When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

[texasbird]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

Two interesting events since Friday...

1. I was asked to drive Texasbird in the Sherman Homecoming Parade later this month.

2. While I was in a local drive-thru, paying for a meal, the cashier commented 3 times, "That car is so beautiful."

Responses like that, and the interest shown by owners within TBN shows that these cars will always be appreciated. How many other recent models already have car clubs and are regularly showing up in Car Shows & Cruises? Drive & enjoy.

James

[MerlotBlue]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

I feel that these cars have a lot of power! It's interesting that I've heard a few people so far say that Ford could have made them "more powerful" with a better engine. Hell, when I drive a V6 I'm like "C'mon! Go go go!" Then I get in my car and it's like a rocket ship. *shrugs*

I disagree.

In a world where 300HP is now the base power level on a performance car, the T-Bird is weak on power.

You obviously haven't been driving any of today's actual performance models. Even a now 15 year old 275HP LT1 Powered Camaro or Firebird feels and runs as if it has a 50HP advantage over the T-Bird.

I even question the power levels Ford advertises.

The problem is the peakiest power band of any engine I've driven since the days of Holley carbs and long duration cam shafts on small block V8 engines of the 60s and 70s.

Small cubic inches make for VERY SHORT power bands and low speed torque numbers that fall very flat.


The 250HP in our '02 may be close to accurate but the 280HP advertised as available in the '04 is a definite stretch.

If these cars are making anything approaching 280HP it's in a range so small that you have a hard time feeling it or finding it...... much less use it effectively when needed or wanted.

Not that it matters much to me.......I see the T-Birds as stylish Cruisers rather than performance cars anyway.


Don't get me wrong they still get out of their own way but a few more cubic inches and some TORQUE is what these relatively heavy little cars really needed to achieve truly respectable levels of acceleration and performance and it's where Ford really dropped the ball, IMO.

[Leroy]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

I look at my Thunderbird as a Plush Roadster. It's a classic car that is unique in many ways. After owning two Corvettes, I find the Thunderbird is a completly different type of roadster. The Retro Bird is a rare sight for many people compared to the Corvettes. Just about everytime I drive it I have someone comment about it, and it's never negative. I'm 64 and I told my wife when I bought it, it was going to be my last hot rod, I plan on driving it into the sunset.
Leroy

[Ray]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

If the car appreciates, great. If not, great. I bought the car because it was beautiful, comfortable, fun, and very unique. It also brought a sense of nostalgia to me. I didn't buy it because I thought it was a performance car, but I was pleasantly surprised with its power. I still think one of the earliest and one of the very few commercials ever made by Ford about the retro Thunderbird says it all.......the one where the guy drives off with the girl instead of drag racing. I've never owned a car this long, and I've never owned a car that still gets as many compliments as this one does, even after being five years old. I love cars and I get the itch for a new one all the time, but this is more than a car to me and I just can't bring myself to get rid of it.

I've made so many good friends because of this car. I've attended some really fun events because of this car.......from hardtop relays to shows to the Beach Boys. I've taken some long, solo, mind readjusting rides in this car. My wife and I have made some great trips in this car. This car still makes me smile when I look at and when I drive it. I just don't care what it's worth now or what it'll be worth in the future. I'm just as happy as can be that I've been fortunate enough to experience it and to make such wonderful memories with it.

The way the world is today, driving a gas powered vehicle may be a thing of the past in the not too distant future. The chances of me being alive if or when the car appreciates are slim to none. I plan on enjoying it to the max until I leave this earth, and if it appreciates for my heirs, then they'll not only have a great car but a car worth something.

For now, though, it's mine all mine and there are many more memories out there to make!

[007Cruiser]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

Exactly spot on, Brother Ray.

[FUN X 3]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

Right on Ray, you have a great Retro T-Bird philosophy that I happen to share!

78,000+ miles and counting!

[04birdman]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

last weekend i took the bird on its 1st road trip..from spokane wa..to bozeman mt..just past missoula mt...we got stuck on the freeway because of an accident...my place in the line was 8mi from the accident..after an hr, as long behind me....no less than 10 different people including 2 guys i passed in a newer corvette convt...walked up from behind me to talk about the bird and tell me how great the car looked..and tell stories about the old time autos it reminded them of....also in the 1000mi round trip i saw lots of vetts,stangs and other hot cars...never saw another bird...now thats owning a unique mark........and well worth the price of admission

[AZTB]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

last weekend i took the bird on its 1st road trip..from spokane wa..to bozeman mt..just past missoula mt...we got stuck on the freeway because of an accident...my place in the line was 8mi from the accident..after an hr, as long behind me....no less than 10 different people including 2 guys i passed in a newer corvette convt...walked up from behind me to talk about the bird and tell me how great the car looked..and tell stories about the old time autos it reminded them of....also in the 1000mi round trip i saw lots of vetts,stangs and other hot cars...never saw another bird...now thats owning a unique mark........and well worth the price of admission

[NEW_BYRD]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

I disagree.

