100% agree it is a great looking car. I remember people saying it was "Too American". But I always liked them, especially a 24V in dark blue, best looking in my opinion.

I bought a 3-4yr old gt with low mileage but a bad turbo, and continued to dump money into it for another year before giving in to my girlfriend who though I told her it was junk she drove it with very few problems to my surprise, until it caught fire on the highway and burned completely ( no surprise) I have never missed the car or the girl

that is the truth, the first time i saw it ,i wouldn´t guess it was a ford , it looked like a modern car

@@chuckwhitson654 it seemed you could had fix it cheap, if the problem was the turbo ,this because i saw so many proebes in europe that nobody seemed to have problems with this particular car the 90´s one or the second model , the first time i heard of it ,but in reality they disapear very fast, maybe they work good for some years and later it atrts to have problems but this after 10 years of driving them, and if it was a kind of mazda rx-7 ,one of the car i ´ve enjoyed the most was a late 80´s mazda rx-7 i had, only sold it because i hadn´t room to store it, but my father had the previous model ,wich i kept for being a reliable car,mazda where i live is one of the most looked for cars but till 1990 ,after they start to appear as bad and cheap materials made car, like the 1990 model seems today 20 years more recent than the 1996 model ,this regarding all models from the same time ,i had mazdas because they were good looking and very good cars to drive and seemed at the time a high-end brand only good materials employed and very reliable ,the rotor engine in the rx-7 was a problem to those who never did maintenance, it´s an important thing to do with a wankel engine ,1.3L more than 200 h.p. (the twin-turbo model)

I agree, great looking car for its time

It was a Mazda.

@@scootergeorge9576 Essentially it was a Japanese design, assembled in the US to be sold in Europe -- a strange combination that worked surprisingly well.

Me too. I was 10 in 1995 and I soooooo wanted one of these. Be nice to tick it off the bucket list, but now it's almost impossible to find one even if i wanted to!

Me also its looked like a proper sports car like Nissan 300, Toyota or even towards a 944 unlike say the Calibra , the probe looked good to me, but they did lack street cred compared to some more bland cars

I would go and test drive all the v6 5 speeds I could find at different dealers. It revved really easy and drove great. It was expensive though. Damn, I was like 19 years old....

Yes, Absolutely, super ahead of it's time Gordy.

Your style is both entertaining and super informative, putting everything into historical context. Well done! Subscribed! Please do the sn95 mustang. It would be a great counterpart to the probe.

I agree, it had better stance than the SN95 Mustang, which was very awkward looking IMO

They're so hard to find! Hopefully all of them didn't get crushed rip

@@80s_Boombox_Collector Better stance than the SN95??? Bro you done lost your mind.

A north-south layout V6 rear-wheel-drive could have been a replacement for Europe's Ford Capri more so than North America's Mustang. A marketing opportunity surely missed.

Agreed. Especially in black. ❤️

Agreed

Yes I came to notice they were a slick affordable machine. Underrated

Now if only Ford would revive the Probe nameplate. Have it with radical styling again and all electric.

The Ford Probe has always had a special look! Looks like a car that always looks young !!!

Never had one and probably never will, i did like the look of the facelift probe though. Been a ford driver all my life but time is running out for the brand with me, i drive a Mk3 V6 Mondeo and not something newer because its the last ford with a V6 here in the UK, when this car finally reaches the end i will be forced to another brand who do still have V6 engines.

We still have my wife’s ‘94 Probe and it looks sporty. Got a new coat of paint this year and though things go wrong with it, I enjoy tinkering on it.

I had a probe love that car and the funny thing to that is I turn around and my next car was a Mazda 626 Good times.

I have 2, I'm a bit biased as well. 1993 GT, rusted to fuck, and a 1994 wild orchid waiting to have my turbo/chassis parts swapped over. I love these cars

Still have my '93 Probe GT 5 speed I purchased new. Still a great car, quick and economical. Never had any serious problems with it over all these years.

@Derek Gardin my 94 GT 5 speed has been garage kept all these years and not a spot of rust. The big problem with these was my RIO Red paint faded after a couple years. Other than that an awesome car

I still have mine also since new 1994 GT. Doing some neglected repairs now.

@@mitcl8915 Same here. Garage kept my 1994 GT since brand new, no rust. Good to see others are out there.

