The Ford Probe is a Classic, and You Should Buy This One!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
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The Ford Probe is a very good car with a terrible name and a mostly forgotten history. Today let’s talk about my time with this purple ‘97 Probe GT, what makes it so much fun, what makes it infuriating, and why I think it should be considered a classic. Oh, and also, why I’m selling mine! Come join me.
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Table of Contents:
0:00 - Rewind To The '80s!
1:00 - 1st Gen Probe!
1:48 - 2nd Gen Probe!
3:44 - Exterior Design!
5:46 - Interior Design!
9:28 - Where Did They Go?
11:20 - Trials and Tribulations!
15:01 - I'm Selling It!
16:55 - Farewell, Friend.
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Music used in this episode:
Selected tracks from the TH-cam music library
Selected tracks by Kia Orion ( • Video ) - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Is the Ford Probe a classic? Do you want to buy mine? It's for sale here: facebook.com/marketplace/item/793642429340831/
Good luck with the sale... it's a bit far away for me...
I've been waiting for this.
Of course it comes up for sale at the worst possible time for me...
Yeah my wife said “Ummm no.” She doesn’t understand my connection with this car. 😔
@@roger3958 🤣😥
That car is still damn good looking. Thanks for saving it from the crusher
Never forget, the Ford Probe was so cool it had a cameo in RoboCop :)
Also in Back to the Future.
My first car was a 93 Ford probe se, teal. My Dad bought it for me in 2006 at age 16. I had it for 17 years (2023). Hope that one day the Probe GT gets the love it deserves!!!!!
Still love this car. I kinda want it.
You should consider finding it's "sister car", the Mazda MX-6.
I think they're even rarer. I haven't seen one in decades. I think the top trim was "GS". It came with the same V6 as the Probe GT, and you could get a manual transmission, and it had that sexy "triangle spoiler".
The Probe was my first love. Saved up $1500 bucks washing dishes when i was 15 to buy her. Ended up owning 2 GT's as well as an MX-6. Very reliable and always fun to drive. I miss and regret ever selling them. Hopefully i can find one again someday, even if it takes lots of work to fix up. Thanks for the nostalgia trip!!
I like that the pictures in your ad are better than most other cars on FB Marketplace with way better paint. Good luck man, I'm gonna miss the Probe content for sure!
Thanks so much, I appreciate it! :) :)
A pretty low bar tbh, most FB marketplace ads suck.
I had a 1990 Probe LX. V-6. That was the best car I have ever owned. Only issue I had was with the seat belts. Not 1 mechanical, electrical, or any other issue in the 200,000 miles I put on it. LOVED IT!
How the heck do you not have over 100k subscribers? Great channel!
Just wish it was a little bit closer to Ohio lol
I was in high school from 87-91 and these cars were everywhere, i always loved the style, never knew it was supposed to replace the foxbody mustang
I just tried to buy a non runner car in Europe. The car looked real good. Real solid. Anyhooo the car had a diesel interference engine I asked the seller if the cambelt was gone. I got no reply in 2 days.
I then found a video on You Tube which showed how to remove the plastic covers on the cambelt.
In the first 4 minutes of the clip it showed how to do it. Video even detailed the right size spanners.
Sent this to the seller and waited......
Long story short I messaged him saying " Hey buddy your communication skills are missing" . Etc.
Got back a response. " don't bid..".
Some people are absolute failures. I mean non functioning.
The car was 200 miles away. The car was nice but the seller was a maroon..
P.s All the videos I looked at on you Tube had the engine already out of the car and it took me ages to find a good video that had the cambelt covers on.
Sorry for the length. I am hating "humans" right now.
My first new car was a '93 Probe GT. To my eyes, it is a great looking car and the styling has held up really well given the age. As I recall, the '93 model year had a stiffer suspension and sat lower. The example I had handled amazingly well. Wish I had never let that little car go.
93 had a popup button, the EQ display, maroon dash stripe, single airbag only, heated mirrors, lighted keyholes, sub/sub amp, aluminum hood, possible freak heads that bumped compression. Some 93 only paint colors like Bimini blue, which was the color of my first one. 94 had all the same options except the popup button, alu, hood, and freak heads were a factory mistake that was corrected. Standard dual airbags 94+ no more maroon dash stripe with the dash redesign. I like the early cloth seat pattern
Yes it is a very nice looking car. Never owned one but the styling is great. Quite possibly the nicest looking Ford of the last 30 years
@@pgtmr2713what do you mean by freak heads? They had a wrong batch of heads that were higher than the stock 9.2:1?
