Ford Probe GT?

[PudgeTheMidget]

Thinking about picking up a 97 Probe GT as a daily driver. Was wondering if anyone's had good/bad experiences with them?

Thanks!

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

 

[devin1986]

stomped a riced out one last night. Otherwise, not much experience. They seem pretty nice though.

 

[bdcardinal]

They are fun until something breaks. Parts from the dealer are practically all no longer available. My dealer also does Mazda and sometimes we can convert the numbers over and get the Mazda part instead.

 

[Sn95Snake]

They are fun until something breaks. Parts from the dealer are practically all no longer available. My dealer also does Mazda and sometimes we can convert the numbers over and get the Mazda part instead.

+1 parts are very hard to find.

 

[Deceptive]

Had one for nine months; went through 3 transmissions and an engine. Stuff just kept breaking, dealership told me they had been having major issues similar to mine. Traded it in on a Contour, pick up an SVT Contour is my suggestion.

 

[ssssnake]

I had a 93 Probe lx. Had no problems with it until I totalled it.

 

[CobraBob]

If it is going to be a daily driver, I'd look for something similar (like the Contour) where parts are easier to find. There are other nice used cars you can consider, too. JMO.

 

[95PGTTech]

+1 parts are very hard to find.

Actually, they are incredibly easy to find.

My username - 95 Probe GT Technician.
I have owned 18 Probes (some of them were just bought for shells/parts cars), all 95s except for one 94 and one 93. All GT, V6, 5 speed. I ran a small LLC aftermarket installation and fabrication shop for five years specifically for these cars before moving to Mustangs. For a long time, I held the fwhp record (653) and trap speed (124).

My experiences:
1. They are Mazdas. Don't even bother asking for Ford parts, go directly to the Mazda dealer. Parts are incredibly easy to find, and incredibly cheap, as the platform and many of the parts were used up through 2004. Any auto parts store and many online stores carry very cheap spares. Junkyards are a dime a dozen.
2. Go for the 5 speed, and the GT. The 2.0L I4 is a dog and unreliable. You cannot kill the 2.5L KL03 V6. Stay away from the automatics, very unreliable trans.
3. Be prepared to become a mechanic. These cars are incredibly easy to work on, but will need maintenance as most are 125K miles plus, nearly 20 years old, and are usually owned by younger people and driven hard. While not the most powerful thing in the world, I like the looks of the body of the second generation (93-97), and the handling is superb for its pricetag and when it was built.
4. If you leave it stock, and don't expect a ton, it will be reliable. Very reliable. The last one I ever had, the 94GT, I left just intake and exhaust, suspension. I concentrated on doing things like dynamat in the interior to make it less "chinsey" feel, nice seats, stereo, tint, etc. I kept up on the maintenance to the letter of the factory schedule and drove like a normal person and it got me 25mpg on 91 octane and never broke a damn thing. EVERY SINGLE PROBE I put a power adder on and tried to make big power just started destroying stuff. Motor mounts, transmissions, axles, you name it. Seemed like 300whp was the key number - over that, you're going to be on jackstands once a month minimum.
5. Look underneath the car thoroughly for rust. A car this old is going to need some work, you don't want to be fighting it tooth and nail.

Try if you can find a 95GT. There are subtle interior and exterior differences from 93-97 but 93s and 94s have rear brake caliper issues. 96 and 97 is the switch over to the OBD1.5 and it makes it a lot harder for a first timer to diagnose computer related issues.

 

[95PGTTech]

If you do end up buying the car, join probetalk.com. It has been infiltrated with 16 year old d-bags as of the last few years, but it still is easily the most comprehensive Probe-related information source on the internet. A quick use of the search tool will send you to a DIY thread on any maintenance or parts replacement you could imagine.

In the mid-90s, Ford/Mazda were doing a ton of cooperative vehicles, so the Probe has sister cars - Mazda MX6, Millenia, 626, Protege, etc. Many of the parts cross-reference and can be updated/backdated if you run into an issue.