I still have my dad's '91! Just finished restoring the engine and giving it a refreshed paint job :-)

That’s because the only thing about it that was Ford was the badge on it. The rest was Mazda.

Valve cover gaskets were the only thing I had to replace, great handling car

Thats because Ford didn't make it. The Japanese did.

Still have my 94 GT 5 speed! Agree still an awesome car

Yes. for sure...In North America it has corn syrup, but in Europe they still use cane sugar I think...

@@donsolaris8477 in Mexico too.....

@@jonnycando Mexican coke is so much better. Maybe the glass bottle has something to do with it too.

@@gedaman the bottle and real cane sugar!

Wow! Never thought of that. I gotta believe you're right!

This was the car I wanted but they where all sold out everywhere in late 95 so ended up ordering a black 96 GT ......still have the car today but would never buy a black car again, even today sports cars come in that Blue color as the 95 probe or close to it and I always wished I was able to get that 95 blue.....in 96 Ford went to Blueberry Blue which looked blue but as the sun shined on it a purple hue could be seen in the color so I ended up ordering Black.

- So true. Ford Probe will be back someday.

Having owned a '90 Gen1 new ...& built a 1996 Gen2 RWD racecar. I can say ur absolutely right. MANY dubbed it a failure who didn't love it. Those who did want 1 again. A proper & fitting name woulda helpa a bit.

It's heartening to see so many comments expressing what I'd always feared was an unpopular opinion.

It looks terrible, especially compared to Japanese cars of exactly the same time

@ Paul Bartley No. Clearly you’ve never seen the 4th gen Prelude. Or the 6th gen Celica. Ugly ugly ugly.

@@calvinnickel9995 mr2 and rx 7 fd look a lot better

@Jay'sWorld! saw the 7th gen celica just now, with a black paint and 2000 import inspired bodykit

Try to get one with a solid body. The drivetrain was used in many contemporary Mazdas and can be procured and swapped without a hassle. KL-ZE (200hp) conversion is one of the most popular mods. KJ-ZEM (220hp) is even cooler, but the engine is very hard to find.

@@user-nu5ib2ri9o it makes me wonder...does it share any parts with rx7?

The quick answer is “no”, it has more in common with 626, mx6, mx3 and the likes.

That is awesome! Really? Where are they located, sounds like me.

There's one near me for $2,000 www.autotrader.ca/a/ford/probe/north%20york/ontario/19_11485994_?showcpo=ShowCpo&ncse=no&orup=3_3_3&pc=L6T%203X9&sprx=100 YOu can probably get that down to $1200 - I just bought a Hyundai Pony for $1500 down from $2500 in quite good (running) condition. Do it now before they become too rare.

Always thought that was standard equipment.

It was winking at you.

What junkyard? People need parts!

Your colleague had a drag coefficient? Or a Probe? (What was your colleague's drag coefficient?)

@@twincities867 My colleague was a "he", rather than an "it" signifying the Probe. Although, he and the Probe both had drag coefficients, he Probe's was slick, can't remember the exact number, but my colleague was rather large & human shaped, so in his upright configuration, his drag coefficient was like that of a wall.

@@twincities867 basic troll. you feel better about some internet grammer checking.

It’s drag (queen) coefficient was quite impressive.

At 80 mph, the computer showed incredible mileage on cruise.

No, me too actually.

Yes me too , the space connection 👍

@@shaunw9270 And me.

I always thought it was abstract - probing the future, probing the limits, etc.

Me too. I guess they were associating the futuristic design with space exploration. I sort of get it, though abstract.

@Mable's Fatal Fable The 93 Probe GT won car of the year.

Betting anyone that has a low mileage one, has an eventual collectible. They were all beautiful, efficient cars.

It isnt even thaaaat expensive,

If you think the probe is a smooth engined,FF V6. Check out the mitsubishi fto. A far better performance, handling and looking car. And with the 25 year import rule. You could get it in the US now

@@pb6198 Ah yes, for 3x the price of a domestic craigslist probe

@@elkofcanada5003 they are a crazy price in the us though. I paid £600 for a good example

@@elkofcanada5003 and frankly. It is 3 times the car. So that does figure

@@pb6198 the FTO made the same power at the same weight but with less torque. The later high output version only just edged out the Probe in acceleration, while the Probe never got the high output version of the Mazda V6 the mx5 with that motor was faster still.

How long did y'all have it for?

@@TheDonSapius we had it 30 months . I can’t stress how good a car it was.

