Owned since new. Good value and decent vehicle for general all around use. The 4.6L is responsive when required; with acceptable MP gallon (20+/-) on the highway. Handles well and is comfortable for average sized passengers including luggage.

Cracking of the "Plastic" INTAKE MANIFOLD at 57,000 miles, causing loss of coolant when one leasts expects it. Ford avoids saying they have design/manufacturing defects with it. Still under discussion with Ford - definitely a poor quality part with a history of trouble. Letters are being forwarded to the CEO of FORD, etc.
Also, the front BRAKES and ROTORS (even though heavy duty by FORD) are terrible and a Safety issue. Have had them reworked (Rotors shaved, etc.) going on four times since new. Maybe you get 10,000 miles (+/-) before they need reworking; severely effects handling upon stopping not to dwell on steering heel jumpins back and forth. FORD has yet to address this problem.

The major difficulties (safety oriented) with the 1997 ThunderBird are design and manufacturing problems that FORD has nicely sidestepped as of date (5/16/01). We have owned 5 Thunderbirds (1956, 1967, 1971, 1995 and 1997) with the last one prompting me to cancel may 2002 T-Bird purchase. FORD still does appear to "CARE."

We still have a soft spot in our hearts for the vehicle. A decent value for the investment. May never purchase another FORD though.

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1999 GMC 1500 Conversion (Explorer) Van - Have never experienced the above problems.
2000 Pontiac FireBird TranAM. Have never experienced the above problems.

Nice power, excellerates nicely on the highway to pass. Looks good, handles great (when not wet). Nice room in the front seats. I love to drive this car. I just drove 700 miles in it and got 29 mpg and 25 mpg at 70-80 mph. I have gotten 34 mpg before. Lots of trunk space. Power drivers seat.

My right leg falls asleep when I drive this car on long trips, maybe not quite centered. No where to put a cup holder. Squirms in the rain, can't imagine what the rear wheel drive would do in the snow. AC doesn't work and had to replace the power steering pump. It was lagging when shifting in low speeds, replaced the trans filter and works good now. Not much leg room in the back.

Bought this car with 84,000 miles, and haven't had too many problems. The AC wasn't working when I bought it. My wife and I love this car so much we bought a 96 pearl white t-bird LX with V-8 and leather. We have only had it for about a week so I will have to wait awhile to give a review on it. If you have a small family (rear seat leg room) I recommend the t-birds for good looks, power and inexpensive prices compared to other similar cars. Have it checked by a mechanic first and pay attention to the transmition, then enjoy driving your t-bird. Buy American.

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I grew up as a chevy man. Drove a 94 chevy van for 6 years, no comparison.

Very fast for as big n heavy as it is. Love the interior, leather is nice. Some people complain about the gas milage but after driving an 89 suburban around for a year 20 mpg is nothing. When i bought my car the paint still looked good for being 10 years old but my dad painted it n it looks so much better my beautiful black T-bird. Fast Fast Fast

I love my car for some reason, despite all the problems its had just in the last year ive had it. I bought it when it had 69,000 mi on it not bad i figured for its age but now its up to 83,000. Lets see ive replaced the motor for the drivers side window, water pump, upper control arm on the left side, speakers, subwoofer, motor in the drivers seat, fuel pump, pretty much the entire front left side (my own fault, they dont keep tracktion well on gravel oops) trunk light , under hood light, tag lights, fog lamps. . . soon i have to replace the radiator and the rear breakes, when i find the money. Handling also sucks in the rain. Plus something in the suspension is broken and it wont go off of firm ride, doesnt do well on any type of bump or pot hole heaven forbid you try n do 3mph over a speed bump you better have your seat belt on. Other than that its a great car i only wish i could of bought it brand new im sure it was amazing.

Very nice looking cars. Never been beat in any race around town. Eaisly passes and out matches new cars. Also had an acident in it, totaled the car :( (which my father saved and rebuilt for me:)) but i walked away no more then a little shaken up but the experience.

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95 camero nice care but almost imposible to see over the dash board being a mear 5'3
89 suburban he he need i say more
93 buick skylark lets just say it makes an interesting noise when you turn the steering wheel
85 pontiac grand prix nothing compared to my thunderbird but hey i gotta thing for big cars

After owning three other fords over the past 20 years (including an '89 T-Bird), I can honestly say the ONLY thing this car has going for is it's looks. This will be the last FORD I ever own.