Also, pick up the factory service manuals for the car off eBay. Infinitely better than Chilton, etc. They also sell the EVTM if you need to do any electrical diagnosis.

1997 FORD PROBE SERVICE SHOP MANUAL CATALOG BOOK 97 | eBay
1997 FORD PROBE Electrical Wiring Diagrams EWD EVTM Service Shop Manual 97 OEM | eBay

Links for just the first ones I found for the 97. Both under $10, worth their weight in gold. The book does everything but turn the wrenches for you.

 

[kevinatfms]

if you have to put new cat converters on it get ready for an ass raping. they were crap cars to begin with and have terrible reliability issues. i dont know where people think they are good cars.

intake gasket leaks all the time on v6
egr valves clog
cat converters go bad
wheel bearings are junk
transmissions are a nightmare
headlight motors are the later ones
ignition issues on every model
wiring harness issues on early 2nd gen models
turbo seals on old turbo probes


as an ex ford tech, we used to call them and the contour the "devil's machine" since they were the most to frequent the shop besides the taurus. everything rusts, and i do mean everything. get ready for headaches. stay away, far, far away.

 

[PudgeTheMidget]

Wow, appreciate the feedback guys. Just talked to the guy a little bit more about it today. It doesn't have the stock motor in it, but its still the 2.5 v6. It's currently running a higher compression ratio and lower(higher numerically) final drive ratio, so he decided to keep it n/a. It's a 5spd with aftermarket clutch, flywheel, etc. He did a compression check and it ran ~155 across the board and is willing to do another one for me. Has a wideband hooked up to measure a/f.

The newer motor has 86,000 on it, body isnt much higher. I'll be going down to give it a look next week possibly, looking like I can get in it for about $1200.

I'll check the normals, plus keep an eye out for rust


Edit: forgot to mention, it has the black leather interior, which is a plus!
Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

 

[idhitit]

I bought a 94 SE 5 speed for $300 over 4 years ago and it runs great. I put money in it at first ($700). But for a car for $1k it has an awesome stereo, tint, cold ac, and gets around 25 city and 30-32 highway. It breaks about once year and the part that breaks is usually 100 bucks. Parts are everywhere just ask for the Mazda part. Parts in the junkyards are dime a dozen. You have to be a mechanic to own one as its going to break but its easy to work on.

 

[GTSpartan]

Pos

 

[Fuerza]

I had one, head gasket blew at 90k miles. Pretty much took out the entire motor and it would always overheat. I spent a done of money on that car. It was areal POS. I would not buy one again especially given how old they are.

 

[devin1986]

Wow, appreciate the feedback guys. Just talked to the guy a little bit more about it today. It doesn't have the stock motor in it, but its still the 2.5 v6. It's currently running a higher compression ratio and lower(higher numerically) final drive ratio, so he decided to keep it n/a. It's a 5spd with aftermarket clutch, flywheel, etc. He did a compression check and it ran ~155 across the board and is willing to do another one for me. Has a wideband hooked up to measure a/f.

The newer motor has 86,000 on it, body isnt much higher. I'll be going down to give it a look next week possibly, looking like I can get in it for about $1200.

I'll check the normals, plus keep an eye out for rust


Edit: forgot to mention, it has the black leather interior, which is a plus!
Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

Sounds worth it for that price if it checks out. I've spent 1200 on less significant things. Might be a fun little car.

 

[99cobrablack]

I had a 89 turbo gt for a short bit. Was some fun, had a cd changer from the factory in 89. I bought it to flip so didn't deal with many problems.

 

[peteypab2133]

I had a 93 GT. more issues than any car I have ever owned, and went through more sets of tires on that car than any other as well.

Fun to drive when I was 16 (11 years ago) but now I would not be caught dead in one. I would drive a cavalier now before it lol.

Plus parts are hard to acquire.

 

[mc01svt]

they are junk, thought everyone knew that


/ thread

 

[lobra97]

moms neighbor had one, was always breaking as one member said, stay away....