1993 Ford Probe review from North America

Within the first 500 miles, the left speaker appeared to be fastened insecurely to the door frame. I took it in to the dealership in Honolulu and they replaced the speaker entirely.

There was a problem with the overhead dome lite that also surfaced within the first 500 miles, in which it would not turn on. Repeated visits to the dealership could not correct the problem.

At 3,000 miles, the rearview mirror fell into my lap. Oh geez...

A problem with the fuel gauge appeared at 7,000 miles, in which it would read "full" right up to the point in which the tank was at 1/4 tank - then the needle would drop alarmingly to the 1/4 tank hatch mark! The dealership corrected this promptly.

At 24,000 miles I ended up replacing the stock battery. So soon?

The airbag warning light came on at 40,000 miles. Repeated visits to the dealership failed to correct this problem. To this day, the light still flashes incessantly at me.

At 50,000 miles, the hydraulic liftgate struts failed. I never got around to replacing them, using a wooden pole instead to prop the liftgate up when needed!

At 55,000 miles, I noticed the headlights would sometimes take a minute or so to retract when turned off. I would have to turn the engine on and off to get them to close sometimes.

At 63,000 miles, tapping sounds could be heard from the engine. Oh boy... I have never gotten around to checking it out.

At 70,000 miles, I experienced shifting problems. The "Check Engine" light came on at the onset of this problem, indicating a computer chip malfunction that regulated the transmission shifting. I took the car to an independent shop who incorrectly diagnosed the problem in the transmission, much to my insistence that I thought it was the engine computer. After having a newly built transmission, the problem remained, confirming my diagnosis. The shop promptly replaced the engine computer and waived the $2400 cost of the transmission rebuild. I paid for the replacement engine computer, though.

At 85,000 miles, the speakers have all, but deteriorated and given out on me.

At 110,000 miles, I notice oil seepage around the seals of the engine. I never got around to fixing that, either.

OK, so this car has seen some bad days. I've seen them with it. I like the styling - it still looks good after 10 years. The paint has held up very well.

The engine was never strong to begin with, straining under the acceleration pedal to come off the line or make a grade, not to mention trying to pass another car on the freeway. The automatic transmission just added to the strain. But it was adequate.

The ride is bone jarring, but quiet. The interior is tight, but livable. The seats are hell - no lumbar support! The back seats, like most sports cars that have them, are best suited for groceries.