02-05 Thunderbirds?

Sorry need a bit of info.

What is the skinny on the Gen 11 02-05 Tbirds. I came cross one while inspecting a car for a client.

05 with 22K miles. Hardtop + Premium Pack + 50th anniversary. I get requests to buy these things every once in a blue moon but never really took the time to look at them.

They seem to be holding their value or at least not depreciating. In in my mind Thunderbird = Lincoln LS = Crown Vic.

Small V8, RWD and with the hard top decent wind protection. Thought about picking the one up above as a DD for a few months, it is cheap compared to the market. ~17K.

Utter crap, decent DD, terrible idea.

my opinion is that the value of these will drop like rocks in a few years' time. They were marketed to elderly folks who reminisced about the '50s T-birds of their youth, but wanted a comfortable modern reliable car.

Once that market is gone, who will want them?

The Thunderbird is a great example of the Chrysler/GM/Ford budget department of that era. It started off as a decent idea but then it was decided that the car had to share parts with other cars. The interior was mediocre, the Jaguar S-type/Lincoln LS chasis made the car way to heavy to be a serious sports car and it really needed the SVT's 400hp supercharged engine. These cars are as valuable as they are only because most of them are garage queens IMO.

they are exactly what they are, and they do exactly what they do. no third pedal, so i don't see one in my future, but they're decent enough cars.

They make a great summer time cruising car with the top off/down if that's your thing. Reliable, easy to get fixed, and not bad looking, I would consider one but what I really would like would be one from the 1964- 1966 time period, and make it a convertible.
The '55- '57 cars are just to expensive to consider as a regular driver. I still regret that I didn't buy this nice one for sale back in the early '70's for the asking price of $2500! Two years later those cars jumped to $10K+. A friends dad bought one about that time from a Ford dealer that someone traded in for a Maverick. It needed to be restored but the body was solid. He ended up taking one of the top prizes at a national T-Bird meet after the redo.

seems like a good alternative to a Chrysler Sebring, but then isn't everything.

An Eclipse spyder is a good alternative to the Sebring. I actually like those TBirds.

In reply to wearymicrobe:

The only thing- Late T-Bird = LS but has no relationship at all to the Crown Vic except for being rear wheel drive.

That, and the T-Bird has never, ever, been a sports car. True- one did go out and race, but that was it. Even when introducded back in the 50's, is was about top down cruising as opposed to driving.

What I really hate about the last T-bird is that they replaced a car that sold about 100k/year with one that never came close to that. What's the point of that?

For someone looking for a project- being an LS, theoretically, one can put a manual V6 in it. And I have read about a few people who have made a really good track set up for the LS that would go into it. Still no Miata, but hey...

ultraclyde wrote: seems like a good alternative to a Chrysler Sebring, but then isn't everything.

SayWhat?!

wearymicrobe wrote: In in my mind Thunderbird = Lincoln LS = Crown Vic.

No, no, no, no! The Crown Vic is a full size, body-on-frame car (the Panther chassis). The TBird does share underpinnings with the Lincoln LS (DEW98 platform), and the Jaguar X-Type.

The later ones are better than the early ones. Don't remember exactly when, but they got upgraded heads with VVT that jumped power from 240 to 282.

I still swear there has to be a way to make these at least semi-cool cruisers. My thoughts are: delete all chrome, including (especially) the windshield surround; repaint in a semi-gloss or single-stage '50s pastel color (I'm thinking robin's egg blue); black steelies; lowered about 2".

Or, go deeeep gloss black, and black out all the chrome except the windshield surround and set that off with some slightly blingy wheels.

I think I prefer the former idea, especially since I don't like maintaining black paint.

In either case, the interior has to be either whorehouse red or Liberace white. And in the case of the non-black '50s pastel route, it needs a non-body-color hardtop, either white or black.

alex wrote: I still swear there has to be a way to make these at least semi-cool cruisers. My thoughts are: delete all chrome, including (especially) the windshield surround; repaint in a semi-gloss or single-stage '50s pastel color (I'm thinking robin's egg blue); black steelies; lowered about 2".

I keep looking at this picture. Thinking robins egg blue with black wheels, a little lower, black top. Little rougher exhaust and your right no chrome. At 9-10K though I would cut the windshield down and strip one out for E36 M3s and giggles.

I remember an early concept of that car had different headlights. I liked that.

Joey

wearymicrobe wrote: I keep looking at this picture. Thinking robins egg blue with black wheels, a little lower, black top. Little rougher exhaust and your right no chrome. At 9-10K though I would cut the windshield down and strip one out for E36 M3s and giggles.

Add a fairing behind the driver's seat too.

Foose built a few, this one:

http://www.chipfoose.com/ws_display.asp?filter=Speedbird

and one for Courtney Hansen, who also has a blue '57.

I had read a story about a 4.6 being transplanted, and something about a supercharger (new age F-Bird).

I like them, and they are on the top of the list for my son when he gets his license.

Semi cool enough?

According to Wikipedia, Jaguar continued to use the DEW98 platform even after it was sold to TATA in 2008. So I'm guessing a 4.2L or 5.0L V8 would swap in fairly easy...

I didn't dislike this one either (except the wheels). If they were cheap enough, you could definitely do something cool with those.

I would rock one as a daily driver if I didn't have to worry about snow and fuel economy. They are cruisers, nothing more and nothing less.

stanger_missle wrote: According to Wikipedia, Jaguar continued to use the DEW98 platform even after it was sold to TATA in 2008. So I'm guessing a 4.2L or 5.0L V8 would swap in fairly easy...

The 3.9, 4.0, 4.2l family are not the same family as the 5.0l.

And I would not exactly think it's easy- I know of a 4.6 4V installed into a LS with the manual, and it was not really a good swap. And it was done by a professional shop here in metro Detroit. The car was used for One Lap I think. Reportedly, the car drove great, but overheated.

Not to chase anyone away, since I'm sure quite a few here would be more than able to pull it off.

JFX001 wrote: I had read a story about a 4.6 being transplanted, and something about a supercharger (new age F-Bird).

Ford built this concept version with a supercharged 3.9, I believe.

Didn't Michael Anthony's company build an awesome one also? I'm not finding it but my google-fu is weak tonight after looking for parts all day.

I'm sorry to be a Debbie Downer but that car will never be cool. First and foremost it is a T-Bird. This is the kind of car you buy when you trade in your PT Cruiser.

60's T-birds and Lincolns are cool!

chandlerGTi wrote: Didn't Michael Anthony's company build an awesome one also? I'm not finding it but my google-fu is weak tonight after looking for parts all day.

Bonspeed/Saleen

www.motortrend.com/auto_news/112_021127_bonspeed/

fujioko wrote: I'm sorry to be a Debbie Downer but that car will never be cool. First and foremost it is a T-Bird. This is the kind of car you buy when you trade in your PT Cruiser. 60's T-birds and Lincolns are cool!

Debbie,

Opinions vary.