Happy Friday, Autopians! On today’s episode, we’re looking at two cars that look like nothing special at all – unless you show them to the right people, and then those people get all excited. But before we do, let’s see which Suzuki you picked:
Looks like the boxy off-roader wins it by a nose. But honestly, these are both cool little cars that deserve good homes. Lots of commenters wanted a “Both” choice, and I actually did consider adding one in when I was making the poll. Thinking about it now, that’s the right call. This is a great two-car garage for someone.
When I was looking for cars the other day, I happened upon something I’d never seen before – a Chrysler Sebring with a very rare option package. I immediately consulted our in-house Sebring expert, S.W. Gossin, and he flipped. Did you have any idea there was a “Holy Grail” version of the Chrysler Sebring convertible? Neither did I. Which got me thinking: Could I find another car that’s a rare and special version of an otherwise humdrum car to pit against it? As it turns out, I could. And it’s a car I’m very familiar with. Let’s get to it.
2003 Chrysler Sebring GTC – $1,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.7 liter dual overhead cam V6, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Everett, WA
Odometer reading: 130,000 miles
Runs/drives? Sadly, no
The Chrysler Sebring convertible isn’t a car you’ve probably thought about since the last time a rental agent handed you the keys to one fifteen years ago. After bringing convertibles back to America in 1982 with the LeBaron and Dodge 400, Chrysler got pushed aside by, well, everyone else, and although it continued to improve the LeBaron and then made great leaps forward with the Sebring convertible, Chrysler’s drop-top offerings were too often relegated to rental lots and retirees.
But maybe, just maybe, if more enthusiasts had known about this version, the Sebring could have gotten more respect. For its second generation, the Sebring convertible gained a stiffer structure and improved suspension, making it a decent-handling car, and a serious boost in power from Chrysler’s new 2.7 liter V6. And in this version, the GTC, that 200 horsepower engine fed the front wheels through a five-speed stick. I had absolutely no idea this car existed, and I’m kind of a Mopar guy. The only “cloud car” variant with a manual that I knew of was the base-model Dodge Stratus and Plymouth Breeze, with the Neon’s 2.0 liter four and a five-speed. The Sebring GTC is so rare that I actually had trouble finding any information on it; even Allpar, the great repository of Chrysler lore, barely mentions it.
The trouble here is that the Chrysler 2.7 liter V6 has an Achilles heel, and it’s a doozy. The water pump is mounted inside the V between the cylinder banks, driven by the timing chain, and its gasket has a tendency to fail and allow coolant into the oil. This, of course, contaminates the oil, making it slugdy and ineffective at its one job – lubrication. If the problem is ignored, the engine isn’t long for this world. I don’t know for sure if that’s what happened to this one, but it’s the most common failure on these engines, so it’s a good bet.
The rest of the car, however, looks great. The paint is shiny, the convertible top is new, and the interior looks decent. And it’s only a grand. If you’re willing and able to replace the engine yourself, assuming you can find a good used one, you could have a rare and fun summertime toy for not very much money.
2003 Mazdaspeed Protegé – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.0 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Salinas, CA
Odometer reading: 189,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep!
Now, this car, I am familiar with. Mazda’s third-generation Protegé sedan, known as the 323 or Familia in the rest of the world, is the one and only car I ever bought new, in 2002. Mine was a lowly DX model, bereft of power options or even a tach, but it had the tight handling and the smooth-shifting five-speed manual that had gained the Protegé high praise in reviews. I was proud of my plain white sedan, but when I took it in for its first “freebie” oil change, this car was sitting in the showroom: the Mazdaspeed Protegé.
The MS, as it was known in shorthand in Mazda forums, was an improved version of an earlier Protegé performance package, known as the MP3. It carried over the MP3’s four-wheel disc brakes and Racing Beat suspension pieces, but upped the ante with a turbocharged version of the two-liter FS-DE engine, putting out 170 horsepower instead of the MP3’s 140, or my lowly DX’s 130. The requisite boy-racer body kit and rear wing were included too, and if I remember correctly, they only came in two colors – this lurid pearlescent yellow, or a more grown-up looking pewter silver.
