Why the T-Bird??? Simple...
Mustangs were a dime a dozen...still are...
Z28's and T/A's are rattletraps and insurance was out of sight...
The Bird has class...and it had leather, V8, sunroof, 16" wheels, etc...
Only gripe was that it was an auto, no standard :* ( Now I'm glad it has the tranny it does...you can't build a T-45 to hold the HP I'm going to have after awhile >:p
Insurance is cheap compared to the cars I'll be spanking in January....
And...It was black and I had a vision...
Johnny V
My car before this was a 93 AWD Talon Turbo. Loved the car...LOVVVED IT!
But being that I'm 6'4" 250lbs many people below covered the size thing. I drove around to dealerships and was looking at getting a Z28 and saw this silver Cougar sitting there. So I took it for a drive and absolutly fell in love with it. For
the following reasons...
- More room (the obvious)
- V8
- Handled great for such a big car
- RWD
- Nobody my age had one...made me feel more refine..lol
- It just looked awesome
Seabass
I've had mine about a year and a half, and love it. I bought it because I like Fords, V-8 engines, and power to the fun wheels!
Mustang was too small and had too much of a hot rod stigma to them (I prefer sleepers). That left me the choice of a Crown Vic/Grand Marquis, or a T-Bird/Cougar. Looked at a 95 Town Car, but the trunk was filled with water when we opend it. Passed on that one, despite the salesmans promise to fix it.
Next one to come along was a beautiful pearl white T-Bird, which despite the high miles was in great shape, and low priced, so we got her. Replacement for a long serving 1978 Grand Marquis that was in our family since new.
Rea98d
Mustang Too Little, Impala Too Big!
The first time I saw the 96 Thunderbird's, I thought they were great looking cars. I had been driving an 89 Z51 White Corvette, but the insurance was killing me, plus I couldn't get my kids in the car.
So....I went to the Ford dealer and was going to buy a 97 White Thunderbird LX with the 4.6L SOHC V8. Well, there was one 96 left on the lot and they made me a pretty good deal on it.
I had just bought my wife a 95 Windstar and Ford had been real good to me. I looked at a Chevy Impala, but it was too big. The Camaros were out of the question. Mustangs were too small. So I drove home my T-Bird.
Since joining the Thunderbird and Cougar Club of America, I have found a ton of useful ways of upgrading my T-Bird to a first class road car. It looks great, handles great and goes pretty good too. Check out my modifications. As a matter of fact, I think I'll go and sneak up on some unsuspecting Corvette. Heh, heh.
Rudy Hartmann
Well, I previously owned a 1966 Mustang, and when I bought a new car it was between a 1995 Probe GT and a 1995 T-Bird LX
4.6L. I decided to get the Probe. I was single at the time and loved the 5 speed/2.5L V-6 powertrain in the Probe.
I drove that one for 18 months, and after getting married and having a baby-the Probe was just too small. No room for the rear-facing car seat!
So, off to the dealeer to get something bigger. Needless to say-I ended up with my '97 LX T-Bird. It was the last 4.6L on the lot, and I took delivery in August '97.
The car had 7 miles on it when I got it, and I changed the oil to Castrol Syntec at 500 miles. Added a K&N panel filter,and changed the OEM mufflers out for Dynomax Ultraflos at 5K miles.
Drove it like that for a long time before I stumbled across this site. The information and maturity level of the members was what kept me coming back. Joined the club,and plan on being here for some time to come.
Johnny Langton
Because after driving an 86 Honda Accord for 6 years I needed a real american car that has the power to match those imports (except corners) and maintain what I consider to be the traditional way a car was designed to be, i/e: rear wheel drive, v-8 motor with torque to spare and big car feel (where as I felt I was driving on the hood of the honda, I feel a great deal safer and more secure behind an american car weighing 900 pounds plus more than the accord).
Besides I was able drive 250 freeway miles on exactly 9 gallons of fuel. Honda could do it in 7.5 gallons but I was always giving it a ton of fuel or downshifting to 4th to maintain speed on hills while on the freeway. The bird needs minimal throttle to maintain freeway speeds, except on the grapevine hill north of bakersfield,CA., other than that it was the cheap est bang for the buck made in the USA in 91. Less than 16k New. Ford power #1
Collin
On July 12, 1997 I took possesion of a brand new 1997 Mustang LX Sport that my grandparents gave me for HS graduation. At
the time, the only reason I didnt get a '97 bird is because they were a little to expensive.
Sadly on January 3, 1998 I spun the mustang on I57 (for thoese of you in the chicago area ya know where it twists and turns at about 107th st, right there) I hit a parked Lexus and needless to say my baby was totaled.
When it was time to replace the stang, I again went looking for a Bird. I didnt want another mustang because
A) everyone and their brother has one
B) I wanted something a little bigger
C) I have been around Thunderbirds all my life, my mom bought a 1966 T-bird conv brand new so its been in the driveway longer than Ive been around, I kinda wanted to keep the tradition going
D) The people in the Chicagoland Thunderbird Club might have had something to do with my purchase too, I wanted to be a part of the club with my own car.
Plus it just looked so COOL!
