The Ford Probe GT is one of those cars that most enthusiasts will agree was a damn fine automobile, but it still rarely comes up in conversations revolving around what kind of project car should I buy next? I’m not sure why that is, because these were fundamentally very good cars with sweet driving dynamics and a V6 that sounded far more exotic than it had any right to. By and large, they were pretty reliable, too, but they have seemingly gone extinct whether optioned with the standard 2.0L four-cylinder or optional 2.5L six-cylinder, both provided by Mazda. This 1993 model is the desirable GT spec and listed here on the BF Classifieds with under 80,000 miles and an asking price of $5,000.
The GT wears great colors, certainly straight out of the period in which the car was made. Teal, purple, yellow, fuchsia – these were all regular features on the color palette of cars from the 1990s. The GTs wore larger wheels and special GT lettering on the bottoms of the doors, and it’s nice to see those graphics still presenting well. The seller notes the Probe has some paint fade on the roof and 77,000 miles on the original engine. Photos show the headlights in both the up and down positions, which would presumably mean the very period-correct pop-up assemblies still have functional motors.
The interior is in nice shape, with cloth buckets showing little in the way of wear and tear and ditto for the door panels and steering wheel. The Probe was not exactly luxurious inside, and you could tell this is the type of interior that could be found in a base model Mazda 626 and no one would know the difference. Still, there’s not much to break, and you could always find a wrecked Probe with a leather interior and swap it in. GT models got a leather-wrapped steering wheel and power driver’s seat, along with the 164 b.h.p. V6. The seller notes he is the second owner of the Probe and that he replaced the exhaust system in May of this year.
A guy I knew in college bought one of these from a shady corner used car lot simply on the merits that it looked cool. It was even a GT with the stick, and I was smitten by the engine note. It always reminded me of being one of those cars, like a 1980s Alfa Romeo or a VR6-equipped Volkswagen product, where the engine just sounded like it came out of car that cost five times the price and had double the exclusivity. This Probe GT appears to be a solid example of car we don’t see much of anymore, and as collectors begin to show renewed attention to vehicles from the late 80s and early 90s, examples like this will look like smart buys in a few years.
A largely forgotten car. For its place and time, it looked sporty and had decent performance. I’m fine with the period-correct color. I like the styling of this second generation Probe better than the first. This one appears to have had good care. For not a lot of money one could have a fun run-around car, and you are unlikely to see yourself.
I remember showing one to my wife at the time. She thought it looked ok, but said she would never buy any car with the name “Probe” in it. She thought it had little sex appeal.
I guess if your a doc that performs colonoscopies maybe.
I always thought a bad choice of name….
Buy it and replace the name plates with
Ford Stallion 🙃
Or Ford thoroughbred 😉
As a teenager at the time they were new these seemed nicer to me than a Mustang. In hindsight I can’t believe I thought that, I just hadn’t driven a V8 yet. I liked the first gen a little more, especially a black GT turbo. It seemed a little more masculine to me. The second generation was more stylish but seemed to be marketed towards women with the color choices.
IMO the second incarnation of this model was a swing and a miss. A slightly bloated aero look. The ’89 – ’92 versions were much better in styling as I echo the opinions of Bakyrdhero. Overall these were decent cars, but somehow they just disappeared from the roads. Did cash for clunkers do these in?
Had one in Red with black interior…my friends called it a girly car but they could not keep up on the backroads. Great driver, under appreciated.
I had a 96 Probe GT and it was one of the best cars I ever owned as far as reliability. 350,000 miles on it and I sold it running like a top. The V6 in these just purr.
I bought a brand new 5spd GT in 1995. I really liked it, it was reasonably fast, handled and stopped well. The biggest issue I had with it was a lack of headroom. I sold it to a friend in 2001, he still has it.
Steve R
I want one of the first year models. I can’t remember what year they came out, but I thought it was so sexy. It still is sexy. Just as sexy as the 72 Gran Torino. Mm. Mm. Mm
They sold these in the UK which was unusual.
I like them personally but why Ford decided to sell these here but not US Ford F-150 or Mustangs I will never understand.
You know exactly the year just based on the color
I drove my 1993 Calypso Green Ford Probe GT off the dealership lot with 60 miles on the odometer. I loved that car! 0-50mph was the best, it was so quick. My favorite feature was the way it handled the curving mountain highway. Going thru a curve the suspension would level out and just glide right thru, it was so much fun to drive.
I had to sell it after having our first daughter, her carseat wouldn’t fit in the backseat😭.
I know why too few Probes exist. Most were automatics. I had an 89 and at about 120K the reverse went out. Car ran great otherwise though. You had to really watch how you parked it. It shared components with a Mazda 626 if memory is correct. The automatics had a weak reverse gear. Mazda’s too were bad.
The car was stolen but found a month later. Seems the guy didn’t know about the lousey trans. It had sat in a motel lot all that time until someone called the cops. It was unhurt other than a punched ignition lock. I drove it for another two years until I sold it to the insurance company after I hit a deer.
It was the Mazda MX-6 that it shared components with mainly. Both great handling cars for the day.
The Probe, the MX-6, and the 626 were all based on the same Mazda G platform. Most non-body parts interchange. Most service procedures are the same.
Ford tuned the suspension quite differently than Mazda, so it’s tighter. I think Car and Driver described the difference about 1993 as the Probe and MX-6 being fraternal twins, with the Probe being the masculine version.
The Millennia and MX-3 also share some parts. Just in case you’re looking.
This generation of Probe GT is probably one of the top-5 driving cars I ever had the experience of piloting. Very direct steering, flat cornering and a supple ride along with decent power made this an excellent vehicle. That was simply the most refined V6 of its time. I nearly traded in my ’91 5.0 LX Mustang on a red one with grey cloth interior. Would make a fantastic DD or weekend cruiser.
I could never buy a car that sounded like a medical device for a colonoscopy.
I remember seeing a transporter load of these coming out of the giant Ford plant at Dagenham Uk c1994,all with RHD.
I bought one brand new, 1995 GT it was that blue/silver color that changed colors, it was beautiful! NEVER SHOULD HAVE GOT RID OF IT! Funny part was that it came with 2 window stickers, Ford reduced it and issued a second sticker. I still have both. Original price was like 20K, second price was 18K and I got it for 15K It sat on the lot for about a year. NEVER SHOULD HAVE GOT RID OF IT!
I am not crazy about the color of this one. I wonder if anyone has a super super super low miles one that is unmolested?
Not super, super, super low mileage but nice one here nonetheless
https://www.carsforsale.com/vehicle/details/60124067
A girl that I had a crush on in high school had one of these in the mystic flip-flop purple-green paint.
I’ve never driven one, but the Mazda engines and 5-speed sounds like a good combination for a nice driving experience. $5k seems like a great price on this one. I bet it will sell fast.
This era of Ford Probe was a fine looking car but the MX-6 was stunning. IMO.
Nice car! I always wanted one, but having just bought a ’13 Veloster so much nicer lol
I owned a Cyclopso green probe automatic if I could find a mint v
Condition 1 is take out a loan and buy it. Can not say enough good about this car not only sleek but in winter storm of 93 went thru the snow storm no issue. It was a between year 91 92 still love it roomie, lots of leg -head room, important for my was 6ft lady. good on gas ,all positive! just wish Ford would make them again as they modernized the bronco2 🙏🙏