Thoughts on the 2000 Protege DX?
 

Hi everyone. My car got totaled (hit and run, but my trusty lumina didnt let him get too far, poor thing) and I'm in the market for a new one. I have been shopping around and have come across a 2000 Mazda Protege DX 5-speed with just under 100,000 miles.

The guy who is selling it says he hasn't had any problems with it so far, and it drives great. He only says that it needs a new clutch. When you "floor" the pedal it acts like it is in neutral.

I have some general questions for this community:

1. What are your thoughts on the reliability of this car? I've heard great things and consumer reports has it listed as a "good bet". Making the car last is my number one concern, for at least 5 years.
2. Is the clutch issue common on a protege with only 100,000 miles?
3. Are there any known issues with this car? I'm having a hard time tracking down common problems that people have, but I suppose this is a good thing. For example my Lumina (3.1 V6) had a leaky intake gasket, and I found out this happens on almost all GM 3.1 V6 engines that were made within a 3-5 year period after 120,000 miles ($1000-$1500 repair). The 2002-2003 Nissan Altimas burn oil, but the 2001 doesn't. Are there any outstanding issues like this for the 2000 protege?
4. To the protege owners, I know you love your cars - what is your favorite part about them? :)
5. How many miles can you squeeze out of these older mazdas? What kind of yearly maintenance am I looking at?

I've only ever driven an American car (Lumina and Cavaliers), so this should be an adventure. Haven't committed to it yet (have to negotiate the price down now that I know about the clutch issue - my mechanic said high-end would be $700-$900 for a new clutch).

common problems on a 2000 are ignition coil, egr valve, cat converter, cracking vaccum hoses. thats all i can think of off the top of my head. motor wise there are no problems motor runs good. as long as you don't plan on modifying the car it does great on gas. I'm a bad person to ask how i like the car if you want my honest opinion my favorite part of the car was when i traded it in for our new jetta. But when we got the car fact's sheet a year later after buying the car. seeing what its been through explained alot. make sure you get that car facts done.