistake?
I only have the state mandated minimum insurance - USD 232 for 6 months.
Full coverage - I didn't even ask. But surely it would have been somewhere in the range of $600+ with a $250 deductible. Considering the appx $1000 I save each yr, makes no point to get full coverage on a 10 year old car.
I had full coverage on my earlier car as I was a newbie driver then. The cost was somewhere in the range of 850+ for 6 months (back in 2008 for my Mazda 626).

Originally Posted by carboy

No. It's not.


I owned a 99 Mazda Protege for 6 years. It's a very good car. My car had less than 30% US localization - it's most of it was built in Japan. A 2000 Protege would also not be much different.

Yes, it's rather high. When I sold my car, you could get a 6 year old Protege for anything between 5000 to 6000$. So based on that, 3750$ for a 10 year old seems rather steep. That's the price you would pay for a 10 year old Corolla, I think - so a Mazda would be slightly cheaper. A Mazda doesn't have as much resale value as a Toyota in the US.

It should be good for 70000 miles more atleast. Most Japanese cars are good for 200000 miles.

Ya japs all run to 200K without much ado.
My 626 was built in Michigan and had enough components to qualify as an American car, but this 2000 Protege is built in Japan.
Honestly speaking - I found the Protege better looking + cheaper than similar aged corolla/civic/sentra. And its 3470 I paid for the car, rest are taxes and fees. But still I know I overpaid by 300 w.r.t a private sale.
Still its Honda/Toyota/Nissan in the first row with Mazda/Mitsu coming in the second. and people don't sell subarus once they get them - so I did not rank it!
P.S: Its only in Charlotte where you pay 3% tax on a car but 8.25% tax on food

[maddy42]

HU is a head unit.

Well insurance in the US is killing and i dont understand why a insurance for a vehicle should be on the drivers name instead of the vehicles. It doesnt matter who drives the car if it is covered.

So does the basic insurance cover damage done to some car? Just curious!

[carboy]

Originally Posted by blackasta

I only have the state mandated minimum insurance - USD 232 for 6 months.

What kind of liability coverage does it carry?

Originally Posted by blackasta

Full coverage - I didn't even ask.

Makes not sense to get collision for a car more than 6-7 years old.

Originally Posted by blackasta

And its 3470 I paid for the car, rest are taxes and fees. But still I know I overpaid by 300 w.r.t a private sale.

What's the trim of the car? Is it manual or auto?

[jaguar.runs]

Congrats on your new buy!

My first car was the face lift version of the Protege called "323" in GCC region. What a wonderful car it was! It was a 2002 model and had a 1.6 L engine with manual GB. I enjoyed driving it everyday. Mine had done 230K when I had to part with due to an unfortunate accident (Declared total loss by Insurance). Gem of an engine which used to give me 600 km range on a full tank, even with my spirited driving style. If not for that accident, I would still have that car with me.


Details of the accident is posted in my Lancer GT long term ownership thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...o-lancers.html

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by maddy42

HU is a head unit.

Well insurance in the US is killing and i dont understand why a insurance for a vehicle should be on the drivers name instead of the vehicles. It doesnt matter who drives the car if it is covered.

So does the basic insurance cover damage done to some car? Just curious!

Lolz I know HU is HeadUnit but what about it?

Why is a gun license on a person's name and not on the gun?

An untrained person driving a car is a hazard on the road while a sane driver who drives defensively can save lives.

As for collision insurance - if I hit car ABC, the amount required to patch up car ABC shall be paid by my insurance company, but I shall get nothing. This is also called 3rd party insurance and there is a legal minimum requirement you must have if you own/operate a vehicle.

Originally Posted by carboy

What kind of liability coverage does it carry?

Makes not sense to get collision for a car more than 6-7 years old.

What's the trim of the car? Is it manual or auto?

Its a ES variant (1.8L I4 with 122 peak HP compared to dx/lx with 1.6L I4) with a 4 speed autobox.

NC state law is - The minimum requirements of liability insurance for a private passenger vehicle is $30,000 for bodily injury for one person; $60,000 bodily injury for two or more people and $25,000 property damage.


@jaguar.runs - thanks! Shall look into your post for details.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by blackasta

NC state law is - The minimum requirements of liability insurance for a private passenger vehicle is $30,000 for bodily injury for one person; $60,000 bodily injury for two or more people and $25,000 property damage.

Too low!!!
Whether you car is new or 10 years old shouldn't make any difference at all in your decision on the liability limits to insure for.

The figure to chose for your liability limits is based on your networth. Think about what would happen if you are in an accident & you are sued.

Your coverage is enough for a non-serious accident, where you will be sued for hospital bills, physical therapy post hospitalization, loss of pay when the person is in the hospital, mental trauma caused by the accident, cost of repairing his car, rental charges because the person has to rent a car when his car is in the garage etc, etc.

In a serious accident, sky is the limit :-(
Serious accidents can be in the way of multiple people in the other car suffering major injuries, handicapped for long time, multi car pile up, even a single car accident with a BMW, accident causing your or the other car smashing into a road side shop etc etc. Not even thinking about death of a young Harvard student where you may be sued for his lifelong earning potential.

So make your liability decision based on your networth.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by carboy

Too low!!!
Whether you car is new or 10 years old shouldn't make any difference at all in your decision on the liability limits to insure for.

