It is the best car I ever had
My 1993 ford probe GT had a muffler fall off and the valve gasket leaks that is not bad for 20090 kmi think.
My car is seiously quick and it handles like a dream, but the only thing about it is it is uncomfortable and the fuel mileage is crappy.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 16th January, 2007
The Ford Probe is a diamond in the rough!!
The water pump gasket leaks.
The valve cover gaskets leak.
The front suspension requires regular repair, tire rod ends, ball joints, tires.
The automatic version of the GT can't endure aggressive driving regularly.
The engine bay is air tight when it comes to repairs.
Throttle body positioning sensors failed.
Electric fans tend to fail.
Rear calibers seize beyond recovery.
The blinkers failed.
The car has great potential, but has limited after market performance upgrades.
The car is a sleeper.
Turbo and Superchargers are extremely expensive for minimal power upgrades.
Ford needed to give this car the engine it deserved and it would have been the answer to more expensive foreign automakers.
Overall the car makes a great show car.
The car would have been a awesome rear wheel drive car.
I have had about 8 probes and the manual 4 cylinders have the most performance potential, gas mileage and room for repairs and upgrades.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 2nd January, 2007
Nice looking car with many faults and problems with it
The engine blew out and it cost me around $1500 dollars to fix.
The transmission also needed to be fixed, and it cost me $700 dollars. It was fixed and it broke again. Did some research and found out the transmission cooling unit is faulty and doesn't keep the fluid running smoothly.
I have had a horrible experience with this car. It's a nightmare and I honestly don't trust the reliability of a Ford car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 2nd August, 2006
Horrible, money sucking leach of a car
The head of the motor went bad, and it cost me around $1200 dollars to fix, not to mention it damaged several other parts, including a speed sensor that cost me $500 dollars.
Transmission went bad about 3 months after I had purchased it. Started slipping and wouldn't shift into third. Had to get it fixed, and it cost me $700 dollars to fix. Just got it back and again the transmision went bad, and this time it won't even shift into drive anymore.
This is a horrible car, it's a nightmare on people who have a fixed budget. Possibly be the worst decision I have ever made to purchase this car. Wouldn't even wish this car on my worst enemy.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 6th July, 2006
I am looking at getting a 1993 Ford Probe SE at 92,000 miles as a project car. I was wondering if any of you have any advice about trouble spots and reasons to stay away from purchasing the car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 10th January, 2006
Sporty, peppy, sharp looking, inexpensive. Great 1st car
If I had some free time I likely would've had all these small issues dealt with. Technically, nothing has gone wrong with the car, but a few issues were already present when I bought it.
Rear wiper doesn't work (Someone must've yanked on the stalk and ruined it).
Oil leak (common problem, haven't traced the location).
Driver's side door sags.
Cracked the brittle passenger side door cap.
Driver's side side skirt cracked by rear wheel well.
Fog lights need replacement.
Clearcoat missing on some body panels.
Needs alignment.
Needs all rotors resurfaced (possibly need new pads).
Transmission needs fluid change.
Various suspension and interior noises.
Oil pressure gauge reads on the low end (need to have it cleaned/replaced).
Broken power antenna.
Bought it as a daily/winter driver. Originally a US car.
In stock form it handles and corners better than my Maxima with suspension upgrades. I do notice that the struts are stiff as heck and you will feel every bump on the road. With an approaching 13yr old car there are bound to be some squeaks and clunks. If I plan on keeping this car I'll have the bearings and mounts inspected when I lower it.
Smooth Mazda KL03 engine. Suppose to be a very reliable non-interference engine, but has a couple of issues that I wasn't spared with: oil leaks and valve tapping. Common problems, but nothing that can't be fixed. The valve tapping only happens on cold startups and does go away. I'm thinking of switching to a thinner weight oil. These engines also prefer clean oil as the engine starts to sound a bit strained as it approaches the next OCI. I would suggest anyone who feels their engine isn't as smooth running as it should be to run Auto-Rx, an engine treatment. It is suppose to be much more thorough than seafoam. I plan on running 2 applications of this once I find out where my oil leak is coming from.
