opinions on t-birds

[kendoo130]

I'm on my 6th Turbo Coupe now- 5.0-5 speed conversion. I love these cars!!! But I must say even with snow tires these things are just as bad as my mustang in bad weather. I've had this car since the 90's and now parts that are turbo coupe specific are going through tthe roof! (headlights, mouldings etc) I hate to say it but I don't recommend this car as a winter car.

Ken

 

[TGJ]

There were no manual cougers in the rear wheel drives unless you go back to the 60's and 70's. The front wheel drive couger they made a couple of years ago had the manual tranny option.

I don't remember what year(s) it was but the Cougar XR7 with the SC'd 3.8L had an optional 5spd manual. It was between the years of 1989 - 1991. Very rare to find one of those though.

 

[Elijahbird7]

I currently have 3 Thunderbirds: '56 Peacock blue, '66 428 Tahoe Turquoise, and '04 Merlot.
I had a '96 Tbird that I didn't keep long. It was a v/8 loaded. It did not have a limited slip rear end, and even when it rained, the right rear wheel would spin, and you had little traction, so if you get one, I would not get one without "posi". I had a lot of trouble with wheel balance issues. I went through 4 sets of tires and 2 sets of wheels, and no one, including Ford could figure out why I had balance problems at highway speeds. I traded it in with 11,000 miles on it for a Black '98 GT coupe, which I traded in with 2,600 miles in 2000 for a Black GT Convertible, which I traded in with 5,000 miles for a 2004 Tbird.
I had a friend at work who also had a '96 Bird, and he drove his for about 150,000 miles before it finally was shot. As for the person who commented about loving the new birds, with an SCT tune, K&N CAI, and glass packs, I would guess mine to be putting out about 320 hp, and it really moves.
I also have an '08 GT vapor coupe now with about 2,300 miles on it. I changed the plugs to the one piece Champions, and have been getting unbelievable mileage. On a recent trip to Wisconsin, at the speed limit, no air on, with cruise set at 65, it got 30.3. Right now just driving to work and back this week, it's at 25.4, and that's with an auto.
The highest I got before the plug change was 27.1, so the plugs must have had some influence on the mileage.

 

[xtweakerx]

Thunderbirds are ugly as all hell. Won't get you any looks or girls.

However it is a solid car my friend had one when we were teens and BOY did we beat the hell out of that thing.. Good times..

However i wouldnt own one cuz they look like Grim Death.

 

[GOLDENPONY]

"New" 'Birds

I currently have 3 Thunderbirds: '56 Peacock blue, '66 428 Tahoe Turquoise, and '04 Merlot.
I had a '96 Tbird that I didn't keep long. It was a v/8 loaded. It did not have a limited slip rear end, and even when it rained, the right rear wheel would spin, and you had little traction, so if you get one, I would not get one without "posi". I had a lot of trouble with wheel balance issues. I went through 4 sets of tires and 2 sets of wheels, and no one, including Ford could figure out why I had balance problems at highway speeds. I traded it in with 11,000 miles on it for a Black '98 GT coupe, which I traded in with 2,600 miles in 2000 for a Black GT Convertible, which I traded in with 5,000 miles for a 2004 Tbird.
I had a friend at work who also had a '96 Bird, and he drove his for about 150,000 miles before it finally was shot. As for the person who commented about loving the new birds, with an SCT tune, K&N CAI, and glass packs, I would guess mine to be putting out about 320 hp, and it really moves.
I also have an '08 GT vapor coupe now with about 2,300 miles on it. I changed the plugs to the one piece Champions, and have been getting unbelievable mileage. On a recent trip to Wisconsin, at the speed limit, no air on, with cruise set at 65, it got 30.3. Right now just driving to work and back this week, it's at 25.4, and that's with an auto.
The highest I got before the plug change was 27.1, so the plugs must have had some influence on the mileage.

I'm the guy that loves the new 'birds. If that baby had a five or preferably a six speed, there'd be a "For Sale" sign on my Mustang.

 

[CBus 06 GT]

I have a soft spot in my heart for the MN12. I drove a '91 base V-6 model from '95 to '01 when my mom got a '96 LX with the 4.6 and handed the '91 down to me. I think they are a very underrated car. Nice ride, decent handling, comfortable. The only issues I had with mine were rear wheel bearings in the uprights. Other than that, the '91 was a great car for a college/post college just getting started kid. My mom's 96 had issues with killing O2 sensors. I cried a little when Ford quit making them. Too bad society thinks you need 4 doors or an SUV in a daily driver. As to there ability in the winter, I thought it was OK for the most part. Once the snow flies, keep a 50lb bag of sand in the trunk and a full tank of gas to keep weight over the rears and you'll be OK, and that is with standard all-weather tires, not snow tires. Then again, I am a person who has never owned a FWD car, all I've ever owned are RWD cars and trucks, so what do I know about good snow traction.

 

[Gearbanger 101]

I'm the guy that loves the new 'birds. If that baby had a five or preferably a six speed, there'd be a "For Sale" sign on my Mustang.

If by "new birds" you mean the retro models they made from 2002-2005, then yes.....I think you are the only one who loved them. I can't say they were all that bad of a car really, but they were way underpowered and way overpriced (by about $15,000), which is probably what killed them.

You gotta remember, the T-Bird was the original 2-seater competitor of the Corvette. Ford had a real opportunity to capitalize on that again when they redesigned the "retro" car in 2002, but instead decided to make it an overpriced yuppie-mobile.