The retrobird is definitely misunderstood. It’s for people that want that old school luxury coupe feel with a smooth V8 for cruising where style and comfort take precedence over performance and handling.
This was a premium presentation. I bought a 2002, Inspiration Yellow Thunderbird Premium in January 2002, it has 17,000 miles on it now. I must admit I have been having "dry-rot" issues. I've had replaced the A/C compressor, tires, and the suspension rubber bits. I love it. Thank you,
Thank you. Sorry to hear youre dealing with "dry rot" issues, that can happen with low mileage cars that werent exercised often enough (ideally 2 times a month for 45 minute drives each)
@@RetroCarsForever Usual maintenance (breaks, stuff like that), power steering pump and rack, and 1 transmission. Not a bad maintenance record for that many miles. And it is soooo much fun to drive, the car come alive t speeds over 100+ on the freeway.
@@nefcytom I figured the transmission wouldn't be able to make it that long, but overall that's a pretty trouble-free car for that many miles, congrats!
I own a 2002 black-on-black with 297,000 miles on it and all original engine, transmission, etc. My only issues are with the telescoping steering column and a problematic battery drain. I've put the tachometer to 6,500 + a lot, but I've only driven it 100 + MPH a couple of times. BTW, love this Thunderbird buyer's guide.
I love my 2004 retroBird!! Mine is a one owner that i bought in Florida. The biggest thrill was driving it back to Rhode Island without skipping a beat a year and a half ago. The car has been great and a real pleasure to drive.
I had an '05 Cashmere edition with all the options. The car was gorgeous, receiving positive comments literally everywhere we drove it. In fact, the first night we had the car we drove it through a Saturday night ricer meetup and every kid there knew what the car was and praised it yelling out "... cool T-Bird man!". I spent about $3K on the suspension (all the rubber bushings were shot). My wife and I replaced all the ignition coils, spark plugs and valve cover gaskets ourselves. That service took us about 4 hours because the rear two cylinders are partially obscured by the firewall. Getting the valve covers off was such an unnecessary PITA that I almost nuked the car over that alone. I gave up on the car when I had the HVAC diverter valve replaced three times, each valve failing within two months of installation. That sounds trivial until you consider driving in a Houston summer with no AC and full HVAC heat. If it weren't for the HVAC issue, I'd probably still have the car. I replaced the RetroBird with a British Racing Green '96 LT4 Vette convertible which was sold it when I relocated from Houston to south Florida. A pretty car that got it's share of compliments, but nothing like the praise the RetroBird got. The current toy car is a '14 Corvette Z-51 coupe with a plexiglass targa top. Insane performance, plenty of thumbs up, and a good GT ride but... Every time my wife and I see a RetroBird going by we point it out to our spouse. Not many cars stay with you like that.
Awesome to hear! We had similar service history with our Tbird. Agreed that the engine space close to the firewall makes it a huge pain to service back there! You might’ve seen other videos on my channel but our other car is a Corvette LT4. Nowhere near as comfy as our Tbird but way better performance, and generally easier to work on. But Tbird gets way more compliments! The styling truly stands out. Thanks for the comment!
Those are absolutely gorgeous cars. I’m in Alabama and I’m a member of a Thunderbird group on FB and there’s currently one a man has for sale in our group. I absolutely love the tiny detailed Thunderbird design they put in the aluminum trim throughout the car😍 Those mixes of colors for the interior I absolutely adore! I own a Deluxe 2002 Whisper White model, it has less than 80k miles on it. We bought in 2019 from a dealership in Georgia. I will say I do prefer the cluster panel being made as a whole as compared to the 2003-2005 where everything has been separately placed.
Thanks for the overall objective view of this car. I'm 72 and I own a 2003 T-Bird Deluxe and it's black on black. It isn't the most reliable, it isn't the fastest, nor is it the most economical car I've ever owned. There are things I don't like about it but for the most part I find this car to be a great little car to own. It's really quite fun to drive and I'll have to admit it gets a great deal of attention even from the young ladies!
WE HAVE A 2002 TRIPLE BLACK BOUGHT LAST YEAR, IT'S BEEN WELL TAKEN CARE OF, BECAUSE OF AGE WE HAD ALL THE SUSPENSION PARTS REPLACED, ALL FLUIDS AND COP'S. WE TOOK IT ON A 2000 MILE VACATION TO THE BLUERIDGE AND SKYLINE, SHE PREFORMED LIKE NEW FOR OUR ANNIVERSARY WEDDING TRIP, THAT WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER. LOVE THIS CAR...
I just purchased a 2002 retrobird. It looks showroom new, but it did sit in storage for several years. I will definitely drive it more frequently as it was meant to be driven.
Congrats! Make sure to replace all the fluids if they haven't already. Trans (drain not a flush), diff, oil, power steering, brake fluid...Those are decades old now and need to be replaced regardless of miles if they're the fluid that came from the factory.
You missed a couple tiny things in this otherwise excellent overview. The 6-CD changer has far above average sound for the era, and a DSP setting that improves stereo imaging for the driver when the roof is down. some reviewers make fun of the storage behind the cupholders, what they miss is that the cubbyhole is the EXACT size as six CD jewel boxes. I think these cars are brilliant in conception and very good in execution. I have owned my '02 yellow top-trim for about 15 months now. It came to me with (aftermarket) aluminum trim panels up the center column and on the arm rests, mirrored Thunderbird-emblem inlays in the door sills and a fabulous sounding Borla exhaust system (which improved the horsepower as the engine can now breathe). My hard top has ZERO rattle on uneven pavement. The previous owner obviously babied this car.
My older brother, now 82, bought a silver with black interior and black folding top Retro T-Bird new in 2005 but it was an unsold 2004 model year. He rarely drives it and it has only about 10k miles on it. It is always garaged with the folding top up and the hard top on the stand. It is also well maintained and he'll be thrilled to know it is still pretty valuable. It is actually a pretty nice car and underappreciated for sure.
im glad you're back to uploading, Brad! your video style is ultra unique and because of you im a proud owner of a 1994 Corvette--ignoring the fact that the entire front of the engine bay is disassembled per the optispark problems. most risky but thrilling purchase of my life. ive always loved this gen thunderbird, since i grew up with them when they were being produced. I saw one the other day and was having a blast watching it pass me
Great video! No other like on the web re: the Retro-Bird. Living my dream of finally owning one ($40,000 when new made it seem impossible) Everything was spot on in your video, from the compliments from strangers to the convertible latches to me completly rebuilding both the front and rear end suspensions but so worth it! Can't put into words how much I love cruising in my 2002 the same color as the host's wife's car (it was that color or bust as that was the one I always wanted!)
From a person who bought a 2002 Pemium Tourch Red from a dealer for the list price, more power to you for your efforts. It has been a good car for us, even though we've had some issues. Time to check the rubber of the car.
I have a 2002 yellow ford Thunderbird with roughly 64000 miles on it. I love it and purchased it in 2022 at a local dealer. Everywhere I go older people stop and love the car. I have a matching hardtop. I take good care of the car.
Excellent comprehensive review! I’ve own an ‘04 platinum silver w/black interior, platinum hardtop since 2006. She has 86k on the odometer and has been reliable overall but I have spent significant $’s on redoing suspension items, a trans rebuild etc., no deferred maintenance ever but it’s been well worth it. No regrets. Plus, top up or down..hard top on or off..no squeaks or rattles! I’ve looked for an alternative convertible to buy but none out there turn me on enough to sell, especially with today’s prices! And I still get compliments and thumbs up nearly every time I take it out. I mean, a comfortable two seater, with a v8, rear wheel drive, and a hard top for the winter. She’ll happily cruise all day..when you punch it, passing is a breeze, and when the weather’s good..the top goes down. What more do you want? (Although the CD player ate my tunes and the wipers have a mind of their own 😊)
Great video. I bought a 2002 tbird with 7800 miles on it. It was owned by NASCAR race car driver Dale Jarret. His signature is on dash plus he gave me his NASCAR jacket autographed. It’s a real head turner with no blemishes. It’s done really well at car shows.
Thank you. I LOVE Dale Jarrett! That is super awesome. I'm curious, what color was his Tbird? And which jacket did he give you? (Was it from his Motorcraft or UPS days?)
Very comprehensive video. A problem I have with my 2004 is that the radio volume controls, both on the radio and steering wheel, are finicky resulting in suddenly blasting you out! I haven’t figured out a cure yet except diving to the mute switch and slowly increasing the volume.
Your FEM (Front End Module) may be glitching out. You may want to look into getting it repaired with Thunderbird Bob, since a failing FEM can result in a lot of weird, funky issues with the interior components in the car.
