FORD PROBE 2.5i V6 24V 3dr (1994)

The Ford Probe - deceptively small.

I recently sold my Ford Probe, thinking that having had my third child I needed something bigger. So I bought an MPV with seven seats (another Ford) and marvelled at the roominess inside. But then I realised that it is virtually the same size as my Probe was! It comes up to the exact same point on my drive. What on earth was taking up all that room in my four-seat Probe? It always seemed so cramped.

Size and practicality aside, the Probe served me pretty well. It was particularly sturdy and well-built, something I feel doesn't actually measure up so well in my brand new MPV. It had air-con and a fair amount of safety equipment and on the road it drove very nicely. Handling fine and performance unexceptional but quite reasonable.

Two things which make it outdated are firstly, as I mentioned before, practicality, and secondly, fuel efficiency, which rarely crept out of the 20s in miles-per-gallons terms for me (and yes I was counting). Apparently the 2.0l version serves better in this department, so perhaps look to one of these if you are considering buying a probe.