Faults:

Shimmy when breaking.

Shimmy between 35-40 MPH.

Replaced heating core at 90,000.

Can't afford to keep it in brake rotors and front-end alignments, will sell!

General Comments:

Definitely power when you want it. Gets you out of a situation in seconds.

Handles like a champ.

Love the interior.

Seats hug you the way they should at high speeds.

Faults:

Heater core replaced at 110,000.

Water in the front head lights at 100,000.

Front end shimmies at 30-45.

Front-end disc warped.

General Comments:

This car's performance responds at a seconds notice with power.

Faults:

Transmission went out at around 30,000 miles. I had to get the power steering pump replaced because it was making a loud noise. Other than that, just general things, like brakes and tires.

General Comments:

I added a Flowmaster exhaust and a K&N air filter to increase horsepower.

The car is extremly quick and easy to handle.

Faults:

Had to put new plug wires on at 71,000 miles.

Also had to put new rear tires on it (of course).

General Comments:

The Thunderbird was one of the last remaining breeds of true American horse-power. It's real-wheel drive, V-8 power gives it the feel of true automobile, something that is starting to fade away in today's market.

I love this car, more so than any other car I have owned. It's big, powerful, and comfortable, a dangerous combination when on the highway, before you know it you're doing 85 mph. At 60 mph, the car still has plenty of passing power, and has plenty of torque to burn tires at the line, if you're into that sort of thing.

It's handling is awesome, taking 25 mph turns at 50 mph is not a problem, and you usually don't think about it until the person next too you is white as a ghost.

In closing, this car is a dying breed of the true American muscle cars, cars that are going to be gone forever in the coming years.

It's a great car for every day driving, that's if you wanted to subject a car like this to that kind of abuse.

Faults:

Front brake rotors had to be replaced.

Have a shimmy and shake at 30-45mph while the transmission shifts.

Driver's window slow to lower at times.

Other than that, no problems.

General Comments:

Note: my wife bought this car after driving my Turbo Coupe, when she got ready for a new Taurus I sold my Explorer Sport and kept the bird for myself. So this car has been in the family for several years..

I love Thunderbirds and have owned several along with Mustangs. Thunderbirds are a grownups Mustang. They ride well, handle well, and really run with the 4.6. I wish Ford would have kept the Bird until the new one is out. I plan to always have a Bird of some kind. I have my eye on a nice 88 Turbo Coupe.

Faults:

Car shudders when going up hills at or around 45 miles per hour. First started this as a single bump. Almost felt like an engine skip. This condition has been attributed to a faulty torque converter in the automatic transmission by a 25 year veteran Ford dealership automatic transmission specialist. His remark was "They all do it, but nobody ever talks about it".

General Comments:

Paint has held up well. The car shines beautifully when polished and waxed.

Some of the rubber moldings around windshield and side windows are beginning to deteriorate.

The 4.6 litre V-8 is darn near as smooth as the NorthStar V-8 in my Eldorado.

Faults:

The brakes had a minor problem, fixed with one day in the shop for a low cost (at 90,000 miles).

Distributor system malfunctioned one day. Replaced in one day in the shop. No problems since.

General Comments:

The most affordable combination of performance and luxury car in the 90's, in my opinion.

Ford geared it with the top end in mind and added a governer, something that didn't make a lot of sense to me. The dry road traction is excellent, even with its massive torque it is hard to spin the tires, but oddly it's the exact opposite in the wet (traction problems a-plenty).

The interior of the car is stellar, comparable to a Corvette. The car has the great tendency to straighten up like a true rear wheel drive car and it keeps you steady as you take turns with its excellent riding and handling suspension.

The classic car that reminds me most of this particular model of Thunderbird is a 442 W30. Worthy of the Thunderbird name.