Very informative and well executed guide! As a car guy and someone who browses the listings for the retro bird, this video was very helpful. Thank you for the time and effort to put it together!
I purchased my 2004 Thunderbird from a California dealer as a trade-in car. It was a one-owner when I got it. I have had it for 9 years. So far I have had to replace the front suspension and rebuilt the air conditioning compressor. The CD player went out so I replaced it with a Kenwood. The faint on the hood started to crack and only got worse over the years so I repainted the car and changed the color from black to Maroon. At 82K miles she still drives great.
Nice! We also had to have our AC compressor replaced around 70k miles or so, not sure if that is a common issue because we were driving through 105 degree heat when it went!
Thanks for adding a video that takes a positive view of these cars . I own two of them a 03 white and a 04 PCR. Definitely not tbat hard to work on mechanically, i replaced all of the suspension pieces on my 03 on my own with help of countless Thunderbird forums and You Tube videos. Quite reasonable ease in finding the parts and replacement costs.
Great video! I wanted to buy one of these before they came out, but here in the Detroit area, huge special dealer markups spoiled my dream. All the dealers here had additional dealer markups in 2002 through 2003 and maybe 2004 of $15,000 to $20,000 over MSRP. I waited a year, but eventually bought another vehicle in 2003. I've often wondered if this dealer greed severely impacted Retrobird sales, with many potential buyers getting pissed off and buying something else. By the time the extra dealer markups disappeared, we were all enjoying other vehicles and missed out on the Retrobirds all together as they only lated 4 model years. I'm surprised that the extra dealer ripoff in 2002 and 2003 weren't mentioned in the video or in the comments. Maybe this was just a Detroit area thing.
Thank you! I also wonder about those dealer markups, and if they soured TBird sales, which cooled down really fast after the first year or two. Especially when you consider the Tbird was ALREADY the most expensive Ford car ever produced at that time.
Late to the game, but this is the video I needed. We're interested in a RetroBird, and the selection around my area is fair at best. I've seen examples for 1300 miles to 125K miles. So, all of the tips here's are so helpful, especially what to look for concerning the suspension. Thank you so much for this. It gives me a lot to think about.
From the Jacques Nassar regime at Ford back in the day. It’s a reflex ion of the “go big” business philosophy at that time (Premier Auto Group). Yet that they did this Thunderbird also showed, to me, the immense pride and reinvestment in the Ford brand. As a customer back then you felt the company cared immensely about making their cars better and more desirable. I knew of several people that loved their retro-birds. It had a bit of halo car look and mystique. Neiman Marcus was first to sell I think - special marked up monochromatic black and white scheme.
Absolutely! Ford was really working on cars with a unique character. And Neiman Marcus was indeed the first Retro Bird available (it’s covered in this video as are all the special editions)
Thanks for the great video and review. I too own a ‘02 in Thunderbird Blue. I would note the hard top was not secured correctly. The back latch noticeably was up, down is locked. No wonder it was rattling!
Thanks! I’ve triple checked the latch (with the owners manual and the Ford instructional video) and mine is indeed latched. Also, when latch is loose, it actually covers the portal window.
Thanks! That teal interior was what REALLY sold my wife on the car. Really cool how these cars give you such fun interior color options vs the standard black/grey/tan of the era.
I would agree with all the points you made. These cars are fun, but not thrilling, to drive. And preventive maintenance is important. Great review and objective analysis.
Great review with loads of good information. Just bought an 02 Torch Red Premium edition and look forward to owning it. It’s a great combination of retro styling but with all the safety features you need. Love the 60’s classics but not as safe. Your pricing/ value was right on the money but will probably go up as these get harder to find. You hardly ever see these on the road……they must be snugly tucked away in garages. Thanks.
My good friend bought one last year, a 2002. I detail so I drive it occasionally. I love it. It has a headlight issue. A module needs to be replaced and it's a dealer item. I'm changing oil in it tomorrow. It's a fun and beautiful car in white. Wish the hard top had been with it.
If your friend is having problems finding that module, point him to Thunderbird Bobs website. He has all sorts of parts for good prices. Trusted by the community.
Great video! I love my 2003 Mountain Shadow Grey with Saddle Tan interior. If the car seems sluggish when accelerating, try running a good fuel injector cleaner. Doing that was a game changer for my acceleration.
Thanks! I put in fuel injector cleaner a few times a year. I think our Bird is running as it should, the video times out to 0-60mph in 8 seconds, just a second off instrumented testing. My run was in a higher altitude without much brake standing so that seems about right.
Great review and I love my 2005. I will say the water pump access is interesting because the bolts are so long you have to take off the intake manifold but those kinds of things have become common on new cars. You can buy hard top top stand for $100 and the wrench for the top is $5 and I found a matching red top for $700 in 2021. The Borla exhaust and, K&N intake and SCT tuner provide a better sound but I have never pout mine on the dyno so it’s more seat of pants but some people have shown proof of close to or at 300 HP when properly tuned. Radio upgrades to touchscreen are super easy and you can order a plug and play setup from Crutchfield without breaking the bank and the stereo is nice. I had a chrome trunk rack that I probably should have kept as I have seen a couple with some nice waterproof luggage options for extended travel, otherwise the are great for a weekend getaway.
Thanks for the great video and thorough evaluation of the Retro-Birds. I'm a huge fan of the early T-Birds and have always been curious about these models as well. Our current fun car is a 2002 Miata-LS. I was making mental comparisons as you went through all your points on the Birds. I see pros & cons between the '02-'05 Birds and the vehicle I already have. I am definitely drawn to the 'fun to drive' aspect, but it sounds like the Birds are just not performance oriented enough to satisfy me. Curiosity has been answered. Thanks!
Glad to help! I actually used to own a Miata similar to yours. They're very different cars...Miata is very fun, tight, and tossable (and simpler and more reliable). The Thunderbird is much more spacious and comfortable and luxurious, especially on long highway drives. All depends on what you want!
Great video. So many missed the point of this car. If they had made it too high performance, it would have competed with the Mustang. I bought one new in 2004 and still have it. One of the issues when it was new was that dealers marked the price up to astronomical levels. In southeast Florida, some of the markups exceeded 30k. I found mine (new) in Valley Stream NY for under list price. Flew up to buy it and drove it to DC and took the autotrain back to FL. I do wish they had used the Ford 4.6L V-8. The Jaguar engine, while very smooth, has been problematic. The cooling system issues have been numerous over the years. The A/C blender doors have also been a problem. I have a 94 T-Bird with 500k miles that has never required as much in maintenance. Anyway, I love my 2004 and wouldn't part with it, but like Jaguar owners, I feel like I need a backup vehicle.
Totally agreed! Ive owned a Mustang of this era with the 4.6L V8 and I cant see any advantage to the 3.9L they used in the Tbird except a tad more smoothness. The 4.6 was easy to work on, sounded better, had more power, and was tough as nails.
I fell for my uncle with my name who had a Tbird for my ride for summer of 59. My Reatta was dying so before 2004 Christmas my wife organized my bluebird 2005 model premium model.
I love my retrobird! Your review is excellent. Spot on except I think handling is superb. Not a race car, but on twisties, I can keep up with minis and miatas!
Thank you! I drive on canyon roads all the time, and I find the TBird isn't AWFUL, it's just not as precise or as quick as, say, my Corvette. It actually moves through the twisties at a decent speed, it's just not as controlled/tidy in its body motions as a pure sports car. Still a fun car to cruise on canyon roads, especially with the top down!
I always get excited to click on a fresh video of yours! I've noticed we both like birds and Corvettes. Although, my birds of a feather are Firebirds and yours are Thunderbirds. You should make a video capturing the cars, fashion, and culture of a Radwood show! I have always wanted to attend one but I don't think any take place on the east coast. Anyway, great video as always!!
Thank ya! I love Firebirds too, test driven a few of them but never found the right one with the options I wanted whenever i was in the market for a fun car. They are rowdy fun, and I love the TTops! As for Radwood, maybe I'll film something more this year. I do have several albums from each year on my Instagram (instagram.com/bradhansenmedia/) And I did film about half of this Pop Up video at the event, you can see the vibe surrounding the cars- ruclips.net/video/1ZZ05PPJMzQ/видео.html My favorite car show in any case!
@@RetroCarsForever I have owned three different Firebirds now (at one point I had them all at once!) and will forever keep the 1984 Trans Am which has always been my dream car. My first car was a '95 V6 and I bought my wife a 1992 V8 Firebird for her first car (she was my girlfriend at the time). Both the '84 and '92 have t-tops. The '84 that I still have is a 5 speed with the H.O. L69 motor. My Corvette is a '90 ZR-1 six speed. Maybe I need to try to put on a Radwood show of my own! - Out of curiosity, what kind of Firebird would you like?
