New here, I own a Mazda6 which I love and the wife wants a Protege5. Looking at an 2002 with 91,000k miles with an auto tranny. Kinda wondering if I could get some input on what to look for on these cars besides the normal rust etc. Are the auto tranny's reliable or go with stick?

Thanks

 

You already mentioned the rust issues and it appears it doesn't bother you. I used to have a '98 Protege. Now my son is driving it.
Automatic or manual? My son's is a manual. I suggest asking your wife what she prefers and I would strictly go with her preference. She must be happy with it.

You know that an automatic and A/C on can turn a car with a small engine into a slug. A manual will put more power to the wheels and it is likely less expensive in the long run, unless you need to replace the clutch. My son's Protege is near 190 000 miles, I believe on the original clutch.

 

Well rust would bother me actually. I was just saying I know to look for that underneath etc. Do these need the timing belt changed at 80k or anything? Or do the have chains?

 

Yes, they have a timing belt. IIRC, they should be changed at 60000. It is a non-interference engine.

The rust starts on the rear wheel arches/ quarter panel/ dog leg. Whatever you prefer to call it.

 

That's good to know, thanks. I can look this up, but off hand, if it's an automatic, is there a recommended fluid change interval? They always make me nervous. I'd want to know is was well maintained.

 

The general rule for automatics is a fluid and filter change every 30000 miles. this fluid and filter change leaves a significant amount of old fluid in the torque converter. If a complete fluid FLUSH and filter change has been performed then the interval can be prolonged to 50000 miles.
However, the lack of fluid changes does not necessarily mean that the transmission will conk out right away. Without documentation of the fluid changes I would press for a lower price.
Anyway at about 100000 you should also change the coolant. This is important because most cars today don't have a separate transmission cooler. They run the tranny fluid through a section of the engine radiator. If the radiator leaks coolant into the the transmission loop the tranny will fail soon. Therefore make sure the tranny fluid looks and smells like it should. The odds for this car are good because it has less than 100K on the clock.

 

Thanks for the input, good reminder to check the fluid.