GTP Cool Wall: 1993-1997 Ford Probe

[GranTurismo916]

1993-1997 Ford Probe nominated by @INEEDNAWZZZ

Engines: 2.0L I4 (Mazda FS-DE), 2.5L V6 (Mazda KL-DE)
Power: FS-DE: 118 hp; KL-DE: 164 hp
Torque: FS-DE: 126 lb-ft.; KL-DE: 156 lb-ft.
Weight: 1313 kg
Transmission: 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic
Drivetrain: Front engine, front wheel drive
Body Styles: 2-door coupe
Additional Info: "Based on Mazda's GE platform, which was also the basis for the 626 and the Probe's sister car, the MX-6. In a cross country road test by Automobile Magazine, a Probe GT with the V6 was voted the third best car in the world. It only fell behind a Mercedes-Benz and a BMW, both costing $80,000 each; a stark contrast with the $13,000 starting price of the Probe."​

Spoiler: Additional Pics

 

[Slash]

Seriously uncool heap of garbage. And the fact this was supposed the be the replacement for the Mustang makes to 10 times worse.

 

[JR98]

One of the worst Fords ever. SU

 

[GranTurismo916]

One of the worst Fords ever. SU

And you voted cool?

 

[Slash]

And you voted cool?

I voted seriously uncool.

Edit: GTP fail.

 

[JR98]

And you voted cool?

Damn mouse. Meant to click SU and highlighted the tick for cool by accident and when I clicked again it went for cool.

 

[Moglet]

I had a guy in one of these try and race me when I had my RX-8. We reached an uphill section and the sound it made going full throttle to try and pull away was hilarious. Plus it's uncool.

 

[ASSCVCCS]

Horrible name, horrible body, horrible overall.

 

[Legro]

Ford's Celica 1.6. Seriously uncool.

 

[Sage Ages]

Easily forgettable.

 

[Wiegert]

Stylistically speaking, I've never seen any glaring issues with this Probe (which can't be said of the first gen lump). I'd even say that I like these more than the MX-6.

Rubbish name and reputation never helped the poor thing. Perpetually Uncool.

 

[Heldenzeit]

I actually like the styling, but they aren't cool in the slightest.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

The styling is neat enough, if boring. One of these with some three spoke wheels sums up the 90's pretty well though, and for that, Uncool. Toss in an utterly awful name, and SU it is.

 

[Danny]

Looked great at the time, but it's aged horrifically.

Uncool.

 

[Bo]

90s in the worst way possible.



Uncool.

 

[Adamgp]

I did like this car back in the day, at least looks-wise, despite the name.

However, Ford trying to replace the Mustang with a Mazda based FWD car isn't cool at all. So glad Mustang fans raised hell about that.

SU.

 

[Epic B]

I'm just glad it didn't become the Mustang.

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

One of these with some three spoke wheels sums up the 90's pretty well though, and for that, Uncool.

Especially in purple or that turquoisey colour. Love them to bits, but... yeah.

Uncool. Almost seriously so.

 

[Tyger]

Future Classic. Cool.

 

[Famine]

Only uncool to car guys.

 

[Slash]

Future Classic. Cool.

 

[homeforsummer]

Always quite liked the way these look, and rarity has increased their appeal.

But SU because of this:

"What do you drive?"
"A Probe".

In the UK, where the Mustang didn't exist, it didn't have the "this could be a Mustang" factor that you guys seem to hate. And being a Ford, it's automatically granted some form of future classic status, simply because Fords are part of the landscape here and there'll always be a "my dad drove one of those" or "I always wanted one when I was growing up" contingent to build a community around.

So yes, it's very much a future classic.

 

[Slash]

Always quite liked the way these look, and rarity has increased their appeal.

But SU because of this:

"What do you drive?"
"A Probe".

In the UK, where the Mustang didn't exist, it didn't have the "this could be a Mustang" factor that you guys seem to hate. And being a Ford, it's automatically granted some form of future classic status, simply because Fords are part of the landscape here and there'll always be a "my dad drove one of those" or "I always wanted one when I was growing up" contingent to build a community around.

So yes, it's very much a future classic.

It's not even so much about the whole Mustang thing as is the fact the car is a massive :censored:ing pile of 🤬 that ends up in demo derbies and scrap yards for spare money here. This is Ford's Cavalier, and it ain't a good one. Great car to beat around in a field with, not so great for much else. Forget trying to work on one.