I found a bunch of demo 3,8's but I decided I wanted the 4.6. I found a dark green 96LX and then by chance I drove out to Rizza Chevy and found this beautiful black 96 sport. I looked it over had all the options I wanted, factory cd, black, and 4.6L.
Drove it round the block. I was sold! They wanted 15,900 for it, I told them that was a little steep for my wallet, and told them about the other bird that I was looking at, the salesman asked me how much was this other bird I told him 11,800 he talked it over with the manager and she came back and told me I could have the sport for 11,800. I told them I would be back with my parents being that I was only 16 at the time it was going to have to be in their name.
Came back with both my mom and dad and my dad drove it and he said he liked it (This coming from a diehard chevy guy) so we signed the deal and I took it home on January 12, 1998 exactly 6 months after I bought the stang.
I have known about TCCoA since it was BirdCats, and everytime I come to this site I just love my car even more and more. I
didnt know much about the MN-12 before I bought my car I didnt even know it was a Sport, I just thought it had cool wheels.
Mods are going slowly now because of school, but the plan is well in progress, when im done with school look out Blake & KD
cause Im going to be flying by you. Fer now I just have fun with it. If you have gotten this far, thanks for reading, sorry it got so long.
Keith Deluca
I bought my car in September after having a highly modded VW GTI VR6 for 3 years. It's my first Ford. Why did I get it? Well, I'm a student pilot who wants to fly for the airlines. I'm a ways off yet and I do work full time, but every penny counts.
My GTI had been wrecked a couple of times and was having a lot of lingering problems. Basically, it was a money pit. Payments, insurance, parts, etc. So, I traded it in and bought what I figured to be the best bang for the buck on the lot, my '95 T-bird.
Insurance is much lower, as are the parts. Fuel mileage is actually about the same as the VR6, maybe a little worse (if I floor it :).
I will NOT be modding it, just maintaining it. It'll be hard, but I think I can resist the temptation :). I'm not a big Ford vs. Chevy guy or anything like that. I just drive whatever fits my needs at the time, although I am partial to Europe :)
Rich
Mine's pretty simple... I bought a 95 Impala SS brand new in May of 95. I drove that around, modified the hell out of it, then desided to move and go to school near Dallas. One look around that campus and I realized theres no way I could park my SS on campus, space wise, and because of how ANAL I was about that car.
SO, I went looking for something that I wouldn't be so anal about. My criteria:
- V8
- Rear Wheel drive
- American
- Power stuff
- Comfy
I had it down between a 93 5.0 and my Teal Nightmare... I decided on the Bird because the first time I took it on the highway on the test drive, it was SO comfy, seemed reasonably powerful, and just fit me. This was April of 96. So, I picked up my 2 year old Bird with 28K on the clock for $11,500... the result of a screwup at Ron Carter Autoland.
Of course, I can't leave ANYTHING stock!!!
Dom
After buying "practical" cars for too long I decided to by a car for myself. I wanted a car that handled and performed and had some aftermarket support. I have always loved the look of the T-bird. It haunted me for years. I think it is one of the best designs ever in a sports car. At 6'3" I don't fit in a mustang or almost anything else. Once I decided I spent 3 months searching.
Rudd
Bought it as a new leftover in Feb '96.
At the time, I wanted a new or one or two year old lease return car, V8 powered, 2 doors preferred. I had a contract on the table for a 95 Formula Firebird, also purple like my Bird, 6 speed, LT4 engine, ect..everything I wanted in a car...the price was what I wanted it to be.
Then I called my insurance agent....and almost had a heart attack...$3200 a year for full coverage! Killed that deal, who the hell wants to pay that for insurance!?!?! Priced rates on Camaros(just under $3K), Mustang GT's, 5.0 and newer 4.6s($2700)...Impala SS(I could live with a 4 door for that car..alas, still $2600 to insure)..
So I got to thinking of what else has a V8....How about the Mark 8? Well, better, just under $2k, then the Thunderbird/Cougar came to mind...Insurance? $1200 a year,
full coverage...SOLD!!!!
Went looking, and found this one for $15K (out the door, tax, tag, title, ect,) brand new demo car, less than 500 miles on the clock, leftover from the previous model year...I guess that Venetian Blue was not easy to sell...had the options I wanted, even if the car was slow, I knew I could make the V8 move...
And now you know....The rest of the story...
V8 Thunder
My first mn12 was a 90 tbird with a 3.8L. I was 18 and before that I had a jeep comanche. I loved the way it rode and had it two years b4 the head gaskets went out a little over 120k.
So my mission was to find a 94-97 v8. The first car I drove was a 95 5spd Black Loaded SC. I Totally fell in love!!! But when I called the dealership 4 hours later to tell him i wanted it, it was sold. DOH! I looked and looked, but found no Sc's. So i settled on a 95 v8 40th Anniversery car.
Then I stumbled on TCCoA.com and the mods began! I got Sick and tired of the automatic tranny Last winter and decided to look for another 94-95 Sc. I found a 94Sc 6 hours away and drove to look at it and bought it that day. I wish I would have held out for a Black Sc, but the White one will do.
