Should I keep the Mazda Protege or get the Mazda 3?

I am currently driving a 2002 Mazda Protege ES. I love my car but within the past year, I have spent a lot of money to keep it running. More than it's worth. I had the ignition coils changed; tires; battery; brakes and catalytic converter replaced. The repairs exceeded the value of the car. I am now old that my flywheel is damaged and at over 110,000mi I need to keep an eye on the clutch. I should mention that the car has been in two accidents-- rear-ended at 25mph by a teenager on the phone; and then it spun out on the highway-- propped up on the curb and the back end hit the concrete barrier. After both incidents the car was repaired and the frame straightened. I question how well though because the rear-wheels cannot be aligned properly.



I came across this 2004 Mazda 3s for sale. The car has never been involved in an accident; is a one owner and looks fairly clean-- both mechanically as well as cosmetically. The car as 80,000 mi on it but with a trade, the dealer only wants $4000. out of pocket from me. The car also comes with a warranty. I am currently having it checked out by a mechanic.



Question is...



Would you keep the Protege or get the Mazda 3? I honestly would feel safer in the Mazda 3 but after dumping all that money in the Protege I would hate to get rid of it. But like I said the flywheel is damaged and I don't know what else might be going wrong with it...Should I keep the Mazda Protege or get the Mazda 3?Buy the 3. They are great cars. Sounds like you are doing everything right to make sure the car is worth purchasing.



If it wasn't for the two wrecks and the frame issues with the alignment I'd tell you to keep the Protege. None of the repairs are unusual for a car with that many miles and that age. You'll be buying tires and a battery and brakes for the 3 soon enough. All cars require maintenance it's part of owning a car.Should I keep the Mazda Protege or get the Mazda 3?I say find an after hours mechanic you can trust and keep the protege.



I made a living for more than a dozen years off cars like yours where people fixed nearly everything and then traded it in because they irrationally feared more repairs.



No matter what happens from here on out, its going to be cheaper to keep what you have.