Please note that the title is not "learn me about Ford Probes."
There is a '95 base model (2.0L I think) with 5 speed and 65k miles that I might be interested in locally. Before I act any further on this car, what can you tell me about them?
How dificult is a clutch job?
Is it an interference engine?
Are they pretty reliable?
What should I look out for?
What are the good online resources?
Slow.
Only slightly better MPG than the V6.
Otherwise pretty stout, and generally unnoticed by the V6 GT crowd.
Clutch job wouldn't kill you. The GT took me a weekend. The 2.0L is interference, the 2.5L is not. I have heard of oil starvation problems in Protege's.
The V6 is worth the extra $5.
Is this the same 2.0L that is in the Protoge5 and in the current base Mazda3?
My thoughts are to pick this up as a cheap commuter. If price were not a factor, I think my perfect commuter would be a 2000+ Toyota Celica. All the economy of a Corolla wrapped in a better body/chasis with the utility of a hatchback. I am thinking that this Ford Probe could be the bargain hunter's version with a $2k price tag, not $10k.
Any leads to online resources?
If we take to long way around the F series engine in the 1995 Probe and Mazda 626 is related to later but not the latest Mazda engines:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_F_engine
The highlight in the FS engine will be the 2003-2005 Mazdaspeed Protege' which would be fun in a 1995 Probe.
This is basically a 626 with different clothes.The motors are nearly bulletproof but not overly powerful and are not interference. If it was an A/T car I would tell you to run away as far and fast as you could but a 5 speed will be OK. Never done a clutch, it shouldn't be any worse than any other sidewinder.
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