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Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

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  • #1

    Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

    Hi everyone. So glad I found this forum. I have wanted a retro Tbird and I found one, finally, that I could afford. It's a 2002 Deluxe in my favorite color and they're asking 10K at the dealership which, by the way, is almost 3 hours away. I put a deposit on it and plan to go tomorrow but wonder if I'm making a huge mistake.

    Here's why. It already has 102K miles on it!!
    On the plus side, I don't drive much - my 5 year old Yaris only has 34K miles on it. It's for driving around town, to and from work - basically, 10 miles a day.

    I am trading in a 5 year old Kia Rio that has 92K miles on it. That car has been reliable. This one, the ford, is an unknown to me -- I swore I'd never get another ford after my ill-fated Taurus in the 90s... one problem after another. I understand that there have been engine issues with the Tbird...

    So, on one hand, it's a car I swoon over just looking at it, and have pictured myself driving for a very long time.
    On the other hand, 102K miles!

    Please, Tbird mavens, your advice?
    Thank you!
    Last edited by willowshines; Feb 3, 2012, 10:44 AM.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

    The full question is in this forum. I didn't want to post twice. Sorry!

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    • #3
      Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

      This is a tough one due to the miles...has it been a one-owner...do you have a car-fax report on it? Regardless of the price, with these miles and if I didn't know the car's history, if it were me, I'd rethink it.

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      • #4
        Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

        I should add: the dealership says they put "select" used cars through a rigorous inspection to qualify it as "certified used." I don't know how much to trust that... but I certainly want to!

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        • #5
          Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

          It has had three owners. I did buy the carfax report and it looked fine. Thanks very much for your insights. Anyone else have thoughts?

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          • #6
            Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

            My advice is don't do it. The main problem is 102,000 miles and the fact that when problems do come up like the coil on plug (COPs) issue they are expensive to fix. The 2002 has a hydraulic cooling fan that is an issue at times and all years have a water control valve for the heating and AC unit that is problematic. Unless you have a independent mechanic that is familiar with these cars or you can do repairs on issues of the type I have mentioned, I would not do it. Repair costs on these cars at Ford dealers are in the neighborhood of luxury car repairs. Make sure you want to go from a Yaris to this. The Tbird is at the opposite end of the spectrum in operating costs.

            I typed this before I saw it was a "certified" used car. I'm not sure what this entails, but if it does not include a good COMPREHENSIVE WARRANTY, I still would not do it.
            Last edited by V8 Cat; Feb 3, 2012, 11:15 AM.
            sigpic
            2010 Jaguar XK coupe
            1995 Lexus SC300 (aka Toyota Soarer)
            1985 Honda Nighhawk "S"
            2013 Lexus RX350 - wife's
            2013 Mercedes E-350 coupe


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            • #7
              Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

              It's a 3 month, 3000 miles "power train" warranty, I believe. I don't know if that qualifies as a good comprehensive warranty. I could ask them if they have any kind of more extensive warranty.
              I wouldn't be trading in the Yaris, I'd be trading in the Kia, which has 92K miles on it. Does that change your response at all?

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              • #8
                Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

                A 3 month/3000 mile power train warranty won't get it in my opinion. Maybe you can get an extended warranty , but I'm not sure if Ford would sell one (somebody here on TBN will know the answer) on a car this old (at the 10 year mark) with over 100,000 miles.
                sigpic
                2010 Jaguar XK coupe
                1995 Lexus SC300 (aka Toyota Soarer)
                1985 Honda Nighhawk "S"
                2013 Lexus RX350 - wife's
                2013 Mercedes E-350 coupe


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                • #9
                  Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

                  For a few thousand more you could get one with half the miles and in the long run it would probably cost you less. But the bottom line is Tbirds are not economy cars and if that's what you're looking for this would not be a good choice.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

                    Originally posted by willowshines View Post
                    I should add: the dealership says they put "select" used cars through a rigorous inspection to qualify it as "certified used." I don't know how much to trust that... but I certainly want to!
                    This generally means they checked the turn signal fluid, adjusted the trunions, and topped off the dilithium crystals.

                    I'd not get hung up on color - this should be the beginning of a long and happy relationship and this girl has baggage.

