Saleofcar.com :Mazda

Mazda Protege (1993)
for sale

Price: US $2,650.00

Description:

I bought this car in Phoenix in 2014 after a 4 year long search. My parents have a home down there so my intent was to register it down there to keep down there and use when visiting them in winter months. I had purchased it from an 83 year old owner who decided it was time to stop driving. He had kept it parked in covered parking but the AZ sun still did it's typical damage. I kept it in my parents garage which brings me to the current day because my parents bought a brand new Caravan and decided it was going to be in their garage instead and they didn't want my Protege sitting outside in their driveway all year so I had it put it on a transport to ship it back to me in the Chicago area. I've been driving it at least twice a week and toyed with the idea of selling our 1 VW car to get out of a loan payment but with the recent drop in VW resale value, we decided it best to just sell the Protege instead.
Fuel Mileage: All city driving -- I refueled to full and determined that the car gave me 26.5mpg with only city driving! (not bad at all for not even trying to hypermile and just driving like I normally would).
Anyway, on to more details:
I guess it isn't necessarily clear but let me point out this is the upgraded 1.8 DOHC (same as 94-97 Miata engine essentially) with better brakes, suspension and I forget what other tidbits to distinguish it away from the regular less powerful SOHC.
We did so much to this car but obviously it still isn't perfect being 23 years old but here is the list of things done that I can remember. All of the following now has less than 700 miles use since being completed:
- all new motor mounts and transmission mount
- new sway bar bushings and end links
- new ball joints in front
- new (OEM from Mazda) shifter linkage (replaced April 2016)
- new passenger side axle
- newly rebuilt front brake caliper
- new power steering rack with new tie rods
- 4 new tires
- new alternator belt
- new suspension (complete units replaced - yes stock replacement stuff)
- new rear speakers w/Sony HU
- new radiator hoses
- various other hoses replaced
+ lots of replacement stuff on the interior from a much lower mileage car found in a local yard with only 83k on the odo (such as carpet, seats, center console, front seatbelts + more)
+ more I just can't remember right now but that's the main highlights
Some other things we bought NEW that will be included but not yet done on the car include the following parts that would go with it:
- power steering lines (2 of them).. just didn't get around to replacing them
- front brake lines
- distributor cap and rotor along with new spark plugs (for a basic tune-up)
- fuel filter
- valve cover gasket
- an oil seal for the transmission
Currently (for the last few months anyway) while this car has been sitting in our driveway, there has been absolutely no leaking, drips or drops evident in our driveway. The original steering rack was indeed leaking very badly when we 1st purchased the car and much of that residue is still left over as we didn't do a complete steam clean of the engine bay area as fair warning. The valve cover is leaking (thus the new valve cover gasket on-the-ready) but it isn't leaking bad enough to cause drips on the driveway at this time.
The previous owner had the clutch replaced 3 years ago he had told us when we purchased it.
Currently the tank is near full but since I do still drive and exercise it, where the fuel level will be at time of sale is subject to change. This goes without saying that the mileage on the odometer will be changing as well.
The odometer photo is obviously a bit older but shows that its indeed being driven often enough:
While this may be hard to believe, the parts investment alone tops $2000 before any labor is factored in (lucky for me my husband had been a mechanic for 13 years before becoming an electrical engineer so he did all the work himself)
Also, Earlier in May I took the car into the Mazda dealership for an ignition switch recall. (It was an interesting sight seeing 5 people flock to the car amazed at the no-rust factor and commenting how they haven't seen one this clean for 10+ years)
Here is a copy of the receipt from the recall:
Just an FYI that the A/C is not functioning. Everything is there but it is not functioning. A full diagnosis has not been done but it is a pretty sure bet the compressor is bad and needs to be replaced. I saw one here on ebay for $50 shipped at one point but just didn't feel like investing even more into a car we are now going to sell.
As I already mentioned the paint is not perfect and its obvious the car has been repainted at 1 time (a very common practice in Phoenix, AZ) It also appears that the roof and hood were repainted again at a different time as well yet the sunburn paint has returned most evident on the hood.
I had to pass an emissions dyno test to get it plated and street legal in Arizona which it passed without issue as an FYI. I do still have it titled, plated and insured with AZ plates in my name so I would be notarizing and turning over my AZ title upon sale. (Arizona titles require a notary to prove the actual legitimate owner is selling the car.)
While the interior was mostly replaced, the headliner has not been addressed at this point and is not in the best shape.
Car is currently located in Mount Prospect, IL 60056 * * NEVER SEEN WINTER, Snow or Salt!!!!
Please take note: Every time the car went in for emissions testing in Arizona, the 'operator' puts in the mileage and its apparently never 100% accurate but what he or she felt was 'close enough'. Even the most recent test I personally took it to the operator typed in 205, 000 miles when in reality it was actually 205, 412 but I guess that 412 wasn't important enough for him to be bothered with?
Here is a copy of that passed emission test result for reference:
I can be reached via text at 928 693 7441 for any additional questions or feel free to use the ebay question option if preferred.
Here are underside photos to share to clearly indicate there is no rust (the tan coloring you are seeing is Arizona dust as an FYI). And also showing some of the new parts mentioned above.
Here from when on the transport in Arizona just before being on the way to Chicago:

_{update: 2016-08-09}