I am interested in purchasing a used 1999 Mazda Protege LX (Automatic). Problem is, I know absolutely nothing about cars. Completely clueless. Never owned one. This will be my first.

I am interested in the 1999 Mazda Protege LX (Automatic) mainly, because of excellent gas mileage. Also, I spent dozens of hours scouring Kelley Blue Book and Edmund's reviews about the car and it seems like a sturdy fantastic first car for someone who knows nothing about cars.

I don't (personally) know any mechanics in real life and need expert advice (or an opinion) from someone who knows what's going on. And this forum seems like the perfect place for that.

Here are the details:
It's got ~117,000 miles and it's being sold through a dealership. I personally went and did a test drive and everything seems sound. The tires need to be replaced but other than that, I didn't notice anything, until I looked at the engine.



Off to the right, there's duct tape on what looks like a hose. Is this something I need to be concerned about? Will it cause any problems down the road? Is it an easy fix? Are there specific questions I should ask the dealer about the car?

FYI: Also, they want $3,450 for the car, as-is with no warranty. Is this a fair asking price?

 

that duck tape means the air hose is bad and needs to be replaced. if a dealership sells a car like that, be carefull. could be a good buy, but the dealer will take a commission. so it would be a good idea to go there with a mechanic to check it out. in other words: why buying that one if you can cut the middleman (dealership) and buy a used car from the owner. unless the dealer give you an incredible warranty and i would start from asking him to replace the air hose. clean engine bay and duck tape that ugly raises a flag. on second thoughts, i would let it pass and look for another one. no. let it pass. look for a 2003 or newer.

 

The problem is that I am unable to find another Mazda like this in my area, and like I said, I do not know much about cars. If the problem is strictly the air hose, this is something that can be fixed easy, no? Also, there is no warranty on the vehicle but maybe the price can be brought down to ~$3000. i like the car and the reviews I have seen but since I do not know how to tinker with cars, maybe this is clearly a red flag for me.

 

Blackboxmike:

In general Mazda Protege are good reliable cars if they have been taken care of. That duct tape is functional in sealing off the vacuum leaks caused by cracks. In itself it is not a reason to pass it over: someone saved in the order of $70.00.
But: Juanky is right: it raises a yellow if not a red flag. What you can do is this: ask the seller if he agrees to a pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic of your choice. If he says 'no' you can thank him for his time and never look back. If he says 'o.k.' take the car to an independent shop or Firestone/Goodyear/Midas/CarX and have it inspected. It will cost you maybe $100 or so but you will know what's right and what's wrong with this car. We cannot tell you if this one is good or not. You may feel that this is too much money lost in case the car is a dud but it beats spending $3450 to find out the same thing.

You can go online to Kelly Blue Book and to Edmunds and look up what the current value of this car should be. Well, you get a range. Once you know what repairs are needed you can negotiate.

Once you have a car find a good independent mechanic, something like Bob's Automotive and avoid dealerships and Firestone/Goodyear/Midas/CarX and similar franchises.

Good luck.

 

tanprotege:

What you say is valid. Everything I have read about this car is good news and, like you said already, as long as it has been taken care of with routine maintenance, there shouldn't be a problem. Except, that duct tape still kind of scares me. And purchasing this car from a dealership with no warranty is kind of unsettling. Furthermore, the dealer really can't say how the car was treated prior to it arriving on the lot. I suspect, many times, dealerships patch up a car the best they can at a relatively low-cost so a car doesn't seem completely destroyed (if it is an old one) and any moderate or severe flaws manifest themselves later on, with regular use.

I have not done anything else with the car yet. I have been going to dealerships the past month on every single day off from work I have and now, I am exhausted. Taking a break for a week. The Mazda has been sitting at the dealership for a few months so it is not a hot seller at the moment, though I am still very interested. (Wish I knew more about cars so I could have more confidence, knowing that if ever a problem were to arise, I could use my know-how to patch it up).

I did a Google search and found what seems like a reputable independent mechanic in my area. Probably, I will give him a call and explain the situation to him, hear what he has to say, and then visit the dealership and go from there. Like you say, if they refuse a pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic of my choice, then the problem is easily solved. And though $100 sounds like a lot to me, you are also right about this, if the car is a dud, it beats spending $3450 to find out the same thing.

But ~$3K-4K is really what I am looking for, in my price range. Since this will be my first car that I own, the insurance is going to be high(er) and I don't want the car to be too new (since that also has an effect).

Thank you, Juanky and tanprotege for your advice. I will update this thread with any/all details.