My 1995 Ford Probe GT: A Very Purple, And Satisfying, Slice Of The ’90s

School Nights and School Days

In life, a temporary situation often becomes, if not permanent, then at least a long-term arrangement. By 1994, I had worked in publishing for five years. While I still wanted to write for a car magazine, I had little interest in resuming my studies. At 26, I was too old to return to full-time student/on-campus life; I also enjoyed spending my free time as I wished, with no homework responsibilities.

The “College” Conversation

Between 1991 and 1994, I endured a series of brief, somewhat repetitive, and occasionally contentious conversations with my father on why I needed to finish college. Each “episode” covered essentially the same ground:

Dad: “LCP provides tuition reimbursement. You need to take advantage of it and finish your bachelor’s degree. That benefit may not always be around.” (He was 100% right.)

Me: “A piece of paper won’t make me smarter or any better of an employee than I already am. And, I’m not going to take a single class each semester for eight years to finish.” (I, of course, was also 100% right.)

Dad: “It’s a ‘credential’ you need to have in order to advance. Then, they can’t skip over you for future opportunities simply because you don’t have a degree.”

Me: “I have a degree. An associate’s degree. Why is that not good enough?”

Dad: “They want to see that bachelor’s degree.”

Me: (Respond with a variation of “A piece of paper isn’t . . . . And, I’m not going . . . eight years to finish.”)

Like I said, brief conversations.

For me to consider a part-time degree program, it needed to be an accelerated one.

The Weekend College

In late spring of 1994, SUNY College at Brockport introduced a program called “The Weekend College.” Students took one weeknight class per semester, and also took three (!) consecutive four-week classes on Saturdays from 8 am to 5 pm. Communications Studies was one of the majors offered.

 

By doing this for three semesters, an associate’s degree holder could complete the class requirements of a major in one year, leaving only electives to meet the required minimum credit hours. Someone like me, who had an associate’s degree and a semester’s worth of classes from SUNY Fredonia, could finish my degree even quicker.

 

Overall, I’d categorize Brockport’s approach as (ahem) “ambitious” — each Saturday session covered three to four weeks of instruction to complete a whole class in four weeks. That’s a lot of information to digest. Even the instructors found the accelerated schedule challenging — and it was their program!

However, it was the best option to finish my degree on my terms. In early August 1994, I bit the bullet and enrolled for fall. Working second shift immediately became a hindrance — I had to make up my work time spent at the weeknight class on that same night, which kept me at work well into third shift. Then, I was in class on Saturdays, bright and early at 8 am.

After the fall semester, I switched jobs and was back working days at LCP’s Rochester office, just blocks away from Brockport’s downtown satellite campus. No more staying late and making up time! After completing spring and summer semesters focused on my major, I took two electives in fall of 1995. And. I. Was. Done!

Graduation Present

As detailed previously, I whiffed on both of my LX 5.0 coupes. A few months after buying the ‘92, I glumly realized I’d paid twice as much for essentially a “nicer” version of the same car (with similar shortcomings) that I already had.

A new car seemed like an appropriate graduation present. I’d reward myself on a job well (and quickly) done, while also ridding myself of the Mustang. But, what kind of car would I buy?

In late spring of ‘94 I test drove a new Z28 and came away rather impressed. With its 5.7L, 275-horsepower LT1 V8 and six-speed manual transmission, it made all the right noises and was quite a runner; it also had a measure of handling poise that the Mustang lacked. They were dying to make a deal, but I’d already pledged allegiance to never buying another rear-wheel drive car without traction control. And the Z28 did not offer traction control as an option until the ‘95 model year.

 

If test driving the Z28 felt like an F-16, driving my Mustang afterward felt like driving an old milk truck. But, the ‘95 Z28’s $21,236 base MSRP was way above what I wanted to spend.

The Enlightenment

In summer ‘94, after a ‘95 Mustang GTS test drive that left me cold, I test drove a Wild Orchid Clearcoat Metallic (translation = purple) ‘95 Probe GT.