Everything. After 39,000 miles and almost four years of light driving at 10,000 miles a year.....the transmission had to be rebuilt. I was told this was a known defect with the electronics and aluminum trany housing but the car was out of the waranty period so though luck. That only cost me approx. $2,500. The car has had continual problems with the ignition and sensors. Those problems cost Another $1,000 or so in repairs the past 5 years. Lastly, you would think Ford would have been able to correct their braking "shimmy" problem by this time (my '89 T-Bird was just as bad). More money spent and the braking is still OK at best.

Don't be fooled by the good looks. Read the comments from other T-Bird owner's re: transmission and other common problems. I tell everybody I know that based on my own personal experience, the quality and reliabilty of FORD cars has been a very expensive disappointment. FORD - Fix Or Repair Daily.

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My other vehicle has always been either a Chevy or GMC 1500 pick-up truck. Absolutely no comparison with the Ford.... they're a better engineered and more reliable vehicle.

The looks of it far surpass anything and everything. If some punk peer of mine pulls up in a Camaro or Firebird, i could give a crap, my car is better looking. The engine is nice, could have a little more power considering the car is a hefty 3600 lbs. But there were to be no V8's in our garage says the dad. The interior is nice with very comforterable bucket seats. I could fall asleep in those if you gave me enough time.

Gas consumption, no spoiler, the weight, RW drive, no ABS, but hey, no car is perfect. Also shakes a little if traveling at lower neighborhood speeds.

I would defintely recommend this car to anyone interested. Sure, it may not be able to beat every car out there in a race, but im sure i could beat its fair share of em. Ive wanted a Thunderbird since i can remember and i finally found one at the right price. Saving up to put a cd player in, then tint the windows, and since Ford has a hard time putting in decent speakers, ill have to replace those too. Probably put on a spoiler and 17-18" rims. I could easily spend more than the car is worth but i did get a really sweet deal on it. Gonna have to save for a new belt and tranny and alternator, but hey, id still recommend one to anybody.

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Better than anything out there.

The car was purchased brand spanking new at a dealership. The powertrain and drivetrain. The engine is a 302 V8, based on the small block Ford engine which has been around for years so you know its durable. The transmission was a "new" design at the time, a newfangled deal called an Automatic Overdrive (or AOD for short) with the same? ratios as the C6 but with an OD band for fuel efficiency on the highway.

The gas mileage is BETTER than a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria, 15-16 mpg around town, 23-28 mpg on the highway. The A/C freezes the occupants pretty quickly, and there aren't many electronic stuff to short out/fail - the car is almost completely mechanical (save the ignition). The ignition system is composed of a Duraspark I module, with a distributor, spark plugs, and spark plug wires. Not extremely efficient given the # of components but it's worked through hurricanes, blizzards, and floods.

The bumpers are solid, I took down a fence accidentally and there wasn't a scratch on the bumper cover - meanwhile the fence post was completely bent. The T-bird was involved in a rear-end collision of a Ford Explorer, the front bumper took down the rear trim and hatchback - totally messed it up. The T-bird needed a new fiberglass nosepiece.

The rear end consists of a 7.5" with 3.08s (non-locker). The 7.5" is sturdy, but not as much so as the newer 8.8" rear ends. I'm planning to get a 8.8" with a Detroit Tru Trac (or another similar mechanical locking differential) with at least 3.73s

The interior is cramped, even the driver has limited room to manuever - the best spot in the car is the front passenger seat. The designers seemed to use the manual transmission pedals for the car. The brake pedal is tiny, and its cramped right next to the accelerator pedal.

It needs a dual exhaust, at least 2.5" for the 302 V8.
It came with 14" tires, at least 16" rims and tires should be used.
It's not very aerodynamic, in fact it has the drag coefficient of a refrigerator.

It's a LOT more powerful than the Aries, Hornet, and the E-150. But it can't beat the comfort and size of the Crown Victoria. Power and torque - the Crown Vic beats the T-bird in this department, BUT the 302 V8 can be modified with the huge selection of aftermarket parts, a 347 stroker would be in order for 350+ hp at the flywheel (normally aspirated).
Given there are no more NEW T-birds like my 81 T-bird, I wouldn't recommend you get it - because it's unique =) I've only seen 3 of the same year T-birds on the road, 2 of which are owned by little old ladies (who probably garage it 24/7) and 1 was a beater.