Beautiful color!

The Mazda 2.5L was infamous for blowing through oxygen sensors and the automatic transmission was failure prone. It was the same powertrain used in the Ford Contour. I'm guessing your 30mos was a lease. That was definitely the way to go.

@@jaxandmore440 my car was a 5 speed manual, you assume wrong , we bought the car outright.

The Probe is one of those cars that was hated at first but truly has stood the test of time and proved to be far better than people made it to be. The design of both generations was innovative and ahead of its time, still holds up pretty well and still looks rather dynamic and elegant, and it had great driving dynamics, too.

That would explain the Fly Delta neon sign! My grandfather flew for Delta from 1953 until 1980 and was based out of Atlanta until 1968. My folks both grew up there and I grew up in Norcross, just outside the 285 perimeter.

I thought I recognized that state capital building!

This is the city I bought and still drive my Probe GT in. Too funny. He must have used Atlanta as a Coke connection. If not, then very ironic.......

@@ford_probe_garage_studio I suppose, since he made the Coca-Cola/New Coke analogy, and Atlanta is the HQ for Coca-Cola, is why he used that footage.

Mazda actually did have their own Probe. It was the MX-6. Shared most of the guts from the Probe's second generation, without popups. The 626 would not have worked because Ford had the Contour. A sporty 626 would not have fit alongside it.

Other than the wraparound glass being a common Ford element at the time I always thought the Probes looked right at home between the Miata and RX7, the only car of Fords that I think the Probe resembles from the front is the FWD Capri out of Australia.

Same here

Oh! You have a Probe? What year?

@@TheDonSapius 1995! Australian spec, so fully optioned with euro suspension and v6.

@@rebeccafishlock226 Respect!

@@rebeccafishlock226 1993 V6 Riored V6, Euro with Blackline us spec lights, D2 coilovers and18" RX8 wheels. Shaved trunklid.

@@ikuzoburandeon beautiful. I bought spares the other day from a man who had a '93 track car with a supercharged kl-ze, Ac delete, coilovers all round, uprated brakes, the works. All in that beautiful dark blue. Mines a bit of a dog on the outside, someone trashed the paint before I bought it, but I'm slowly getting the engine and suspension to where I want it, got some dgr coilovers on the mail and an lsd waiting to go in.

Boysenberry or Wild Orchid?

A car that simply does not want to age !!!!

Lol, I'm jealous. How long have you had it for?

@@TheDonSapius I bought it as a junk car 5 years ago. It has a bad transmission, but I have another unit to replace it when time permits.

@@HemiChrysler Hopefully you're replacing it with a manual - a day's job really.

@@the_kombinator it didn't occur to me to change to a manual, but that would be cool; I would need the manual transmission, gearstick, gear change linkage, clutch pedal, and master & slave cylinders (if the clutch is hydraulic), or clutch cable. That is not a day's job, unless you're counting hours spread over a longer time frame.

@@HemiChrysler It is a day's job, I've done it on a Hyundai Pony, Accent (with a Beta swap), even an old Excel - weekend job if you're new but relatively skilled at this type of thing. My first swap took just under 12 hrs when I was 18 - dropped my gf off at her friend's house at 9 am in an auto, picked her up at 8:30ish in a manual. Sure it needed some buttoning up on the inside, but it was basically just me, a Chilton's manual, and some know how. Took me 4 hrs to remove the auto trans though, earlier this week I was able to do the same removal in 1 hr on the same make of car ;) It can definitely be done in a weekend, if not a day.

Yay, we get a Electric SUV that's further from the Mustang's identity than the Probe was.

I'll have to do some swearing in the bloopers in the future!

My pleasure Costi!

I still have 2 V6 Probes, lol

@@Jamesbond22855 2 here as well, and a third that was totaled in 01.

@@pgtmr2713 I bought an Orchid a few months ago to swap all my parts into

@@Jamesbond22855 I can't remember if you are following my paintjob or not. That's the most recent stuff I've been doing right lately. I'm working on the broken driver's side ground effect. I think I have 2 or 3 subscribers with a similar thumbnail Got to get some close ups of yours for a thumbnail :-P

@@Jamesbond22855 2 here Both the same. GT's, green, 5 speeds.

- They are great underrated cars. Very cool.