@@alextsichlis4858 That's what I heard. It was a little bit of extra material in the chamber that was supposed to be removed. I don't know how much of a difference it made/ could make. There were others that knew more about it. Could even be a rumor that persisted.
Okay, I bought a new 1995 Ford Probe GT 5MT and I don’t miss it. I had so many issues with it being a brand new car. Let’s see if I can remember them all. Throttle would stick open when it was new because a rubber cable grommet wasn’t pushed down. Paint suffered from acid etching when new. It had a bad front wheel bearing from the factory. Condensation from AC flooded passenger floor board. Internal part in door handle broke and put a small outward dent in door. Rear washer fluid leaked into the hatch. Spark plug wires went bad early causing a misfire. Ultimately I got caught in a flash flood in 1997 and hydrolocked the engine which totaled the car. Goodbye Probe. I don’t miss you. 😁
as a first gen probe owner, the goofy name is loved in the community (granted its very small) and i appreciate you making this video :)
Bringing back memories. I was a Fox body guy back then and I tried a Probe like this one, brand new to see if I could replace the fox stang with it. One test drive and back to the smoking tires, 5 speed hilariosity.
It’s been fun watching your ownership experience and interacting with you within the Probe community. It brought back some memories of my early days of Probe ownership when I was learning to repair and maintain my 93 GT.
Hook the new owner up with me so I can add him to the Purple Probe club! Thanks for being such a good steward of this car. You DEFINITELY saved it! Good on ya.
I had a white 93 and even though it was an automatic I love that car . Impossible to find a clean one anymore, sadly. Definitely a timeless design that's aged well. They made crazy cool colors too! Boyenberry, some nutty peach (?!) color, a gorgeous dark green and mint green...i think?
As someone that has three 90s cars (1 being a Previa) I totally get why you’d want to downsize your collection but I was really hoping to see you go all out and restore this beauty. Edit: I made this comment before watching the whole video. After all you went through with it I don’t blame you for selling it and you basically did restore it minus the paint. Great video.
I can’t believe the day has come to where the Probe is up for sale! I remember when the video was posted that the Probe was bought from the auction. Good luck with the sale!
Thank you!!!
Ethan, Generosity is so important in life and I am going to generously let someone else buy this Probe. 😉
Had one new in '96. Loved it. People often asked what it was. I had a girl mistake it for a new Camaro one time. lol. I had it for 5 or 6 years, and then sold it to a friend that didn't properly maintain it. It's crazy how it was considered to replace the Mustang. I didn't know that then, but I knew before watching your video.
I had a GI (Gastrointestinal Doctor) as a kid that drove a probe. I was happy to make jokes about it at sometimes inappropriate times.
I have a 93 300zx, would love to have this (both models have a special place in my past) my bet is its already sold!
I would buy this. I miss my 94 from high school in 1997. I would feature it on my channel titling it called, “I bought Hello Roads Ford Probe”. Hope you sell it to someone that will take care of it and appreciate it. Don’t let someone steal it lol. Don’t need a repeat of your truck sale 😂. Love your channel man.
Buddy had one in high school. I loved it
Nooooooooooooo! I hate to see that Purple Reign is leaving your possession. I know she has been difficult at times but I have enjoyed following your adventures with this awesome purple Probe. I just love the looks of the 2nd generation. I don't think the Probe would have succeeded as the "new" Mustang but it was a great sports car for the 90s. I hope you find someone who will give this Probe a new home where she'll be well cared for and appreciated for years to come.
I will do my best to ensure it goes to a Probe fanatic!! :) :)
Я езжу на Ford Probe 1993 года уже 8 лет, автомобиль мне очень нравится, проехал около 80 тысяч километров. Сейчас решил установить вместо fs - fs-ze. Подавать свой автомобиль не собираюсь, живу в России, тут таких машин очень мало. Хороший автомобиль, главное хорошее состояние!