This car isn’t stock, but the degree to which it isn’t stock is unclear. The MOMO steering wheel is aftermarket, of course, and made possible by an airbag-delete hub (kids, don’t try this at home). The wheels aren’t standard either; the seller says they’re Mitsubishi Lancer Evo wheels. They look all right, but I do worry that they’d rub. Cosmetically it’s not bad; it’s missing the lower grille in front, and it looks like the plastic side mirrors have faded at a different rate from the rest of the paint, but for a twenty-year-old performance car aimed at young male buyers, it has held up remarkably well.
The seller says it has a new head gasket and water pump; they should have replaced the timing belt too, but it’s worth asking to make sure. It runs well, and passed its California smog test, but is currently unregistered.
“Special Editions” of cars aren’t always all that special; often they’re just some badges and stripes. But sometimes, an option package transforms a car into something very special indeed, though you have to know what you’re looking at to realize it. These two were something special in their day, though they’re lost among their lesser bretheren in the classifieds now. So what’ll it be: a Chrysler convertible with an extra pedal, or a Mazda sedan with a little more zoom-zoom?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
Show the owner five c-notes to haul off the Sebring, transfer 4K from the family motor-pool account, add time/sweat/tears then enjoy three seasons per year of droptop lifestyle.
Who doesn’t love an American convertible?
I don’t love any convertible.
03 very rare year for Sebring convertibles. They started 04’s in January 2003. I owned an 04 GTC with the 5 speed. Fun car but stick in NJ traffic got old. Ran it out to 240k before scrapping it.
I’d take the Mazda here as it would go nice with my current Eunos.
Too bad they never ade a Mazdaspeed P5 😛
But I’ll take the yellow car over the Chrysler. The Protege is the winner by default.
Cooler color, 4 doors, and it’s just a better car, period. Even if the Sebring was running.
The Mazdaspeed could literally be raining rust dust on me while being actively on fire and I’d still choose it over the Chrysler.
The Mazda might have a little post pandemic pricing (P^3) for what you get, but I’m not up for the Chrysler project. Sebring lovers make a good point about replacement engine availability & ease of swap, but in the end, that car isn’t for me.
If I recall correctly, as beloved as the 2000s Mazdaspeed products are both the Protege and 6 had some serious failure points. Seeing as this one is Cali based and has already made it to nearly 200k, I wouldn’t feel TERRIBLE about buying it, but still. There are risks here.
…but the risks are going against a goddamn Sebring that doesn’t run. And this is hands down the best color these came in. This is still a runaway with for the Mazda. Take it and hoon it until it can be hooned no more.
I don’t believe the Mazdaspeed Protege (nor the Protege MP3) had any major fail points, other than the rear quarter rust from that era thanks to Ford’s cost-cutting for rust-proofing (which they’ve thankfully seemed to learned from).
Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata had complaints with the gearing that was used, especially in conjunction with the turboed engine. There’s also sometimes an issue with the MAP solenoid but that isn’t a huge repair.
Mazdaspeed3 had torque steer complaints. The owners also usually didn’t take great care of them
Mazdaspeed6 (and the early CX-7 by association with the very similar powertrain) is the one known for having some significant issues, but it was also the most complex of the too-short-lived Mazdaspeed production car banner.
The Protege’s biggest failure point was rust. Oh, dear sweet Jesus, the rust.
The torque steer in the Speed3 is what gave that thing character. It’s the only car I’ve ever driven that I felt like it was actively trying to kill me. I loved it.
My Kona N torque steers maniacally when I stomp on it and you can literally feel the differential doing work through the steering when you’re giving it the beans or hard in a corner. It’s great and it serves as a little bit of extra steering feedback. I’m not sure why so many people hate torque steer…I like a little bit of rawness and danger in my cars, especially in this era where it barely exists anymore.
The 6 did as mentioned, I just remember some reviews of the first Mazdaspeed Protege and MX-5 seemingly saying they weren’t the smoothest in power delivery or drivability, like more wasn’t necessarily better. Even C/D, which usually adored the Protege in every comparo they put it in. Could have been just in relation to the segments, because it was also the era of the S2000 and the SRT-4, but either way the ‘speed 6 and certainly the 3 seemed to fare much better.
I remember that too.
It’s amazing that Mazda once sold a turbocharged Miata and few people remember it.