                    Good luck!
                    sigpic

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                    • #11
                      Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

                      All good comments thus far. As long as the car has been well maintained and is in good shape, I think for $10K you're getting a lot of car. The trade off is your repairs will be higher with this car. As others have pointed out, you could spend a few more grand and get a newer lower mileage car and hopefully the repairs will be less. But you never know. My car has 103,000 miles on it and it still runs great, original owner. There have been a few repairs along the way, but it's been worth it.
                      PK- 2002 Premium Blue/Full Accent/Whisper White Top VIN#16336
                      Built April 22, 2002
                      Purchased July 24, 2002

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                      • #12
                        Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

                        10K is a good price. The cops issue probably was already taken care of, and it really isn't a huge issue anyway. I have 115K onm y car and there are many here with more than that. Sure I have spent about $2500-3000 on service issues, but that was over a 10 year period.

                        As for the cooling fan, that was taken care of when the car was new by Ford. It was a major recall BEFORE the cars were delivered.

                        At 10K, I think yo are well ahead of the game. There's a Blue one near me at a dealer with about 100K and they are asking $13000 for it.

                        Go ahead and get it.
                        Unbelivable TBN trips including ALL of the lower 48 States plus 9 Canadian Provinces, 8 European Countries, 3 Caribbean Countries, Countless National Parks and have attended well over 100 TBN Events since 2001 and counting. Best of all ... fabulous friends.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

                          All the garage queen owners will tell you not to get it. Too many miles, too expensive repair costs, etc, etc. Not sure how they know this exactly since many of their cars rarely get driven.

                          At $10K and it looks good then you might have a steal. Of course it could be a nighmare, but then again some new cars are a nightmare so you never know.

                          Have an independent mechanic take a look at it and if possible take someone with you that knows cars well (if you don't). One thing to look at is the rubber grommets on the rear suspension parts. If they are severely cracked or crumbling then you will be looking at a relatively expensive repair. Most other known issues are hard to determine by visual inspection, but then they would be on any car. Cars are a crap shoot and used cars are an even bigger one, but I wouldn't discount the car because of the miles. If they were highway miles then that would be even better. Remember, except for a retro T-bird 10K miles per year is not considered high mileage by any means.

                          We bought ours new at $40K, your looking at one for one-fourth that amount - dollar wise you could be way ahead of the game.

                          One thing to remember is that you will be moving up to premium gasoline and can expect significantly less mpg compared to your Kia. If that is going to be an issue for your budget, it is probably more problematic than potential repairs.

                          If you like it and it checks out then I'd say go for it.
                          21 years, 174K miles, 48 States X 2 & DC, 9 Canadian provinces, 8 European countries, 3 Caribbean Islands, 3 Hawaiian Islands, 100+ National Park locations, 150+ T-bird events, 190+ retrobird diecasts/models, 13 TOTM pics & some very special friends...THANKS TBN !

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                          • #14
                            Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

                            Originally posted by DavidA View Post
                            10K is a good price. The cops issue probably was already taken care of, and it really isn't a huge issue anyway. I have 115K onm y car and there are many here with more than that. Sure I have spent about $2500-3000 on service issues, but that was over a 10 year period.

                            As for the cooling fan, that was taken care of when the car was new by Ford. It was a major recall BEFORE the cars were delivered.

                            At 10K, I think yo are well ahead of the game. There's a Blue one near me at a dealer with about 100K and they are asking $13000 for it.

                            Go ahead and get it.

                            I agree with David. What is important is how the car was cared for not the miles. Several people on this site have 100,000 miles on the Tbird and if I were looking for one I would not hesitate to buy theirs because I know they are in good condition. However there are many Tbirds for sale on EBay and
                            other car sites on the internet and if you can afford $4000 to $5000
                            more you can probably get one for 30 to 50,000 mile range with an extended warranty. Either way these are great cars and are made to be driven and enjoyed. My 03 has 60,000 miles on it and has been virtually trouble free and I feel was the best decision I made when I bought it new in early 04.
                            You not only get a great car that really turns heads but you meet some of the
                            best people like this site to share your experiences. Bunny Lou

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                            • #15
                              Re: Advice please! Am I crazy for buying this Tbird tomorrow?

                              Do what makes you feel good. I've never regretted buying my Bird and it has given more smiles than I can count.

                              Monty-heymon1

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