Opinions on Mazdas, Protege5/Mazda3 Options

[elvasoshexai]

I've owned toyotas basically all my life (i currently have 3)

i'm looking to get a new car... my 93 camry is getting old and parents don't want to spend more money fixing it (in the last 3 years we've had to replace brakes, fix exhaust leak 3 times, almost time for timing belt change, it needs a new steering U-joint, had to get new tires last year)

i was looking @ protege5's and mazda3's... i was wondering if anybody here has owned these cars and what they think about them... like.. reliability... etc..

i do know/notice the interior quality of both cars is pretty poor comapred to toyota (cheap seats on mazda3, cheap dash/trim parts on protege5)

also, it will be an automatic (family car, my bro and mom has to be able to drive as well)

i test drove both already... but i still can't decide... both seem kinda lacking in low end lower... similar handling...

i'm leaning towards the protege5 while the rest of my family likes the mazda3...

[Valo666]

my sis has a protege 2.0 sadan. not the 5, i dont mind it. Shez had a few problems with it since she bought it. She bought it second hand from Mazda about a year ago and shez had weather stripping from the doors come off (3 times on 1 door), seazed wheel bearings, bent rim(one of the original 4 she got with the car had a small bend in it that made it leak out), blown shocks, blown sway bar end links...like..shez had alot of problems with it, mind you every thing is under warrenty for her though. The only other thing i noticed with her car is you have to rev it high before you drop it into gear (closer to 2000rpm).