@@RetroCarsForever she’s always been a big tbird fan. She gave me her 1994 as my first vehicle in high school, and so I figure now I am going to return her the favor
Loved this review of the tbird. I have a 2005 Inca gold. Love it but do not get to enjoy it as much as I would like. Being 74 years old. 39000 miles on it but only get it out to drive maybe once every three months. So might have to sell it. But when I do get it out really enjoy it.
That’s a long time for the car to be sitting, ideally cars this old should be driven up to temp once every few weeks. It might be a good idea to sell it…maybe a family member wants it so you could still drive it occasionally?
I’m buried in cars and projects but I’ve always liked these. My all time favorite has to be the 3rd gen bullet birds of the early 60s but these are a close second. I already have a 60s classic and I think I might hunt one down later as the platform and looks appeal to me. Thanks for the info.
was justgifted a 2004 merlot with tan interior for my fiftieth birthday. Car is in great almost perfect shap. it has sat though so i hope to get her out more. Any parts companies would be helpful. Thanks and great video.
Congrats! I personally like RockAuto for best deal on car parts, but Ebay is another good resource. Any parts that are unique to the Tbird and not shared with the Jag Stype or Lincoln LS that are hard to source, check out ThunderbirdBob.com
A good friend bought the 50th Anniversary 2005 Cashmere T-Bird with 19,000 miles. He paid $18k; He drove it about a year adding only a few thousand miles but he fixed everything it needed - about $5k for suspension, etc. He sold it on CarsAnd Bids for $32,000.
love mine 2003 36,000 miles black on black with Crome rims it’s a sweet looken ride lots of compliments don’t drive it as much as i’d like trying to keep the miles down
I wasnt the market for these cars when they released. I i was in college but i fell in love with the styling. They arent fast, who cares when they look so damn good.
I loved my 2002 Thunderbird. It was white with a two tone red and black interior. Unfortunately it also had a steel timing chain and an aluminum block. When the timing chain broke it destroyed the block. Make sure you change your timing change before the manuals recommendation. It could save your engine. That being said, I miss my Thunder chicken.
Dang, that's awful! I haven't heard too much about timing chain failures in these cars, or if they did that it would destroy the engine. How many miles did your Tbird have when it happened?
I wish there was more after market engine parts for this car. I have the 2002 thunderbird model. So I can't find much. They no. Longer sell tuners for this model due to California laws. I put a magnaflow exhaust, performance coils and plugs, I found a cold air intake that was made for a lincoln LS of the same year. It's a long polished tube, to replace the stock sir box (I've been told the original air filter box and tube should be left stock, since there are so many chambers it is designed for ultimate air flow and performance) so changing to after mark (I first tried the cheap Chinese ones off ebay and Amazon but removed it cuz it was cheap junk) so I think it helped but maybe I lost a few HP with our knowing. When I switched to the cone k and n filter, it really really makes a big difference with the sound on the motor when I give it gas. It sounds like a performance car! But every mechanic (jaguar or after market custom classic shop) has said no turbo, no super charger, no performance header since it is a shorty exhaust manifold will help. The cost vs benefit isn't there. I've looked into a different upgraded motor, but with the computer and fmu or pcm (I don't recall which one) won't be compatible with any upgrade and would be a headache. It would be 20k$ to do. There's pics of guys back in the day swapping motors out for their retro birds but it's complete fabrication and custom work they did. I have been told just buy a new car. Or mount the tbird body on another cars frame. So I have accepted that the motor can be visually dressed up but not to much performance parts.. . Does anyone have any input? Or ideas? i don't want to go to a shop and spend 700 to try to get it tuned at a custom dynotune shop and then mess up something since it is my daily driver. If anyone has direct expirence. I do not post a lot about my after market mods because most ppl that are into tbird say leave it as is. Thanks for such a great video!
I'm in several Retrobird Facebook groups and I have heard similar tales to yours. There's just not much there when it comes to speed mods for these cars. It's just not a big market, and I think they figure anyone who wanted a retro-looking fast convertible would've just bought a V8 Mustang from the era by now (which has a HUGE aftermarket for mods).
OUTSTANDING video full of information! Always love the TB! The Retro Bird! Awesome 2 seater, sexy boulevard cruiser, and Classic Car! Makes me want to look on line right now! Thanks again!👍!
we just purchased on a 2002 black on black with only 18500 miles yes i had to havet and rear bushing and trailing arms rear and frt , $3500 worth of work ,, for a low miles car so i say yes its being looked at for sure,, new michelin tires to beat,, love the v8 i dont need 700 hp it will get you in trouble lol ,, with the independent suspension car rides like a dream,, i just retired from ford i was a tool grinder tradesman
Thanks! I picked a car that had the color in good condition already, so no restoration was needed. I've just been really good about putting leather cleaner/restoring product on it at least twice a year to keep it that way. We also rarely have the top off, so that helps keep it in good condition. It's tricky restoring the insert colors as its a difficult color to match. Your best bet might be a new seat cover (check out ThunderbirdBob.net or Ebay for replacements)
I have the same one as yours. Same reason. Wife loves the color. I installed a 2005 electric fan (slight trimming on the housing and it goes right in place of the hydraulic unit) and adjustable temp controller. Just connect the pressure and return lines together and leave the rest of the old system in the car. Also, I have no issue with noise from the hard top like yours. Perhaps there is an adjustment to make it clamp down a little tighter?
Great tip if we ever have major cooling issues with our funky fan. I think our hardtop creaks worse than others because we have a severe ramp that we have to use every day in our apartment garage (as you see in the video). Even when we adjust the top to quiet it down, it just goes right back to creaking with the ramp. We just learned to live with it!
Great video, but as far as the hard top noise from the videos, it looks like you don’t have the plastic rubber protection that’s supposed to be on there. I had mine for 10 years, took the top on it off and never got anywhere near the noise is yours dead you may not like the looks of it but it’s that clear plastic film type stuff like you put on the front of the vehicle but it should go around where the rubber seals that would help out a lot.
Thank you. I’ve heard of the plastic strips, they were even offered from the factory. We actually have the chrome strips that are supposed to the same thing. Helped a bit but didn’t totally eliminate the noise. At this point we have just gotten used to it, and it only makes noise on really rough roads or on steep inclines.
The last year of the thunderbird its my dream car from 1994 1995 to 2003 my dad and myself driving one 2003 and was Amazing and sadly miss the thunderbird and cougar name from ford
Cool video man thanks for having a honest review on this car. Seems too many people want to jump on the bad wing and hate it without knowing too much about it. It's a car with its faults One thing you didn't point out is transmissions can be an issue on this car I got mine for a really cheap price cuz the guy just didn't want to put more money into his and his transmission was starting to go. But they can be really fun cars I really love mine and I've had it now for almost 5 years. I have an '04 Merlot That there was a premium he had gotten rid of the hardtop along the way so it would only came as a soft top another reason it was cheap. I fixed stuff on it probably put six $7,000 in repair so far a big ticket item was that transmission I also did some upgrades and put a borla exhaust to get that more classic rumble V8 sound and I added a cold air intake and did a custom tune on the car that really woke it up and adds more power. It throws you back in the seats now a little bit. Just a fun ride and I love having a convertible in Southern California and something that's just different from the miatas and BMW you see everywhere out here.
Thank you, glad to hear your enjoying your Bird and making it your own! I'm curious how many miles your car had before the trans went out. I did mention in this video that there's a certain mileage point where you can expect big ticket repairs like that, and thats why I recommend cars in a lower mileage bracket.
@@RetroCarsForever sorry I must have missed that. My car was higher mileage it was around $97,000 mi when I bought it. Like I said I knew a little bit about these cars when I bought it and knew there had to be something wrong because it was selling for $3,500. Think with fees and taxes and everything I ended up walking away with it like $4200. Luckily where I lived at the time I had an excellent mechanic that worked with these really great transmission specialist down the block from them so got recommended there so got to it was the original transmission They fix it but then they actually made improvements that were no one faults for that transmission so I had that done a while ago and I've had no issues with transmission and have a feeling that's not going to be a problem for a long time.
@@RetroCarsForever ain't that the god on its truth and that's why I love that car It's cost about what I thought with it and I've got to make it a little more performance-oriented than what it is naturally and I just I love my retrobird. Actually I signed up for a Thunderbird forum as well when I got it just to get extra tips and someone posted a 67 Thunderbird w/rear suicide doors. She's a real beauty too and was in really good shape 85 on the body and 90 on the interior. Got those hideaway headlights too which are really cool and boy does that car get the looks, people have to comment on it, sameish color as your retro bird too, I believe it was called Tahoe turquoise back then. The 67 through 69 birds were nicknamed the Glamor birds.
the new ford bronco heritage edition reminds me of this car a lot. i know this is a personal luxury coupe Bolivar Cruiser and the bronco is SUV but they're both weird quirky retro cars by ford, they're both Convertibles, they're both offered in retro Bright colors and have many special editions!
