you'll note that he said the '85 firebird, not the '82 recaro ta. So you dont get too confused, his '85 has 148,000 miles, not 3,000.

 

Did you get those brakes @ Pep Boys?Nice stop.I way overlooked that one thanks for correcting me.But on the other hand,I know a set of front pads cant go 148,000 miles with out changing which is what "he" led to in his post.guionm said his rears lasted 125,000 which doesnt seem far fetched beings they are the rears,But a 148,000 on all 4 C'MON!

 

"1985 Base Firebird, F41/LB8/GU6/etc. CB radio, 148kmiles."

That's the car in question. I just said the clutch / brakes were original, which they are. And hey I never said they were in absolute optimal shape Give 'em 20-30K more and I'm sure they'll be suffering, but I was just proving a point that this is more common than a lot of people think. Mine is not the only original high-miler I've seen.

(My 82 Recaro is about 99% original too FWIW)

 

But the front brake pads are still original?I just find "that" hard to believe?

 

Of course, I big part of it is all how you drive. The clutch in my 95' Z is orignal and i have 80k on it. That may not seem like that much but given the abuse that it has taken, it is pretty impressive. Brakes are a different story......................

 

Maybe I just got an unusually good car in the Thunderbird, because on my Camaro the clutch went out at 70,000, the alternator at 48,000, the drivers side power window hasn't been right since 42,000, Smog pump at 50,000, Fuel pump at about 45,000.

The only thing that went on the T-bird before 120,000 miles was the paint.

 

On that note, I gotta say I think EVERYTHING Ford sold from '89 through the mid '90s had chitty paint... they all chalked-up and let go. I've heard lots of reasons why it happened, but IMO, it was poor materials and processing when they converted to the base/clear system - plain and simple.

I think GM had a superior finish to Fords for many years. But I also gotta say that my black '96 Superduty has been very "neglected" at times, but still looks like new. So hopefully whatever the problems were, the fixed them by the mid '90s.

 

GM wasn't much better... at least on certain colors. Light Blue, Silver... from late 80's and early 90's actually would peel off in sheets from some cars. Corsicas and Beretta had this problem big time.

I think everyone was hit with this to a degree, because of new regulations for paint content or whatever at the time...

Black also had some problems... my 89 Camaro RS (Black) got little white 'stars' in the finish as the paint got older... GM paid for a re-paint in 1994...

GM also offered similar repaints for the light blue and silver cars as well....

 

Suburban take advantage of that ?

The hood & roof are chit !!

T-Bird ?

Beautiful car - even my old lady likes them , and she is not a car person.

My vote is for more power and less $'s - keep the styling as is.


Britt

 

(09:10 April 01, 2003)
Ford puts rebates on '02 T-Birds in attempt to clear inventory


By AMY WILSON | Automotive News


DETROIT - With sales falling below targets, Ford Motor Co. is resorting to incentives to clear out a glut of 2002 Ford Thunderbirds.

In mid-March, Ford began offering dealer cash of $2,000 for 2002 Thunderbirds. Ford also made the 2002 Thunderbird available for employee X-plan discounts, available to Ford suppliers plus friends and family of employees, on March 1. Discounts on the 2002 model have have been available to employees and retirees since late last year.

It is the first time Ford has used spiffs to push sales of the current Thunderbird, which the company revived in 2001 to lend glamour to the Ford brand.

Ford sold 19,085 of the retro-styled roadster in 2002, below its projections of 25,000 annually. After 19 months on the market, Ford had a whopping 183-day supply of Thunderbirds on March 1, up from 33 days a year earlier. Out of 8,500 cars in stock, more than 40 percent - about 3,600 - are 2002 models.

"It may have fallen off a little faster than expected, but I don't know if it's been a disappointment," says Jeff Schuster, director of North American forecasting for J.D. Power and Associates.

"It's been a well-received vehicle," he says. "Its span may just be a little more narrow than Ford initially anticipated."

Despite the 183-day supply, Schuster says Ford is not likely to continue with Thunderbird incentives, and the spring and summer selling season should put the car back on track.

Jim O'Connor, Ford group vice president for North America marketing, sales and service, says he isn't worried about the swelling inventories.

He says incentives are limited to clearing out 2002 models. Ford extended 2002 production into November, while it waited for an upgraded engine to become available for the 2003 model.

O'Connor also notes that convertible sales dip in winter, and Ford is expecting sales to pick up this spring. Ford is targeting Thunderbird sales of a little more than 20,000 for 2003, he says.

The 2002 model starts at $35,495, including a $530 destination charge.

With the dealer cash, Jerry Reynolds of Prestige Ford in Garland, Texas, has sold the 2002 Thunderbird for as much as $2,500 below sticker. When the vehicle debuted in August 2001, some dealers were selling the car for as much as $10,000 above sticker. Reynolds says he is not afraid to stock up on the car now that spring is here.

Says Reynolds: "I've seen more action in the last 10 days on the Thunderbird than in the previous four months.

"I will continue to buy every one they offer me."

 

I think Ford needs a Corvette competitor more than anything. The current Cobra is a great value, but really outta place with purpose built performers like the Viper and Corvette. Also upcoming Ford GT costs too much to be considered a Vette or Viper peer so it don't count. I say if GM can do an all new design like the C5 and make it profitable Ford can too. Why not make this car and name it after Ford's original answer to the Corvette....Thunderbird?

 

if you ever wanted proof that retro doesn't work, the t-bird is a sterling example...modern styling would've gone a long way toward keeping sales up, imo...

But i think the whole philosophy of it is wrong for the price...at the current price, it should've been MUCH lighter, with a manual tranny and sharp handling. Even if you keep HP the same, you have a car that could take dead aim at the porsche boxter, because the bottom line is people are only going to pay so much for a go-slow cruiser (see marauder)

 

I would redesign it as a more performance-oriented Corvette compeititor as it was originally. Ford needs such an attainable (compared to the GT) halo car--something with prestige and refinement to match its brawn (a combination the Cobra falls short with).