It still thought they were both cool cars.
Wow, a Protege! I always loved these; a friend had a hatch which I always thought looked and drove great. It rusted to death probably about 8 years ago.
The more time I spend on the Autopian, the more I badly want to move out west.
I’d be willing to bet that if you asked the Mazda seller what he did with the original airbag, he’d show you a poor-quality video on his phone of some shenanigans that resulted in a broken tailbone.
I don’t care how rare the Sebring is or that it has a manual, it’s still a Sebring and I don’t want it. Mazda is the easy choice here
Yep. As attractive as V6 stick shift drop top sounds, no way I’m choosing a Sebring over a MazdaSpeed anything.
I see there are quite a few votes for the Sebring, but it seems few are willing to defend their choice. I voted for the Sebring. It looks clean and well cared for. It could be a nice transportation appliance with $3000 worth of engine work (far less if you can do it yourself). With 200 hp and a manual transmission, it would be more entertaining to drive than most cheap cars.
As for the Mazda, I really liked the Mazdaspeed Protege when it was new and considered buying one at the time. However, 20 years later the car strikes me as a bit juvenile. I think I am too old for this car. Plus, it is dirty, has the airbags removed, and there is a bottle of coolant in the back seat. This should be a teenager’s first car. It is not a car for an adult.
Bravo, good sir!
I would love the Mazda but it’s super clear that someone immature beat the snot out of it and put it away wet. I’m with you on the Sebring.
Cousin of the Stig, I agree wholeheartedly. That Mazda is for little boys.
These Mazdas were infamous for weak gearboxes, weren’t they? Even still, I’ll take my chances with that over the Sebring.
There’s nothing appealing about that Chrysler so the choice is simple.
You know which one I’m picking.
You can get one of those 2.7s out of a wide selection of junkyard cars that exist in every parts yard in North America for $350-$500.
Unplug everything, unbolt the exhaust, take off the radiator hoses and motor mounts and the entire sub-frame drops right out of the bottom of the car. It’s a weekend project that really, really is not at all as difficult as you would think.
Talk the seller down a few hundred and you will have a rare, manual convertible for $1500 and some elbow grease.
Wicked badass Showdown (as always), Mark!
Don’t bother removing a 2.7 unless you’ve checked it for sludge first – chances are the one in the boneyard is there because of sludge. If you do find one that isn’t sludgy, change the water pump before you put it in your vehicle. Otherwise, you’ll be doing the transplant again a month later.
Excellent advice! The sludge issues were quietly reminded in ’03 via a heated EGR, so later units will be free from the above concerns. Cheers.
Imagine if you didn’t do any of that though. You would have $1500 and not own a Chrysler Sebring.
With the money you saved, you could buy a several month supply of Bacon and a George Foreman grill.
Before you go to bed, set the grill at the foot of your bed and then spread the raw bacon on it. Connect it to a mechanical timer and set it to start right before you wake up and voila, you’re waking up to the smell of sizzling bacon everyday.
That’s better even than owning a holy-grail Sebring convertible.
Thank me later.
I like the part about the weekend easy fix, but you forgot to mention the part where you would have to buy a home that can accommodate a hoist, and then of course purchase and install said hoist.
So realistically this could be a seven figure project.
That is one rare Sebring though.
People voted for the Sebring? Sorry but the running car in this case wins by default even though it was ran hard and put away wet
Not for $2500 more.
A car that runs wins almost by default over a roller.
That said, I’d love to see what someone could do with that Sebring. Finding a replacement 2.7 V6 wouldn’t take long. Since the current motor is kaput though, why not browse around for something a little more adventurous?
Disagree. I’ll save the $2500 on the car I know needs a new engine (that is readily replaceable in junkyards) and appears otherwise stock, over the car that has been “tuned” by God-only-knows-how-many boy racers on a minimum-wage, part-time job budget.
No, thank you. The only thing worse than a car that doesn’t run, is one that’s been run into the ground.
I have wondered which is rarer: the manual GTC, or the Stratus R/T sedan with the 2.7/5MT combo. Logic says the convertible, but my gut says they probably were produced in equal numbers.