 

[homeforsummer]

It's not even so much about the whole Mustang thing as is the fact the car is a massive :censored:ing pile of 🤬 that ends up in demo derbies and scrap yards for spare money here. This is Ford's Cavalier, and it ain't a good one. Great car to beat around in a field with, not so great for much else. Forget trying to work on one.

I think you're probably over-stating things a little given your preference for older Ferds. The Probe was actually rated as a pretty reasonable car in its day over here, and European journalists aren't typically fond of American cars - the Cougar that replaced it was generally panned.

 

[Dagger311]

SU.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

Seriously Uncool. Also, wasn't there a turbo model? Not that it would save this epitome of 90's blandness..

 

[Slash]

I think you're probably over-stating things a little given your preference for older Ferds. The Probe was actually rated as a pretty reasonable car in its day over here, and European journalists aren't typically fond of American cars - the Cougar that replaced it was generally panned.

Not in the slightest

I've been around many, many of them. They are not good cars (that's being generous). They are not well built. They are sluggish. The transmissions are horrible, slow shifting, slushy, and extremely unreliable (I've seen one slip 1st and 2nd under 27k miles with light driving) as are the engines (had one come into the school shop with a spun main bearing at 78k). The whole car starts to fall apart around 85k miles. Fuel pump and filter issues galore, almost like mid 90s GM trucks (I won't even go there). The seats flat out suck. The headlights never work. Ever. Every single one I've seen even when they were somewhat new had headlight issues. They either don't pop up, the wiring shorts out or they simply don't work at all. The suspension is laughably poorly designed. The power steering systems don't last at all. The interior is absolutely atrocious, cheap plastic, and generally garbage. I don't even care how much this car cost new, there is absolutely no excuse for a car like this being released to the public market. Like I said, they are great for a $250 running field car and not much else. The OBD systems were new and primitive and hardly ever worked correctly. If they did, it was for about the first year of ownership and then everything went haywire because the electrical systems in this just make me facepalm.

It might be different over there, but probably not. These cars leave a very sour taste in my mouth and are the EXACT reason why I prefer older Fords. I cannot think of a better example car of why I lean towards the older stuff. The only thing "good" Ford built in the 90s was the last of the OBS F series trucks and the last of the Fox bodies. Anything after that was junk. Pure and simple. Junk. Poorly designed, poorly running and extremely unreliable. Everything about them is a nightmare. Working on any of them? Kill me.

 

[Famine]

It's not even so much about the whole Mustang thing as is the fact the car is a massive :censored:ing pile of 🤬 that ends up in demo derbies

I can't think of much I'd like to crash less than a 1990s American-made coupe - much less on purpose.

As noted above there was literally nothing wrong with them - particularly as Ford weren't responsible for any part of the powertrain. Though Ford was responsible for the electronics, which farted themselves inside out on a regular basis - funnily an issue that never affected the sister car.

In fact aside from the Alfa Romeo GTV and Volkswagen Corrado, the Probe was the most consistently well-like mid-size coupe in the contemporary press. It's just the fact that Ford unwisely chose to continue the legacy of the line of concept cars called Probe (one of which became the Ford Sierra) and the preceding first generation Probe that no-one over here knows exists)

It's just a better-looking MX-6. And it has pop-up headlights - and you know what they say about pop-up headlights.

The transmissions are horrible, slow shifting, slushy, and extremely unreliable (I've seen one slip 1st and 2nd under 27k miles with light driving) as are the engines (had one come into the school shop with a spun main bearing at 78k).

Uh huh. Tell me more about how bad and unreliable the Mazda G25M-R and Mazda K-Series V6 are...

 

[Slash]

I can't think of much I'd like to crash less than a 1990s American-made coupe - much less on purpose.

As noted above there was literally nothing wrong with them - particularly as Ford weren't responsible for any part of the powertrain. Though Ford was responsible for the electronics, which farted themselves inside out on a regular basis - funnily an issue that never affected the sister car.

Funnily enough in my most recent post I mentioned the electrical issues.

I'm not sure how much different the Euro version was compared to the American, if any, but in all my past experiences with them here, I cannot think of a junkier car I'd much rather have a Crapalier or Neon

 

[Bo]

Either you let bias slip in far too much or America got a horrible deal with Fords in the 90s/00s, because that was a pretty good time for Ford in Europe.