1997 Ford Thunderbird LX Sport 4.6L V8

Summary:

Cross a Crown Victoria with a Mustang

Faults:

Blew an oxygen sensor after one month.

Blew mass air sensor one month later.

Routine brake work.

More road noise than expected.

General Comments:

Other than the two blown sensors, not a serious problem.

The V8 with the Sport package is a wonderful option.

Car feels slightly heavy but very responsive.

Addition of K&N air filter and Flowmaster mufflers has made this car feel and sound more powerful.

If you can find a V8 Sport, it's worth the slightly lower mileage than the 3.8L by a mile!

Mileage is pretty decent for a V8 coupe, typically 15-18 in town and 23-27 on the interstate. I do have a heavy foot, so if you're easy on the accelerator those numbers might be a little better.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st December, 2001

1997 Ford Thunderbird LX 4.6

Summary:

A beautiful car with weird problems

Faults:

Red spots showing through the black paint on every panel within 1 year.

Moon roof water drain broke causing water to soak into the headliner and also causing water to drip under the passenger side dash.

Warped piece of plastic under the hood causing water to leak under the passenger side dash.

Door ajar light stays on causing the anti-theft alarm to go off.

General Comments:

I love the way my car looks.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 12th June, 2001

1997 Ford Thunderbird LX

Summary:

I love my car, but the paint job stinks!

Faults:

Clear coating was peeling badly around 40,000.

Hose busted at 60,000, had the car towed to the dealer.

When driving in mountains or in slow traffic at 10-35 mph, the front end is vibrating. Once over 40 mph the car seems to smooth out. It does not feel like cutting out, more like the front end or transmission?

Taking it to thw dealer for a check up.

General Comments:

The 97 Thunderbird is a comfortable and smooth ride, no real problems, but is starting worry me now that it is getting close to the 100,000 mark.

I want to keep this car forever!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 5th June, 2001

1997 Ford Thunderbird LX 4.6

Faults:

I love my car, but it's in the shop right now. The exhaust intake just cracked and I'm going to shovel a bit out to get it replaced.

She's got power and comfort. Plus she just looks good. I don't mind putting a little dough into her for maintenance, but I am disappointed at this recent turn of events.

General Comments:

Looks good, nice low rumble from the V8.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th January, 2001

12th Jun 2001, 21:01

If it's your intake manifold that cracked, it's under warranty for 7 years.

1997 Ford Thunderbird LX Sport 4.6L V8

Summary:

A killer

Faults:

Air conditioner went out but was fixed in a couple days.

General Comments:

I adore this car, the day I got it I had the biggest grin ever, same as the first time I raced a Mustang 5.0 in it and stomped a mudhole in it. Long live the MN12.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th July, 2000

29th Jun 2001, 11:18

The AC on my 97 T-bird has gone out three times: At 20,000 miles (still under warranty), 39,000 miles (just out of Ford warranty, but the dealer gave me a discount to replace the compressor). The last failure occurred two months after the compressor was replaced. The Ford dealer says the third failure was due to a Freon leak (keep in mind that the unit had been tested just two months prior and no leak was detected). I paid just under $180 for the Freon that can be detected by infrared, but when I took it back to the dealer I was told the test was unsuccessful and will have to be redone -- presumably for another $180. I normally keep a car past 75,000 miles, but now I'm making the rounds of the GM dealers to get rid of this T-bird before another major repair crops up.

13th Sep 2003, 14:31

I think the dealer was just trying to screw you over.

1997 Ford Thunderbird LX 3.8L

Summary:

Great all around car

Faults:

Headlight was out of alignment. Took it to the dealer and could never get it aligned just right. The original dealer had terrible service and they scratched the paint up when they applied the Teflon paint protectant on. I had to get the car wet sanded to remove the many small circular scratches.

Other than that, not a thing ever went wrong with it.

General Comments:

This car was incredible considering the engine size. The 3.8L engine was very responsive and not much slower than the 4.6L. The interior was very nice with its wrap around dashboard. I loved the car and only traded it because I wanted a V8 powered Mustang. Too bad it was the last year of that body style.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st May, 2000