Nôoooooooooooooo! I was loving each video you were making on it
I had 3 probe GT's and they were lotta fun! I did KL-ZE swap on mine.
thanks for not giving up on her 👍
Hi I got a teel one when I graduated high-school. It was a year old and I had some awsome times with that car. being my first car it got used and abused. Compared to most of the popular cars of the day it looked very futuristic. I loved it and i would love to have one again but they are hard to find where I live Newfoundland most are rusted away .
My granny had a 1st gen probe gt in the 90s. She would let me shift it for her when I was like 4 years old and she would take me on rides lol ever since I loved Manuel
No! I love the Probe. It's how I found your channel in the first place.
+1
+1
I used to work at a Ford dealership in the 90s and I used to detail these probes I loved them and the pop up headlights. I also remember the Ford aspire another Mazda car oh how I miss them from the 90s
Thanks Ethan for sharing in your Ford Probe journey. Got a little nostalgic for the purple beauty at the end of the video
The purple somehow looks great on this car, it just works somehow
About 20 years ago in the early 2000's, when you could still get a cheap beater car, my cousin got a cheap early 90s probe as his secondary "beater" car. It wasn't the GT I don't think just a regular little 4 banger Probe. We used to work at the same place and sometimes we'd commute in the Probe. It was a great little car. Surprisingly quick, good on gas, easy to drive, and very practical with the fold down rear seats. I used to rag him and say that his anal probe was the better car in every way compared to his main car, and it would piss him off. His main car was a 1992 firebird with a 5.0 that was a real dog. He way overpaid some used car dealer for it. It was pretty and clean but I had a feeling that probe would've taken it on a 0 to 60.
I hope you have a speedy, easy sale to someone who appreciates the Probe. I have enjoyed following your adventures with it, but now you will have room to get something else!!
If you knew about it there was another motor that fit's right in and bolt's up! The J-spec motor from Japan was 40hp more than the US version's and this is N/A, no forced induction! I believe that the J-spec motor had bigger cams, free flowing heads, higher compression, and a different intake. My neighbor put the J-spec motor in his and it was a rocket ship. Oh and it was 5-speed and not that horrible automatic!
A good friend of mine had a white 93 GT that he had for 4-5 years back in the early 2000s. It was fairly reliable, but not great. I always loved the style of this car as well.
This was a really good video! I’ve never driven the probe but I have driven the two v6 mx6s and they were both awesome. They felt super fast for the time and the v6 sounded fantastic.
Really enjoyed all the videos with the Probe, hope the next owner has fun with it!
The Ford Probe was very aesthetically pleasing. I always liked the 2nd generation. I see they have some clean KLZE engine swaps here on YT if you search =D. I beat my neighbors probe GT V6 with a 93 Honda Accord 4 cylinder F22 engine but had some serious weight redux in the mid 2000's. We would talk about engine swaps. I wonder what the matchup would be if we both did engine swaps back then the Probe KLZE vs the Accord H22a
Cars from the 80s and later really need to be taken apart and put back together to be properly restored and run somewhat reliably. Deferred maintenance and age affects plastic really bad and if you don't replace a bunch of parts it's just a series of falling dominoes.
It was my first car! Love it. I’ll buy yours!
I had a 94, loved it! Put in an aftermarket sunroof which resulted in the windshield to crack from vibrations. It's a shame that Ford used negative clearance engines, once the seized, off to the bone yard they go.
I know you know I had the black 93 GT, Ethan, but I had two Probes.
The first was a 93 Seafoam (Teal) with Seafoam interior! It was amazing colorwise...but the Seafoam was the I4.... Boy did it suck for fun. Lol
My step dad had one. Didn't keep it long.... not sure why. It was pretty cool!
THe probe looks great man, always loved these growing up
still got me 97 base 4 banger with 72000 original miles...starting to restore it one section at a time
I looked at a low mileage Probe GT in the early 2000s, on a dealer’s lot for a very low price.. but it was pink. The salesman was like, “can’t you look past the color? This is a great deal!” Hmmm… nope. Sorry.
I love this era of ford! I have a 1998 Escort sedan which was offered in this exact same color!
I had a 94 silver GT 5 speed with no spoiler and no rear wiper. Extremely rare. to not have either. That was my favorite car back in the day. Had the chrome 16's with bridgestone potenzas. It was slow but handled like a slot car.
It was an excellent road trip car.
Man this car was fantastic back in the day. Definitely liked the GT over the SE though.