Chris
It was the best choice at the time. I origianlly wanted a Mustang, a Nissan Maxima, a Toyota Celica All-track, or a Grand Prix and a few other cars. But I never even considered a TBIRD until I saw my friends dads TBIRD. It was the sweetest '95 SC.
So one day I was up at Rodman Ford to check out a Mustang (cause I was set on a Mustang GT) but the car was $15,000 and I wasn't going to be able to afford the car and the insurance (I could afford the car but not both).
But in the front of the lot right next to the Mustang was my sweet '96 TBIRD 4.6 and I fell in love. It had everything! It was powerful, quick, big, good looking, sleek, comfortable, practical, could fit all my stuff, safe, and on top of it all... the insurance was REAL cheap!
They wanted $13,000 for it with 44,000 miles but I haggled them down to $9,750! So I bought it! Even since then, I've been very happy. I just love to drive in my car!
Joe
My parents bought their car in 1979, it was a 1978 T-Bird Town Landau with the 400 V8 with traction-lok rear axle. Very nice
car. I don't think anything could get in its way and servive. And it never got stuck in the winter with the Iowa snow/ice we had. It was a good car. And my mom liked the power.
Then later, my Dad bought a 1978 T-Bird base, with the 302 V8 and with the rare shifter on the floor in the console. But it got wrecked, and it was the other drivers fault. Actually got hit three times right after another, and the third was the one to put it to sleep. It was totalled.
Then in 1993 i bought my first car, a 1979 T-Bird Heritage edition with the 351M and loaded. I was 14. I wasn't able to drive it home myself though. My Dad did.
In 1994, I bought my 1978 T-Bird Town Landau with the 400 V8. I actually ended up with that T-Bird instead of the T-Bird I went to buy, a 1977 T-Bird Town Landau with the 400.
In 1996 I bought the 1988 T-Bird 3.8L. The owner couldn't get it started. It started right up for me when I looked at it. Then next day I signed the papers got the keys, and the thing wouldnt start for anything. My Dad flooded it. But it turned out well.
In 1997 after I graduated from HS, I bought my "dream" car. I always wanted a 1987/1988 Turbo Coupe. My 1987 T-Bird Turbo Coupe with the 5-speed manual transmission with 4 wheel disc ABS, programmed ride control, 16" rims, 8.8" traction-lok axle and much more.
In 1998 I bought my MN12 T-Bird, 1994 T-Bird LX 4.6L. I seen it for sale in the local Sunday paper, there was an add for it on the website, I seen the picture, then I went down to the place. And I took it home with me a few days later. Really no reason, honestly. I just sat inside, started it up, and said I want it. I paid for it, and drove it out of the building.
JT
When I started looking for a "new" car in April 1999, I wasn't really considering the T-Bird at all. I was thinking along the lines of a Mustang or an F-Body. I went to various dealerships in central New Jersey, but I couldn't find what I wanted. At the time, I saw a few T-Birds and Cougars, but they were all 1995 or older.
After some shopping, I came to realize that the Camaro was out of my price range. I actually found a couple of 1995 Mustang GTs for about $12K in the local papers, but I never got to see either one of them. The reason was because I went to Malouf Ford in North Brunswick, NJ one day and saw a white 1997 T-Bird on the lot. The silver and pink pinstriping was torn on one side, but other than that, there didn't seem to be much wrong with it.
The car had 36K miles and it looked good. It also had brand new 225/60/15 tires on them.
Anyway, I wasn't captivated by the car at first, but after I went home and thought about it some more, I decided to go for it. I did like the interior room and the T-Bird's dimensions suited me better than that of a Mustang.
My brother-in-law had a 1994 4.6L that I liked, so the prior experience of being in his car helped make this T-Bird look better too. I ended up taking delivery of my car on May 9, 1999. I've been obsessed with it ever since.
The one thing I'm not happy with is the lack of 4.6L availability in this area. When I was shopping, all MN12s on the lots were 3.8L. I still don't regret it though. I'll have to work harder for my quarter-mile numbers, but low 14s and even high 13s are possible with head and intake work coupled with a Vortech in addition to other mods.
Super Six Motorsports did it with a 1994 3.8L Mustang. A T-Bird would only be a couple of ticks off their mark. It may not be a more economical solution and I still don't like the 3.8L engine from a performance standpoint. However, I do believe that my path will be more fun because of the extra challenges I have to face. I'm all up for it.
Irv
After checking out lowering kits for my Ranger(fake splash), I went to a Hot Rod shop in Plainfield, IL, and found out the frame was repaired and stil bent Talk about a shocker...boy was I pissed. I thought the car pulled from a bad alignment.
God knows, I was a little off there. I wanted the truck cause I was 19 and it was all black, with remote start and tinted windows and chrome rims and everything I was gonna add to my S-10 that I had before the Ranger. The reason I went to the hot rod shop was to drop the Ranger.
Then I was gonna set it up for a 5.0, but plans quickly changed when I was informed about the frame. I waited until I had some cash and decided to look around a little. I found NOTHING at 10 dealerships on the night I wanted to buy a car. At the end of the night I decided to just cruise home and I would buy something another day, but I stumbled upon a Lincoln Mercury dealership in Orland Park, and saw a line of T-birds with signs for 4.9 financing and recently dropped prices.