I had to do some mods for it to run well, new ATF cooler, Power steering cooler, 180F thermostat, 4V intake manifold, fuel pressure regulator, polyurethane bushings, stiffer Moog Cargo Coils in the back, and a less restrictive muffler.

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Dodge Aries, AMC Hornet, Ford E-150, Ford Crown Victoria

I have owned a 88'corvette and a 66'Mustang GT and neither of those compare to the things I've done in my SC. Not to mention doing 135 on the freeway, but this is the all around perfect sports car...

May thing I've noticed about my baby is that they do get hot, but this can be fixed. And dont think you'll get by easy on gas either, because it wont happen.

All around this is my precious little baby. I got her a new engine and now just looking to get a new charger, but thats the cost for keeping the car of your dreams. If you have the money you cant go wrong with this beast, this car is raw power..

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I had a corvette that just could not keep up and with slight mods I have a stock Saleen wouldn't be able to keep up either!

Everything. It is one hell of a tough car, I've put it through a LOT, severe abuse in every form. 92,000 miles still running strong. Seats are nice, interior is very attractive, guages, it feels like a nice sports car while boasting an excellent ride and a good bit of power. (I have the 4.6l, it could put out a lot more!)

I have several aftermarket body modifications, and does it turn heads!

This vehicle is not for one of youth, or for the soccer mom. Most everyone else except those who want ricers will love it.

Brakes warp, gas consumption, transmission is inferior, ignition cables like to fry.

I would reccomend this car to anyone looking for a great value. It is a very tough car assuming you keep some limitations. An idiot will destroy it.

Considering the continuation of quality degradion in modern vehicles, ford has done a great job in the 95 model year. 96 and 97 have fallen victim to the industry trend of disposable products.

These vehicles (aka 'dewbirds') are used by ford for product testing, they have various used model years and see what they can do to break them. Often, they have a pretty tough time!

Overall, the car is an excellent car to anyone willing to appreiate it and will ALWAYS take care of you.

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Mustang

POWER! This car is unbelievable. Mine has a 5-speed manual transmission and has not had the drivetrain problems I hear about with the automatics. The 5-speed gives you more control of the power, too. Also the most comfortable ride I have owned. With the leather, this car is the most perfect mix of luxury and sport you can find in my opinion. Do you want to blow the doors off a 5.0 or do you want to take the lady out to dinner? Perfect for both. More technically, the 1990 SC still has a copper radiator. I haven't had the problems with it that I have heard others have had with newer models. Also, the original clutch went 150,000 miles...can you believe that!

Not to jump on the bandwagon, but the mileage sucks. Somehow, though, I have mustered up the courage to not give a damn about that (once I'm toolin' down the road, the gas prices seem to escape me). Parts are not too difficult to find if you really apply yourself, but they are expensive. Also, a huge pain in the ass to change plugs and wires.

If you can't tell, I love this car. How many people can say that after 7 years of ownership? I will say that I test drove an automatic SC before I bought this car and was blown away by its power...that is until I drove mine with a 5-speed. WOW! What a difference! I have done a tremendous amount of traveling in this car. Finally at 213,000 miles, it died. Actually, it was just a head gasket, but I took the opportunity to do a complete rebuild (if you have ever had to do extensive work on one, you know you may as well do the whole thing if you gotta get your heads off). I worked on her every night for three months and loved every single minute of it. It gave us a renewed bond. Anyway, I'm rambling (I tend to do that when I talk about my baby). I would recommend this car to anyone who likes power and luxury. I would NOT recommend it for kids, though. It'll get away from you if you're not careful...unfortunately, I know.

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None. This car is the end all, be all of cars. I have driven a few 5-speed SHOs...I guess it somewhat compares. The 'Bird has more room, though.

The power!!!This is a fast car!Handels well on dry pavement.Very roomy and comfortrable. The power moon roof is a plus.The leather on cloth seats are nice,as well very eazy to adjust,being power.And of course the beauty of an american masterpeice!!!

Everybody with the 5.0s will agree,the gas millage. But i suppose if you want to drive a car with a big engine,its o.k. Also,Ive had to replace the water pump after 117,000. It tends to run hot on the freeway.And the heater coil clogged reasently. I could never get the a/c to work either.

I would recomend any Ford product!!!!BUY AMERICAN!!!!!!!!!1

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1993 t-bird std, both are good cars,but i like the 91s power and body style better.