Funny you should mention that model. The only new car I ever owned was an 89 Ford Probe (first model year). It was bare bones with a stick, so super reliable and nothing fancy to break down. The Probe was a joint project with Mazda. Mazda sold the MX3 and Ford sold the Probe. Both had the Mazda 4 cylinder 2.2L engine. That was a great engine and needed little servicing with regular oil changes. The Probe looked better than the MX3 so it had the best of both cars.
It was a hatch back and with the rear seats folded down had a surprising amount of space. I used to fit my bass cabinet, Ampeg amplifier and two basses in the back for gigs. The rear deck was easily removable. It was front wheel drive, so it pushed around the corners, but it handled well in the snow up here and was a whole lot of fun to drive. I often wondered what some more horsepower would have done for that car. The bottom eventually rusted out and we traded it in for a Taurus station wagon as we had kids by then. The engine still ran like a top and would have lasted many more years.