If you're comfortable answering, I am curious how much did you (or your girlfriend/fiance) pay for your Teal 2002 Deluxe Thunderbird with the teal interior, what year did you make the purchase and how many miles upon purchase? I just want to be sure I am getting a fair deal on the one I am purchasing! 😊
I can’t recall, somewhere around 16 grand, and car had about 55k miles on the time. But that was five or six years ago, and prices are higher now because of inflation. The prices reflected at the end of this buyers guide are going to be more accurate towards today’s market. Best of luck!
Hi again! I bought an 02' over the weekend, and it drove great for the 12h drive back home. I didn't notice until pulling into my place, that the front suspension was groaning over speed bumps, I remembered your video and peered into the wheel gap and lord behold, 16:38 they were both split open. I am curious if both the entire A-arm unit needs to be replaced or just the ball joint covering? What was the part number you used when buying your replacement ahead of time?
Congrats on the new car! That groaning could be from many different location. Over big speed bumps, ours makes a groaning sound from the front end, and we've replaced most of the parts that would make that sound, so we've just learned to live with the occasional "old car creak." That said, handling wise its a good idea to replace that upper a arm eventually (though its not an emergency). It's cheaper to just replace it with a whole new arm instead of trying to rebuild the covering. Cant recall what brand or number we got but so far it's lasted well. It might've been Moog.
@@RetroCarsForever Thank you! Aside from the split ball joint boot, for only having 24k miles on it from the occasional drive in 22 years, it ran great! Your wife has great taste, as I chose the 02' full teal color accent interior too!
@@justclassicglam that’s awesome! The more you drive the car regularly the better it will run. Might take a month or so for it to smooth out and for the computer to learn your driving habits. Enjoy!
Bushings (or sometimes ball joints). Only some of the suspension pieces will allow you to "repress" the rubber bushings, you might have to get all new components for some of the suspension parts.
I'm 64 yrs old. I'm too young to remember the original but old enough to remember the behemoths that followed. I was excited for the retros of the early 2000s. I liked the styling, but something kept me at-bay, and I'm glad it did. I'm fairly mechanically inclined but have no appetite for a timing chain failure. Rumors abound about a 2025 Thunderbird. My guess is Ford will flub it up. IMO any new Thunderbird should pick up from the 2000s using the Mustang platform and mechanicals.
I havent heard about too many timing chain issues on these cars, it could happen but the other common issues I go over in this video are much more prevalent. I do think that the Mustang GT Convertible from this era is a much simpler car to work on, and has superior performance (but doesn't look as good and isn't as refined).
@@DingoRunner Cool, I found North Hollywood Auto Repair to be reasonable. Biggest negative is how long they take, they're very busy so the car can be at the shop for several days. For easier jobs I go to Mountainview Tire in Burbank (Such as oil changes). I also had them swap out the suspension components you see in the middle of this video (so far so good).
The premium only fuel is kinda a deal breaker. If I’m having to put premium in it might as well buy a used Mustang. Especially considering how much in repairs I would have to have performed on a used Bird.
Honestly, a Mustang convertible from this time period might make a lot more sense to most people (Ive owned a few of those as well). They have better performance, are cheaper to buy, and are way cheaper and easier to fix. And yes, most dont require premium fuel. The only real advantage to the Tbird is they are more comfortable, luxurious, and have a more unique look.
Great video! I have a 04 platinum silver base with the matching hardtop. I’ve had it about 6 years with 48k at purchase and 64k today. Just got an engine light with a rough idle thinking it’s the coil packs! Anybody know where I can get a new spare?
Thanks! My advise...If you have a check engine light, it's vital to get an OBD2 Code Reader connected to tell you EXACTLY what is wrong with the car, otherwise you're just blindly guessing.
My dad passed recently and I'm trying to figure out how to go about selling his 2004 T-Bird. His is black with a hardtop with only 9,500 miles on it. Hard to find a buyer for such a niche car though. I was thinking of asking 20K. What do you think about values of like new ultra low mile examples?
I’m sorry for your loss. That’s a super low mileage example, in theory it would be worth a grand or two more than the top end of my pricing guide here. However, if it has sat dormant and not driven for a few years, then that actually decreases the value a bit as it will need an expensive refreshing to get back to driving duty. 20k sound perfectly reasonable off hand, but use the price guide or this video to really zero in what it’s worth. The best place to sell would be on Thunderbird Facebook groups there are several. Also Craigslist and Facebook marketplace. Best of luck to you.
I have a 02’ red and with 99k miles on a little rust on the bottom ac don’t work but everything else runs good. Any suggestions on how much I could sell my car for???
Check out the values near end of this video at 19:00 and look at the low end of the estimates, and add the options. From there, I would subtract 3 grand for the rust/no AC issue. That should be a decent estimate.
The retrobird is definitely misunderstood. It’s for people that want that old school luxury coupe feel with a smooth V8 for cruising where style and comfort take precedence over performance and handling.
Absolutely! (And that's why I have the Corvette to go along with the TBird, if I ever want performance)
Supercharge that Jag V8 problem solved.
I think it was perfectly understood: an underpowered failure to compete with Mercedes's sports cars. Simple.
😅 hi hi hi poopoo😊😊
I have a 2002 T Bird, like new all service records and upgrades! 30,000 miles one owner . I love it😂
I am 79 years old and I purchased the car locally here in Denver, NC it has 64000 miles, a color coordinated top and it is a pleasure to drive.
This was a premium presentation. I bought a 2002, Inspiration Yellow Thunderbird Premium in January 2002, it has 17,000 miles on it now. I must admit I have been having "dry-rot" issues. I've had replaced the A/C compressor, tires, and the suspension rubber bits. I love it. Thank you,
Thank you. Sorry to hear youre dealing with "dry rot" issues, that can happen with low mileage cars that werent exercised often enough (ideally 2 times a month for 45 minute drives each)
I bought my 2002 new, have 290K miles on it. It is fun to drive!!!
That’s an amazing amount of miles! Any major issues during your time with it?
@@RetroCarsForever Usual maintenance (breaks, stuff like that), power steering pump and rack, and 1 transmission. Not a bad maintenance record for that many miles. And it is soooo much fun to drive, the car come alive t speeds over 100+ on the freeway.
@@nefcytom I figured the transmission wouldn't be able to make it that long, but overall that's a pretty trouble-free car for that many miles, congrats!
I own a 2002 black-on-black with 297,000 miles on it and all original engine, transmission, etc. My only issues are with the telescoping steering column and a problematic battery drain. I've put the tachometer to 6,500 + a lot, but I've only driven it 100 + MPH a couple of times. BTW, love this Thunderbird buyer's guide.
I love my 2004 retroBird!! Mine is a one owner that i bought in Florida. The biggest thrill was driving it back to Rhode Island without skipping a beat a year and a half ago. The car has been great and a real pleasure to drive.
Thats awesome to hear! Enjoy the drive.
I had an '05 Cashmere edition with all the options. The car was gorgeous, receiving positive comments literally everywhere we drove it. In fact, the first night we had the car we drove it through a Saturday night ricer meetup and every kid there knew what the car was and praised it yelling out "... cool T-Bird man!".
I spent about $3K on the suspension (all the rubber bushings were shot). My wife and I replaced all the ignition coils, spark plugs and valve cover gaskets ourselves. That service took us about 4 hours because the rear two cylinders are partially obscured by the firewall. Getting the valve covers off was such an unnecessary PITA that I almost nuked the car over that alone. I gave up on the car when I had the HVAC diverter valve replaced three times, each valve failing within two months of installation. That sounds trivial until you consider driving in a Houston summer with no AC and full HVAC heat. If it weren't for the HVAC issue, I'd probably still have the car.
I replaced the RetroBird with a British Racing Green '96 LT4 Vette convertible which was sold it when I relocated from Houston to south Florida. A pretty car that got it's share of compliments, but nothing like the praise the RetroBird got. The current toy car is a '14 Corvette Z-51 coupe with a plexiglass targa top. Insane performance, plenty of thumbs up, and a good GT ride but...
Every time my wife and I see a RetroBird going by we point it out to our spouse. Not many cars stay with you like that.
Awesome to hear! We had similar service history with our Tbird. Agreed that the engine space close to the firewall makes it a huge pain to service back there!
You might’ve seen other videos on my channel but our other car is a Corvette LT4. Nowhere near as comfy as our Tbird but way better performance, and generally easier to work on.