I test drove 4 94-95 lx's and none of em felt right. They all had about 50K on em, but the tranny's were really shuddering in two of the 95's.
On the end of the line was my red 96 sport. It sat directly under a white light, and for those of you who have not seen cardinal red under white lights, you have NO idea what you're missing.
I took the car for a quick ride and bought my bird at 11:30 after some serious fighting on price and monthly payments. I got it for 130.00 a month. Since the purchase, I have only had to deal with the intake and the radiator. I have had a few thoughts about buying another one after school. This car has WAY too much money into her to give it up.
Todd Drefcinski
When I turnded 15, I got a 1978 T-bird with the 351m. I drove the hell out of that car for two years. I went to high school 45 miles away so you can understand.
A month before my senior year I had been working for a while and told my parents I wanted a new car. I went looking, I found a white 1985 cougar LS. It was loaded, 5.0, power everything, and only 56,000 miles.(1994 mind you) So I bought it and then a year later I wanted a pick up. I found a ranger that I could afford and keep the cougar, but I went with a 95 S-10.
Needless to say I ended up have to get rid of both. That brought me to my 90 bird. I thought it was the shit at the time. Black tinted windows the whole bit.
Later on I wanted a mustang and I had this plan to go on the fishing boats for quick money. When I got back I realized I had only enuf money for a 76 cougar w/ 400.
After I got married we wanted to get a different car. We went looking for an explorer for her, I would take the 99 grand am we got here earlier in the year. Then it happened we were at the ford dealership, I saw a whole line of them. They all had 40-70k miles, except the one in the middle. A 96 LX with 27000 miles and loaded, except phone. Needless to say 3 hours later I was back in a bird. Sorry it is so long.
Big Marty
Well I had my first car since june 98 (im 19 now). It was a 1990 3.8 base Tbird. I got it because it was cheap because of a lot of miles on it and I thought it did look pretty good style wise. I got it even cheaper because i went to a dealer auction with a friend (i was a driver for him ;-)
So i liked that car although I always wanted a 1987 Monte Carlo SS or even better a 87 Grand National. But the search for those werent going good and the tbird was looking like a better choice each time i noticed them. My dad had his 94 bird for about a year or so by then and I loved it. So I got my 1990 bird.
Well poor 1990 bird bit the dust because I wasnt willing to put more money into it in sept. 2000 when the front breaks went out. I went to the car parts store and already got parts for the breaks and was going to have a friend put them in but i didnt want to do it because every month for a few months at that point i was putting hundreds of dollars in it for all these stupid repairs.
Well what do you know the day I got my parts from the store this ad showed up in the paper for a local car dealership with a 1995 Tbird LX. It had 28K miles on it and was $9k. I thought there was a mistake or something, less then 30 thousand miles and under $10k. so I went down the next day to look at it with my father. When I got there I learned it was beautiful. It was and still is in Mint condition and not only was it nice but it was a 40th Anniversary Edition. I fell in love with it that day. The next day I returned the breaks to the car parts store and drove back to the dealer. The next thing I knew I left my car there and drove home with one of the most beautiful car ive seen, my bird.
Thus is the story of how I got my bird.
I'm 6'1. The Tbird is VERY compfortable like most people have mentioned. For some reason I always liked big cars. You should see my grandfathers 86 lincoln town car. Now that is big and for some reason since I was little I always loved it. But a 19 yr old with a 80's lincoln town car just doesnt seem right, nor would i really want a town car, I just like the BIGNESS.
I also like the looks I get from people, especialy after a wash... there was one evening I was driving in the City here in Rochester NY and I came to a red light and there was a couple (early 20's) crossing the street and the very atractive women smiled and waved at me. I was just sitting in my car waiting for a green light. The car says "THUNDERBIRD" right across the windshield (no pics yet). But it was funny because the guy gave me this look and turned away while the girl was smiling and waving :-) Once again I love my car.
Shawn
I test drove a few mustangs... damn were they uncomfortable! And I began to notice that everyone and their grandmother had a 5.0L mustang. SO I searched The Bargain News for 5.0L and came up with a 1991 Thunderbird for $3250 with 108k on the odometer. I went to take alook at it.
At first I was a little skeptical of it because the front tires were flat and it was filthy. But I took a closer look at it and test drove it. I loved the ride... it was comfortable as hell and loaded with features. SO then I asked them to wash it and I'd be back tomorrow to look at it again. This time I took my best friend with me who knows alot about cars. And he told me it was a great car, except the rear end leaks a little. He also like it becasue he THOUGHT that it couldnt beat his Firebird.
It was a very beauiful car when it was clean and I loved the color. SO I put a deposit on it. Two days later I went to pick it up and let my 1989 Taurus rot in my driveway. It felt so good to finally drive something that I actually liked.
My cars previos to that were an 86 VW Jetta and the 89 Taurus. The jetta had a cracked block... but still ran until I got hit by a 4runner. And the taurus developed a leak of EVERY SINGLE FLUID IN IT! Even the windshield wash leaked! And it used to smoke everytime i drie it from all the fluids leaking.
