In defense of the Probe

[Kit Basher]

I saw in the Charger thread where there was some Probe bashing going on. I am on my second one, and I think they're great cars. Granted, it is not a RWD V8. If that's your only definition of a car, then, yeah, a Probe is junk. In the world of FWD 4 bangers, however, with a 5 speed, it's a ball to drive. It's a zippy car that corners nicely, and gets 35 mpg all the time. It was thousands cheaper than the Mazda MX6, so you got the same chassis and engine for less money. And it was made in Michigan! The only down side I will admit to is that it's getting harder and harder to get my aging bod out of it.

[Harry P.]

IIt's a zippy car that corners nicely, and gets 35 mpg all the time.

Whatchoo talkin bout, Willis???

I looked up the EPA numbers. Nowhere near 35 mpg, not even highway.

[Kit Basher]

Whatchoo talkin bout, Willis???

I looked up the EPA numbers. Nowhere near 35 mpg, not even highway.

Maybe mine's a fluke, Harry. All I can say is I've checked it repeatedly, and it's 30-35 mpg all the time. One time was 480 miles on 12.6 gallons of gas. It is the 2.0 liter 4 cyl. with a 5 speed, not the V6 GT. Other than that, "I canna splain it, Lucy".

[Harry P.]

Ah, but 30-35 all the time is a little different than 35 all the time...

EPA says 26 city/33 hwy. But "your mileage may vary." And usually the EPA was overly optimistic with their ratings until they changed the way they do it to get more realistic results that drivers could actually expect on real roads in real driving conditions. But I guess it's possible you could be getting 35 "all the time," as you said.

For the record, I think the Probe was a pretty cool looking car. And I only wish my car got anywhere near 35 mpg!

[mikethepoormodeler]

I also had a Probe, a 1989 model, bought in Spring of 1988. It had the four cylinder/5 speed combination, and I got 34 mpg going back and forth to work, which is 25 miles one way, in a rural area. On my trips from South Carolina to Disney World, I got a consistent 37. As stated, it was a "zippy" little car. I can remember going down Interstate 95 when the car was brand new and haveing people stare at it. We could even see one woman's lips exclaiming "I don't know what it is." Also, as stated, since it was a Mazda underneath the sheet metal, it was very dependable. Wish I still had it...

[my name is nobody]

most people are not aware that The Ford Probe was supposed to be the Ford "Mustang".

Yep. until the public outcry from Mustang lovers everywhere about the rear wheel drive Mustang dying.

Ford decided to keep the Mustang on a rear wheel drive platform, and since so much money was already spent on the FWD program, they simply rebadged it as a "Probe".

Once, a friend of mine and I were cruising around in my Hot Rod.

we pulled up to one of the then new Ford Probe's at a stoplight.

we didnt know what it was, so my stupid friend asks this cute gal;

"What kinda car is that?", This nice young lady replied, "It's a Probe."

His response,..."Huh, well then I guess your favorite shoe would be a Pump?"

I laughed so hard I dumped the clutch and killed my poor car.

[Harry P.]

I remember considering buying one back when they were new. I liked the looks, but for reasons I don't remember now I took a pass.

[Dr. Cranky]

Gee, and to think I am happy because my 55 does about 7-9 miles to the gallon!

[Rob Hall]

I haven't seen a Probe in years...I have a buddy that used to have a 2nd gen GT...they were pretty nice. Trivia--The 3rd gen was called the Mercury Cougar (Ford Cougar in Europe).

[Junkman]

The downfall of the first generation Probe is that the spare parts supply is drying up rapidly.

[Casey]

I've always liked Probes, too, but only the GTs, as the base models were not very nice looking IMHO. Nothing says early '90s like a set of tri-spoke wheels. Make the spokes curvy and you've got mid-'90s.