But Tbird gets way more compliments! The styling truly stands out. Thanks for the comment!
Those are absolutely gorgeous cars. I’m in Alabama and I’m a member of a Thunderbird group on FB and there’s currently one a man has for sale in our group. I absolutely love the tiny detailed Thunderbird design they put in the aluminum trim throughout the car😍 Those mixes of colors for the interior I absolutely adore! I own a Deluxe 2002 Whisper White model, it has less than 80k miles on it. We bought in 2019 from a dealership in Georgia. I will say I do prefer the cluster panel being made as a whole as compared to the 2003-2005 where everything has been separately placed.
Thanks for the overall objective view of this car. I'm 72 and I own a 2003 T-Bird Deluxe and it's black on black. It isn't the most reliable, it isn't the fastest, nor is it the most economical car I've ever owned. There are things I don't like about it but for the most part I find this car to be a great little car to own. It's really quite fun to drive and I'll have to admit it gets a great deal of attention even from the young ladies!
Thank you, and agreed!
After driving a pickup most of my life, my 02' T-Bird feels like a bonafide sports car. 😎
Nothing wrong with the handing. No one drives these cars at their limits anyway. It puts all other tbirds to shame in the handling dept.
WE HAVE A 2002 TRIPLE BLACK BOUGHT LAST YEAR, IT'S BEEN WELL TAKEN CARE OF, BECAUSE OF AGE WE HAD ALL THE SUSPENSION PARTS REPLACED, ALL FLUIDS AND COP'S. WE TOOK IT ON A 2000 MILE VACATION TO THE BLUERIDGE AND SKYLINE, SHE PREFORMED LIKE NEW FOR OUR ANNIVERSARY WEDDING TRIP, THAT WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER. LOVE THIS CAR...
Why are you yelling?
I just purchased a 2002 retrobird. It looks showroom new, but it did sit in storage for several years. I will definitely drive it more frequently as it was meant to be driven.
Congrats! Make sure to replace all the fluids if they haven't already. Trans (drain not a flush), diff, oil, power steering, brake fluid...Those are decades old now and need to be replaced regardless of miles if they're the fluid that came from the factory.
You missed a couple tiny things in this otherwise excellent overview. The 6-CD changer has far above average sound for the era, and a DSP setting that improves stereo imaging for the driver when the roof is down. some reviewers make fun of the storage behind the cupholders, what they miss is that the cubbyhole is the EXACT size as six CD jewel boxes. I think these cars are brilliant in conception and very good in execution.
I have owned my '02 yellow top-trim for about 15 months now. It came to me with (aftermarket) aluminum trim panels up the center column and on the arm rests, mirrored Thunderbird-emblem inlays in the door sills and a fabulous sounding Borla exhaust system (which improved the horsepower as the engine can now breathe). My hard top has ZERO rattle on uneven pavement. The previous owner obviously babied this car.
My wife had the same model as yours. Absolutely LOVED it.
Nice! It’s a great model
My older brother, now 82, bought a silver with black interior and black folding top Retro T-Bird new in 2005 but it was an unsold 2004 model year. He rarely drives it and it has only about 10k miles on it. It is always garaged with the folding top up and the hard top on the stand. It is also well maintained and he'll be thrilled to know it is still pretty valuable. It is actually a pretty nice car and underappreciated for sure.
im glad you're back to uploading, Brad! your video style is ultra unique and because of you im a proud owner of a 1994 Corvette--ignoring the fact that the entire front of the engine bay is disassembled per the optispark problems. most risky but thrilling purchase of my life.
ive always loved this gen thunderbird, since i grew up with them when they were being produced. I saw one the other day and was having a blast watching it pass me
Thank you! This video took AGES to put together so glad it's finally out and that you enjoyed it!
Good luck on getting the C4 back together.
Oh, so you know: My gripes below about this T-Bird era are totally apart from appreciation for the quality of your work!
Heh, thank you!
Great video! No other like on the web re: the Retro-Bird. Living my dream of finally owning one ($40,000 when new made it seem impossible) Everything was spot on in your video, from the compliments from strangers to the convertible latches to me completly rebuilding both the front and rear end suspensions but so worth it! Can't put into words how much I love cruising in my 2002 the same color as the host's wife's car (it was that color or bust as that was the one I always wanted!)
Thanks so much! Glad to hear you’re enjoying your Tbird to the fullest.
I just bought an Inca gold hard top 2005 T Bird..Ive had it for around 30 days now. Im pleased with it. They have good suspension on rough streets.
Congrats! The cushy suspension does a great job of soaking up big bumps.
From a person who bought a 2002 Pemium Tourch Red from a dealer for the list price, more power to you for your efforts. It has been a good car for us, even though we've had some issues. Time to check the rubber of the car.
I have a 2002 yellow ford Thunderbird with roughly 64000 miles on it. I love it and purchased it in 2022 at a local dealer. Everywhere I go older people stop and love the car. I have a matching hardtop. I take good care of the car.
Awesome! Yellow is another great color that really stands out in traffic these days. Enjoy the ride 👍
Love my Thunderbird, immaculate condition, turquois colour
Excellent comprehensive review! I’ve own an ‘04 platinum silver w/black interior, platinum hardtop since 2006. She has 86k on the odometer and has been reliable overall but I have spent significant $’s on redoing suspension items, a trans rebuild etc., no deferred maintenance ever but it’s been well worth it. No regrets. Plus, top up or down..hard top on or off..no squeaks or rattles! I’ve looked for an alternative convertible to buy but none out there turn me on enough to sell, especially with today’s prices! And I still get compliments and thumbs up nearly every time I take it out. I mean, a comfortable two seater, with a v8, rear wheel drive, and a hard top for the winter. She’ll happily cruise all day..when you punch it, passing is a breeze, and when the weather’s good..the top goes down. What more do you want? (Although the CD player ate my tunes and the wipers have a mind of their own 😊)
Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying your car. I agree, for the money, there’s really nothing else quite like it.
Great video. I bought a 2002 tbird with 7800 miles on it. It was owned by NASCAR race car driver Dale Jarret. His signature is on dash plus he gave me his NASCAR jacket autographed. It’s a real head turner with no blemishes. It’s done really well at car shows.
Thank you. I LOVE Dale Jarrett! That is super awesome. I'm curious, what color was his Tbird? And which jacket did he give you? (Was it from his Motorcraft or UPS days?)
Very comprehensive video. A problem I have with my 2004 is that the radio volume controls, both on the radio and steering wheel, are finicky resulting in suddenly blasting you out! I haven’t figured out a cure yet except diving to the mute switch and slowly increasing the volume.
Thank you…huh, that’s a weird issue, haven’t heard of that one before! How annoying.
Your FEM (Front End Module) may be glitching out. You may want to look into getting it repaired with Thunderbird Bob, since a failing FEM can result in a lot of weird, funky issues with the interior components in the car.
Very informative and well executed guide! As a car guy and someone who browses the listings for the retro bird, this video was very helpful. Thank you for the time and effort to put it together!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the comment.
Cashmere owner who's been very pleased.
It's been a great car for open air cruising in the country, going to music outings.
Great to hear! Sounds like you’re doing exactly what this Tbird was designed to do best.
I purchased my 2004 Thunderbird from a California dealer as a trade-in car. It was a one-owner when I got it. I have had it for 9 years. So far I have had to replace the front suspension and rebuilt the air conditioning compressor. The CD player went out so I replaced it with a Kenwood. The faint on the hood started to crack and only got worse over the years so I repainted the car and changed the color from black to Maroon. At 82K miles she still drives great.
Nice! We also had to have our AC compressor replaced around 70k miles or so, not sure if that is a common issue because we were driving through 105 degree heat when it went!
Thanks for adding a video that takes a positive view of these cars . I own two of them a 03 white and a 04 PCR. Definitely not tbat hard to work on mechanically, i replaced all of the suspension pieces on my 03 on my own with help of countless Thunderbird forums and You Tube videos. Quite reasonable ease in finding the parts and replacement costs.
Thanks, enjoy your Birds!
I would’ve fixed the suspension components myself but hard to without a garage and only basic hand tools.
Great video!
I wanted to buy one of these before they came out, but here in the Detroit area, huge special dealer markups spoiled my dream. All the dealers here had additional dealer markups in 2002 through 2003 and maybe 2004 of $15,000 to $20,000 over MSRP. I waited a year, but eventually bought another vehicle in 2003.
I've often wondered if this dealer greed severely impacted Retrobird sales, with many potential buyers getting pissed off and buying something else. By the time the extra dealer markups disappeared, we were all enjoying other vehicles and missed out on the Retrobirds all together as they only lated 4 model years.
