Which One-Owner Coupe Is The Winner? 1989 Ford Probe vs 1999 Pontiac Firebird

Once you get past a certain age or down to a certain price range, one-owner cars get very rare. Not many people hold on to the same car for decades, and most cheap cars have changed hands more times than a bong at a house party. That makes today’s choices kind of special: they’re both sporty coupes, in rather fetching shades of blue, and they’ve both only had one name on the title.

Yesterday, we asked the question: Is Toyota always the answer when it comes to reliable used cars? You all responded with a resounding “No,” as the Pontiac Grand Am, for half the price, beat the low-mileage Tercel by nearly three to one. When you get down to the cheap end of the market, cash is king, and the Grand Am simply requires less of it.

Personally, I’d never even look at the Tercel if the Grand Am was sitting right there ready to go. It runs well, it has working air conditioning, it isn’t about to break in two from rust, and it costs less than fifteen hundred bucks. That’s a fantastic deal these days, even if it’s sort of a mediocre car.

Of all the used cars I’ve bought over the years, I can only think of one that was a one-owner car: a 1989 Cadillac Coupe DeVille that I bought for $1,000 from the original owner back in 2015. It came with a thick folder of receipts and records going all the way back to when it was new. Compare that to the car that replaced it two years later, a Saturn SC1, which somehow came back with twenty-eight previous owners when I ran a Carfax on it. (It had bounced around through a bunch of dealerships a couple of times, but still.) They were both decent cars, but I felt more connected to the Cadillac, having a record of its history. Is it worth extra money to find a car with only one previous owner? Probably not, but if you do find one, consider it a bonus. Both of today’s cars are being sold by their original owners. Let’s see which one you’d rather have.

1989 Ford Probe LX – $2,500

Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD

Location: Christianburg, VA

Odometer reading: 170,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

I have to be honest: I’m going to find it hard to be objective about this one. I absolutely love this car, and if I were in a better position time- and money-wise right now, I’d be seriously considering it for myself. I had a Probe almost exactly like this one, in black over a red interior, for the first couple of years we lived in Portland, and I thoroughly enjoyed driving it. In fact, I only sold it because I found a cheap Miata that I wanted. No regrets; the Miata was a blast, and I had it for a long time, but I still miss that Probe. And the guy who bought mine flew in all the way from Florida and drove it home, because it was exactly like the car he had in high school. The first-generation Ford Probe might be the best example of an “if you know, you know” car.

This example of the would-be Mustang replacement comes with a Mazda 2.2-liter inline four making 110 horsepower. Like mine, this one has a five-speed manual, and it’s one of the nicest-shifting FWD manuals I’ve ever driven. It has 170,000 miles on it, and the seller says it has no mechanical issues, and they have service records going all the way back to day one. I see a little oil seepage from the valve cover gasket, but that’s not a big deal to fix.

This Probe also corrects the one complaint I had about mine: it has an analog gauge cluster instead of the hard-to-read digital one. The interior is a little worn, but overall it looks good. Also, if it matters to you, 1989 was the only model year in which the first-generation Probe did not have automatic seat belts.

I have always thought that most sporty cars look best in their lower trim levels, without extra spoilers or ground effects cluttering up the lines, and the Probe is definitely one of them. The GT version just doesn’t look as clean as this LX does. I do like the GT’s three-spoke alloy wheels, but there’s nothing wrong with the LX’s steel wheels and plastic wheel covers. And as a bonus, this one even has new tires on it.

1999 Pontiac Firebird – $5,500

Engine/drivetrain: 3.8-liter OHV V6, four-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Sanford, MI

Odometer reading: 139,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

The ad for this base-model Firebird says it has been “owned by a 93-year-old man since new.” I find that unlikely; he can’t possibly have been 93 that whole time, can he? (I couldn’t resist.) He would have been 66 when this car was new, which probably means it was a nice little retirement gift to himself. The ad also says it has never been driven hard, which is also unlikely. If you have a Firebird, even a base model, you have to have stood on the gas at least once, right?

Standard power for the later fourth-generation Firebird came from the famous 3800 Series II V6 engine, more commonly seen driving the front wheels of various Buicks. It puts out 205 horsepower here, more than all but the most potent of Trans Am engines of the previous generation Firebird. I’m sure it’s capable of a burnout or two, if you really want to. The transmission is the 4L60-E automatic found in countless other RWD GM products. It works fine, though a five-speed stick would make this car more fun. With only 139,000 miles on the clock, the engine and transmission in this car should still have a lot of life left.

It’s nice and clean inside, and looks like it has been well cared for. The ad doesn’t mention it, but it looks like this car does have T-tops, which I know is important to some of you when it comes to evaluating F-body cars. I wonder how often the old man took them off? The ad does say it was garaged its whole life, so hopefully the seals are still OK.

One would hope that being kept in a garage has kept the rust at bay, too; this is a Michigan car. It’s hard to tell much from the photos, since it’s such a dark color, but I don’t see any problem areas. Better be prepared to poke your head underneath and make sure, though. I really like this car in dark blue; it’s nice to see something besides red, black, or white.

Few of us manage to hold on to cars as long as these owners have. (My personal record is nine years, and that barely counts, because it was my MG and it didn’t run for half that time.) I’m sure both sellers want to see these cars go to someone who will hang on to them for a good long time, and not just flip them. Could that someone be you? If so, which one is your pick?