1989 Ford Probe GL from North America

Summary:

A fantastic bargain

Faults:

Air conditioning system just went out.

General Comments:

This is by far the best car that I have ever owned. It has great gas mileage and is extremly reliable. All I have to do is do routine maintenance. Has good pickup for a 4 cylinder.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd June, 2001

1989 Ford Probe GL 2.2 liter inline 4 from North America

Summary:

It is really a nice car to own

Faults:

Paint faded badly (not waxed by previous owner)

Replaced rear brakes.

Alternator wear broke.

General Comments:

Comfortable ride until I hit a bump or go across rail road crossing.

The car has plenty of power and it handles like a dream.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd April, 2001

1989 Ford Probe LX 2.2L four from North America

Summary:

A good looking, good driving, expensive to repair car

Faults:

Bit of a list for this one!:

Transmission (and control unit, replaced around 120K).

Alternator about 7 times - preventative maintenance for my car :)

Front brakes - caliper recently seized, easy fix though.

Parking brake pivots in the rear drums OFTEN seize.

Headlamps often won't go down - the motors are fine but the pivots in the linkage seize easily.

CV joints have both been replaced.

Ball joints and tie rod ends (inner and outer, both sides).

General Comments:

When the car is running, it runs well. It's one of the most comfortable cars I've driven, especially for the money.

The four cylinder is surprisingly peppy, and the car stays stable at highway speeds (and beyond:).

Altogether, I really like the car. It's comfortable, and it still looks good on the outside (despite not rustproofing it, it's still not bad for a 12 year old car). Also, it's roomy, and being a hatchback I can carry anything in it (fridges, bikes, desks, no problem). When it finally dies, I'll miss it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th January, 2001

1989 Ford Probe LX 2.2L from North America

Summary:

A snappy 4 cylinder

Faults:

I've replaced the clutch once.

Both CV joints are shot.

Needs right front bearings.

Both rear struts are shot, and it needs new valves.

General Comments:

It has been a really great car for how much I paid for it and for how much I've beat on it. Also for a 4 cylinder, it's pretty snappy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th November, 2000

1989 Ford Probe LX 2.2 from North America

Summary:

A reliable, high performance beast!!!!

Faults:

The only problem I've had with the car is that the A/C only works on setting #1.

Also, the fuel intake hose had a tear in it, which caused the car to stall.

Other than that, nothing has gone wrong with the car.

General Comments:

The car is very comfortable. I love driving it. I only wish it was rear wheel drive, so I could do some burn outs.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th October, 2000

1989 Ford Probe GT Mazda 2.2L turbo from North America

Faults:

Nothing wrong with it yet...

I do all regular oil changes and use 94 octane gasoline...

RUNNING BEAUTIFULLY

General Comments:

This is a car that is excellently designed... It has a great design, handles nice, stays on the road very well... This Probe GT engine produces 185 horsepower and has 190 FT pounds of torque... It does 0-100 KM in 6.7 seconds, and the quarter mile in 15.2.

Very nice and loads of fun !!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd September, 2000

31st Mar 2001, 05:47

Have had problems keeping back tires on it and turbo went bad. I guess mine should be lemon yellow instead of black. But I do love the car!

2nd Mar 2003, 21:04

Bought an '89 rocket with 98K on the clock... had some nitpicking problems with it as time went on. Found that Ford decided not to keep New Old Stock for it, and had to go to "Pic-a-Part" to do my shopping! Stacks of Probes there, because nobody knows how to fix 'em and won't try! Anyway, their loss, my gain.

Now have 164K on it and engine is still very tight... but it WON'T accelerate... no timing advance. Have checked everything pertaining to timing, swapped vane meters (made sure they both worked), turbo is new, works normally, Throttle Position Sensor is okay, no codes, but is flat when you step on the gas. My friendly Ford parts changers checked it out and charged me $150 to tell me they didn't know how to fix it. All components seem fine, but no timing advance is the problem. Any guesses?

Please write me at cnhrobinson@sbcglobal.net if anybody has experienced similar problems! Most difficult car I have ever worked on. Pray you don't!

Thank You!

27th Jun 2008, 11:59

I have got an "89 2.2i GT Turbo intercooled. It's now on 225hp...

1989 Ford Probe LX 2.2 from North America

Summary:

A good car that will treat you how you treat it

Faults:

The headlight won't go down.

The back middle taillight went out.

It leaks break fluid.

General Comments:

The car still runs good and it's kinda fast for a 4cyl. I can get on the express way at a good speed to merge and it rides nice.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 31st August, 2000