Performance cars are ones many of us enjoy, but buying them can be stressful. Why, you ask? Well, they’re typically subject to more aggressive driving simply because the experience of punching the throttle is so rewarding. Plus, vehicle aftermarkets tend to love high-performance machines that respond well to tuning and other upgrades. All told, finding a car that was built to thrill in stock condition can be akin to finding a needle at the bottom of the ocean, so unmodified cars like this turbocharged 1989 Ford Probe GT listed here on craigslist is truly a momentous occasion for an enthusiast.

The seller is asking $6,200 for this Probe, and thanks go to Barn Finds reader Barney for the tip. The original Probe was rumoured to be waiting in the wings as the Mustang’s replacement, a horror that many of us cannot fathom. A four-cylinder, front-wheel drive coupe replacing the beloved Mustang? Horrors! Thankfully, this didn’t come to pass, and the glory years of the Fox body soon followed. The Probe was still tuned up to be a sport compact contender, and with a little help from Mazda, it was. The Probe GT was the hot ticket, with its turbocharged powerplant and a slick-shifting 5-speed manual transmission.

The interior was no crowning achievement, but it had all the hallmarks of a sporty ’80s coupe. The rubber gear shift surround practically belongs in a museum at this point as an artifact that told everyone your car began life in very basic form. The cloth bucket seats seem unbecoming of a car meant to be a top-notch performance coupe, but the Probe would evolve into quite a sophisticated car in its later years. Not luxurious, for certain, but more sophisticated than shown here. The seller’s car looks absolutely mint inside and out, with very few obvious signs of modification.

We recently wrote about a Mazda MX6 GT, which shared the turbocharged engine with the Probe. The spunky engine kicked out a respectable 145 horsepower and more impressive 190 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s always interesting to see how engine choices evolve with the times, and while turbocharging was a big deal in the 80s, powerful naturally-aspirated engines were more the norm in the 90s when the Probe GT would offer a silky 2.5L V6 with 164 horsepower (it also sounded downright exotic with an aftermarket exhaust.) The seller’s Probe comes with all manners of documentation and service invoices, making it all the more impressive of a specimen. Which generation Probe would you choose?