Engine is peppy once you get moving. For a V6 with matching hp/tq numbers it does not have much punch on the low end. Perhaps the automatic transmission robs it some. Regardless, it doesn't start gaining steam until 3,500rpm.
Automatic transmission is probably the weakest point on the car. Shifts aren't always smooth (sometimes with a slight jerk). Also get a slight hum when I romp on the gas. I got the same noise with my Maxima so it probably just needs a fluid change. It's a bit active in shifting. It likes to shift early and downshift. There were 3 ATXs during this generation's Probe and I apparently was lucky to get the most reliable of the 3.
I like the interior layout. Power driver's seat with lumbar and bolster adjustments are a nice touch. A bit cramped in the front. The rear seat however is strictly for looks. I wouldn't even want to let small children sit back there. Headroom is cut short with the long hatch. Huge trunk space however, even more with the rear seats folded down. Unfortunately, the tall trunk gate makes loading and unloading a pain. One thing to note are that the 93-94 models came with 2 piece door panels which were prone to separating. Mine haven't separated yet, but the passenger side is starting to. I believe the only fixes are to glue them together to make them 1 piece or swap to the 1 piece panels from the 95-97 Probes.
A few sore points. The sealed-beam headlights are pathetic. Very weak and with my non-functioning fog lamps, they don't provide adequate lighting for even dry weather night driving. One should look into swapping to a H4 setup or H.I.D. conversion.
The paint quality is clearly of the 90's Ford era. Not only is the paint thin, but so is the clearcoat. Parts of the rear hatch, spoiler and a small area on the corner of the driver's side fender is missing most of its clearcoat. I machine polished and waxed it the day I brought it home and it made a HUGE difference. I'm hoping a cut polish with a heavier polish and pad will make the biggest difference.
As with other Fords I've had in the past, I don't get good gas mileage with the Probe. So far I've been getting roughly ~16mpg all city, worse than my Maxima. The previous owner changed the oxygen sensors and I keep an eye on my tire pressure as well as maintaining normal driving habits. What's worse is that the V6 requires premium fuel.
I haven't had time to spend under the hood, but from the looks of it it'll be a pain. Ford really did it's job in shoe-horning this engine in. I'm planning to inspect (maybe replace) the timing belt and fuel filter it might be a big headache.
Amidst all my complaints most are things I can change by spending some time and money. I don't like 2dr vehicles at all, but I got this at a great price and it still looks sharp for a 13yr old car. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep this after the winter, but if no unscheduled maintenance pops up I'll probably keep it and fix up all the small issues and pass it down to my brother when he gets his driver's licence.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th December, 2005
I am the original owner of a 93 Ford Probe GT. I have 190,000 miles on it. It still runs strong.
I do have the oil leaks on both engine and transmission. The transmission leak is worse during the winter. When it warms up, the leak is not bad at all. The transmission has never been opened.
Other than what I've added due to the leaks, it's the original fluid. The fluid has not been changed since I bought it new. I think the front shaft seal is the problem.
The car handles great, especially on curves. It's a fun car to drive.
My gas mileage is great. At 70 mph (average), the probe gets 28 mpg. Mileage is mainly highway. I drive approx. 75 miles one way to get to work.
I have fastened the two piece door panels with black trim screws. My interior is gray and black, it does not look bad.
I changed the timing belt the first time at 70,000 miles. I will change the belt for the third time before it hits 200,000 miles.
During the winter time, if it's cold enough (Texas winter), I also have the problem of the transmission not engaging. The overdrive light usually comes on at the time. When it warms up it works fine. I have not tried to find the cause.
Also, when the car was fairly new (approx 18000 miles), I noticed the lifter noise during cold start ups. It was really bad during the winter. After numerous trips back to the dealer they finally admitted (was not recalled) that the 2.5 litre V-6 in 93 was built with a defective head gasket. The gasket components would start to break down during normal run temperatures and get into the oil system. Thus, the lifter noise. Changing the oil every 2000 miles would help, but not solve the problem.
When the head gaskets were replaced (under warranty), the problem was solved. This problem is probably inherent to all Probes with this engine built in 93 and 94.
My Probe needs a new coat of paint. I plan on keeping it for a while longer.
3rd Aug 2006, 22:17
You bought an abused sports car. What you want from it?