I'm surprised that the extra dealer ripoff in 2002 and 2003 weren't mentioned in the video or in the comments. Maybe this was just a Detroit area thing.
Thank you! I also wonder about those dealer markups, and if they soured TBird sales, which cooled down really fast after the first year or two. Especially when you consider the Tbird was ALREADY the most expensive Ford car ever produced at that time.
Late to the game, but this is the video I needed. We're interested in a RetroBird, and the selection around my area is fair at best. I've seen examples for 1300 miles to 125K miles. So, all of the tips here's are so helpful, especially what to look for concerning the suspension. Thank you so much for this. It gives me a lot to think about.
Thank you! I made this as a resource for new buyers so glad this is helpful to you. Best of luck!
From the Jacques Nassar regime at Ford back in the day. It’s a reflex ion of the “go big” business philosophy at that time (Premier Auto Group). Yet that they did this Thunderbird also showed, to me, the immense pride and reinvestment in the Ford brand. As a customer back then you felt the company cared immensely about making their cars better and more desirable. I knew of several people that loved their retro-birds. It had a bit of halo car look and mystique. Neiman Marcus was first to sell I think - special marked up monochromatic black and white scheme.
Absolutely! Ford was really working on cars with a unique character. And Neiman Marcus was indeed the first Retro Bird available (it’s covered in this video as are all the special editions)
I have a 2003 I love it. Overheating problems on and off. In the shop now getting water pump, auxiliary water pump. Good video!
That’s interesting car has two water pumps? I read about the cooling issues.
@@rolandthethompsongunner64 yes two water pumps. Ridiculous.
Thanks for the great video and review. I too own a ‘02 in Thunderbird Blue. I would note the hard top was not secured correctly. The back latch noticeably was up, down is locked. No wonder it was rattling!
Thanks! I’ve triple checked the latch (with the owners manual and the Ford instructional video) and mine is indeed latched. Also, when latch is loose, it actually covers the portal window.
Well done sir!... Very informative. Thank you!
Great informational video. Lots of aftermarket parts for these birds to customize them. I put a set of fins on my bird last year and they look great.
That teal interior is sweet! Got to find one for my wife now...
Thanks! That teal interior was what REALLY sold my wife on the car. Really cool how these cars give you such fun interior color options vs the standard black/grey/tan of the era.
I very much enjoy my Retrobird. Smooth and classy. Fast and sassy. 2003 Mountain Shadow.😊
I would agree with all the points you made. These cars are fun, but not thrilling, to drive. And preventive maintenance is important. Great review and objective analysis.
Thank you! Well said.
What a great thorough review. I've always liked these cars.
Thank you!
Good luck with finding parts unless you know a guy with a junkyard.
Amazing Job! Love the quality of your videos!
Thanks so much!
Great review with loads of good information. Just bought an 02 Torch Red Premium edition and look forward to owning it. It’s a great combination of retro styling but with all the safety features you need. Love the 60’s classics but not as safe. Your pricing/ value was right on the money but will probably go up as these get harder to find. You hardly ever see these on the road……they must be snugly tucked away in garages. Thanks.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video and hope it was helpful. Enjoy the new ride!
Absolutely the best review on those gorgeous cars! Congratulations!
Thank you!
My good friend bought one last year, a 2002. I detail so I drive it occasionally. I love it. It has a headlight issue. A module needs to be replaced and it's a dealer item. I'm changing oil in it tomorrow. It's a fun and beautiful car in white. Wish the hard top had been with it.
If your friend is having problems finding that module, point him to Thunderbird Bobs website. He has all sorts of parts for good prices. Trusted by the community.
Great video! I love my 2003 Mountain Shadow Grey with Saddle Tan interior. If the car seems sluggish when accelerating, try running a good fuel injector cleaner. Doing that was a game changer for my acceleration.
Thanks! I put in fuel injector cleaner a few times a year. I think our Bird is running as it should, the video times out to 0-60mph in 8 seconds, just a second off instrumented testing. My run was in a higher altitude without much brake standing so that seems about right.
Great review and I love my 2005. I will say the water pump access is interesting because the bolts are so long you have to take off the intake manifold but those kinds of things have become common on new cars. You can buy hard top top stand for $100 and the wrench for the top is $5 and I found a matching red top for $700 in 2021. The Borla exhaust and, K&N intake and SCT tuner provide a better sound but I have never pout mine on the dyno so it’s more seat of pants but some people have shown proof of close to or at 300 HP when properly tuned. Radio upgrades to touchscreen are super easy and you can order a plug and play setup from Crutchfield without breaking the bank and the stereo is nice. I had a chrome trunk rack that I probably should have kept as I have seen a couple with some nice waterproof luggage options for extended travel, otherwise the are great for a weekend getaway.
Great notes on worthwhile upgrades!
Thanks for the great video and thorough evaluation of the Retro-Birds. I'm a huge fan of the early T-Birds and have always been curious about these models as well. Our current fun car is a 2002 Miata-LS. I was making mental comparisons as you went through all your points on the Birds. I see pros & cons between the '02-'05 Birds and the vehicle I already have. I am definitely drawn to the 'fun to drive' aspect, but it sounds like the Birds are just not performance oriented enough to satisfy me. Curiosity has been answered. Thanks!
Glad to help! I actually used to own a Miata similar to yours. They're very different cars...Miata is very fun, tight, and tossable (and simpler and more reliable). The Thunderbird is much more spacious and comfortable and luxurious, especially on long highway drives. All depends on what you want!
incredibly detailed review, thank you so much!
Thank you!
Great video. So many missed the point of this car. If they had made it too high performance, it would have competed with the Mustang. I bought one new in 2004 and still have it. One of the issues when it was new was that dealers marked the price up to astronomical levels. In southeast Florida, some of the markups exceeded 30k. I found mine (new) in Valley Stream NY for under list price. Flew up to buy it and drove it to DC and took the autotrain back to FL. I do wish they had used the Ford 4.6L V-8. The Jaguar engine, while very smooth, has been problematic. The cooling system issues have been numerous over the years. The A/C blender doors have also been a problem. I have a 94 T-Bird with 500k miles that has never required as much in maintenance. Anyway, I love my 2004 and wouldn't part with it, but like Jaguar owners, I feel like I need a backup vehicle.
Totally agreed! Ive owned a Mustang of this era with the 4.6L V8 and I cant see any advantage to the 3.9L they used in the Tbird except a tad more smoothness. The 4.6 was easy to work on, sounded better, had more power, and was tough as nails.
I fell for my uncle with my name who had a Tbird for my ride for summer of 59. My Reatta was dying so before 2004 Christmas my wife organized my bluebird 2005 model premium model.
I love my retrobird! Your review is excellent. Spot on except I think handling is superb. Not a race car, but on twisties, I can keep up with minis and miatas!
Thank you! I drive on canyon roads all the time, and I find the TBird isn't AWFUL, it's just not as precise or as quick as, say, my Corvette.
It actually moves through the twisties at a decent speed, it's just not as controlled/tidy in its body motions as a pure sports car. Still a fun car to cruise on canyon roads, especially with the top down!
I always get excited to click on a fresh video of yours! I've noticed we both like birds and Corvettes. Although, my birds of a feather are Firebirds and yours are Thunderbirds. You should make a video capturing the cars, fashion, and culture of a Radwood show! I have always wanted to attend one but I don't think any take place on the east coast. Anyway, great video as always!!
Thank ya! I love Firebirds too, test driven a few of them but never found the right one with the options I wanted whenever i was in the market for a fun car. They are rowdy fun, and I love the TTops!
As for Radwood, maybe I'll film something more this year. I do have several albums from each year on my Instagram (instagram.com/bradhansenmedia/)
And I did film about half of this Pop Up video at the event, you can see the vibe surrounding the cars-
ruclips.net/video/1ZZ05PPJMzQ/видео.html
My favorite car show in any case!
@@RetroCarsForever I have owned three different Firebirds now (at one point I had them all at once!) and will forever keep the 1984 Trans Am which has always been my dream car. My first car was a '95 V6 and I bought my wife a 1992 V8 Firebird for her first car (she was my girlfriend at the time). Both the '84 and '92 have t-tops. The '84 that I still have is a 5 speed with the H.O. L69 motor. My Corvette is a '90 ZR-1 six speed. Maybe I need to try to put on a Radwood show of my own! - Out of curiosity, what kind of Firebird would you like?
@@FirebirdDude Oh man I'd REALLY love a ZR-1!
My personal favorite Firebird is the Formula from the mid 90s. Love that smooth aero look.
I am about to buy one of these for my grandma for Christmas. This was helpful. I think I have found a good 2004
Glad to help, hope she enjoys it, thats an AWESOME Christmas present!
