Fantastic: a smart and affordable little package-UPDATE

My last two cars have been Subaru (one excellent experience and one less than but that's life, I still remain a fan of Subaru) but when shopping for a new car I had to admit that living downtown in a large city I really don't need AWD, gas is $$ in Canada and, as we all know, it's a finite resource, I wanted to cut back a little.

Many years ago I owned two Mazda 323s back when compact meant bare bones transportation.  Both remain in memory as reliable, fun rides.  Also, my partner has driven a rather basic Protege to 250,000km and it's been very reliable so I thought it deserved a look.

I've just bought a used '02 ES Protege with very low mileage, one owner who rarely drove, car is mint! Shockingly so. Even the branded floor mats are mint.
As soon as I hopped in and took off from the dealership I was thrilled.  As everyone has noted, Mazda has outstanding handling, sharp and precise.  Braking is excellent, acceleration is good even with my automatic (would've preferred manual), visibility excellent.

I have the 'upper end' ES model--for less than $10k I have a compact car with fantastic handling and all the creature comforts I enjoy in a car: power/heated mirrors (most helpful in Canada), sunroof, upgraded stereo system with six speakers, cruise, keyless entry/security, power windows and locks, tilt wheel. Seating is comfortable with manual height and lumbar adjustment.
Compact cars often elicit concerns about space, I guess that's one reason drivers have long gravitated to bigger and bigger....one logical reason, there are many illogical.  
Front seats are very comfortable with enough support and bolstering--you are held in place while cornering but if you happen to be a bit wider you aren't squished into place, bolstering isn't that 'racy'. Back seat has three seatbelts and while I haven't tested this, I think with any compact you'd need three small people to fit comfortably, but there is the option. BTW no cupholder in back seat.
Interior materials are high for this class.  There is plastic of course but it's nicely textured, fit and finish is excellent, steering wheel is very handsome and a perfect size/fit (it does have cruise controls on wheel, no radio control).  White gauges which glow orange at night are very cool.
In comparing 2002 models, I think Mazda leads in interior styling, at least in the higher level ES model. Visibility is excellent, it feels like there is a lot of glass (sunroof helps lighten everything too).

Design-wise, the outside is sharp, clean lines, very handsome car (the ES comes with tasteful ie small rear spoiler and front fog lights). I like the large block taillights, simple, clean, highly visible; the front end tweaking in 2002 gave the car a slightly racier more aggressive look.   Oh, and the trunk is huge for this segment (much bigger then my friend's 2000 Acura, a car of similar size). 

I don't have much concern about reliability.  All reports, including Consumer Reports, point to Protege being an excellent used buy (including strong crash test scores). Also, I have my own experiences with the 323 years ago(and back then I did not look after my cars, they still ran well!) along with a couple of friends' experiences and all are positive.

Where Protege falls down somewhat is gas consumption.My friend's base Protege (1.6L engine) got great mileage; my ES with a slightly higher powered engine ('02s are now 2L engines) apparently will prove to be about Ford Focus mileage, not the admirable levels of Honda & Toyota. But for me, it will be a vast improvement over AWD I'm sure and I'm not a hard driver, typically.
Other issues to note: at low end speeds the car is a bit louder than some others (though frankly I've been driving in our -20 C. weather so that's a factor too).  Some have complained about highway noise, that's hasn't been an issue for me.  The car does ride a bit like a go-cart at low speeds too--it sports a tight suspension which I happen to like, but if you are on uneven pavement (and in my case deteriorating downtown streets) you do feel and hear the bumps.  Again, I happen to prefer that tightness and road communication over a softer mushier though quieter ride.

I test drove several other compact cars, there were certainly merits to most (for me, not enough merit with VW and Ford Focus--beyond price with this last one) but Mazda shines with its handling, great design and interiors and strong reliability, usually. It does not retain its value like Honda or Toyota, both excellent used car buys too.

Perhaps I'll update in 10,000km, see if the Protege lives up to my fond memories of Mazda long past. In the meantime, I have affordable and very sharp transportation sitting in front of my house and once spring arrives, that sunroof will be open all the time!