1997 Thunderbird- The Last of the Great White Birds
Pros:
Great power and handling.
Cons:
Some design flaws, not great city PG.
The Bottom Line:
Too bad Ford quit making these. They were an excellent value.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I have enjoyed my 1997 Thunderbird greatly. I bought it used in 2000 with 44k on it and have since driven it to 182k and still going strong.
I have never been disappointed by the amenities on this vehicle. The seats are very comfortable (I have the cloth seats), the handling is great (I have the sport handling package) and the power is excellent. I’ve greatly enjoyed having this 4.6L V8, and the mileage has been decent on the highway (27 mpg) not so great in the city (less than 20 all around.)
I have the moonroof too, and that has also been a great option. It has never leaked once.
My biggest complaints would be over two obvious design flaws that Ford made:
1) The intake manifold was a bad design, and was just recently replaced for the SECOND time.
2) The heater core was replaced multiple times after failing at 6 month intervals over a 2 year period before the dealer service dept. finally installed a brass core.
Considering I bought it used for $11,500, it has been an excellent value. Sure, it's not as cool looking as a lot of newer cars, and has a rep as a senior citizens kind of car (I’m only 39), but I really enjoy my T-bird still, and see no reason to get rid of it soon. It’s a reliable, fun to drive car, and inexpensive to own and operate (relatively.)
