| Product: |
Ford Probe |
| Date: |
27/09/04 (3097 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Style, Good M/way MPG, Corking sound setup
Disadvantages: Poor town MPG, Expensive parts
I got my 95 M plate Probe last March. I fell in love with the car at first sight. Silver, 70000 miles, FSH, multispoke alloys (poor looking 3 spokes had gone . . yay!!) what more could I want? Apart from £800 p.a. insurance fully comprehansive :-(
It was a dream to drive, smooth, relaxed and simple. Good old Ford, or should I say Mazda? I didn't need a car to go flying at a million miles an hour, so this car was just something nice.
The day I went to collect it, I got a call. Head gasket had gone. I had to wait 2 weeks for the thing to be fixed. Ford just didn't have the parts readily available, which showed more as I owned the car.
After installing a multi disk and new head unit, I was in heaven. Large opening doors without a frame, huge boot, large car, long bonnet, smooth lines, comfortable, I could live in it! I came to discover over the summer the car got incedibly hot, but thanks to the big electric windows, it cooled down rapidly. I'm no poseur, but I felt like a right charmer in this car, especially when clean!!!
It gave good MPG at 50-70 mph, but was a bit poor in town, but a very heavy car does not do it justice. Cornered very well in the dry, but rain and snow were not it's friend. I had many a scary time going 15-20 mph in the rain and the back end sliding out, in town traffic.
After about 8 months of owning the car, things started to go wrong. Oil. On startup from cold, a huge plume of smoke would billow from the exhaust. I found out the piston rings had gone. I got a quote from Ford for a new head gasket kit, seals, rings, everything I would need. I found the price of £1000 (which included 10 head bolts at a tenner each) a bit on the high side.
I had no choice but to continue to use the car and watch it go wrong even more. Driver side spring broke, rear boot struts failed, temperature guage fluctuated when I pressed the accelerator (huh?) and a lovely tappety sound fron the engine to let me know she was going down the hill.
I cried (yes, a man crying over his car!) when I swapped it!!! I do miss the Probe a great deal, and would have no hesitation to get one again, however, if I do get the chance, I would want it to have a full overhaul before I get it.
Summary:
|
|
