I recently purchased a 1993 FORD Probe GT (ATX) that only a day after its purchase will no longer shift into reverse. All other forward gears seem to be okay, it just won’t move backwards on its own–it just revs like it is in neutral. We have checked the fluid level, it smells and looks fine. The car has about 127,500 miles with unknown history. Do you have any suggestions before we try to leave it on the previous owner’s doorstep?
If you’ve paid for it, it’s your car, and you can donate it to anybody you wish…even to the previous owner.
If you want to fix it, you can look at the shift linkage and see if the shift lever is going fully into reverse. It may have worn linkage, need bushings, or need adjustment.
If it’s not the linkage then the transmission is going. Don’t blame the seller for problems with a 16 year old, 127k miles car. It’s old, it has high mileage, and problems can happen at any time.
The best thing with a used car is a thorough inspection or a lengthy (30-40 miles) test drive (none of that going around the block garbage) before buying it.