But im glad I bought my car because most of the women on campus here love it! I always get complements and "nice car!" from them. Most of the guys say.. "ha! pansy car!" I dont pay attention to them because I like to stand out in the parking lot.
And I'm happy with my bird. I love to drive it. I know it has a lot of problems... but they are all little annoying ones that would take a few hours each to fix. And this summer I have plans for it (if I dont buy a bike).
Jay
Bought mine new in March of 1997. I bought it because it is RWD V8 and fits my 6'2" frame MUCH better than a mustang or
F-body. It is more comfortable too. I have always enjoyed the high speed directional stability of these cars.
I rented one in 1994 and loved it - wanted one ever since. I didn't mod it until it was out of warranty - that's when the real fun began!
Dan U
I had a 94 Mustang (V6). I liked the looks of my stang BUT I just wanted a few more horses but did not want to go with the GT. Reason #1 being that I hated not having a back seat and #2 I figured a Tbird V8 was more "bang for the buck" than a Mustang GT, especially the smoother ride. I have never regretted trading in the Mustang for it, the Tbird is just a better car PERIOD.
April
And, when? I actually never DID stare it down, as it was a special order placed 02/26/96, and manufactured along the dates [from all I can read] of 3/26-3/27. And the 1st week in April/96 -just some 5 weeks after peuter'n in the invoice to Ford-, I pulled up to view it on the car carrier on the lot as my salesman had called me and said: "she's HERE! -and looking HOTTER than a #$%@!!*&! Black Widow" , so Come-and get her!....
And to this day, I STILL think they are one of the most luxuorious - and stylish chassis to still be thought of in a Sport/Performance market area in some small way - even if they are thought of as a sleigh-ride to some.
MikeV
Okay, Well it all started when my aunt bought a 3.8 1990 Ford
Thunderbird. It was cool, digital dash, leather, all the works cept for the moon roof.
Well, after her driving the car for 2 years, she was still paying :-/. I took over payments when I got my license, and I beat the hell outta that car. But I loved it to death.
One day I was sitting on the computer, most likley reading the boards of the TCCoA and my best friend and his mom came down. His mom has a 95 4.6 bird and she offered me to take it for a little spin. Let me tell ya what.... It was a spin alright! I drove the 3.8 around for a month longer and I was building adreniline with every mile being rolled onto that 3.8. I was thinking about the V-8....dreamin'....dreamin'....droooool.
Anyways... My brother and I went to Exxon to grab some sodas and he grabbed a stack of diablo dealer publications (car classifieds) and I took one and started looking through it. I started looking for a 94/95 with some decent milage and I
ran across a few but all had 100k+ miles. There were NO
SC's in the book. I was completly bummed out.
But my eye caught somthing, it was a picture of a 1994 forest green 4.6. I ripped that ad out and drove 35 miles out to my grandfather's campsite and woke them up and told them about the car. They weren't too happy of the rude awakning, but I had to get a new car.
I called the dude up and finally got in touch with him instead of his answering machine. I found out the car had 70k miles on it and he wanted 6500 for it. He told me he dropped the price to 5500 just last night and he would sell it for that amount. My grandfather and my friend and I went down to Blackhawk, which is 45 miles away to look at the car and when I seen her, she was kinda dusty.
When we pulled closer, I fell in love with her. The dude came out and I guess he was late to a meeting or somting because he was in a big hurry. My grandfather and I took it for a test drive and it drove perfect, and it shifted fine. We gave him cash, he gave us keys...title...all the goodies, and I drove off. She has treated me fine cept for a brake power booster and spark plug wires, which is just wear' n tear.
I love my lady
AlpineFX
Well in fall 1997 I bought my first car a 1986 Celica GT-S for like $500. It had no frame left due to rust and you had to hold it in 5th gear. After a month I said "Screw this!" And started looking for a car that would be at least as large leg and head room wise, a coupe, With power everything, 5 years old or less, and preferably Rear Wheel Drive that I would be willing to go into debt for affordably.
So esentialy that was The Thunderbird, Cougar and Mark VIII. You can't find Mk. 8's for sale around here often so that was out because I didn't have the time to look for 4 months. And I'm not a big fan of the Cougar's rear roof line, so off I went looking for a 92 or later T-bird.
Unfortunatly I found one to quickly. A 1993 V-6 from a Pontiac Dealership. Well after 1 1/2 years and 2 blown headgaskets. I threw a shit load of stop leak in it. Refilled the Colant Res. and called every Ford dealership within 60 miles. This time I knew exactly what I wanted, A 92 or newer V-8 Thunderbird for around $10,000 Preferably 94 or later.
Out of 14 dealers 2 had what I was looking for. So I went and endured the worst Ford dealer on the planet Clark Ford (Never buy from them Ohioans). And I got my Sea Foam "nobody else would buy the thing so well give you $2000 for your trashed '93 plus cover its loan just so we can sell it" Green (oh sorry Light Evergreen Frost Clearcoat Metalic) 1994 V-8 LX with a Sport logo on it for no apparent reason. But it had Leather Seats, Power Locks/Windows/Moonroof, Climate Controll, and it was clean inside and out.
