I couldn't resist buying it...my Mazdaspeed Protege

Like many GRM members, I find myself occasionally searching Craigslist for random vehicles that seem interesting in the sub-Challenge price range. Typically I resist the urge to buy the stuff I find since I've put a self-imposed one project at a time rule on myself. However, this particular car spoke to me and I just had to contact the seller. 

After a few messages back and forth, a few hours in the truck and $750 later it's now parked in front of my shop.

A couple pictures of how it looked when we got back with it.

And a few after a quick wash before it got dark.

Love that series of Proteges!  I DD’d a blue MP3 version (2001, I think) for about a yr or so.  No turbo like yours but loved the firm ride and rear sway bar slap from that Racing Beat suspension they came with.  Enjoy and keep us posted!

Now for the details, the engine doesn't run. At minimum it's the head gasket or possibly worse. I'm planning on pulling it out to tear down and find out. The seller bought it from someone he knew after the car supposedly over heated on them and they just replaced the car with a newer one. The seller bought the car with the goal of getting it running again and back on the road. However the reality of 3 young kids and no free time plus his wife's DD suddenly needing a transmission replaced led him to sell the MSP to help cover the cost of the transmission replacement.

The car only has 116k miles. The body is in fairly good condition for it's age and selling price. The interior is very good other than the steering wheel leather. And the car appears to be complete and 100% stock other than a Forged Motorsports wastegate and the missing radio.

These things are cool. I'm eager to hear what you find with the engine. Hopefully if not an easy fix it will at least be cheap! 

Glad to see you back!

Man a clean shell with a "broken" motor for $750. I'd have jumped on that too (like I have the time either.) I love those things.

Vigo said:

These things are cool. I'm eager to hear what you find with the engine. Hopefully if not an easy fix it will at least be cheap! 

From the little bit of reading I've done, the 2.0 is the same from all the 00-03 Proteges so if this one is junk I'll be on the lookout for another.

Progress is going to be slow on the MSP for awhile. I'm in the middle of building a tube chassis rock crawler so I want to keep focused on it because I'm trying to have it ready to go by summer next year.

I have never see one with intact rear quarters, the rust monster gets all of them around here. 

Sitting at a stop light on the way home from work this evening and a titanium gray 2003.5 MSP drove past. That makes 2 in my area, not counting mine. There is another local guy with an 03 black mica MSP like mine.

pinchvalve said:

I have never see one with intact rear quarters, the rust monster gets all of them around here. 

Same here. Anything with an M on the grille eventually looks lke this:

NGTD said:

pinchvalve said:

I have never see one with intact rear quarters, the rust monster gets all of them around here. 

Same here. Anything with an M on the grille eventually looks lke this:

Yeah, I could not live somewhere that cars end up like that, especially that new of a car. 40-plus years old, sure it can need some patch panels but not completely gone in a decade.

The MSP isn't my only Protege, I've been DD'ing a 2000 LX for several years. And SWMBO DD's an 04 Mazda3 so I've got some experience with Mazda's.

The one on the right is my DD. The one on the left was SWMBO's until she totalled it and got the Mazda3.

Thought you donor'd the salvage car?

If not, you have an msp motor.....

Dusterbd13 said:

Thought you donor'd the salvage car?

If not, you have an msp motor.....

The totalled LX donated it's engine and fresh suspension to my DD. The interior went into a buddy's Protege. The rest of the wrecked one is sitting up on blocks behind my shop.

These Proteges have the 1.6 engine, not the 2.0.

Awesome! Great pick up.

Knew a guy that had one when new. It ran well when it ran (he went through a few transmissions and an engine under warranty). Great looking cars. Always thought it would be cool to own one, but most of them around here are rust buckets.

untchabl said:

Dusterbd13 said:

Thought you donor'd the salvage car?

If not, you have an msp motor.....

The totalled LX donated it's engine and fresh suspension to my DD. The interior went into a buddy's Protege. The rest of the wrecked one is sitting up on blocks behind my shop.

These Proteges have the 1.6 engine, not the 2.0.

Crap. Forgot about the 1.6 part. I messed with protege5 primarily and tgey were all 2.0

Had a couple hours of free time this afternoon, so I got the MSP in the shop and engaged hover mode.

Had enough time to get the radiator and intercooler pulled out then get the turbo and exhaust manifold removed. Goal is to get the cylinder head off and assess the state of the engine.

Regardless of the motor and trans, the simple chassis upgrades mazda did to these are amazing. Almost bought one years ago, right after I bought my speed 3- so I could choose between driving my mazdaspeed and my mazdaspeed to work. 

Wasn't there someone on this board a few years ago that was rebuilding the engine in one of these and was really trying to make the most of what Mazda put in to start with?  Like custom pistons and nice rods and a some headwork, etc etc? 

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

I haven't been able to find a build thread on here where someone did an engine rebuild on one of these. Did find a build thread where a guy stripped one to make into a serious autocrosser. 

Ideally I'd like to keep the car as stock as possible. Not interested in more power, there are too many of these that are already modded and not many stock ones left. Other than the Forge wastegate, mine is all stock. The suspension is going to need a complete refresh though due to mileage. I'm just wanting a fun to drive, good handling car to occasionally drive on nice days.

These came in black? I thought the  Mazdaspeed Protégés only came in that Metallic Baby E36 M3 Orange color. 

One of my autocrossing friends has a 99 with the NA 1.6, does pretty well in STS.

I didn't know that there was a turbo 2.0.

In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid :

They also came in blue and silver.  The blue looks like a WRX rip-off shade of blue.  And yellow, apparently.

Here's the other thread.  I don't know how it turned out;

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/03-mazdaspeed-protege-build/72492/page1/

EDIT:  Kind of went nowhere-ish?

SyntheticBlinkerFluid said:

These came in black? I thought the  Mazdaspeed Protégés only came in that Metallic Baby E36 M3 Orange color. 

You pipe down. Spicy orange is a gift from God. 

There was one in Minneapolis that eventually made 350whp. It couldn't keep transmissions for E36 M3. He eventually sold it and went for a tt Vq.