The figure to chose for your liability limits is based on your networth. Think about what would happen if you are in an accident & you are sued.

Your coverage is enough for a non-serious accident, where you will be sued for hospital bills, physical therapy post hospitalization, loss of pay when the person is in the hospital, mental trauma caused by the accident, cost of repairing his car, rental charges because the person has to rent a car when his car is in the garage etc, etc.

In a serious accident, sky is the limit :-(
Serious accidents can be in the way of multiple people in the other car suffering major injuries, handicapped for long time, multi car pile up, even a single car accident with a BMW, accident causing your or the other car smashing into a road side shop etc etc. Not even thinking about death of a young Harvard student where you may be sued for his lifelong earning potential.

So make your liability decision based on your networth.

Acknowledged.
But I can always argue back that its the responsibility of the state to provide any amount beyond what is paid by my insurance, because it is the state that has set the limits - and I have gone by the book!
As for networth - I am a minnow here in US with minuscule assets - so anyways they cannot do much!

[carboy]

Originally Posted by blackasta

Acknowledged.
But I can always argue back that its the responsibility of the state to provide any amount beyond what is paid by my insurance, because it is the state that has set the limits - and I have gone by the book!

Nope - that argument just doesn't hold. The state minimum is just the minimum.

Originally Posted by blackasta

As for networth - I am a minnow here in US with minuscule assets - so anyways they cannot do much!

If the insurance covers a significant portion of your net worth, then that should be good enough. Net worth would include your bank balance, investments & any immovable assets you own.

[stanjohn123]

Oh man you can drive this car forever. I think people don't really know much about Mazda's unless they've really owned one. My dad bought a brand new Mazda 323 in the year 1998 and he still has that car . It's nearing 2011 which is almost 13 years of use and it's still marching on strong albeit with a little cough once in a while like a 70 year old grand father.

It's done nearly 2,80,000 Kms.The Air con still works but with little less cooling,the original HU unit still works though it's just a cassette player ,the rear speakers work.Amazing little car this.There have been no major repairs yet as well. The interiors definitely show their age with the roof top cloth torn here and there.

I mean I don't really know if any other car can last this long without any major problems.I even doubt if a Toyota can last this long. All said I think you can never go wrong with a decent Mazda. It's just that reliable

[jaguar.runs]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

I mean I don't really know if any other car can last this long without any major problems.I even doubt if a Toyota can last this long. All said I think you can never go wrong with a decent Mazda. It's just that reliable

+1 to that. I had mine for more than 100k and it never gave me a problem. If any popped up, it was due to my mistake. I had driven through some deep water during Dubai rain and the release bearing was kaput after few days. I opted for a clutch change along and was quite surprised to find that this baby was running around with few balls in the pilot bearing. I was warned about wheel bearing damage also, but never had any issues.

Road manners is also better than a Corolla. I had hard time driving the Corolla (2005) on a highway during cross winds but never felt any issues while driving the 323.

Another advantage is the spare parts cost. My friend had a Honda Civic (2002) and was due for suspension change. Honda quoted him 750 AED per suspension and I got all 4 for my Mazda @ 700 AED .

The 323 always felt better build than any other car in it's class. The best example would be the unfortunate crash I had. I had hit a Corolla head on and that car was gone. It looked like a SUV had crashed on to it. The 323 had a broken bumper, broken head light and dented fender. The chassis member got crumpled slightly right behind left head light because the hit was directly at that point. As per insurance, that was beyond economical repair. I am sure that car will be still running fine on UAE roads and serving it's master well.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by carboy

Nope - that argument just doesn't hold. The state minimum is just the minimum.



If the insurance covers a significant portion of your net worth, then that should be good enough. Net worth would include your bank balance, investments & any immovable assets you own.

bank balance - low 4 figs
investments - Nil
Immovable assets - Nil
Guess I do not have much to cover up for

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

Oh man you can drive this car forever. I think people don't really know much about Mazda's unless they've really owned one.
.
.
.
. All said I think you can never go wrong with a decent Mazda. It's just that reliable

Originally Posted by jaguar.runs

+1 to that. I had mine for more than 100k and it never gave me a problem.
.
.
.

Another advantage is the spare parts cost.

Nice to see satisfied owners of Mazda vehicles.
My earlier 626 is still running strong at 120K miles+ with my friend in NJ.
Obviously spares are a lot cheaper than similarly sized honda/toyota/nissan.

I shall try to get the audio harness today and install the stereo.

[Jomz]

Some Mazda sad stories.

Worked On a mazda Engine in our lab, A shaft connecting flywheel and Transmission broke (This is in a lab setup, this would not be there on a regular engine) , later came to know that that it was a Mustang power output shaft on a Mazda, and it broke.

Was thinking of a sportscar, Loved the handling of the RX-8, But reviews on the engine!!! It seems like that engine would not make 100K miles forget 200K. Horrible oil consumption and life.

And $3750 for 99 Protege?? I got My 99 accord for $4000 private party. And It had onlu 97K miles (in 2009).

To be frank I see only (in craigslist) toyotas and Honda's which pass 200K miles, Mitsubishi's, Mazda's and Subaru's - I see them in the 100K-150K range and after that I assume they are done. I might be wrong here though.