Life is full of surprises, and for one lucky person, this occurred when he started to clean out this garage, and a 1989 Ford Probe GL suddenly emerged from the debris. Certainly, it is hard to spot the car in this photo, so it is interesting to see just what all of his hard work finally revealed. If you look at these photos and like what you see, then you will find the Probe located in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and listed for sale here on Craigslist. The owner has set the asking price for this vehicle at $3,500.
What a difference a bit of hard work makes. When all of the camouflage material had been removed, what was revealed was a 1989 Ford Probe GL, finished in the very attractive Light Sandalwood Metallic. While it is hard to see in the photos, the owner does say that the paint does have some light fading on some of the upper surfaces. However, it remains very shiny, with no signs of dings, dents, or rust. The original full wheel covers look to be in as-new condition, while the color-coded bumpers look to be free of significant marks or chips.
The owner provides no photos of either the interior or engine, but he does provide a pretty decent description of both. The interior is finished in a combination of Sandalwood cloth and vinyl, and the owner says that it is perfect condition. He came into possession of the car via an estate, and the original owner, a non-smoker, used the car for a while before parking and “burying” it in the garage. This lack of use and isolation from the harmful effects of UV rays has apparently left the interior pristine. Being a GL, this was the entry-level offering within the Probe range, but the original owner did choose to add a few options to make life more pleasant. In addition to the standard fare of full instrumentation and a floor console, she chose to add tinted glass, power mirrors, air conditioning, cruise control, a tilt wheel, and a premium AM/FM radio/cassette player. From a mechanical standpoint, the Probe comes equipped with a 2.2-liter 4-cylinder engine, 4-speed automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. After having sat for an extended period, the Probe did need some work to return it to a roadworthy state. This work has been completed, including replacement of the battery, new fuel system components, including a new tank, pump, and filter, a fluid flush, a full service, and four new tires. The owner states that the car runs and drives beautifully, and he also claims that it has only traveled a genuine 84,500 miles. He is able to confirm that the Probe had been in storage since around 1997, and at that point, it had covered just on 84,000 miles. This would seem about right at that point in time, so the current mileage claim is certainly feasible. The car also comes with a raft of documentation, including the original Owner’s Manuals, Warranty Card, Window Sticker, plus other sundry items.
So, for the current owner, cleaning out a garage full of rubbish to find a clean and tidy Ford Probe hidden away must have come as quite a pleasant surprise. It might not be the most desirable of cars, but it is still an extremely neat and tidy survivor that would be easy to live with on a day-to-day basis. If it were me, I’d be reluctant to sell the car simply because it is such a great story. The owner isn’t me, so the Probe is destined to head to a new home. Could that home be yours?
Seek and ye shall find
Wow, when was the last time you saw a Probe on the street or any 80’s Ford?
Definitely one of the best looking Ford products of that era.
I want one but this is not working for me. Possibly the most vanilla examples Ford made. Now excuse me I must Probe now
I always thought folks got their first probe exam at fifty after drinking the fluid to flush out the body 😏
It seems the name was a lil whacked but this car looks like it “probeably” could be a good car 👍
These were pretty decent cars back in the day. Drove a number of them as rental cars. A fun car with a 5-speed and the ’90 on offered an optional V6. I recall Ford had toyed with making this the Mustang replacement until a revolt of epic proportions from Mustang enthusiasts nixed that idea. To add further insult, these were built alongside the Mazda MX-6 at the Flat Rock, MI plant. Before the Mustang replacement idea was ditched the concept was mockingly referred to as the “Maztang.”
Those are Ford Tempo wheel covers, possibly not original. There’s really no excuse for not having pictures of the interior and engine. A picture is still worth 1000 words!
I am the owner and have added the engine / interior photos to the craigslist ad and hope to also have them added here soon. Thanks, Daniel
Tidy little car for not a lot of money and looks pretty good for a 30 year-old car. If the interior is in good condition as the seller claims, $3,500 seems to be a decent price for what would be a sporty daily driver.
Had a friend that had one ,I’m 6 foot and remember riding in the back seat my head would hit the top of the rear window every bump,other than ok car 👍
I don’t know. I used to own a small used car lot & I took one on trade. Clean little car, very similar to this one but white. Same drivetrain.
I got it as a no start beater. I think I knocked $100.00 off a beater that ran for it. I thought it needed a starter. Turned out the engine was froze.
I actually put another engine in it. Not sure why. I guess it was new enough at the time that I was able to justify it in my head. Got it running & found the transmission was bad.
Ever hear Homer Simpson yell “D’oh”? That was the noise I made!
Back to the salvage yard to buy a transmission. Came from the same car the engine came from.
After piecing it together, I drove it a couple months & sold it, breaking even. I figure the couple months of transportation allowed me to break even financially.
That car really “probed” me good lol!
Sure the GT model looked better,but I think this is a great buy for all the money invested in it. Likely been 15 years since I saw one on the road. Almost wish it was closer.
The car that almost ran Marty McFly Jr. over in BTTF Part 2.
My mechanic once said, “You can tell a Probe is a toilet by the flush lever they used for a turn signal control”. I’ll take a clean old Festiva instead. Same time period, better car.
I really liked these when they came out but I never pulled the trigger on buying one.
I have to say, the last time I saw one on the road was probably two years ago and whomenver owned it loved it because it was in pristine shape.
I liked ’em when they rounded off the edges sometime around 1995-96. Looked at, drove, and almost bought a new 1996 Probe GT? LS? in purple that year.
I knew if I scrolled down far enough I’d find the reply that I was considering making. The 1st gen Probe would look pretty cool were it not for the 2nd gen Probe looking so amazing in comparison.
These are basically a Mazda MX-6 with new skin, I remember thinking at the time the MX-6 looked better.
I ran across a 90-91 LX V6 about 4 years ago, that one was red IN AND OUT, and had the digital dash/instrumentation…wild Car.
Anyway it was sitting on a lot for a charity auto sales for about $2000-2500, if I remember correctly. I should have bought it, and still kick myself, as it was showroom condition like this car. And like this car, somewhat far from home. STILL….
Uh, yeah. Ford “rounded off the edges” in 1993 for the second generation Probe.
If I had a ford probe…I would keep it hidden too!
They sent a lot of these out on star trek. Never knew what they looked like till now. COOL. Later……………………..JIMMY
wiki sez:
“…The Probe GT was Motor Trend magazine’s Car of the Year for 1993. It also made Car and Driver magazine’s Ten Best list for 1989, 1993, and 1994.
The NASCAR Dash Series version of a 1990 Ford Probe driven by Jeffrey Collier set a new track record at Daytona International Speedway February 13, 1990 with a speed of 166.553 mph. That record still stands as the fastest closed course lap for a non-turbo 4-cylinder powered car…” (actually a mazda)
The Ford Mustang II was motor trend car of the year at one time too….and that car turned out to be a worthless piece of junk….lots of cars from all different manufacturers made “motor trends car of the year” and ended up being horrible cars….so I wouldn’t be to much credence in that. The Ford probe fell a little short of expectations for Ford….some internal people felt that is was not a good name form a car and may have been offensive to some ….research had shown that certain age group of females didn’t like the name “Probe”
When scrapiron was up a lot of then got crushed.
What kind of car does a proctoligst drive
A brown probe .lol
Update: This Ford Probe Gl has been sold today to the happy new owner from Johnson City, TN. Thanks for looking.