1997 Ford Probe

GT Hatchback

6 - Cyl.

Manual

1ZVLT22BXV5142894

Gasoline

AWESOME 1997 FORD PROBE GT 2-OWNER, FLORIDA CAR IN EXCELLENT CONDITION(PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE LISTING BEFORE BIDDING) THE OPPORTUNITY YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!! This very nice '97 GT has been in our family since 2001 when we bought it for our daughter from its original owner in West Palm Beach, a school teacher, who had bought it new at the Ford dealer. It has spent the rest of the time in Miami. The car had been given the best of care by the 1st owner and it has continued to receive the best of care since we've owned it. Our daughter used it through high school and college and after that we began a tasteful and expensive transformation to turn it into a true sports car with looks, handling and speed to match. Without a doubt, this is the nicest looking PGT that I have seen in a very long time and it gets compliments all the time . We retained the flavor of the original as it received its improvements on the way to making it the very capable road car that it is. The pictures tell the story. Business and family obligations require that it be sold. Again, it has been very well maintained by its mature professional engineer and car enthusiast owner and never abused. Clean Vehicle History Report and clean title.Listed below is a partial list of the equipment and work that shows the time, money and effort that have gone into this awesome GT. Exterior & Suspension:Body: No rust at all (had one spot around the sun roof that was fixed at the time it was re-sprayed). Photographs of the floor are included showing the amazing condition of the metal throughout the car. New rear hatch struts get it open very fast with no effort! No accidents or body work of any consequence (very minor parking lot tap to rear quarter).Paint: Painted a little over 1 year ago with Dupont enamel. Rear fender wells lips professionally rolled a little bit at the time to make room for the larger tires and it looks like it came like that from the factory. The paint on the roof has started to develop air bubbles in a few places and the new owner may want to have it retouched.Tires: Awesome Michelin Pilot Sports 2. Rears are 235/40/18 and fronts are 225/45/18 to greatly improve the handling and they also look great. All tires are in excellent condition (75-80%) and stick like glue to the road while providing a very smooth ride. Expensive but worth every penny.Wheels: 18 in Falken premium rims from Germany. Rare, ubercool and truly compliment the style of this GT like no other rims I've seen.Suspension: Almost new Eibach springs with a 1.5 in drop combined with Monroe hi-performance struts at all 4 corners for neutral handling, minimum body roll and excellent, fast steering response. Also included but not installed are premium strut bars for both the front and rear. This car is driver friendly and very easy to drive fast with confidence. No comparison between the so-so factory handling and the present road hugging experience.Brakes: Brembo rotors, slotted and drilled (Hi Performance front Hawk pads will be included but are not installed). Lights: Headlight motors work flawlessly. All rear bulbs recently replaced with hi-intensity ones. Also included are new clear parking lamps that have not been installed yet.Trim/glass: All trim is in excellent shape and same goes for the glass which is clear and scratch free. No window rattles and no water leaks of any kind. Interior:Overall in excellent condition and extra clean. Door panels, interior trim, headliner, console, etc look amazing. Very hard to believe that this is a 14 year old car. Everything works as it should: cold air cond, windows, switches, cruise control, etc. Steering wheel is wrapped in a two-tone "Wheelskins" fine leather cover. Panasonic stereo with Earthquake and Polk speakers with heavy gauge wiring throughout. Seats: Factory "lounge chairs" have been replaced with new racing seats done in leatherette and cloth less than 500 miles ago. Sleek, comfortable and offer great lateral support. Custom seat belt pads with "Probe GT" embroidered in contrasting red stitching on a black background. Rear seat has been removed as part of the weight reducing measures and the area is carpeted.Miscellaneous: The hood surrounding the instrument cluster has been replaced with a red one giving it a very European look. Red leather Momo knob on the new short-throw aluminum shifter. Sunroof works great and it has no leaks even when put through a high pressure car wash! Engine/Exhaust/Transmission:Fidanza flywheel and Stage 3 ACT clutch with less than 500 easy miles on it. Properly and just barely broken in. This ultra light weight combo really helps the acceleration. Headers/Exhaust/Intake: Stainless Steel headers and DP with test pipe (no cat!). Custom exhaust with stainless muffler for a great but not overly loud sound. Short ram cold air intake for increased torque.Powder coated valve covers in glossy black with the blue Ford emblem. Iridium plugs and low resistance plug wires with less than 100 miles.Has new water pump, timing belt, belt tensioner, thermostat, etc. Always used Red Line synthetic oil and premium filters. Lucas Fuel Treatment at every fill up. Transmission recently serviced. Also included are the following items:Premium front and rear strut bars - not installedFront Hawk brake pads - not installedClear parking lights - not installed5-layer Waterproof car cover. Semi-custom and it protects the car very well.Custom front vinyl braDash protective pad - carpeted, custom cut for this car.If it is bought at the Buy Now price, I will install an awesome Bazooka Tube with a 450W Bazooka subwoofer amp, otherwise it is not part of the sale. This GT is very fast and will smoke many expensive high performance cars. The terrific handling and easy road manners make it more fun to drive than my 650whp C6 Vette. Many parts have been recently replaced (e.g. a/c grills, window switches & regulators, ps hose, belts, hoses, etc) as part of the restoration and for extended reliability. The Bad:The car needs some minor work to run. 3 months ago I took the car to a local performance shop for the final step, high performance head work. The owner claimed that they could do this work "with their eyes closed". Well, I guess they really must have done it with their eyes closed. The L & R cam sprockets were installed interchanged which created an issue. They will need to be replaced ($20 part at the local U-Pick) and it will also need to have the heads resurfaced as one head is not properly seated perhaps due to improper torque. The car does not run as it is - timing issue created by the improperly installed sprockets. They also misplaced the almost new Die Hard battery as well as the face of the Panasonic stereo. I tried several times, unsuccessfully, to get them to correct the problems they created but they have refused; the only recourse left for me is to take them to court, which I don't have the time for, or to move on. So, that's why I am pricing the car at this ridiculously low price. The cost of the parts required to do the work should be around $100 (head & DP gaskets; included is a set of new exhaust gaskets as well as a brand new harmonic balancer). The engine was running extremely strong until this fiasco and should run even stronger after the head work. So, if you know someone that is competent and can do this supposedly easy and straightforward work or, better yet, if you can do it yourself, you will end up with an amazing 1997 Probe GT for a bargain price that should bring you many years of enjoyment. Summary: This PGT is way too nice to part out as there are very few left in this condition and it is a great candidate for a KLZE conversion. It's been a part of our family for 10 years and it saddens me to sell it but I cannot keep it in my garage any longer as I am now using it for business related storage. This is a very rare opportunity for some lucky buyer to score big and I honestly believe that the new owner will be very happy with it. Terms: All sales are final. I am not a dealer, so it is sold "As Is, Where Is" and there is no warranty or guarantee of any kind. Although it is in excellent condition, especially for a '97, it is a used car and the Buyer should not expect a flawless new car. Buyers with less than 5 feedbacks should contact me first or their bids will be cancelled. - $100 deposit (Non-Ref) due immediately upon purchase via PayPal and the balance within 3 days with cash at pickup or USPS money order. - Shipping is not included and it is the Buyer's sole responsibility.- I will try to make myself available, at reasonable times, to allow for inspections in person. -Please check my feedback. After 12 years with eBay I have over 1,300 positives with 100% rating and I intend to keep it that way. Bid with confidence and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or need additional pictures. Good luck!