Really nice car, but its worse sin was Ford attempting to use it as a replacement for the Mustang. It was "sort of" replaced by the small Mercury Cougar which was also a very good looking sporty coupe (the last cougars)
Nice video. Very kool color on your Probe. Nothing wrong with the name. Not dumb. I can think of many, many mostly imports that have worse names. When you say that parts of the cars are Mazda designs, Ford actually owned a percentage of Mazda therefore the designs are Ford's. I remember the 2nd generation Probe like yours was the 1993 MOTOR TREND CAR OF THE YEAR. When the Probe was discontinued, the plant in Michigan (a Ford-Mazda joint venture) started to build an all new Mercury Cougar on the same line which was also a nice car. Some people say that the Probe's replacement in the Ford brand product line was the Escort ZX2 (later simply 'ZX2'), another nice sporty looking car.
It's 1992 and a new 1993 Probe GT hits our dealer lot. What a time. Car felt like it was on rails compared to the Mustang. Ford should of used the 3.0L duratec from the Taurus.
I liked to Probe and MX6 first time I saw them. Later Probe best looking, thanks!
looks just like my probe but I have -94😍😍
Many years ago I drove a 2nd gen GT with a V6 and it was a much better and faster car than I expected
how well do you think it'll do on a drive to eastern Arizona? i'm rebuilding the 4 cylinder in my 96 ford probe. i loved driving mine, it felt like a go cart in the canyons.
cool car. cant find these anylonger.
My 94 PGT has a spare distributor in the backseat, just waiting for its moment to shine! How about alternator; you ever replace that? Good fun!
Ugh!! I'm so far away....this is SO cool! My wife had one from 2001 to 2018. This would look very nice in my driveway! :)
Nice job with this, Ethan!
Road trip! :P
(Not entirely joking. I once bought a one-way ticket from SEA to SFO to buy a Subaru Brat and drive it home solo)
When will you see one again? Not to mention the history of this one is
Well known to you.
@@astafford8865 So true....they are becoming hard to find in driving condition.
@@geoffreyreuther5260 That has run across my mind a time or two...the trip back to TN would be a LONG one. Grand maybe, but long none the less. lol
I had one of these in the maroon finish. It was a nice drive, got a lot of looks and comments.
Saw one on marketplace with an unfinished Taurus sho swap. Definitely how it should have been built from the start
I had a probe, a 4cyl and I liked it
My friend in high school, his dad had a big job with FordMoCo and used to show up with all sorts of development mules to nearly ready models etc etc. Ny junior year he showed up with a Probe GT Turbo that actually handled very well and was quite quick. But you’re right it was a completely different car to the Fox body Mustang in a very different caliber. Two years later he came by with this exact car in a five speed that handled well but was noticeably a bit nose heavy compared to the turbo inline 4 in the GT. That V6 was a peach though and I often was sorry I didn’t buy the Contour SVT with a breathed on version of this engine!😊
The v6 was all aluminum, weighed what a 4 cylinder would. The 2nd gen was about 4 inches wider in the body, stiffer suspension, and always looked as if it had more body rake. Torque steer was also fixed in the 2nd gen. They had a heavy feel, but they were actually lighter than the most stripped Fox Mustang coupe, by a few hundred pounds. The V6 engine was a Mazda KL. The Contour, SVT Contour and Cougar, used Ford's 2.5l Duratec V6. Almost identical numbers for the base V6 engines, not the same engines at all, and the Mazda V6 would last longer. The Duratecs ended up continuing on anyway were made larger and ended up with variable valve timing on Jaguars and sometimes twin turbos. Doubled up to make V12s in Aston Martins.
@@pgtmr2713 thx for the specs. Are they worth buying as a second car?? You sound quite knowledgeable
@@chrisdooley1184 I have a 94 GT, a 95 GT parts car. The 94 I've had for 15 years. They're fun when they're working, and that isn't all the time. If you want a manual, and something that will be a lesson in troubleshooting. It's slick shifting absolutley loves the clutch dumped fast, premium only fuel or the revs drop too fast and you won't be able to rev match. It is, can be, nirvana. Shift at 7k. The plan is to get mine running again soon. It's not for everyone. I would take one over a 944 as a comparison.