@@RetroCarsForever she’s always been a big tbird fan. She gave me her 1994 as my first vehicle in high school, and so I figure now I am going to return her the favor
@@scarfacetj2795 That's awesome! As it turns out my SECOND vehicle was very similar to yours...
ruclips.net/video/gsbLbB9P6m8/видео.html
I thought I would hate it. but now I like it.
Love this video extremely informative, learnt from this video regarding my 2002 Thunderbird.,😍
Thank you, glad this could help you get to know your Tbird better! Happy driving.
These are great cars that people didn't understand when they were released
Agreed! And a lot of people STILL don’t understand them!
This is like an American Mercedes sl
Loved this review of the tbird. I have a 2005 Inca gold. Love it but do not get to enjoy it as much as I would like. Being 74 years old. 39000 miles on it but only get it out to drive maybe once every three months. So might have to sell it. But when I do get it out really enjoy it.
That’s a long time for the car to be sitting, ideally cars this old should be driven up to temp once every few weeks. It might be a good idea to sell it…maybe a family member wants it so you could still drive it occasionally?
These came out while I was driving my 1990 SC 35th anniversary and remembered thinking, the value of my car just went up.
Those SCs are some of the coolest Tbirds ever made! One of the few times the Tbird truly focused on performance.
As usual, a great video, love it when you upload!
Thank you!
I’m buried in cars and projects but I’ve always liked these. My all time favorite has to be the 3rd gen bullet birds of the early 60s but these are a close second. I already have a 60s classic and I think I might hunt one down later as the platform and looks appeal to me. Thanks for the info.
You’re very welcome, best of luck to you!
was justgifted a 2004 merlot with tan interior for my fiftieth birthday. Car is in great almost perfect shap. it has sat though so i hope to get her out more. Any parts companies would be helpful. Thanks and great video.
Congrats! I personally like RockAuto for best deal on car parts, but Ebay is another good resource.
Any parts that are unique to the Tbird and not shared with the Jag Stype or Lincoln LS that are hard to source, check out ThunderbirdBob.com
A good friend bought the 50th Anniversary 2005 Cashmere T-Bird with 19,000 miles. He paid $18k; He drove it about a year adding only a few thousand miles but he fixed everything it needed - about $5k for suspension, etc. He sold it on CarsAnd Bids for $32,000.
Wow, great deal all around!
Great detailed video. Thank you, excellent job!
Thank YOU for watching!
love mine 2003 36,000 miles black on black with Crome rims it’s a sweet looken ride lots of compliments don’t drive it as much as i’d like trying to keep the miles down
Driving the car is good for it! Enjoy it!
I wasnt the market for these cars when they released. I i was in college but i fell in love with the styling. They arent fast, who cares when they look so damn good.
Same here…but I always thought they looked cool, and happy to finally own one!
Great video, Brad
Thank ya very much!
You make great videos! Thank you for the very good work!
Thank you!
I loved my 2002 Thunderbird. It was white with a two tone red and black interior. Unfortunately it also had a steel timing chain and an aluminum block. When the timing chain broke it destroyed the block.
Make sure you change your timing change before the manuals recommendation. It could save your engine.
That being said, I miss my Thunder chicken.
Dang, that's awful! I haven't heard too much about timing chain failures in these cars, or if they did that it would destroy the engine. How many miles did your Tbird have when it happened?
I wish there was more after market engine parts for this car. I have the 2002 thunderbird model. So I can't find much. They no. Longer sell tuners for this model due to California laws. I put a magnaflow exhaust, performance coils and plugs, I found a cold air intake that was made for a lincoln LS of the same year. It's a long polished tube, to replace the stock sir box (I've been told the original air filter box and tube should be left stock, since there are so many chambers it is designed for ultimate air flow and performance) so changing to after mark (I first tried the cheap Chinese ones off ebay and Amazon but removed it cuz it was cheap junk) so I think it helped but maybe I lost a few HP with our knowing. When I switched to the cone k and n filter, it really really makes a big difference with the sound on the motor when I give it gas. It sounds like a performance car! But every mechanic (jaguar or after market custom classic shop) has said no turbo, no super charger, no performance header since it is a shorty exhaust manifold will help. The cost vs benefit isn't there. I've looked into a different upgraded motor, but with the computer and fmu or pcm (I don't recall which one) won't be compatible with any upgrade and would be a headache. It would be 20k$ to do. There's pics of guys back in the day swapping motors out for their retro birds but it's complete fabrication and custom work they did. I have been told just buy a new car. Or mount the tbird body on another cars frame. So I have accepted that the motor can be visually dressed up but not to much performance parts.. . Does anyone have any input? Or ideas? i don't want to go to a shop and spend 700 to try to get it tuned at a custom dynotune shop and then mess up something since it is my daily driver. If anyone has direct expirence. I do not post a lot about my after market mods because most ppl that are into tbird say leave it as is. Thanks for such a great video!
I'm in several Retrobird Facebook groups and I have heard similar tales to yours. There's just not much there when it comes to speed mods for these cars. It's just not a big market, and I think they figure anyone who wanted a retro-looking fast convertible would've just bought a V8 Mustang from the era by now (which has a HUGE aftermarket for mods).
I’m actually one of the lucky ones who owns a Pacific Coast Roadster 🤙🏽 78k and strong. #149/1000
Awesome! My personal fave special edition, such beautiful cars.
OUTSTANDING video full of information! Always love the TB! The Retro Bird! Awesome 2 seater, sexy boulevard cruiser, and Classic Car! Makes me want to look on line right now! Thanks again!👍!
Thank you! And there are always tempting mint condition examples of these cars online.
Most excellent Informative presentation
Thank you!
we just purchased on a 2002 black on black with only 18500 miles yes i had to havet and rear bushing and trailing arms rear and frt , $3500 worth of work ,, for a low miles car so i say yes its being looked at for sure,, new michelin tires to beat,, love the v8 i dont need 700 hp it will get you in trouble lol ,, with the independent suspension car rides like a dream,, i just retired from ford i was a tool grinder tradesman
Love the '02. Question . . . Did you restore the color in the seats? And if so, how did you do it?
Thanks! I picked a car that had the color in good condition already, so no restoration was needed. I've just been really good about putting leather cleaner/restoring product on it at least twice a year to keep it that way. We also rarely have the top off, so that helps keep it in good condition.
It's tricky restoring the insert colors as its a difficult color to match. Your best bet might be a new seat cover (check out ThunderbirdBob.net or Ebay for replacements)
Great video. All the info I was curious on. I really like the idea of a modern classic American cruiser. Yours looks nice.
Many thanks! If you like the idea, you should check one out, modern classic American cruiser is exactly how it feels and looks.
I have the same one as yours. Same reason. Wife loves the color. I installed a 2005 electric fan (slight trimming on the housing and it goes right in place of the hydraulic unit) and adjustable temp controller. Just connect the pressure and return lines together and leave the rest of the old system in the car. Also, I have no issue with noise from the hard top like yours. Perhaps there is an adjustment to make it clamp down a little tighter?
Great tip if we ever have major cooling issues with our funky fan.
I think our hardtop creaks worse than others because we have a severe ramp that we have to use every day in our apartment garage (as you see in the video). Even when we adjust the top to quiet it down, it just goes right back to creaking with the ramp. We just learned to live with it!
Great video…thank you!!!
Thank you for watching!
Great video, but as far as the hard top noise from the videos, it looks like you don’t have the plastic rubber protection that’s supposed to be on there. I had mine for 10 years, took the top on it off and never got anywhere near the noise is yours dead you may not like the looks of it but it’s that clear plastic film type stuff like you put on the front of the vehicle but it should go around where the rubber seals that would help out a lot.
Thank you. I’ve heard of the plastic strips, they were even offered from the factory. We actually have the chrome strips that are supposed to the same thing. Helped a bit but didn’t totally eliminate the noise.
At this point we have just gotten used to it, and it only makes noise on really rough roads or on steep inclines.
Great video! Always loved the looks of these, my mother too haha. Also nice Dale Duffel Bag 😁
Thanks! And Do It For Dale!
The last year of the thunderbird its my dream car from 1994 1995 to 2003 my dad and myself driving one 2003 and was Amazing and sadly miss the thunderbird and cougar name from ford
There are rumors that Ford would bring the Thunderbird back, perhaps as a stylish EV.