In uplevel trims, I kinda liked the Sebring, at least before it was getting cheapened. The trimmings on this one are otherwise pretty rental grade, but I actually went Chrysler on this one. It may need repairs but it isn’t someone’s tuner project.
I did really like the Protege of the era, but I remember some early comparos of the Mazdaspeed version putting it behind some other sport compacts of the era. Seemed like the Mazdaspeed 3 was more where they hit their stride.
I will walk with my people.
But, but, we’re CAR people. We’ll drive in the Mazda, thanks.
An airbag delete on a 20 year old car might be safer than having the original airbag. Sure it’s had a bit o’ the boy-racer treatment, but I can’t blame them for that and they didn’t go wildly overboard. Except for the hot air intake, the mods you can see seem either harmless or mildly helpful. Finally, that shade of yellow is absolutely the right color for that car. Mazda’s the right choice here.
I love yellow but you make my point ” the mods you can see” sorry mods are like rust you see one there is much more. I know fart sounding fart smelling when i see it
I owned the previous generation Sebring convertible and drove this generation. It sucked slightly less but it still sucked. Will never vote for it. Protegé for the easy win.
For $1000 and if you fix it yourself, the Sebring is a good weekend cruiser. Plus it is Michael Scott approved.
It’s the high performance Sebring too, which means it can get the job done for Michael Scarn. Even if the threat level hits midnight.
But, so is the PT Cruiser.
https://youtu.be/F3jBxwHIk9k
The Sebring’s really not my style. I’ll stick with my Trans Am.
I was very surprised to learn of the existence of that Sebring. I never knew a manual was even available in one of those.
But with that globbed motor, it’s worthless. Good luck finding a replacement engine!
Check around you can get 4 or 5 for the $2500 you save on the mazduh.
The first car I chose for myself was a 2002 Protege5. Loved that car. Biggest downside was that it needed a little more power and a taller 5th gear. Handling was great. Traded it in on my 2011 Mustang GT and sometimes wish that I’d kept it for a winter car. Of course by now it would be long gone due to rust. It’s rare that I see a final generation Protege in my area, most rusted out long ago.
I had a 2002 Protege ES, the first new car I ever had. It was so nice. For the amount of power I thought it should have gotten better mileage, though, and it ate brake rotors for breakfast.
I can’t bring myself to want either of them. A manual Sebring is cool and all, but it’s not cool enough to spend the time fixing/replacing an engine that died for an unknown reason. Because at the end of the day you still end up with a Sebring. And that Mazda looks like it’s seen some things, plus previous owner performance mods make me nervous. But if you put a gun to my head, the Mazda. It’s a runner and with some work could look better (and cleaner). Plus it’s yellow and I love cars in bright colors.
Mazda, please!
It works, and I genuinely like eye-searing shades of yellow for cars and motorcycles.
The seller of the Chrysler has this to say about it:
The engine is toast – fine. But how does one go about rebuilding a CD player?? I’m hoping that was an echo from the statement about the engine.
That sounds okay.
There are/were companies that ‘refurbished’ oem radios. Sent a lot of Chrysler and Mazda radios to them back in the day. The MSP though (and the previous MP3) had an aftermarket radio as stock, and often we would have to replace the entire head unit when the fold down face failed.
There are some who design new radios to look like oem. The way to go.
Maybe it was rebuilt to be optimized for Celine Dion albums?
+1pts for the above^
That’s a very unusual use of the word “optimized”. Yeesh!
Hey, she drove all night in those Chryslers!
There are shops around the country that sell auto aftermarket stereos. Some employ factory trained repair techs who do warranty repairs for the dealer network. A major source of income to these places is the core factory stereo which is then repaired and resold down the road. A place I once worked at had over 1K used or rebuilt factory radios in stock easy. And did customer pay/warranty work on probably 250 vehicles a week.
I’ve had a number of factory stereos repaired for my cars over the years. (“Rebuilt” seems like a goofy way of saying “repaired”). In my experience, factory equipment usually works better/ last longer/ is more “seamless” to me anyway. YMMV and all that =)
Repair rebuilt are different.
I was leaning on the yellow one, but lost me at “airbag delete”… so, neither. I’ll save my money for Monday’s shitbox.
That and the missing lower grill. This has kissed some ass.