Are we typical retro owners ?

[Rondor]

I live in an area where there seems to be quite a few retro owners, and occasionally I will have a chance to chat with one. I have yet to meet one who I would say resembles the typical member here. They don't seem to be very passionate about their car or that interested in the car hobby. To most it's a cute car, and often a second car for the wife to run around in. Many of the cars I have seen over the past 5 or 6 years don't appear to be that well cared for either. I am thinking and hoping that these cars will eventually end up being sold to owners with a different appreciation of them. That's when you will see a price move too.

[merlot4]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

I think that enthusiasts of any stripe, are generally a subset of a group. For a lot of people a car is an appliance, something to get them from point to point; they just want to get where they're going, nothing more.

[Skip]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

I agree with both of the previous posts. I have lost count of the number of cars I have left TBN cards, or cards from my local club, in the car or under the wipers with absolutely no response. I have even chatted with the owners as well. I guess some folks are just not joiners. Or feel they will get pressured into getting involved or be asked to do something. I agree with Ron - hopefully these cars will ultimately find caring owners.

[BLACK BEAUTY]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

I'm with you Skip and Ron too. After 5 years of campaigning the only TBN member to my credit is Back to the Future Pete I met in Fergus Falls, Mn..

[PITTBIRDS]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

Give it time! Along with TBN, I belong to a local Thunderbird club. The club started as a classic Thunderbird club (1955-1957) and grew to include the four passenger Thunderbirds, then in 2002 grew with retro bird owners. Now a slight majority of club members own retro birds. Some of the retro birds are now fifteen years old. Moving forward you will find that people purchasing a retro bird will buy it for the passion and not basic transportation. I do notice that there are not as many back yard mechanics discussing repairs and modifications to the retro birds as you find with other brands.

[11TH GEN]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

In the broadest sense I would say most people here are atypical owners based upon the number of active participants. The typical owners are the thousands of retro owners that see a car as a machine, a vehicle, no more no less.

[seagull]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

I think that enthusiasts of any stripe, are generally a subset of a group. For a lot of people a car is an appliance, something to get them from point to point; they just want to get where they're going, nothing more.

100% accurate, even brand loyalty is no longer a thing like it used to be.

[FUN X 3]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?
In the broadest sense I would say most people here are atypical owners based upon the number of active participants. The typical owners are the thousands of retro owners that see a car as a machine, a vehicle, no more no less.

I also agree with this. It's just a used car to most people who own them. If they were fanatical about their retro Bird, they'd be here in the Nest with us!

[EllisonCal]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

Unlike many of the members who bought 2002s, even ordering them before they started appearing in dealer showrooms, I lusted but waited. When I saw my first Tbird in the flesh , so to speak, I loved it! But, the dealer wanted me to submit a bid in an envelope and the high bidder over MSRP would get that beautiful Thunderbird Blue car. I just walked away. But, oh how I wanted one. Every year a new color came out and I loved each and every one of them, thinking of which color I would ultimately buy. Then, when I heard they were discontinuing the Tbird, I realized I needed to get one quick. I saw an ad on Autotrader from a dealer in Beaufort, SC (70 miles southeast of Charleston). He had 12 of them and my "Annie" was the prettiest with her Tan convertible top and light sand interior. It was love at first sight. That was in August, 2006. The rest is history, she had 9700 miles on the odometer. Now it's over 97,000.

[Jimr]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

I think a good percentage of Retro owners are long time thunderbird enthusiasts wanting a bird that is more dependable and more comfortable to drive. Many of them either own a classic bird or used to own one. We have at least 10 Retro Birds in the Classic Thunderbird Club Of Wisconsin and I believe that number will continue to grow. Go to one of the International Conventions and 30% to 50% of the cars are now retro Birds.

[jerrym3]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

Except for "kicking tires" in the showrooms when the retros first came out, I was never a really big retro Bird fan. I had owned two TBirds, but I wasn't a really big TBird fan.

Then, in 2004, after hitting age 60 with possible early retirement looming on the not too distant horizon, I saw my 2003 buried six rows deep in the back of my local Ford dealer.

The black/saddle combo hit me, and I bought it.

If Ford hadn't started selling retros on the "Z" plan and/or if the car had been any other color, I would not be a retro owner today.

[Rondor]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

I agree many of us liked the appeal of a more modern derivable t bird especially if we had a 50 plus year old car that we were afraid to put on the streets. This car resembles a 50 year old car even if you weren't always a Thunderbird lover. I always liked them since I was a teenager when they came out, but not enough to buy one when dirt cheap.
The owners here are a very small percentage of total owners.

[Rondor]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

I very much agree it is still early for the story to play out, especially if you look back over the last 50 years of the car crazes.

[StevenM]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

I have always been a Tbird fan but always understanding a restored baby bird of the mid-50s was out of reach. Then the retro appeared in 02 and it too was out of reach at over $40k for a two seater and a family of 4. But now the retro still has the same tug as before and the price to own is more reasonable (the 2 kids are grown adults and can buy their own!). I look at the car as a trophy that I have earned and to enjoy in my casual retirement years. I take good care of the car and I am proud to own one. No jinx to the one I own now but I will always have at least one in the garage.

[Welker]

Re: Are we typical retro owners ?

I had a girlfriend in college whose father was a doctor and he let us drive his new '55 all the time. It really was fun, fun, fun and he didn't take the TBird away. Ten years later I bought a used '55 and it was the worst car I ever had.....a six volt electrical system that died if the car didn't start with two tries. My wife bought our 04 in 04 because she thought it would give me a reason to live after cancer surgery.....and I lived and we still have the car. It is kind of talisman with 120K miles on it.....still looks beautiful and runs like a charm.