Cool video man thanks for having a honest review on this car. Seems too many people want to jump on the bad wing and hate it without knowing too much about it. It's a car with its faults One thing you didn't point out is transmissions can be an issue on this car I got mine for a really cheap price cuz the guy just didn't want to put more money into his and his transmission was starting to go. But they can be really fun cars I really love mine and I've had it now for almost 5 years. I have an '04 Merlot That there was a premium he had gotten rid of the hardtop along the way so it would only came as a soft top another reason it was cheap. I fixed stuff on it probably put six $7,000 in repair so far a big ticket item was that transmission I also did some upgrades and put a borla exhaust to get that more classic rumble V8 sound and I added a cold air intake and did a custom tune on the car that really woke it up and adds more power. It throws you back in the seats now a little bit. Just a fun ride and I love having a convertible in Southern California and something that's just different from the miatas and BMW you see everywhere out here.
Thank you, glad to hear your enjoying your Bird and making it your own!
I'm curious how many miles your car had before the trans went out. I did mention in this video that there's a certain mileage point where you can expect big ticket repairs like that, and thats why I recommend cars in a lower mileage bracket.
@@RetroCarsForever sorry I must have missed that. My car was higher mileage it was around $97,000 mi when I bought it. Like I said I knew a little bit about these cars when I bought it and knew there had to be something wrong because it was selling for $3,500. Think with fees and taxes and everything I ended up walking away with it like $4200. Luckily where I lived at the time I had an excellent mechanic that worked with these really great transmission specialist down the block from them so got recommended there so got to it was the original transmission They fix it but then they actually made improvements that were no one faults for that transmission so I had that done a while ago and I've had no issues with transmission and have a feeling that's not going to be a problem for a long time.
@@minnesota_fats7344 At the end of the day, you still didnt have to spend that much for your Tbird! Great to hear.
@@RetroCarsForever ain't that the god on its truth and that's why I love that car It's cost about what I thought with it and I've got to make it a little more performance-oriented than what it is naturally and I just I love my retrobird. Actually I signed up for a Thunderbird forum as well when I got it just to get extra tips and someone posted a 67 Thunderbird w/rear suicide doors. She's a real beauty too and was in really good shape 85 on the body and 90 on the interior. Got those hideaway headlights too which are really cool and boy does that car get the looks, people have to comment on it, sameish color as your retro bird too, I believe it was called Tahoe turquoise back then. The 67 through 69 birds were nicknamed the Glamor birds.
I would love to see a 1999-2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo buyers guide aswell
Great suggestion! I used to own one of those (2004 Supercharged Intimidator) so I'll consider it.
I'd like to see a C5 corvette video, I've really liked the C4 videos
Noted! I'd love to videos with C5s. Currently theyve only appeared in my "first car" video here...
ruclips.net/video/dyF5eHPf5sw/видео.html
@@RetroCarsForever much appreciated love your videos, hope to see a c5 sometime in the future
the new ford bronco heritage edition reminds me of this car a lot. i know this is a personal luxury coupe Bolivar Cruiser and the bronco is SUV but they're both weird quirky retro cars by ford, they're both Convertibles, they're both offered in retro Bright colors and have many special editions!
Very true! “Retro designs” are coming back!
As always a great video even tho i don't really like the looks of the retrobird. Can't wait for your next C4 video 👍
Thanks! Next video will be about C4s.
I love it and I've owned many classics.
Compared to classic cars, a Retrobird is a piece of cake to own!
If you're comfortable answering, I am curious how much did you (or your girlfriend/fiance) pay for your Teal 2002 Deluxe Thunderbird with the teal interior, what year did you make the purchase and how many miles upon purchase? I just want to be sure I am getting a fair deal on the one I am purchasing! 😊
I can’t recall, somewhere around 16 grand, and car had about 55k miles on the time. But that was five or six years ago, and prices are higher now because of inflation.
The prices reflected at the end of this buyers guide are going to be more accurate towards today’s market. Best of luck!
I love my 02 thunderbird and want to buy another one
Hi again! I bought an 02' over the weekend, and it drove great for the 12h drive back home. I didn't notice until pulling into my place, that the front suspension was groaning over speed bumps, I remembered your video and peered into the wheel gap and lord behold, 16:38 they were both split open. I am curious if both the entire A-arm unit needs to be replaced or just the ball joint covering? What was the part number you used when buying your replacement ahead of time?
Congrats on the new car!
That groaning could be from many different location. Over big speed bumps, ours makes a groaning sound from the front end, and we've replaced most of the parts that would make that sound, so we've just learned to live with the occasional "old car creak."
That said, handling wise its a good idea to replace that upper a arm eventually (though its not an emergency). It's cheaper to just replace it with a whole new arm instead of trying to rebuild the covering. Cant recall what brand or number we got but so far it's lasted well. It might've been Moog.
@@RetroCarsForever Thank you! Aside from the split ball joint boot, for only having 24k miles on it from the occasional drive in 22 years, it ran great! Your wife has great taste, as I chose the 02' full teal color accent interior too!
@@justclassicglam that’s awesome! The more you drive the car regularly the better it will run. Might take a month or so for it to smooth out and for the computer to learn your driving habits. Enjoy!
Amazing review!! I have this exact same car!
Many thanks! Enjoy your Bird.
What are the rubber pieces called on suspension. Need to get new ones and order. Thank you for telling me about them.
Bushings (or sometimes ball joints).
Only some of the suspension pieces will allow you to "repress" the rubber bushings, you might have to get all new components for some of the suspension parts.
Great video I love my 2002
Thanks, glad to hear you enjoy your 2002 as well!
I'm 64 yrs old. I'm too young to remember the original but old enough to remember the behemoths that followed. I was excited for the retros of the early 2000s. I liked the styling, but something kept me at-bay, and I'm glad it did. I'm fairly mechanically inclined but have no appetite for a timing chain failure. Rumors abound about a 2025 Thunderbird. My guess is Ford will flub it up. IMO any new Thunderbird should pick up from the 2000s using the Mustang platform and mechanicals.
I havent heard about too many timing chain issues on these cars, it could happen but the other common issues I go over in this video are much more prevalent. I do think that the Mustang GT Convertible from this era is a much simpler car to work on, and has superior performance (but doesn't look as good and isn't as refined).
Thank you for the video. Can you recommend shops in LA that service this car?
I’ve honestly not found a perfect shop and they’re all in the Burbank area. Let me know if that would useful to you and I’ll fill you in.
@@RetroCarsForever Yeah, Burbank is close enough! Thank you
@@DingoRunner Cool, I found North Hollywood Auto Repair to be reasonable. Biggest negative is how long they take, they're very busy so the car can be at the shop for several days.
For easier jobs I go to Mountainview Tire in Burbank (Such as oil changes). I also had them swap out the suspension components you see in the middle of this video (so far so good).
@@RetroCarsForeverthank you!
The premium only fuel is kinda a deal breaker. If I’m having to put premium in it might as well buy a used Mustang. Especially considering how much in repairs I would have to have performed on a used Bird.
Honestly, a Mustang convertible from this time period might make a lot more sense to most people (Ive owned a few of those as well). They have better performance, are cheaper to buy, and are way cheaper and easier to fix. And yes, most dont require premium fuel.
The only real advantage to the Tbird is they are more comfortable, luxurious, and have a more unique look.
Car's so good-looking, I drew it as a Transformer as an original character.
Nice! Let's see a link if you posted online.
@@RetroCarsForever Ok
@@RetroCarsForever There, I sent it in the second comment.
Great video! I have a 04 platinum silver base with the matching hardtop. I’ve had it about 6 years with 48k at purchase and 64k today. Just got an engine light with a rough idle thinking it’s the coil packs! Anybody know where I can get a new spare?
Thanks!
My advise...If you have a check engine light, it's vital to get an OBD2 Code Reader connected to tell you EXACTLY what is wrong with the car, otherwise you're just blindly guessing.
So pretty!
My dad passed recently and I'm trying to figure out how to go about selling his 2004 T-Bird. His is black with a hardtop with only 9,500 miles on it. Hard to find a buyer for such a niche car though. I was thinking of asking 20K. What do you think about values of like new ultra low mile examples?
I’m sorry for your loss. That’s a super low mileage example, in theory it would be worth a grand or two more than the top end of my pricing guide here.
However, if it has sat dormant and not driven for a few years, then that actually decreases the value a bit as it will need an expensive refreshing to get back to driving duty.
20k sound perfectly reasonable off hand, but use the price guide or this video to really zero in what it’s worth.
The best place to sell would be on Thunderbird Facebook groups there are several. Also Craigslist and Facebook marketplace.
Best of luck to you.
nice cars hope thet continue to do well
I have a 02’ red and with 99k miles on a little rust on the bottom ac don’t work but everything else runs good. Any suggestions on how much I could sell my car for???
Check out the values near end of this video at 19:00 and look at the low end of the estimates, and add the options.
From there, I would subtract 3 grand for the rust/no AC issue. That should be a decent estimate.