 

It was an eye-opening experience, and I’m not talking about the paint color. (I do like a car with an unusual paint color.)

As we left the dealer’s lot, it was obvious that the Probe had the edgy, lively, tactile driving dynamics that the Mustang GTS lacked. My friend Mike knew a guy who had a similar Probe GT. He let Mike drive the car one day and Mike loved it. He thought it sounded like a Ferrari and handled incredibly for a front-wheel drive car. When I fired up the Probe’s Mazda-sourced 2.5L K-series V6, my first thought was not  Ferrari! But instead Dino!, as in Dino 206 GT/246 GT.

Powertrain Goodness

I was fascinated with the rev-happy V6. When I blipped the tbrottle, the needle just flew across the tach, like the V6 had a really light flywheel. I’d engage first, let out the clutch, and before I knew it, “Oops, time for second, . . .Oops, time for third,” and so on. The car felt tight and quiet; although geared a little short for highway work (3,500 rpm at 70 in fifth) the powertrain was so polished and smooth that you never noticed it.

Of particular amusement was the V6’s Variable Resonance Induction System, or VRIS. The VRIS intake manifold contains three chambers, each tuned to a specific resonant frequency. At specific rpm points, the ECU dynamically switches between each resonant chamber to apply the appropriate frequency for the engine’s rpm.

 

This effect maximizes torque over the entire rpm range. While nowhere near as aurally pronounced as a VTEC switchover, one heard the urgency in the V6’s exhaust tone, becoming reedier as the rpm climbed.

And the rest of the car wanted to run, too! The gearbox, with its rod-actuated linkage, was accurate, had a well-spaced pattern and some heft; none of this vague-feeling, cable-actuated garbage. I felt a “snick” in the shift lever as I entered each gear. The clutch was light and sensitive; I felt the clutch and flywheel engage right through the pedal, which made it exceedingly easy to drive smoothly. My first and so far, only car to provide that level of clutch feedback.

 

For its time, the Probe GT had a very stiff OEM suspension. On the street, the downside was a slightly jiggly ride, but otherwise it was  (just) compliant enough. Mazda’s MX-6 coupe, the Probe’s platform twin, used softer springs and a smaller front anti-roll bar, which increased body roll. However, it was good enough for the MX-6 to win G Stock at the 1993 (and ‘94, and ‘95) SCCA Solo Nationals, so maybe Mazda was onto something.

 

The exterior design, with its wild wraparound rear glass (Mike loved “the cut of the roof,” as did I) was sleek and cohesive. I found it a major improvement over the first-gen Probe’s wedge-y, high-cowl look.

 

I wasn’t buying a car that day, but I’d be back. And one frosty February day in ‘96, I was. A year and a half later; same dealer, same forlorn, unsold purple ‘95 GT. Probe sales had tanked — they had tons of ‘96s on the lot — but I wanted that purple car. It was the cheapest GT there (crank windows, manual door locks) carrying the only “must have” option: air conditioning. (I’d learned my lesson on A/C.)

 

They were dying to sell that car. And I was dying to buy it. It was easy to wrangle a deal on it — they wanted my ‘92 LX 5.0 on their used lot more than the unsold purple ‘95 Probe GT they already had on their new lot.

Behind the Wheel Education

This car completely changed my expectations regarding vehicle dynamics. While obviously not as fast as an LX 5.0, it wasn’t a slow car. Car and Driver tested a ‘93 Probe GT and got a 0-60 mph time of 7.0 seconds, so, not as quick as an Eclipse or Talon, but quicker than a 240SX. The V6’s soft off-idle torque was of little consequence in daily driving: it mitigated torque steer, and more power was instantly available further up on the tach.

 

The suspension was so good at carrying speed that one made up new games. My personal favorite was called “Off-ramp Bye-bye.” I’d exit the highway with some yo-yo following me too closely. They’d soon alarmingly discover their inability to maintain the same off-ramp speed I kept. Then, they’d quickly fade, fade, fade in my rear view mirror as I continued down the ramp. I bid you good day, sir.