[Rob Hall]

I wonder if some sort of small FWD Ford sporty coupe could work again..there has been buzz of a Capri revival in Europe (based either on the Focus or the next-gen Mondeo/Fusion). In the US Ford only has 1 2dr currently (Mustang). GM abandoned the small coupe market when they went from the Cobalt to the Cruze, Chrysler has nothing like that...only the Accord, Civic, Altima, Koup and Eclipse coupes are left (and the Eclipse is going soon). (the Genesis is RWD).

Edited August 30, 2011 by Rob Hall

[Rob Hall]

I think a lot of people in the industry are going to be watching the Toyota/Subaru joint venture RWD/AWD coupe very carefully to see if it finds a big enough market to be worth competing in. VW has sabre-rattled a Scirocco return with a concept car. Also, there are some "semi coupe" ideas on the way like the Hyundai Veloster that are trying to bridge the gap between 5-ddor hatch and coupe.

The Scirocco's been in production a couple years, just not sold in the US...looks like a low-roof Golf. I've also seen rumors that the Cruze will add a 2dr coupe or 3dr hatch in a couple years also..

[Guest Johnny]

When I first saw the thread title I wasn't sure I wanted to know what it was about!!!

Edited August 30, 2011 by Johnny

[Jairus]

No bashing here!

My son's first car was a '94 Probe, 2.0 and five speed. I got the chance to drive it quite a lot and found the car to be quick and nicely balance even with 150,000 miles on it.

Was a bit small inside however and yes, getting out of it was a bit of a challenge.

I even changed the timing belt and waterpump for him one week. YEAH... it took nearly a week to get everything back together correctly as the engine compartment is a bit tight. But the air-conditioning never faltered and the car never left him or I stranded.

Nice little car... wonder where it is now...?

[Rob Hall]

I looked at the Probe GT back in '94 after my Mustang LX was totalled, ended up getting a Bronco instead.

[Darin Bastedo]

Whatchoo talkin bout, Willis???

I looked up the EPA numbers. Nowhere near 35 mpg, not even highway.

EPA numbers are usually lower than real world numbers. My Hyundai elantra is rated 40mpg Highway, and I regularly get 45-48 MPG.

[sjordan2]

I thought it was a clean, simple design for what they used to call a "world car," maybe a tiny bit bland, but it was a perfect canvas for juicing up in many ways. I still think it's a cool-looking car that has withstood the test of time. To me, if it had a different approach to performance and image, it could have beaten the pants off of failures like the Buick Reatta, Cadillac Allanté and Chrysler Maserati. Another noble failure was the Merkur.

Edited August 30, 2011 by sjordan2

[Wayne Buck]

When I was a little guy and really starting to love drag racing (10 years old or so), I thought the pro-stock Probes looked really cool.

They're not a bad looking car if you ask me.

[Kit Basher]

I thought the pro-stock Probes looked really cool.

Wow! Such an animal never occurred to me. I had to google it. They do look really cool, downright mean in fact!

[Aaronw]

Unfortunate name, but I kind of liked the car. I worked with a guy who had a 4 cyl and it seemed like a nice little car, kind of sporty looking, decent on fuel and could get out of its own way.

[Harry P.]

Buick Reatta, Cadillac Allanté and Chrysler Maserati

I like them all. Nice cars if you ask me. And probably collector's items... if not yet, soon. And you can add the Fiero and the Solstice to that list.

Call me crazy...

[Jairus]

Okay...

[Lunajammer]

I loved the '93-'97 Probe and test drove a 5-speed... twice with the intention of buying. But each time my feet got tripped up on each other and concluded it was designed for two pedals, not three. So the money went to a Mustang I've been driving for almost ten years.

[Harry P.]

The Reatta, Allante and Chrysler TC by Maserati are collector auction consolation prizes.

I never said "collectibility" is a synonym for "excellence."

Original GI Joe lunch boxes are collectible. Why? Because they represent the ultimate in lunch box engineering and technological excellence? Uh, no. Because there are only so many out there, and they ain't making any more.