My daughter and her husband drive a very old and decrepid Toyota Celica. Their first baby is due in March. My daughter also has to drive about 80 miles one way to work. As a very pleased Mazda owner I am trying to convince them that they should go for a 626 or a Protege. They are also very good value for their very tight budget (in my humble opinion) as well as reliable and efficient cars that last Forever!

Being a Protege (and an RX-7) owner, I agree that they won't be disappointed if they buy a Protege. The MPV sounds like a nice family car too, but for some reason I think they are a bit problematic. I don't know. Maybe thats just me. If you go back to the past messages on this discussion board almost all messages about MPVs are about complaints and problems. (Unlike the many proud messages about 626s, proteges, RX-7s, etc...)

...about the MPV. You have to keep in mind that the van was not redesigned for about 11 years! Since the redesign there has been nothing but praise from the automotive community.

I can honestly say that the Protege has been selling like hot cakes here in Toronto. They've also faired better than their Honda and Toyota counterparts (Car and Driver last month Protege finished #1).

Although if their family is going to expand at a rapid pace and they want to feel "in-style" they should wait for the Tribute. It's grand launch happens in 2 weeks (less I think) and already there have been great reviews all around.

Have fun trying to convince them...

Later,

As a Mazda owner for only about 7 months, I have been more than a little shocked at parts prices at the dealer. Maybe because mine's an older vehicle ('87 626 turbo). For example: over $200 for a motor mount - nothing exotic, something that for other vehicles would run around $30 to $60 (I replaced all four in my '88 Cadillac, and the most expensive one was less than $50 - liquid filled to boot!). Other items (gaskets and such) have, IMO, been similarly outrageous. $230 (!!) for an ignition swith; again, just happened to replace the ignition switch in the Cady recently - $30.

Just curious on your opinions on this issue - this might be an important consideration for a growing family.

Mazda parts ARE expensive. No idea why but I couldnt believe the price
the dealer asked for for a protege rear bumper. The RX-7 spark plugs
are incredibly expensive. Even second hand parts for the RX-7 are
expensive. Mazda Recycling asked for $250 for an '88 AM/FM/CD Player.
The nice thing is, most American makes that have cheaper parts need
parts much more often than Mazdas do. The more sporty the car is, the
more expensive the parts become. By the way, the guy at AutoZone told
me it was OK to use the same kind of spark plug for leading and
trailing spark plugs on an 88 RX-7. I don't think so.

.. these parts will go the distance. Like you said Bill you had to replace the Caddy parts 5 times already. I'm guessing your just starting to replace that part for the Mazda.
If you absolutly must get the dealer part it will cost you money.
But you can find an aftermarket shop that only deals with Mazda's and they'll get you the same part that Mazda uses only cheaper.
All dealers will charge you an arm and a leg for parts as long as imports go. American parts won't cost you as much but you'll have to replace them about 8 times as much as the imports.

Choice is yours....

Later,

...however, I need to clarify about the motor mounts on the Caddy: When I said I replaced four mounts, I meant that I replaced all four of its mounts at the same time, not that I replaced the same mount four times. All four were not just marginal - they were toast, totally separated, engine banging all over the place.

But that also makes your point. Actually, I finally found the Mazda mount for just under $100 from an aftermarket source after a lot of searching - turns out, when I went to install it, the original mount was not bad after all - I decided to install the new one anyway, but it turned out one of the mounting holes was drilled in the wrong place, so I had an excuse to return it with a clear conscience - so still running on the original mounts!

So, again, maybe you're right - all four mounts on the Caddy had to be replaced for a total parts cost of about $180. The Mazda still has all original mounts as far as I know. My '86 Subaru turbo with 250k miles on it still has the original mounts, still in good shape.

I ALWAYS call around to the parts outlets in town (we only have about 10 total here.) Sometimes Canadian Tire is cheapest, sometimes Mazda, sometimes Penzoil - I once had to do complete brakes and bought parts at four different places and saved myself about $400.

Reliable and efficient cars that last forever? Tell that to somebody with a 95 through 98 626 with the Ford auto transmission. And parts? $ 350 for a ^&*$%#@! EGR valve for a 626 V6?