OT: What do you all think of Probe GT's?

[BlueOvalStangGT]

Im looking for a beater since my car is killing me on gas and when I want to work on it I have to hurry cause I need it for work. I found a Probe GT for cheap and I was wondering if that a decent car. The ad said the tranny was slipping so im guessing thats the converter or if its a 5spd the clutch is slipping. If it is the converter I would want to swap a 5spd into it from the junkyard, is that a hard swap? What should I look for when checking out this car? Does anyone know any PGT forums?

 

[SuperDust22]

I think that would be a good little car. Some of those things have balls. If it is going to be your DD I would leave it as a auto. A converter shouldn't be that much to replace plus you might be able to get a better one with a slightly higher stall.

Dustin

 

[wytstang]

Personally after working at ford a few years ago and seeing and the tech's telling me how much of a POS car those are you couldn't give me one. A buddy of mine dithed his afer 2 tranny rebuild, dizzy going bad something always breaking. There's a reason they are sold so cheap.

 

[Scott_95GT]

I know the last body style of probe, w/the 24v v6 and a 5spd offered pretty solid performance for the cost. I don't know as far as reliablity, but it should be fine.

 

[94DreamGT]

Ok Kevin...listen up. I owned a 95 Probe GT for almost 2 years. I got it because I needed a daily driver year-round and my Mustang wouldn't cut it in the winter or with gas mileage etc...

Take my advice if you want, but I speak the unbiased truth.

First off...the car is a blast to drive. It handles great (good for auto-x), is small and reminded me of a go-kart. In addition to that, it is quite peppy. A stock 24V V6 5spd will run high 15's @ 88mph stock (It's true, I took mine to the dragstrip )

That being said, I regret buying mine because it was not a reliable car once the miles started piling up and maintenance costs were a bear.

I put 30,000 miles on the car. I bought it a few years ago for @ $4500 and sold it for $2500. I also spent close to $2000 in parts and repairs. I can't begin to list all the stuff I did, here is a small partial list:

CV Joints
Wheel Bearings (all 4)
Brakes/Rotors
Tie-Rod Ends
Mufflers
ABS Sensors
O2 Sensors
Shocks/Struts

Timing Belt, Clutch, Water Pump, Lifters...all NEEDED to be replaced soon, but I bailed out.

Like I said this is just a partial list. And while true that most are wear parts, the car didn't even have a 100,000 miles on it and it seemed everythign was failing apart on it, rattling, or plain breaking. It was a bad feeling thinking everyday "what's next". Car never left me stranded, but I didn't trust it either.

Was my car an isolated incident? No...I knew the previous owners and they took good care of the car...it just started falling apart. I took good care of it too.

Be aware that what I posted above about the quickness of the car ONLY applies to 5spd cars. Do NOT get an automatic Probe Gt...they are slow dogs that can't even break into the 16's...not fun at all. The 5spds you can rev to 7000rpm which makes it fun. Also...be sure it is a 93 newer Probe, the older ones had even more problems and were slower.

The one place I found good info on repairs/maintenance/etc... was this website: www.probetalk.com Just be careful...lots of 16 year olds on there that don't know what the hell they're talking about.

And also...post this somewhere besides the 94-95 tech section and you'll hit a wider audience that might give you better feedback.

 

[mystang94gt]

Probe's suck.

 

[EpiKk3]

Look pretty sporty.. plus youve always got the option to rice.. thats about all I know, cant give you anything in reguards to performance or reliability

 

[BlueOvalStangGT]

Jeremy you kick ass, great lil write up you did there. Imma keep my eye on this one for now and if I dont find another cheap lil car I might get the Probe. Reliability is the major issue here, I got the mustang for everything else. I saw this on a local forum and I think its 100% true.I think it went something like this

Pick 2
Fast Cheap Reliable

 

[89 blue lx]

Pick 2
Fast Cheap Reliable

ditto on that

 

[Joes95GT]

I don't know as far as reliablity, but it should be fine.

NO!

Don't waste your money on one. My Dad's a Ford mechanic and has been there long enough to see a lot of chit roll through there. He says the two worst cars that Ford made in the 90's were the Probe GT (regular Probes were fine) and the Contour. Labor is outrageous for the Probe GT's because they are a PITA to work on.

Joe

 

[zenboy99]

In 1995 the Probe GT could accelerate from 60-100mph faster then the Mustang GT. I have the Car and Driver article at home.

My Dad is also a Ford mechanic and he owned a 95 Probe GT for 60,000 miles without any problems at all.

 

[gcomfx.com]

Personally after working at ford a few years ago and seeing and the tech's telling me how much of a POS car those are you couldn't give me one. A buddy of mine dithed his afer 2 tranny rebuild, dizzy going bad something always breaking. There's a reason they are sold so cheap.

I feel I need to throw out what I've been told. My cousin's husband used to manage a couple of the Napa stores in the area. One day I spotted a nice looking Probe GT down the street from their house. He told me under NO CIRCUMSTANCES buy it. Every parts store has a mental list of the cars that make them money.... The Probe GT is one of those cars.

He's also the same guy that told me the 302 was one of the most reliable motors on the road. 169,000+ miles and juiced for over 2 years.... still going strong.

 

[Touring23]

Pffftttt. WTF is up with my daddy's sister's cousin's nephew's grandma worked on one once and therefore here is the real scoop? Only one of these eleven posts actually ever owned the car and that was a good post. The rest, I fart in your general direction.

We have a 93 PGT/ATX daily driver with 265k on the odo. The biggest problem is oil in the plug wells causing plug wires to ocassionally arc through the insulation, and that's no big deal once you understand it. Sure we/ve replaced wear items like belts, brake pads.... but nothing extraordinary. It's a fine product and I'd recommend it to anyone.

 

[gcomfx.com]

Pffftttt. WTF is up with my daddy's sister's cousin's nephew's grandma worked on one once and therefore here is the real scoop? Only one of these eleven posts actually ever owned the car and that was a good post. The rest, I fart in your general direction.

Um.... Mr. 130 posts..... It's my cousin's husband. My cousin and I are the same age, went to school together and she's basically like my sister. When I went through my divorce she was there with me through the whole event especially the child custody battle. Her husband was the Manager over the Napa stores in Carthage and Monett seeing thousands of customers each month and also ordered the parts for the stores. Explain to me the "daddy's sister's cousin's nephew's grandma" humor in that?

How many Probes have YOU owned? One, maybe two?

Just read your post closer... "WE have"? Would that be your "daddy's sister's cousin's nephew's grandma" or someone else?

BTW - I'm not trying to get in a p!ssing (or farting in your case) contest with you.... just didn't like the insult. I guarentee you that you do not live life by personal experience alone.