Oh yea and something about the heritage of the nameplate, Last real American car, Yada yada yada....
Mike Zaite
Well I got my first MN-12 kinda by accident, you could say. Well when I first started driving, I had an 89 Chrysler LeBaron conv....it caught on fire, so I was in a position of having to find another car. I was originally looking for late 80's F-250 4x4's long bed with extended cabs...
I went to Ricart Automotive in Columbus, OH, supposedly one of the largest dealer in the country....I was browsing the used cars (I was there for 3 hours and didn't even see 'em all) and they leave all the cars unlocked, so I, just for sh*ts and giggles, decided to sit in a 94 (If I remember correctly...this was back in 1996) T-bird, and just simply fell in love, hadn't even driven one in my life.
So I put the F-250 on the back burner and started looking for Birds...finally found a 92, electric current red, with 32k miles, fully loaded except for a moon/sun roof, V6, closer to where I live. Took it for a drive, and had to have it.
Bought it 12/21/96 and drove it from 36k miles up to 160k miles when I traded it in on 4/15/00...and got a 96 LX to replace it. That car, even though it was a V6 had a huge effect on me, plus I started getting into this board the last few months I had the 92, so now I'm hooked...and I think I always will be!
Marc Haserodt
I'd been driving a '73 Cougar for a while, and the car was getting old and while it was still reliable, I knew it was near the end of its days. I was close to the end of high school and my parents were willing to help me out with buying a car for college, so we started looking around.
At first we were looking at FWD cars like used Buick Regals and high-mileage Northstar Cadillac Sevilles, but most of them seemed to be too much $$ for what you got. Also, I didn't particularly care for FWD, even in the snow-belt state where I live.
One night after church I was cruising through the local
car lots and spotted a dark purple '94 Cougar XR7 with the V8 and some goodies, and the lightbulb went on. From then on, I decided that I wanted a Cougar.
A few days later, me and my dad went to a lumberyard in another town, and spotted a green '97 Cougar and a red '96 T-bird at the Ford dealer there. A salesman came out while we were admiring the cars and told us a little about them. It turned out that the 'Bird had been in their hands since early '96 (this was in late 1998) and it only had 5,8xx miles on it, having been used by the dealer's wife as her personal transportation for a few months.
We test drove the dark purple '94 Cougar a few days later, and while it was a very nice car with only 35,000 miles on it, it had been sandblasted in a recent wind storm and had little paint chips all over the driver's side. The red '96 was only a few thousand $$ more with factory warranty, so we decided to get it, and I've been driving it ever since. I've put 42,200 miles on it in the last 2.25 years and I've loved every mile of it.
Patrick T
When I bought my 1990 Super Coupe in April of 1990, I had been drooling over them for over a year. I thought that a Thunderbird Super Coupe was out of my class as I watched them while driving around in my 1984 Daytona Turbo Z.
I've always been a Ford man and wanted to upgrade to a coupe with a bit more power than the 4 cylinder turbocharged cars at
that time. Ford didn't have a V8 powered Bird in 1990 and the Super Coupe gave the same performance as a V8 but with 2 less
cylinders and the gas mileage of a V6. I bought it and drove it for 9 years and 125,000 miles with very few problems.
All of those reasons plus what I stated in my subject line. It was love at first sight and I still think the Super Coupe to be the most gorgeous car. To top it all off, it has IRS, Anti Lock brakes, variable assist power steering, automatic ride control, JBL Premium sound system and electric side bolsters and lumbar supports in the seats.
I sold it to a gentleman from Finland that saw my SC on My Webpage and came to Chicago to work for a year and gave me a
call. He was the first and only person to look at it and paid me with American Express travellers checks. I miss it.
Yeah, I would have bought another over my Mark VIII in 1998 if they still made it.
Last Mrk.
Well my first car was an 87 5.0 Bird, had it for a year and really grown to like it, at the time I thought it was quick, cause I could beat beat a bunch of ricers, but the car was a little old for a NICE CAR.
So I sold it, and got me a 90 SC, I was happy as hell to get it, cause it was still a Thunderbird...but a SuperCharged Thunderbird that actually had some balls, tons of options, and was(and is) a nice lookin car.
Too bad that 90 SC gave me to many problems, so I had to sell it, from there I got a 95 SC(5 months ago) which I love to
death(but I think i paid too much-$12000). I just can't stand to get any other car than a Bird.
Right before I bought my 95 SC, I almost ended up geting a 97 GTP(thank God), but I was 3 hours too late(someone else bought
it).
Now I gotta find me another Bird as my beater car, but I've had no luck!
Can't stay away from those Birds!!!
Zac Ochoa
I used to rent cars for dates in the early 90's (I always drove crappy cars)...$17/day for a cougar/Tbird. When I got married our wedding present from my mother was a rental of a 95SC to drive to the Ozarks.
I have always been partial to 2 door, RWD V8s. I was interested in Firebird/Camaro but knew I couldn't afford what I wanted (WS6) and it was a really tight fit for my 6'8" being.