I HAVE ALWAYS LOVE THE FORD PROBE, BOTH GENERATIONS- LOVE IT, LOVE THIS ONE TOO LOL, NICE REVIEW.
Imagine if MAZDA and FORD engineered and AWD Platform for the 3rd Generation...
The interior and body styling was in par with the era.
The name should have been reconsidered, though!
Thanks for the tip on the cloged exhaust as a cause for overheating. I assume that was mostly a calalytic converter issue?
Yes it was the cat!
I still like the 2nd gen Probe GT but rather have a red, silver, blue, green, or black one. That calypso green like on Mustangs would be awesome.
mine had the 3 spoke directional rims. god i miss it.
Would love to buy this one from you 😊
I lobe it when Ethan Probes us!
👀
Parts availability and mechanic support definitely have been a hurdle on our 96 mx6. Once sorted, is def a great reliable drivers car. But def much harder to own than say a mid 2000's Acura.
The uniqueness have a price...
tbh my Dads best Friend had one the gt modell and we had a Fiat Coupe 20v turbo my father gave it to me on my 18th Birthday as a Present i boosted it immidiatly it was VERY VERY much Fun but sadly 2 months later it got totalled as i was driving to work i was sideswiped by a drunk driver luckily al i got was a broken right arm and i got the insurence money from the totalled car but tbh i miss it
I had a 1997 Probe GT for a short time a few years ago. It had the same window, sunroof and broken HVAC knob problems yours has.
My dad had a white one when I was a kid, he bought this instead of a 300zx :(.. he said it was too much for him lol. Which back then it was a death trap
If I could I would buy this up in a hart beat
I had a 98 GT 5 speed and was lucky enough to have the Japanese KLZE engine
looks like I might have to fly to CA this weekend and bring you some cash
Doooooo it
I miss my 96 GT
I want it... Already sold
I’ve been waiting for this day for years and of course I JUST bought another car 😭😭😭
😥
Definitely a unique rig. I bet if these were more reliable and easier to service they wouldn’t have gotten so rare
the best modal is the 4 cyl. 5spd. manual because that's the easiest 1 to work on.. it's even better if you turbo it... that GT is known as a drive till it drops modal sadly... but most of all why is it that no one ever mentions the best part about the car, and that's it's great visibility, it's like driving in a fish bowl.. very little if any blinds spots.. finally if this will give a smile on your face,, unlike the Mini Cooper "aka" the chaching car as shop owners say for the cost of servicing it.. exp: Pwr steering pump fails: step 1 "remove engine" !! "0o"
Back in the mid 90s i had an Probe GT 24V. It was a cool, reliable car with pop ups 👍 I thought about buying one again a few years ago for my collection but actually the FWD and the underwhelming power is a big no.
Almost no torque steer and more horsepower and less weight than a late 80's Porsche 944, so the power is definitely not underwhelming, especially for its era.
@@jonathanjuillerat2115 I drove my GT for 2 years and it was slow or at least not fast. 0-60 in 7+
Ford have always been funny with steering wheel designs, they either make really good ones, or hideous ones. Hell, look at the (I think) ZL Fairlaine from Australia fron the 80s, the damn things aren't symmetrical and a horizontal design..
this was supposed to replace the mustang if not for Bob Lutz
oops you already covered that part
It's already sold I'm crying I'm too late
Ethan is a true car guy.
😀😀😀
I've always liked the Probe.
After everything you have done to it I was hoping that you'd keep it. But if you're gonna sell it what are you looking to get for it?
The experience of owning this car has been really great, but I do need to slim down the fleet. I've owned this car much longer than I usually own cars! Here is the listing: facebook.com/marketplace/item/793642429340831
Thank you for the listing info.
I’m pretty sure that’s the only probe I’ve ever seen where the second cup holder isn’t broken
It took me years to source a good one, had to swap the armrest. Only took 1 second for a friend to arm it before I could stop them, and break it right off. After that I cut a piece of exhaust pipe adapter to fit one cup holder to make 2. Painted it body color.
Not even remotely a classic, but a damn fine example of the breed! I still can't believe that Ford wanted this to replace the Mustang---but of course they woke up from that pipe dream 😏Good luck with the sale!
Thanks!!
The FWD Mustang successor
cool
How much is it pleaseeeeeeeeeee I had 2 of them and I will cherish it
Sorrrrrrrry sale is currently pending