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meh new car

C

CRGkart44

Is Cruising For A Bruising
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
2,661
Location
Louisville, Kentucky
stoped by the dealer today to snap a pic of my new car im getting tomorrow. ill have more pics either tomorrow or tuesday. most likely tuesday cause im picking it up after work at 630-7ish

2003 Protege5 MTX with 72k on the clock. any ideas for it?

GetAttachment.aspx
 
suspension first, those struts are probably worn out, you can get a nice setup for cheap on ebay.
 
acctually... they seem pretty damn good on the test drive. im the second owner. the first one was an old man and babied it. he also bought it from the same dealer new. i was thinking lowering springs though
 
lower it with quality parts. If you can afford to, do springs and struts at the same time as stock struts are not made to have lowered springs.

Tint.

Nice set of wheels/tires.



I've always liked the P5's, but when it came time to find a new car i had a better budget so i didn't look at P5's too much, plus i wanted AWD which is why i got my subaru.


The P5's have a pretty decent amount of aftermarket support so part availability shouldn't be too bad at all.

Jump onto Mazdas247.com if you aren't already a member. My name over there is Xcelr8to1320
 
hmm.. if i can afford the struts i will... if not i guess ill wait

as for tint.. NY tint laws are gehy and you cant tint too much so its not really worth it.. plus my town hads out tickets left and right for stoopid stuff like that.

i really like the wheels and the dealer should put new tires on them before i pick it up cause they are at the wear bars.

thanks for the website... havent looked too much yet.. but ill join now
 
ahh ok. how strict are tint laws? Can you at least do all the back windows as long as the front driver and passenger windows are untouched, as well as the front windshield not being tinted (obviously)



you can do lowering springs on stock struts, but i wouldn't recommend it as it will simply wear out the struts that much faster and you'll find yourself needing to replace the struts out of necessity rather then choice.


I'd deff push the dealer to put new tires on the car if the current ones are at the wear bars, seems like something that should be done by law because otherwise there might be a safety liability for them.
 
the tint laws SUCK. even for the rear windows, i think. i mean... not much tint at all really. but again... not really woth it.

yeah... then ill prob hold off on the lowering springs untill i can afford a full kit. but with all the options, i should be able to get one for not much cash?

well... my dad has bought 2 cars and 2 truck from that dealer and is considered a very good customer. they cant give me the car with the tires that are on it because they wont pass inspection... the could lose their liscense if they do. however, if they dont im going to sears having them fill out a form saying they are illeagl and take it to the finance manager(good friend of my dad) plus my dad will be there to so... i think i will get tires. fo free

EDIT: tint law for NY is 70% for all side windows. any tine on rear window(hatch)
http://www.tintdude.com/ntoo.html
 
you should be able to find a suspension setup, struts and springs, for a price that isn't too bad, but try to stick with well know brands, or at least do the proper amount of research, you don't want to cheap out on something as important as suspension.

here's a link to a pretty cheap setup, but with a well know brand. And before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, yes they are GR2 struts, but they also have a warranty and are being sold with this package, therefore if there are any problems they should be replaced under warranty.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KYB-...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
 
thanks for the research. ill take that into consideration.

again... it wont be for a couple of months. i think.

i want to do a CAI and exhaust first. then some suspension. eventually a turbo.
 
i'd be weary about the turbo route, unless you have enough savings for when things may go wrong. They aren't the best cars to boost, even the MSP's have problem blowing up diffs (kinda like a contour).

I'm not saying you can't do it, but make sure you do all the research before you plunge into a project like that with those cars.
 
hmm... i thought they turboed these cars all the time. didnt know it was a bad car to turbo. what about like a stock MSP turbo? just a low pressure.. thats all i would want.

what have you found to be the best performance upgrade... like the tour.. it would be the 3L

i guess i need to surf Mazda247.
 
if you keep it on a low boost application then you'd mist likely be fine, and by that i mean probably no higher then 7psi, if that, at least from what i've read and researched. MSP's were only rated at like 195 hp, but the MSP was pretty much just a turbo'd standard protege motor, so you'd need to be careful. You'll find out a lot more info as you research as it has been years since i've looked into it since i never ended up getting a mazda.
 
ya.. i was juts thinking of 6-8psi. there is not need for any mroe for a street application. but.. i was thinking of doing some internals at that time. it would have to be in the summer so i can have transportation(motorcycle).

but... idk... i may not. i have plenty of time before i really do anyhting
 
if you build up the motor then you're obviously gunna be able to handle more then if you just slap a turbo onto the stock engine, but as you said, you've got plenty of time. Just thoroughly research it all before you start buying stuff so you can make sure you know what you're getting into.
 
So whats your final out the door price? I was looking at a mint condition P5 for $7000 when the SVT fell in my lap for half the price.
 
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