You obviously haven't been driving any of today's actual performance models. Even a now 15 year old 275HP LT1 Powered Camaro or Firebird feels and runs as if it has a 50HP advantage over the T-Bird.

Well no, I haven't. I'm only 21.

[prbre]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

let me tell you at 21 I was driving a honda civic 98 hp lol so shanna you are doing realllllll good. ; )

[BirdsAndBugs]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

250-280HP is plenty of power. I drove my 05 from South Carolina to Las Vegas this summer. Just this past weekend I took my 03 across town. In all cases I generally go down the highway at somewhere between 65 and 85 MPH. I usually feel like I'm barely tapping the gas and these engines are hardly even working at those speeds. How much more is really needed? I'm pretty satisfied myself.

[MerlotBlue]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

250-280HP is plenty of power. I drove my 05 from South Carolina to Las Vegas this summer. Just this past weekend I took my 03 across town. In all cases I generally go down the highway at somewhere between 65 and 85 MPH. I usually feel like I'm barely tapping the gas and these engines are hardly even working at those speeds. How much more is really needed? I'm pretty satisfied myself.

Depends on what you're used to.

Thing is as the industry across the board raises the bar all cars must live up to higher expectations.

T-Bird power levels in the 1980s would have seemed AMAZING and in the late 70s......... UNREAL!!!!!


But today?

We have too many cars at my house.....always have really but that OK 'cause I'm a bit of a car nut and my wife, fortunately shares in my enthusiasm. It was a tough decision but when I added the '04 to the garage SOMETHING had to go...... (God I hate selling the cars I love!)

The car on the bubble was a 1996 Chevy Camaro SS. Great car, super powerful in it's day 12 years ago but merely an "also ran" by today's standards.

Maybe it's because I'm used to the gobbs of torque that the 350 cubic inch LT1 engine made from barely off idle to the engine's red line but honestly if that car had 305HP and my '04 T-Bird 280HP something is seriously amiss here.

Either that Camaro was seriously UNDER-Rated or the T-Bird seriously OVER-Rated. Either way though........

Everything from high end luxury to new Corvettes come today with well in excess of 300HP and in some cases an honest to GOD 400HP.

This simple fact makes the T-Bird a car that MUST be appreciated for it's cruising potential because while Power was a dubious selling point when they were new........it's a non-starter in today's world where even economy cars have as much "go" in many cases.

Honestly, this really doesn't matter to me because I still own a Corvette for when I want to revisit a juvenile desire to spin the tires and make some noise..........

The T-Bird is the car I drive when I'm acting more along the lines of what is expected of a more mature 48 year old guy who's doing well in this world.

My wife on the other-hand just likes the wind in her hair and probably has never pushed the pedal all the way to the floor even once in the 3 years she's been driving her T-Bird and she'd probably be in complete agreement with you.

Me? I just wish there were either a Super charger option or at least a few more cubic inches in these cars. That peaky torque that waits till the high tech four cam design starts to really spin the engine is a TERRIBLE mistake in a car this heavy.

It's not that our T-Birds suffer from HP numbers too low it's the lack of low end torque that is the real problem here, IMO.

A lack of low end "GRUNT" is what is really missing.

[Daktari]

Re: When are the 'birds going to start appreciating???

Hi there,

I'm going to agree with most of what as already been said. Most folks buy these Retro birds because of their character. The styling is not aggressive and the performance matches the styling, not aggressive but kind of classy and smooth, a real nice cruising car more like the original 'Grand Turismo' GT models in Europe designed for comfortably driving from one country to another across Europe.

This would be a great car for driving down through Germany and Switzerland, over the Alps and dropping into Italy. Ideal for that kind of thing. Over here, I would still love to drive up the west coast from L.A. right up to Portland sometime. Again, ideal car for that.

Performance wise it is just about the same as our daily driver, an Infiniti FX.

It is the feeling one gets combined with the reaction and attention from others that make driving in our Retro bird such a pleasure.

All the best, Gordon.