Faults:

Not much went wrong, The Turbo Coupes were great built cars.

Heater core and fuel pump went at 180,000 miles which is normal.

Only major problem was constant light noise from rear end. Kind of drove me crazy if I didn't have radio on.

General Comments:

Best car I ever owned. Fun, very reliable, more comfortable than a Cadillac, great MPG, safe... I loved it!

Oil pump finally went at 200,000 miles. Instead of fixing it, I bought a Corvette which was a mistake. If I would have known this, I would have rebuilt my Turbo Coupe instead.

Everyone seemed to love Turbo Coupes!.. (Other Thunderbirds models had problems)

Faults:

At approximately 170,000 miles, the ignition module burned out.

At approximately 200,000 miles, ignition module burned out again. Unfortunately around this same time, the car became plagued with an array of electrical problems. These caused it to rev up and down at idle, and stall. It would always restart, but the idling became a real nuisance. Especially at stop signs at night as the sudden up and down idling caused the headlights to brighten and dim quite obviously!

The Ford dealership and several local repair shops tried to solve the problem to no avail. This included changing several sensors, the ignition module again and finally the engine computer itself. Sadly this was all to no avail.

General Comments:

This car was gorgeous and handled as beautifully as it looked! Nothing I have ever driven since was so comfortable or easy to drive. The ease of the steering was amazing. The controls were easy to reach and operate.

The seats were the most comfortable that I have ever experienced in my life! I loved the array of features this car had. Everything from power lumbar support seats to headlights that turned on and off automatically! The digital dash and trip computer were also great!

This car was the earthbound version of the Enterprise! It was great on long trips. You felt as though it may be able to drive itself without any assistance! Nothing that I have ever driven since even comes close to the ease and comfort of driving this car! Sadly after 224,000 miles we parted ways. Due to the age of the car and the expense of the mystery electrical condition.

My only wish is that Ford would make a brand new 1986 Thunderbird Elan. Just like the original. So that I could have a new one all over again!

Faults:

Have not had to replace anything so far, but I have only had this one about a month.

General Comments:

Runs great fun car to drive. I have had 3 of these; one was the 5.0 and one was the V6, and the turbo coupe seems to be the most fun to drive.

Faults:

A/C was problematic, ended up with a hole in the condenser. After the original serpentine belt wore out the others have mostly squeaked. replaced several alterators.

General Comments:

I loved this car when I first saw the body style in 1983. I bought an 86 at the end of the production run and I've had it 22 years! It isn't my everyday car any longer, but it was for a long time and it is a very comfortable and easy to drive car.

The 3.8L V-6 is underpowered which always aggravated me. But I loved this car and it's still in my driveway looking like its going 60 MPH standing still.