Oops. I Bought a Thing.

"ethan drives dumb cars" (helloroad) 03/31/2020 at 17:45 • Filed to: ford probe

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I accidentally bought one of the coolest cars from the late ‘90s for $300!

Boysenberry Metallic Probe!

I spend most days searching for forgotten and unloved cars, and the day I came across this purple 1997 Ford Probe GT was no exception. This car was certainly loved back in the day—they sold quite a few of these, at least in the United States. However in the last several years, these have mostly disappeared from American thoroughfares.

I have a collection of forgotten vehicles—a 1988 Chevrolet Nova Twin Cam, a 1991 Geo Prizm GSi, a 1986 Nissan Stanza Wagon, and a 1990 Pontiac ASC/McLaren Turbo Grand Prix. So it seemed like a boysenberry metallic Probe GT would be a nice addition to my collection of misfit vehicles.

Heckblende!

It started as a throwaway bid on an auction car, figuring that $300 wouldn’t be enough to bring the car home. And then nobody else bid. Which quickly made me think that I may have made a terrible mistake. What have I done? Why does no one else want it? I guess the only remaining market for purple Probes are weirdos like me.

So here we are! I am now the proud (?) owner of a boysenberry metallic Probe. If you want to learn more about this super cool yet  partially broken second generation Probe, check out my video below. :)

Pickup_man > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 17:54

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YES.   Everything about this car gives me the Fizz. The Probe, especially the second gen, is a seriously underappreciated car. Love the purple Ford put on these, and other vehicles these years as well. The world needs more purple cars. 

dogisbadob > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 17:54

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awesome color

90s colors are the best colors

WOW you have TWO 4A-GE Corollas? ooooo that’s awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 17:54

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I just have to say your collection is awesome. Also Ford did the best Purple in the 90s

fintail > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 18:03

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My sister had a purple (darker than that car) pre-facelift Contour back in the day. Purple fell out of fashion pretty quickly.

Speaking of that Nova, I saw an Isuzu I-Mark Turbo (Lotus badging) on the road last week, sounds like a partner for one of those.

Nibby > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 18:13

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welcome to the BMW 8 series experience

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 18:17

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You collected my childhood. Congratulations!

lone_liberal > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 18:33

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I had one! A ‘96 anyway. It was 90s teal complete with failing clear coat. I put a lot of miles on that little thing as I lived out in the boonies back then. It didn’t have a lot of power but that little V6 would rev its little heart out trying. 

Ssfancyfresh > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 18:36

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Such a cool car. Purple GT to boot. Well done 

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 18:36

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Very cool. I owned a 93 MX-LS/manual for many years, eventually going so far as swapping in a KLZE motor for +40hp. If you want to know anything about these cars, let me know.

We also had 96 Probe 4 cylinder/manual  in the family for many years.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 19:05

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I had a 93 a long time ago. Good car... but don’t miss FWD.

This car with minimal styling update, and a Focus RS drivetrain, or a performance-oriented PHEV AWD torque-vectoring setup, would be an interesting car today.

ethan drives dumb cars > Nibby 03/31/2020 at 19:05

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You’re not wrong

ethan drives dumb cars > dogisbadob 03/31/2020 at 19:10

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Yes, two 4AGE cars in the stable! Just need to add an AW11, a Corolla FX16 and a AE86 to round out the collection. And yes, n ew car colors are boring. We need to bring back  90s colors—teals, purples, and pinks...

ethan drives dumb cars > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 03/31/2020 at 19:10

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Nice! I’m sure I’ll have many questions as I dig into this thing!

ethan drives dumb cars > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 03/31/2020 at 19:11

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Thx!! Yes, aside from the peeling clearcoat, this is the best purple I’ve seen.

glemon > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 19:17

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I looked at these when they were plentiful, lightly used cars.  As I recall the interior and seats was pretty mod-funky.

dogisbadob > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 19:40

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You got the 4-doors though, so you already have the hard part done :o)

Those Geo/Chevy rebadges are the only 4-door Corollas sold in the US with the 4A-GE, and probably the rarest

Oh man if only I could find a GSI hatchback!

ethan drives dumb cars > dogisbadob 03/31/2020 at 19:53

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Mine is a hatch, 1 of 237 made in ‘91. But it’s real rough! 

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 20:01

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Happy to help.  I'm always on Oppo, or you can email me at froc0107@gmail.com.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 20:01

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That license plate bracket looks almost like a kidney grille.

Basically this

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 20:57

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Nice purchase! I always smile when I see one of these still on the road. I almost bought a V6/manual 1st gen when they were new, and love the styling of the 2nd Gen. Thanks for abingdon this one!

dogisbadob > ethan drives dumb cars 03/31/2020 at 21:48

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WOW that’s awesome!!!!!!!!!!! WOW you have a GSi hatch!!!

superdave847 > ethan drives dumb cars 04/01/2020 at 00:33

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A PAINT TO SAMPLE GT? Fantastic.

I’m looking forward to reading about this beautiful, yet awkwardly named coupe.

Derpwagon > ethan drives dumb cars 04/01/2020 at 00:35

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I'm mad at you and I want it.

pip bip - choose Corrour > ethan drives dumb cars 04/01/2020 at 02:43

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place near me with about 5 or 6 of them lying around

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > ethan drives dumb cars 04/01/2020 at 03:22

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I daily’d a ‘93 MX-6 for several years. Managed to blow the original KLDE, and got a 37k mile replacement from a rear-ended 626. (My mechanic did the swap, not me.)

Loved that car a lot, easily the most fun to drive of all the front-drivers I’ve had. If your Probe is still running, then you picked up a great deal. The Mazda version of VTEC, which is called VRIS, comes “on cam” around 5500. It’s not the same massive push you get like with a Honda VTEC, but more like the car leans into the wind harder. Then you hit redline, shift (if the Probe uses the same gear ratios), and she’ll fall to 4200ish and you wind her back up again.

If you can’t get the answer from ITA97 or me, the forums at mx6.com were full of people who know the chassis right down to the individual 10mm bolts. I bought a fair number of parts from people there, too. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > ethan drives dumb cars 04/01/2020 at 15:47

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Great video and a cool car! I haven’t seen a Probe of any generation anywhere around here in Nova Scotia in years...

Always excited to see new video notifications from Hello Road! :)