The car needs very minimal repairs, outside of basic maintenance, and any repairs needed are inexpensive for the parts and labor required. The car does have an unusually high amount of noise coming in from the outside, including wind, road sounds, and the engine, but a strong base audio system and subwoofer can easily drown out any outside noises. Despite it being a standard hatchback, speed and control is surprisingly good, even through it's seemingly low 130 horsepower engine. With the manual, acceleration and overall car control is superb. I opted to purchase the manual, five speed transmission, and would never even think of swapping it out for an automatic. With a combination of the backseat and hatchback trunk space, the car has great cargo capacity, making it easy to carry anything from groceries, to school bags, to guitar case and full size amplifiers. The bucket seats are comfortable, even for long drives, and the backseat is easily habitable by almost any sized person. The base brakes are powerful and linear, nerving jerking the car or skidding, even under hard braking. The Protege5 has a low curb weight, which makes for very fun drives, moderate body lean, and very precise steering. From day one the car was the closest thing to a practical Miata that Mazda had ever produced.
My family purchased our Mazda Protege5 hatchback when it was brand new and had exactly 6 miles on it.