1995 Ford Probe 24v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Do not buy one

Faults:

Interestingly enough, the same as some of the other reports but with some extra problems too:

Rear calipers replaced twice now.

New exhaust.

Immobiliser packed up.

New distributor.

New spark leads (£190).

Six new tyres altogether.

Air conditioning packed up too.

General Comments:

This car cost me £24,000 and I have done nothing but pay out more and more money on repairs. My previous car I had for seven years and never spent a penny on it. This car has cost me a fortune and I would strongly recommend that people do not buy one. Many friends of friends have had exactly the same problems with their Probes. It has very low mileage and has been treated well but the problems keep occurring. Please also add to the list above that the alloy wheels corroded within a year, as well, and had to be replaced.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 10th September, 2000

3rd Dec 2000, 09:32

Can you tell me why you replaced the rear brake calipers? I am having brake trouble with my 95 Probe, sometimes the brakes just start hanging up on me then I will hit a bump in the road and it stops. I can't figure out what is causing this.

14th Dec 2000, 12:59

I am just in the process of selling my 1995 2.0 litre Probe. I have had the same problems as most other people. The ignition module packed up - Ford main dealers wanted £1000 (one thousand) pounds to fix it. I had a replacement module fitted with its own wiring loom and the original one disconnected. Total cost about £150!

Ford should have recalled all these cars as soon as they went on sale. Unless you have loads of money to waste - don't buy one!

15th Jun 2001, 15:16

Yep! my probe turned out to be very expensive too! 600 quid for a new distributor, calipers just started sticking (300 quid to fix) and it won't start when the engine is hot. very disappointed indeed - so much so that I am now getting rid of it.

5th Jul 2001, 06:46

I just bought a 1991cc Probe 16V 1995 model with 80,000 miles on the clock. Everything is working smoothly and quietly and it is a joy to drive. No oil drips and apparently very little corrosion on the underside. The car has had 3 owners to date and I have all of the service sheets and repair history. This particular unit seems to have avoided all of the unexpected horrors such as low mileage component failure. From reading the adverse comments, I am now on" tenter hooks" wondering whether everything will fail in the next 2,000 miles! Maybe, of course, I could be one of the many lucky owners and have no trouble at all.

Fingers crossed!!

26th Sep 2008, 08:02

Please people, you need to buy 2.5 liter 24 valve GT. Mine is a 1995 5-speed manual and she rules the highway. If you have the money to spend (all high performance cars cost a little money) you will not be disappointed. I have never had such a fun vehicle to drive or one that truly lives to rev. I have totally blown away mustangs, camaros, fire-birds, eclipses etc. If you want a stock car that makes you feel like your Dale Earnhardt jr, then for gods sake buy one.

1995 Ford Probe 2.0 16v petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A sheep in wolf's clothing which wants to scare the other sheep

Faults:

Not much, immobiliser problem was the biggy. Also metal for one of the wings has degraded faster than it should have.

General Comments:

Nice car, looks gorgeous but the 2.0L is underpowered for the size and bulk of the car.

Handling is fantastic, it just seems to stick to the road.

Underestimated car which hasn't been given a fair go in the UK. Ford should have brought out a mk2 which addressed the niggling little problems.

Obviously 2.0L is cheaper to run than 2.5L but don't expect the running costs to be cheap.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th August, 2000

22nd Feb 2001, 09:15

Go for a Calibra! A number of people I know who have had experience of both, would go for the Calibra every time. Read my review of a 1997 SE8.

2nd Jun 2001, 15:10

The Probe is marred by niggling problems but it still turns heads more than the Calibra which is now virtually ignored. I reckon its because of the superior Probe body styling. The lines are smooth and curved and from the A pillars to the front flip up headlights looks very similar to the Ferrari 456GT coupe. Also the Calibra is an attractive body but slung over the old Cavalier chassis and interior and many publicised road tests said the ordinary 8V 2.0i had better road handling than all the other faster versions where the old Cavalier chassis just could not handle the power - at least the Probe was a new creation from the ground up.

The Probe's wrap round rear screen and lights and curvy interior has bought it BACK into fashion - I think people are fed up of seeing slab sided ugly chunky designs like a lot of new cars are now - curves is best - ask Ferrari, Porsche, Lambourghini, Jaguar - they obviously think so. Incidently the odd looking angular Cougar isn't as good looking as the Probe either.

Nigel, email: mail@nhillyard.freeserve.co.uk.