Well, I'm looking into a car for better gas milage driving to and from school on the weekends, and for other reasons. (Still keeping the gool 'ole F-150) And, I've always been drawn to the Thunderbirds (and Cougars) from '93 - '96. (Yes the new ones are nice, but I'm a college student = no $)

Anyhow, the price in my area on them is quite amazing on them, generally about 3,500 to 4,500 for a used V8 coupe, which is all I'm interested in.... a V8. Now, the question are:

Are there any general problems I sould know about them? (Like the '97 V6 F-150's with all the problems.)

Is there much difference in the performance, milage, and reliability between the 5.0's they used, and the 4.6's they used?

If driven realistically, what fuel milage shoud I expect?

Thanks in advance for any help, it looks like a great car, I'm surprised I don't hear more about them.

 

I had a 94 t bird with the 4.6 v8, thing was a rocket, smoked plenty of Mustangs. I got it under the used car red carpet lease plan which is nice because they give you a warranty for the duration of the lease. Only problems I had was a frozen right front brake calpier (warranty) and the struts died at about 40k miles. Dealer screwed up on strut diagnosis five times so I had them replaced by a private mechanic and sued the dealer for the money, I won..... See if you can find the 95 or 96 version with the leather and moonroof package, usually comes with a little whale tail, looks good in red. Car is a 2 door and doors are a little on the heavy side. It's also a long way down into the bucket seats, hope you have a good back. Never kept track of the mileage, niether will you, hint, hint,... Have driven a 5.0 mustang, the 5.0 did not like to rev high, kind of dead up top....the 4.6 will run it through the red line . Have fun!....Good car, go for it.

 

I had a 93 with a 3.8 V6. I loved it. Wish I had the V8 but insurance is outragous. I got 19 mpg or so in town. The V8 is very quick. 94s and up had 4.6L.

V6s had a problem with head gaskets blowing. Ford takes care of that.

Great cars, good style, bit heavy.

 

Don't know if you see much snow but they are horrible in a few inches of the white stuff. Try to get one with Trac-Lok.

 

I currenty own a 92 t-bird and its my wife's now. It has 143,000 miles uses one qt oil between changes (5000miles) and gets about 22 miles to the gal. it has a 3.8 v-6 and yes the head gaskets were replaced under warrenty. This car has been great even in the snow its only been stuck 3 xs and here in buffalo thats a good thing. It keeps rolling and has hadf little to no problems yet... go ford

 

My wife has a '96 Cougar, 4.6, loaded, leather, moon roof, etc...Great car! Look for sagging of the doors. They are long and heavy, and tend to wear out the hinges. The driver's door is the first to go. If you have to lift it or slam it to close it, the hinges are worn. Look for a scratch at the top of the B pillar where it hits. The lower hinge is easy to replace, the top one is a bear. Open the door a few inches and lift it...If there's play, you'll feel it. Also look for rust at the door bottoms and behind the door where the rocker panel rolls under the car. These cars are sweet, comfortable and quick. Michelin X-1's or the Sears equiv. are an excellent choice for tires. They grip well and handle the snow and rain with ease. I wish they still made these cars...Can't beat a two door, mid size, V8 rear driver!

 

I owned a 90 Thunderbird SC. It came with a supercharged 3.8 and stick shift.
I couldn't beat any 5.0 Mustangs with it, but it was pretty quick just the same (for the size) was really good on gas, and drove beautifully on the highway.

Damn, I miss that car!

If Ford would have made the SC with a supercharged V8, that woulda been sweet.

"woulda shoulda, coulda"

Habibi

 

a cougar (93 i think) with the v-6 and a 95 Thunderbird
with the 4.6 v8. The cougar got great gas mileage and
had plenty of get up and go. The Thunderbird also
(which I still have) gets great gas mileage. It has much
more power than the v6 for things like passing those
slowpokes on the way to school. I REALLY like both of
these cars. I didn't want to get rid of the cougar, but I
was an idiot and had no willpower. I traded it in for the
thunderbird which came right off the showroom floor.
A BEAUTIFUL CAR! Pearl white, leather seats, all power,
premium audio.... My wife has been driving it now for over
7 years with little or no problems. Of course, during that
time she has wrecked it numerous times(horrible driver).
The only body panels on it that are still original is the top
and moonroof. Everything else on it has been replaced
or reshaped (trunk, doors, front cap, rear quarters). Did
I mention she is a horrible driver? I HIGHLY
recommend these cars! They are great for commuting to
work because of the great mileage, but also look pretty
good doin' it. Hope this helps.