I would have preferred a Mark VIII simply for the extra HP. The only disapointment I have with my car is the HP. This is what keeps it from being a perfect car. I just wish there was something on the market that I could replace it with when the time comes.
Maybe, if I keep ie long enough, something will be on the
market...otherwise I will be forced to buy old used cars.
GRAYWOLF
I've had my '96 since April of 2000. It went to the lot straight from the aution after it was returned after a lease. My dad and I both wanted a car w/ a V8, but he didn't want me in a mustang. (Too small, i'd kill myself, etc.)
At first I hated the idea, but then we came across my beauty. Lazer Red w/ Tan interior. I swear the engine and CD player were the only options, but I didn't care.
I took the red over blue and black (Black was my 2nd choice) I've never regretted that decision. That car rides like a beauty, and is by far the most comfortable car I've even driven, while still being fun to drive!
Chad Gartner
Had a 86 Taurus as my first car. Liked it but it was front wheel drive. Plus the constant electrical problems forced me to look for another ride.
Long story short found a 91 cougar (3.8) in the Cleveland paper. Fell in love the first time I saw it. Was frost blue and what I thought was clean in and out (I didn't even open the trunk). Well the car had 23,000 on it and a older woman owned it since new. Blew the rear end out on I480 taking it home. Called a flat bed and got it to a dealer. The guy then tells me the car has some water damage from flooding that had been cleaned up to the point that it was even hard for them to see it. Put a new rear in it and finally drove it home about 4 day later.
My dad and myself spent two weeks pulling the entire interior (dash, carpet, heater vents. etc..) of car and trunk out. Cleaned everything up, repainted interior and put it back together. Pulled everything minor off of the motor I could and cleaned it up or replaced.
Turns out I had that car for 5 years and other than a head gasket job and routine maintance, never put another dime in it. My friends loved it and always said it had a classy look to it. Everytime we went out I had to drive (most of my friends had ricers or POS). My friends use to think they were riding in a town car or something.
Aug. of 2000 my cougar finally bit it with 109,000 on it. I really wanted to get it fixed but the head gaskets were going bad again and I didn't want to put that much into it again. Car was starting to run real bad and was getting worried about driving it. Brings me to my current car (96 bird 3.8).
I really wanted a 97 V8 cougar...bad. Looked for a few weeks and even test drove one, but dealer wouldn't deal even though I told him I found out it was bought at auction (thank God for Carfax). Driving home pretty pissed and trying to figure out how could I swing it anyway when I stop at the local dealer and saw this red 96 bird.
I really wanted a cougar and a V8 but the deal was too good to pass on (13,000 miles and got him down to 10,500 out the door). My old cougar left the house on the back of a flat bed just as a bought it in Oct. 2000. Didn't have the heart to trade it in for $500 so I donated it. Almost cried when they pulled out. Really like the bird.
Doesn't ride as nice but has better pickup than the cougar....for a V6 anyway. Don't know what I'm going to do if I ever need another car. Don't like anthing else but MN12's.
There's just something about driving a two door rear wheel drive boat of a car and pulling up to a ricer wanting to race on 76 east in Akron. You might not take them everytime but damn well it's fun trying it (espcially when you do keep with him and see the look on his face as you approach 100 mph). I love it. Next one is definitly a 97 V8 cougar.
Kevin
Originally I was looking for a Cutlass, Monte Carlo or Regal for my first car. That was untill one day a Cougar caught my eye in the paper. After that It was Cougar all the way.
I bought my first car, a White 85 Cougar 5.0. I loved this car (even though it had lots of problems) and it got me through high school and college. About 3 months after I got out of school the 160k AOD gave it up.
It was time to find a new ride. I had wanted a late model MN-12 for about 5 years now and now was my chance. I looked around and found a nice 1997 Cougar (wanted the 97 since it was the last year of the "real" Cougar). I found a nice one, sunroof(must), leather trim seats, nice laser red, V8 and low miles (25k).
The only problem was this beauty was on a dealers lot near Chicago. I live near Lincoln, NE. I called the dealer, got some more info and decided to go. My brother and I made the 12hr drive up and picked it up. It was only about 50 miles from where he picked up his SC about 8 months prior. I guess I have always loved the not always popular look of the Cougar.
Charlez
The day I realized I wanted a Thunderbird was the
first day I ever really looked at one. I was out car
shopping with my dad to get my first car. We were just
going around looking to see if I could find something
I liked, not really planning to buy anything that day.
We went to a place called Car Carnival, a little rinky
dink place, to look around. I just went around and
checked out everything, until I saw a maroon 1995
Thunderbird. It was a V8 with grey interior and I
instantly knew that was what kind of car I wanted!
Then I looked at the price tag and knew that I was
never going to get what I wanted.
After that I looked in Auto Trader and found that
I might actually get one! I found a white 94' V8, and
got it for $5000. That car WAS the best, it was owned
by a mechanic and ran like a dream. About two months
later that car didnt run to well. Some kid turned in
front of me in his truck and killed my car, I ended up
hitting a telephone pole head on, and took the rear
axel off his Dodge Ram 2500.
