2002 Mazda Protege 5 (black On Black) 5 Speed Manual Lower Miles on 2040-cars

I’m selling my 2002 Mazda Prot'eg'e 5 Hatchback 5 speed manual vehicle.  I’m not sure how many owners there were before me however I bought this car of my friend back in May of 2012 with about 96,000 miles on it.  He had just bought if from a car dealer in Iowa about 3 months before (around Feb-March 2012) as his personal everyday driver.  About 2 months after he got it, he was in the left turn lane and someone hit him from behind in the rear right side underneath the tail light.  So, insurance gave him the option to collect or fix it.  I needed a 4 cylinder car at that time really bad as a gas saver so my friend and I worked it out since the damage was very minimal and he got what he needed out of it and I got a car to fix up and drive.  The title is clean and always has been.  Not a salvage or rebuild.  Normal title which I have in hand.  So the car now has just over 109,000 miles on it as I’ve had it for about 17 months and it’s been an all around great car.  Only reason I’m selling it is because I’m in my brother’s truck 99% of the time and at this point that’s what I need.  It’s a great gas saver at about 30+ miles per gallon.  I think it holds about 12-13 gallons and I get about 400 miles or so to a tank give or take. It’s mostly been used for meetings or local use. So with that said, I either drive 5-10 miles round trip, or 150+ round trip.  It’s not a city stop and go car however the amount of traffic these days is insane so yes, it does get its use in that form.  Ok now for the details.

The back right rear side was hit right at the bumper and underneath the tail light.  The light itself was not hit or the actual metal outside frame of the body however the impact at about 10 miles an hour caused the light to break.  Not to worry the air bags etc are all fine and never deployed as this was a light accident as your every day fender bender.  After I bought the car from my buddy, I ordered all OEM new parts from Mazda in Naperville, Illinois.  The parts are listed below.  I had a body shop guy do it on the side.  For the most part, it’s pretty decent.  It’s not 100% like it was before it was hit, but vary close.  Because it’s a hatch back, it through that out of place a bit and it had to be realigned.  It’s pretty much dead on as well as the rest of the parts but obviously can’t be fixed back to 100%.  The tail light is off by about 1/8 of an inch as well as the rest of the right side.  So no, it’s not off by much.  An average everyday person wouldn’t even notice.  The paint was a special order to match and I have some left over.  It’s actually a special OEM matched paint in a spray can.  No, this isn’t a cheap spray paint etc that is like $5.  This was specially mixed from the Napa Paint store to OEM spec and was about $30 a can.   There is a huge difference in the fact that this is pressurized a certain way to make the spray form even like being painted in a body shop.  You wouldn’t want to do your whole care with this or large areas, but for bumpers etc it’s perfect and what it’s made for.  So with all that said below is a list of parts I bought.  I can provide all receipts for EVERYTHING.

INTERIOR:

The interior is like brand new.  No holes, stains, etc at all.  I challenge you to find a better interior on a car this old.  I’m not a smoker and can verify from the owners before.  No pets or kids either.  The only thing I can think of as being wrong with interior is the driver’s floor by the left foot rest is a little wore out.  There are scuffs on the back hatch interior panels form normal use but the rest of the car is like new. I’d rate it at a 9 out of 10.

 Exterior:

The body is in great shape overall.  There are some minor surface rust spots starting to pop up around the back rear fenders.  Otherwise pretty good every where else as far as I can tell.  There are some minor scuffs from age but overall I’d rate it at a 7 out of 10 because of the minor rust and the back end being fixed.  Don’t get me wrong, the hatch etc works fine and doesn’t leak at all.  I guess it’s just me knowing the fact that it was in a minor accident and I’m someone who always looks at things like that.  If I thought the car was too bad or a piece of junk I wouldn’t have purchased it.  However again I needed it.

The wheels have flaking.  I think the person from Iowa either never washed it when there was salt on the roads in the winter time, or washed it way too much.  Not sure but I think that’s why.

ENGINE:

The motor is a 2.0 vary strong!  No issues at all.  I just replaced the Purge valve sensor under the hood, and also the vent solenoid valve in the rear because the check engine light came on and showed an EVAP code.  Pretty much harmless however I fix things when they break.  The light has been cleared and 100% fixed.  Other than that I have done the regular tune-ups every 3000-3500 miles. I did the last oil change at 108,500 miles. Starts and runs vary strong.  No leaks. Belts etc look great.  

Drivetrain:

Shifts vary smooth and catches every gear with no issues at all.  The clutch seems to still be strong as well.   No grinding etc.  No problems at all.

Suspension:

I actually just had it up at my mechanic last month and had him put it on the lift to see what it would need soon.  The car itself seems a little bouncy in the front as I mentioned to him and he stated that it could need a new strut assembly on the front end which is about $550.00 with parts and labor.  Other than that the rest is fine.  Below you can read what new parts I’ve put on it.  He did say the front end looked good though.  The rear end has a whole new strut assembly installed as of about 10 months ago along with some end links.

Tires:

Back are new within the last year and fronts have about 20% life left and are worn even.  The right front leaks 50% of all it’s air out with in about 2-3 days now that it is colder.  I don’t think it’s the valve stem.  I think the tire is just too dry on the inside and when a new set is installed, it should be fine.

Exhaust:

I had to put a new lower pipe with a new O2 sensor off the manifold because the exhaust got pushed in a little bit from the accident.  I bought all OEM parts from Mazda again and had and exhaust shop do the work.  Overall it’s good and strong.

All New Parts as of May 2012 till now.

*OEM rear bumper

*Rear Frame Support with Energy stabilizer

*Tail light assembly,

Total $500.00 for body parts and 500.00 labor ( all done 17 months ago)

*Muffler $75.00 (done 17 months ago)

*Exhaust manifold with O2 sensor $325.00 (done 17 months ago)

*Wheel Alignment $65.00 (done 10 months ago)

*Rear End Stabilizer Links $45 (done about 1 year ago)

* Rear Shocks & Struts $535.00 (done about 10 months ago)

 *Rear Brake Calipers, Rotors, Pads $300.00 (done about 4 months ago)

*Front Rotors, Brake pads $125.00 (done 1 month ago)

*Purge Valve Sensor $115.00 (done 2 months ago)

*Purge Solenoid Vent Valve $165.00 (done 1 month ago)

Oil & Filter change (just done at 108,500 miles)

Overall the car runs and drives good.  It’s a 2002 so yes it has age on it and every now and then has a noise/rattles or something as you drive on different roads but it’s still a vary good, dependable car.  If I don’t get what I feel it’s worth then I’ll keep it and use it as a long distance driver to keep mile off my new truck.  I can back up everything I stated above and provide you with anything you need so you are comfortable with buying the car.  Feel free to run a car-fax.  I have no clue if the accident will come up because it was so minor but I wanted to be open and honest about it as everything else I stated to.  Feel free to call me and/or message me anytime for further details or just to chat about it if it makes you feel more comfortable.  I will answer every question honestly to the best of my knowledge.  Also feel free to take it for a test drive as well.  I do have the title in hand and as I stated, it’s clear and has always been clear.  This was not a salvaged or rebuild title because I would not have purchased it then. And no nothing shady is going on and this is not a money flipper haha.  I bought this to drive it and got my use but now need a truck.

Thanks

Jason

(630) 849-0426 cell.