If you are gullible enough to take it to the dealer, you should pay him the
$500, and give him another
$1000 as a Christmas gift.

The belt may well be up for replacement.

Sounds about depreciated enough for me to consider buying it, if I
needed a used car at the moment.

I don't know Mazdas very well, but many small cars have a timing belt,
a long-term maintenance item whose life expectancy has been creeping
from 30 to 60 to 90k over the years (depending on model), and whose
failure definitely leaves you stranded and in some designs could ruin
the engine.

Here are your alternatives:

1.   Put a thousand dollars' worth of maintenance into that car.
(Perhaps less at a good independent mechanic than at a dealer service
department.)  Assuming that it is in good running order in other
respects, you continue to enjoy the payback years -- that golden middle
of a car's life when the payments and the expensive kinds of insurance
are behind you, but it is still reliable and satisfactory.   This on
what I remember from a rental experience to be a rather more than
merely decent little car that is easy on gas.

2.  You sell it and buy another used car -- which will also need
routine maintenance, and may also need who knows what repairs.  They
all do.

3.   You trade it in (probably trade *up* -- most people want to, and
you yourself seem inclined in that direction).  The depreciation in the
first couple years is comparable to the entire bluebook on your present
car.  The first two or three payments are comparable to the upcoming
maintenance bill.    Collision and comp become again your boon
companions.    Between the dealer markup, the charges and dubious-value
options and so forth that always seem to sneak in,  and the profit on
selling that nice used Protege,  the car salesman trades up too --
finally after all those years a real silk sport jacket and a pinkie
ring measured in whole carats!

4.  You rid yourself of car that is a turkey in potentially expensive
ways you haven't mentioned,  or that no longer meets your needs.
Grudgingly and guardedly you avail yourself of options (2) or (3)...
after pruning up in cold bathwater several nights in a row because
"Don't Get Taken Every Time" and other such consumer jiujutsu manuals
were just so good you couldn't put them down.

One man's opinions, worth what you paid if your connect time is cheap,
--Joe

Yes the belt is at a point it should replaced the book labor time is 3.0
hours plus the belt, the price may include a water pump or tensioner and/or
the drive belts, ask the shop.

Advice?  Either fix it or junk it.  Choice is yours.

Some years ago people realized the high quality imports need expensive
maintnenance at about 60k miles (100k kilometers) but then would run
trouble free for another 60k (100k). I think it's a good idea when buying
a used Asian import with about 60k on it to find out how much of the
maintenance has been done. If the owner just got fed up with the sudden
cost of repairs and has had most of them done then it could be a good buy.
If they haven't been done then it's not such a good buy.

I also agree with shopping around for the best price on parts and repairs.
An hour with the Yellow Pages on the telephone can save hundreds of
dollars in repair costs. If you know a mechanic who will let you bring in
your own parts you can save up to half the cost of parts. Dealers have to
buy parts from the manufacuturer and have a high markup so you pay more
for parts. Chains and independents usually buy parts from the one
supplier, it makes the paperwork simpler, but if you call around you can
often get the identical part for less from a low cost parts supplier.

However, if you travel a lot it's better to have repairs done at a
dealership or national chain who offer a nation-wide warranty. You can get
any mistakes corrected at any one of their locations when you're on the
road. I'm careful at brake-and-muffler chains who have a reputation of
overselling.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William R Watt    National Capital FreeNet    Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm 
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If it doesn't meet your needs then sell.

Personally I'm driving a 1990 Protege with 240,000 miles (no power
anything- less to break) on her, original engine, tranny and yes,
clutch too, getting 30mpg around town and 35hwy, and wouldn't consider
selling with gas going up.  She's due a timing belt now and I'll
probably have the water pump swapped out too.

Who needs a car payment?

Well, lets try some simple math here.  If you save money by not
spending the $500.00 and the engine is ruined on a $6,000 car then are
you really money ahead if you have to go out and spend another $6,000
on a replacement?

Unless you have been neglecting your engine, at 95k, it should not be worn
and should have lots of miles in it.  Me and my family have gotten well
over 150k from our cars, some over 250k, with no rebuilds.  

$500 is not a lot to spend on a car worth $6k.  You decide if you prefer
to spend $500 now, or $500/month in car payments.  I would change the belt
and keep the car.

90k tune up?  Is this what the dealer is trying to sell you?  Check the service
schedule for your car and see what it recommends.  Have the dealer do only
the work in the service schedule.  Don't fall for the dealer scam of doing
unecessary work.  

A lot cheaper than new car payments.

If the car is otherwise in good condition, I would invest the money and
keep the car.  If you are just looking for an excuse to buy a new car,
this is a good one.
--------------
Alex

protege aside......500 bucks is way outa line for maint. timing belt R&R
but,  your owners manual is very correct on this item. ive had to replace
blocks for belt breakage in the past (all fords). i dont know if
protege' eng. is freewheeling or not. if not, when a piston hits a valve
(multiply X 4) its not pretty..................IMHO, kjun