Faults:
Right windshield is knocked loose, rattles at even low speeds, but with it up, there is no problem :)
Fuel injection went bad at 139,000 miles.
Throttle was knocked loose, idled at 450rpms.
Transmition never replaced :)
Regular tune-Ups, oil-changes, and other general maintenance.
General Comments:
This car is seriously a very good car, I have not had many problems outside of normality with it.
The car is beyond just "quick," as I have beat many Mustangs, Probes, Eclipses, and even one 3000GT on start up (Yes, I street race with this un-modded puppy). The handling could be better, but it's about right for a 2 ton car, and being 200 inches long. I have timed my 0-60 to be high 6 seconds! If you think that is slow, a stock Eclipse is almost 9 seconds :) And I'm driving the Automatic version, imagine what the Manual could do with a good driver!
The car will also spin tires to show off to all the "bad boys," simply put in reverse, step on it, and quickly shift to first gear, and you'll be spinning for almost 10 seconds!
As for safety, I have crashed 3 times in this, and totally demolishing the other cars (totaled 3 cars in a 4 car accident!), while leaving my car with nothing more than a broken headlight, and a broken fiber-glass front. Insurance easily covered them though. I would highly recommend this car for a teenager, as it is very safe, and they can show off to their buddies! I personally would not let a teenager drive the V8 or Super Coupe Thunderbird though, I would give them a V6, which is still very good, but they won't street race like I do, and you will be assured of your child's safety!
As for problems, there are none really, other than it's not-so-great handling. But it's more than fine for under 80mph driving.
2nd Sep 2001, 12:30
Are US teenagers actually allowed to drive v6/v8 cars? In the UK, huge insurance premiums stop this from happening. For example, to drive a 1100cc 4 cylinder car would cost a 17 year old well over £1000 to insure - anything over 2 litres and most insurance companies will refuse cover.