My SHO is falling apart and I need another beater. I was going to get another Integra but I stumbled on the Probe GT as an alternative. Anyone driven one? I know they have a gay name but they look nice. They're probably a tenth or so slower in the quarter mile than my SHO but when my real car is the V8 FC, nothing is going to seem fast when I need it for driving to work and back @ 25 mpg.

I found some posts on the other forum about these cars in a thread by JoeD called "best handling FWD cars". A few forum members were impressed / surprised by the PGT in the twisties.

Everything I've heard is that the probe is an underrated car, and that the trannies can take a substantial amount of abuse.

I mean, it's a Mazda FWD with a V6. Can't be all bad. I'd DD it.

I'm sure they handle better than an SHO.

if you just want a commuter though, buy the cheapest rustiest civic you can get your hands on, or an older saturn (also great mpg)...

more mpg = more money to spend on the non beater.

KLZE motor ftw.

The problem with driving a honda is that I have to spend time driving to work and back in a car that I hate and that ricers like. Money is no longer the limiting factor for my real car because it's fast enough and doesn't need expensive gas / parts / lots of maintenance / frequent repairs / annual rebuilds, etc. It just shits it and gets it whenever I'm in the mood, but I'm stuck in Portland and it would get stolen if I kept it up here. . . hence the desire to get something:

1. Fun to drive

2. With a hatchback for holding large irregular objects

3. That can corner well enough to make back road outings worthwhile

4. Undervalued and underrated because I like them that way

5. Puts out well enough to satisfy the immediate need for a good thrashing

Turbo Mazda 323. The GTX, 4wd btw... can be turned into a SRT4 killer for cheap.

http://images.autotrader.com/images/2007/2/2/216/732/1601188701.216732786.IM1.MAIN.565x421_A.562x421.jp g

http://images.autotrader.com/images/2007/2/2/216/732/1601188703.216732786.IM1.02.565x421_A.562x421.jpg

http://images.autotrader.com/images/2007/2/2/216/732/1601188702.216732786.IM1.03.565x421_A.562x421.jpg

This one's local and has 130k miles. It's totally a Mazda.

I'll take a ford probe over the styling of the mx6 anyday

The first gen Probe is a terrible car, especially the turbo model.

They did a lot of work on it for the second gen, I think that car would suit your purposes very well.

The one in the pics is an awesome example too, I don't think I've ever seen one that nice, even when they were new.

Turbo Mazda 323. The GTX, 4wd btw... can be turned into a SRT4 killer for cheap.

Have you ever tried finding one of those? I read auto classifieds like they're ocular heroin, and I've *never* seen one for sale in at least 4 years.

Except maybe in Portland. But Portland doesn't count. Everytime I look at the CL for up there I find 15 cars that they supposedly only made 3 of and they've wrecked 5.

Yeah they seem pretty rare. I found a few when i searched in forums and craigslist.

I'm glad I'll never in my life have to consider buying a Ford Probe, that's probably the extent of my thoughts.

That is the probably the shiniest Ford Probe I have ever seen though.

it is kind of cheesy looking but it is still a respectable performer. That one has the 24 valve V6, and its a stick, good combination. Like someone else said the tranny is strong, and the engine does pretty well there too. The seats are kinda wierd, for me they are anyways, that wierd triangle-shaped back is strange to get used to for me. You also get the added benefit of having something you dont see on every streetcorner--these are fairly rare.

If you do go for it, a couple things off memory to check:

--Clutch
--CV Shafts and joints--these seem to wear a bit faster in this car for some reason from what I have seen and heard
--ditch the weak factory stereo before the display goes out and you cant see what station is on, etc...
--check the tire wear, up front....if that car has been beat on, the front suspension will soften up a bit quicker than you might think and the tire wear will show this

Overall, not a bad car. When I was in the service, I picked up a 1st gen V6 Probe just because the price was too good to pass up and I drove too much to want something really nice. I was actually happy with it--at one point I put on almost 30,000 miles in about 8 months and it didnt give me any trouble. And that was with the Ford 3.0L engine which isnt as good as the 2.5L is. Oh yeah, and it looks better than the MX6 did. Good luck

I always thought that car borrowed lines from the NSX and FD...it's kind of cheesy

I dont see that, this one is a direct offshoot of the first gen, and that car was all straight angles, while the NSX and FD are all curves

^ Thanks for the info. :)

As for "having" to consider a PGT, $40k a year could buy something nicer, but why waste perfectly good money on an investment that is almost as bad as internet tech stock in 1999?

I always thought that car borrowed lines from the NSX and FD...it's kind of cheesy

If anything I'd say it borrows heavily from the FC.

If anything I'd say it borrows heavily from the FC.

the real deal is that the design of the original probe predates the FC. The Probe design team began their work in 1982, and the car was to be a replacement for the mustang, mostly because of economy. And the 2G probe is easily noticeable as a refinement of the 1G design. But it certainly didnt borrow from the FD--the first year of this probe was 1993, which was also the same year as the FD. Kinda hard to borrow from a design that isnt even out yet....

Probe design team was Mazda guys wasn't it?

I know it was one of the more sucessful Ford-Mazda joints, that and the Courier and Ranger.

My family had an MX6 V6 for a long time and I thought it was a very, very good vehicle (especially for the money). With gas prices where they're at, I think we'll see a lot more people looking for decent, older cars that can be fun to drive....ts

I'm glad I'll never in my life have to consider buying a Ford Probe, that's probably the extent of my thoughts.



amen

Turbo Mazda 323. The GTX, 4wd btw... can be turned into a SRT4 killer for cheap.

Hell yeah! That's the car I want. Or a Turbo Colt.

^ Thanks for the info. :)

As for "having" to consider a PGT, $40k a year could buy something nicer, but why waste perfectly good money on an investment that is almost as bad as internet tech stock in 1999?



There are plenty of used cars that hold their value very well. Not all are bad investments.

Well I drove the maroon probe today. It's pretty nice (lots of new parts), but rather gutless for having a V6. Driving home in my SHO was like the first time I went from a stock FC to one with a street port and header.

Oh well. The cool cars always have weak engines.

Well I drove the maroon probe today. It's pretty nice (lots of new parts), but rather gutless for having a V6. Driving home in my SHO was like the first time I went from a stock FC to one with a street port and header.

Oh well. The cool cars always have weak engines.


boost that engine. 300+whp on <10psi

Well I bought the Probe. First time I ever went to a dealer for a used car. It's pretty fun to drive. The center console and instrument bezel remind me of the FD. Maybe Mazda was allowed to design some of the interior. :)

Anyhow, having owned pieces of junk my whole life and being used to having to fix them in order to have something nice, it feels really weird just buying something that is already nice.