The Probe’s Mazda 626-based Twin-Trapezoidal Link rear suspension enabled some passive rear steer without the expense and weight of active rear wheel steering. The car was quick to take a “set” in corners and inspired great confidence at speed. It took true buffoonery to over-drive the limits of this car.

Modding is Often a Question of Need

To me, the biggest difference between the LX 5.0 and the Probe GT was how good each car was in stock trim.

Fox body Mustangs have a huge aftermarket, due in part to each of the following:

1. Inexpensive (at the time) vehicle with a V8 and rear-wheel drive
2. High production numbers and long production runs
3. Stock platform’s numerous shortcomings in chassis, suspension, steering, braking, and power transmission

Better components offered an appealing improvement. However, I was not enthusiastic about modifying a car just to make it what it should have been when built. To me, the Mustang’s value is in the powertrain — no engine + no transmission = no value. If the powertrain doesn’t offset some of its less appealing attributes, it may not be the car for you (or me).

The Probe GT, on the other hand, needed nothing in my eyes. Right out of the box, the handling and braking were first rate, the Mazda 626-based chassis was modern, and the powertrain was, if not overpowered, at least equal to the (high) capabilities of the rest of the car.

Looks and Cooks

The second-gen Probe GT was a very good-looking car, much more appealing to me than the first-gen models.

 

Specifically, I loved that it looked good and was a hatchback. For example, when I moved out, I quickly realized on moving day that with no folding rear seats and a shallow trunk, my LX 5.0 couldn’t carry a damned thing of any size in it.

 

All my friends had LX or GT hatchbacks. We had a small moving truck, but those Mustang hatches quickly proved their utility value; this did not go unnoticed by me. The hatch was the difference between Mustang uselessness and Mustang utility.

A Period of Tranquility

From early ‘96 through mid-2002, my car issues were largely solved. The Probe was engaging yet practical. Front-wheel drive made it a breeze to drive in the snow, while its suspension setup, carefully tuned by Ford, made it a hoot on a curvy road. It was good on gas (23-25 mpg around town; a little over 30-31 mpg at highway speed) and anvil-level reliable. Unsurprisingly, children loved it, particularly the pop-up headlights and purple exterior. A few adults loved it, too.

 

From my Mustang experience, I learned that the best warranty isn’t necessarily the one with the longest coverage or lowest deductible. It’s the one where the car is so good, you rarely or never have to use the warranty. The Probe was like that.

The passenger’s side window cable broke on a 1998 vacation to the Hudson Valley with my then-girlfriend/now-wife; the window clunked to the bottom of the door, while a storm for the ages made its way toward us. In the hotel parking lot, we duct-taped the window in the Up position and I jammed the mechanism with some of the slack cable to keep it in place.

 

The dealer fixed it under warranty when we got home. I wasn’t happy about it, but it was such an anomalous event, and we only cut our vacation short by one day. In comparison, the LX was at the dealer all the time.

Time and Tide . . . .

I kept the Probe for six and a half years and about 61,000 miles, both records for me at the time. My wife and I went many places in it when we were dating: vacations, family visits, day trips, dinner nights, etc. It provided substantial functional space when we moved to our first home.

I am sentimental by nature and the car held many fond memories, which made it difficult for me to trade it in. But, I was also 35 years old, 40 lbs. heavier, and having back trouble. If I wasn’t so edgy anymore myself, maybe it was time to drive something a little less edgy.

But, before I did that, I once again got the urge to time travel, all the way back to 1970. What contraption will take me there? Why, an old car, naturally. I enrolled in another “education,” and this time, the tuition was not reimbursed.

Related CC Reading

Curbside Classic: 1995-97 Ford Probe GT – It Didn’t Name Itself

Curbside Musings: c. 1996 Ford Probe GT – The Correct Connotation

The-Almost-Mustang-Replacement Ford Probe – Enter Cindy Snow