After about three months of waiting I got a check
from his insurance company. Of course, with my luck
there wasnt a decent 94-97 V8 Thunderbird in my price
range to be found. I ended up getting a 94' V6 which I
am now in the process of selling after owning it for
about eight months, to get a V8.
So I am now on my second Thunderbird, going on my
third, and I have quite a few plans for my soon to be
car! I just hope this one lasts. (knock on wood)
Aaron K.
Long story but I have had the T-bird for a long time-for me that is.
It is September of 1996 and I am itching to trade in my 1995 Taurus because
the 1997s were just arriving. The speed limit was back up to 70 mph, the
'95 Taurus could barely keep up, and gas mileage was suffering at 75.
At this time, my wife and I are going on car number 21 with the last 5 being
Ford Taurus'. In addition to 30 or more company cars and auto dealerships
demos I had been assigned, my job as a computer installer for auto
dealerships had given me the chance to drive or ride in almost every type
car made. The new Taurus' were too oval for me and too ugly for my wife.
They were not making the Taurus SHO at the time. For several years it had
been an easy decision to trade in the Taurus on another Taurus. But not
now. Time to abandon the Ford ship. But wait. Son-in-Law suggests the
Thunderbird. "A what, a Thunderbird you say. I have never driven a
Thunderbird and it has been at least twenty years since I rode in the back
seat of one." The word Thunderbird conjured up memories from the late 1980's
of my neighborhood where I went for many a long walk. There were more
T-Birds up on cinder blocks sitting on the curb and in driveways than dogs
that barked at my dog and me as we walked by. The ones not on blocks were
slowly rusting away sitting on flat tires. I also remembered walking by
while a couple of guys with their heads under the hoods of a T-Bird cussing
and mumbling incoherently. Back to reality, son-in-law is still talking up
the T-bird, blah, blah, blah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But now I'm getting
interested because I haven't driven one. So the daughter and me head out to
check one out.
Sales guy was at least 6' 2" so I made him get in the back. He looked
pretty comfortable. With three of us in the car, I headed for the ramp and
foot on the floor-wow! Next, slow down to 50 and foot to the floor-wow
again! Then we slowed down to cruising speed of 77 and just enjoyed the
comfortable ride. Wanted to lease but lease-end value on T-Birds was very,
very low. So I bought the T-bird. Not until later did I find out it had the
"Sport" option package.
The car had three problems all fixed under warranty: Warped front brake
rotors, broken weld on back seat support, and fuel pump leaking back into
tank. Car has never left me on the side of the road.
After two great years, I am ready to trade. It is 1998 and no more
Thunderbirds are being made. I test drove car after car and could not find
anything else better. Believe me I really wanted to trade. So I end up
getting my wife a new ride.
It is now 1999 and I go looking again and now they have quit making the Mark
VIII. Still can not find anything better than my three-year old T-bird. So
car gets a reprieve for another year.
In February 2000, I am looking again and NOTHING to compare, so I end up
getting the wife another car. She's now up three cars to my one. I can't
believe that Ford quit making the MN12 body. T-bird gets another year
reprieve.
Now we're up to November 2000 and I really have my mind set to trade in the
T-bird in on a 2001 Lincoln LS. Nice car but $40,000.00!!! For what? A few
whistles and bells. I pay for a consumers report on the LS and reliability
is worse than average. Worse than average for a $40,000.00 car built on a
Jag frame-this is terrible. Test-drove a bunch of other 2001 models such as
Impala SS, and Taurus SEL and I am really down. I want a new car!
During Thanksgiving I relate my story to nephew-in-law who has a Z28 with a
vortech blower that puts out close to 500hp. He give me the idea that if I
can't find a new car then why not just make a it like a new car. He told me
that Kenny Belle made a Supercharger kit for the 4.6l. So we get on the
internet and since we don't know how to spell Kenny Belle, we search for
Superchargers. Find Kenny and Allen engineering and some other blower
makers. Only KB and AED had a complete kit for a '96 T-bird. After more
discussion with nephew-in-law on what I want T-bird to do, we decide on a
roots blower. I call Allen Engine and Jim asks if I am a member of TCCoA
because he gives a $200.00 discount to them and tells me he has a link to
club's web site. I check out this great web site and find out other mods
such as torque converters, 3.73 rear end, etc. Also contacted several TCCoA
members from rides section that have the AED blower. After much
consideration and test driving the Lincoln LS again and looking at new
vehicle depreciation schedules, I commit to major mods to transform the car.
So joining TCCoA was next step to get discounts and share in my love for
these cars.
In January 2001 a Ford performance/racing shop did all the mods and
completed them in less than three weeks-car was down for just seven days
during the three weeks. I planned the mods in three phases. Phase one was
drive train, phase two was engine supercharger, and phase three was paint
work to fix minor rock chips and door dings.
The 1996 Thunderbird LX sport with AED supercharger is a dream come true.
Plan now is to keep her at least a couple of more years to the end of 2002
and then check out what's new for 2003. Bet's are on that they still will
not have a car that is comparable to the MN12.
Walter Fletcher
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