I also owned 2. A 1993 Probe and a 1997 Probe GT. Loved those cars. They were beautiful and so fun to drive. Not great once I had to put a child seat in back, but I traded it for a 2003 Mazda 6. That car was the perfect 4-door replacement for Probe.

"Want to see my probe?" anonymous flasher

......”you’re a Tiger”

Thanks Richard!

You've not seen a Lincoln Continental roll!

Such WAS the standard for the late 80s and 90s 😂

@@dcarbs2979 Oh I have, but you'd expect that of a land boat, not a small sedan!

Mazda did set the standard for automotive design for a while. Not so much in the quality department though

@@dcarbs2979 Yeah... but that's with a body in the trunk.😀

They may have gained sales in North America by naming it the Capri here too.

@@420031 The Capri was sold in the US as the Mercury Capri.

@@torstenscholz6243 yes, they did, but had they called the Probe the Capri, it may have been more appealing.

immobilizer is the route of most Probe issues from new

@@sahhull I resoldered a few dry joints on the immobiliser board around the relays and no more engine cutouts. The car cut out approaching a level crossing once!!

First generation when all you had was the super star II with the mecs adapter gave me many headaches with driveability and mil lights. Especially the turbo.

Cracked transmission cases are the biggest issue, an inexpensive brace keeps that from happening. I've been through 5 transmissions in the 6 years I've owned/modified mine

Glad you liked it!

Or maybe Colt... since is was newer and smaller. I guess Dodge wouldn't have liked that though :)

Should have been marketed as Europe's new Ford Capri... Longitudinal V6 manual with rear-wheel drive.

Thanks Marco!

With a 24-valve V6 with a forged crank and a 2-piece aluminum block, designed for Mazda's aborted luxury line that would have competed with Acura/Infiniti

So like the ranger?

@@nondescriptstraightwhitema6138 I thought the Ranger only used a Mazda manual transmission

@@80s_Boombox_Collector b200. Right down to the sheet metal

@@nondescriptstraightwhitema6138 In what years? During the 90s Ford was the one who built the B2000. The only Mazda thing about it was the manual transmission.

So true. Great comment 👍

I remember when the Probe was first released. It was all the rage in the car magazines - "the marriage of Ford and Mazda". I liked the fact that Ford finally had a sleek looking affordable sports car to rival the Nissan 300ZX, Toyota Supra, and Mazda RX-7. The GT40 was more of an exotic car, to rival Porsches, and it was way too expensive. And I never really thought of the Mustang as a sleek sports car at that time.

I wish I had thought about that when I bought mine. In 2012 I got an amazing one that had only 54k miles. I needed a car as a daily. I chose the Probe GT since I had an MX6 4cyl auto at one point. I got the Probe because it was a stick shift. Sadly I got into an accident during rush hour traffic, I got it fixed but, it now has a red hood 😐. Being used as a daily driver for 7 years in Colorado it definitely has seen better days. I plan on restoring it when I get a new daily. 😁 I absolutely love that car.

Loan your car and expect it to come back pranged.

a turbo AND and engine, WOW! LOL!! I know what you mean, but funny how you said it :)

@@matthewreise120 If you look at the Probe now, as it currently (as of 26/10/2020) is, you will not find an engine in the vehicle, its just a giant hole.

@@Squirrelanditsnutz LOL, but it still has the turbo though?!?!

Glad you enjoyed it Allan!

+1

Only thing with fords in 90s was most were rot boxs compared to peugeot Citroen

The DS still had tailfins.. lol. No.. the DS was, and always will be, weird.

I took a tour there of late, and didn’t even realize it was the birthplace of my Probe GT, until I stumbled across an old Probe poster at the end. Funny

I worked there for almost 23 years before retiring.

Why would somebody do that? It's not a 240sx no, it's a mazda so it'll last twice as long as a crappy nissan lol

Boom-tish!

N'yuk, N'yuk

You rectom ??

You're welcome Daniel.

- Keep the Probe alive!!!

Pretty interesting they didn't make it to 89 ....but ok

Such a Sweet revving engine.

👍👍👍

@@ford_probe_garage_studio said

👍👍👍

Comedy destroys everything it touches. It is a form of vandalism uncaring for the economic damage it leaves in wake. It's smearing of C&A was another example. A good company that just said Fuggit and shut down in the UK after constant comedian attacks. Still successful across Europe.

thank god someone actually points it out, respect my man

Taurus x : does anybody remember me? Lol

You have to at least try to. You never know.