Probe | Teen Driver

[mike01166]

Hey, my name is Mike, im 16, and I get my licence in November.
I already have a vehicle, a 93' GMC Jimmy. It was a total bargain, 200 dollars, but after seeing it, and driving it, Ive decided that will be mainly just for offroading and beating the crap outta. So I was looking around for a Sporty car I could buy, that is not an import. My neighbor has been a mechanic his entire life, and is the best neigbor ever. He is willing to teach me what he knows, and help me work on whatever vehicle I bring to him. He hates imports and doesnt want to work on some japenesse car.

That gave me a couple options.
-Ford Probe
-Chevy Camaro
-Dodge Stealth

and those are the only real sporty american cars I could think of, that would fall into my price range of roughly 2 grand. My family owns a parts store similar to napa, so any parts I need are right there for me, and with my neighbor being a mechanic, it makes things very easy.

I have decided I want a probe. Are the good cars? Most of the ones Ive seen arent going for real high prices. Does the 93-96 Have many problems? Should I go for a 4 cyl or 6, and what would the difference be If i got a 4 instead of 6, or vise versa? Please give me all the info that would be useful in buying a probe. Here are a few I was looking at.

1993 FORD PROBE
GT red, 135,000 mi, ABS, pb, pdl, ps, air, 5 spd std, pw, alloy wheels, 2 dr, 6 cyl, alarm, am/fm cass, cruise, driver front air bag, good mileage, interior, tread, one owner, all records, $1250 OBO.

1995 FORD PROBE
150,000 miles, 4 cyl, auto, air, full power, air bag, hatchback, alloy wheels, $1500 or best offer.

1993 FORD PROBE
red, air, pw, air bags, 2 dr, auto, CD, 4 cyl, hatchback, hook-up in back for additional speakers, $1000.

1993 FORD PROBE SE
174K miles, black, auto, all power options, 4 cyl, new water pump, alternator & radiator, $1200.

1993 FORD PROBE, GT
blue, 150,000 miles, V6, 5 speed, minor work needed, 5 Star rims, newer tires, $1500 OBO.

which one looks the best?

[moe_96stangGT]

Alright probes are nice cars, i owned one about a year ago and it was without a doubt my favorite car. Although you said you don't want an import so don't be decieved by the name ford on the car because it actually is made up of a lot of mazda parts. The engine is a mazda, they use the 2.5 v6 in the mx-6, millenia, and 626 i believe. If you do get a probe i would highly recomend going with the v6 and DO NOT get an automatic. The automatic transmissions in these cars are notorious for breaking. So my advice is go with the 93 probe gt with the fewer miles.

[mike01166]

are they easy to customize with a nice stero and whatnot.

also, if i did get a v6, what would be the advantage over having a v4

[moe_96stangGT]

In my probe i took the 6x8 speakers out of the back and cut holes for 6x9's on the rear deck, put a sub in the trunk and powered it all with a pioneer head unit and it sounded pretty good. The v6 engine has much more power to it and is a little more reliable than the 4 cylinder. Also it's not a v4 it's an I4.

[hockeymom]

I recently purchased my 17yr old son a 1993 Probe 4 cylinder. Only 125,000KM and in mint condition. I just have one concern. The other night I took it out for a drive and I heard a noise in the rear. At first I thought maybe it was the spare tire etc jumping around in the back. So I removed that and I still heard the noise. I took it to a garage this morning and they told me it was the link on the rear sway bar but it was absolutley nothing to worry about. They told me that these cars normally do not have sway bars and that this was added on. Being a woman and all is this true? I am concerned about letting him drive it back to college if something major is wrong with it.

[moe_96stangGT]

As far as i know all the probes have rear sway bars. The one on mine gave me problems as well but it's nothing to be overly concerned about and they aren't that expensive to replace either. It's fine to drive as is

[hockeymom]

Originally Posted by moe_96stangGT

As far as i know all the probes have rear sway bars. The one on mine gave me problems as well but it's nothing to be overly concerned about and they aren't that expensive to replace either. It's fine to drive as is

Thanks. That makes me feel a bit better. Especially since my son has a 5 hour drive ahead of him - however when he gets there he doesn't have to drive that much.
Overall, though are they a good car?

[dangstangs]

Originally Posted by hockeymom

Thanks. That makes me feel a bit better. Especially since my son has a 5 hour drive ahead of him - however when he gets there he doesn't have to drive that much.
Overall, though are they a good car?

sway bars link kits are available for your locol parts store, they consist of rubber bushings and new hardware probably less than $20 easy to install and any weekend warrior could handle it.

[amantalv]

My sister had an '89. She ran that thing into the ground, but my dad and I kept it very well maintained. It had been in a couple of wrecks as well, and the thing kept on running. It was not bad for a first year model vehicle. My biggest complaint was the 4cyl engine being mazda and all that. If I had to do over again I would pick up a 1990 or newer with the V6. The 3.0L V6 is the same vulcan engine they have used in the Taurus and other cars for years, and still do. The thing is awesome if you just keep up on the normal maintenance. Parts are cheaper, and there is a power increase too!

[96probegt]

rear sway bar links are 75 dollars i had to replace mine would of been real easy with air tools though