The Wife saw a nice black (~05?) T-Bird in a parking lot the other day and asked me about it. Went to the Ford website and found out that 05 was the last year

D*mn, I think she really wants one to replace the old Buick. Guess we'll have to start looking for used ones

Scott

 

Because they didn't really sell all that well, and the platform (DEW98) is too expensive to make. That's why the LS is going away after '06.

 

Thanks Quintin. I'm really thinking about getting one of those in black or metallic blue if the wifey wants one.

 

They're neat little cars, and the 282 hp versions ('03+ I think) move out pretty well.

 

They just wern't marketed well, same for the big Ex.

Adrianspeeder

 

They were too expensive...in a nutshell

 

That vehicle fell into the "old folks car" category along with the crown vic, unfortunately. We couldn't give them away. People didn't even want to test drive them. Which is unfortanate, because the latest incarnation of the T-Bird really was a great car.

 

The Wife and I are pushing 50:o The kids are in college and that is the perfect car for those weekend drives. I remember placing the factory order for my '05 F-150 at the dealer and seeing a couple of them on the lot. Wish I could have bought one of those

Day late and a dollar short, for a new one. I think most of the folks that own these now are taking really good care of them. Hoping to find a nice gently used one someday.

Thanks again!

 

You might check out www.carmax.com

 

If Ford had used the same strategy with the TBird that they used with the new Mustang it would have been an instant seller. They chose a WAY too expensive platform to build on (Jaguar S type if memory serves). If they had used an established platform from their own product line it could have been built and sold for much less.

It's too bad the 'Bird is gone I've had four over the years and they were all great cars, the newest version was a sweet looking ride.

 

I went to that site that tbizzle listed above (Thanks!) and noticed the used ones with low miles are pretty reasonably priced. Unfortunately, they are all a long way from my town. I can't find a single one on the local dealer lots yet. We have quite a number of Ford dealerships around here too. Man those black ones sure look sweet, especially with the hardtop. Oh man!

 

The new Mustang is built on a live axle variant of the same DEW98 platform as the Lincoln LS, the T-Bird and the Jag.

It wasn't cost that killed the T-Bird. It was lack of image and lack of value. For that kind of money, most people want real performance, not just nostalgic looks. That combined with the "old man's car" image doomed it.

 

The retro style bird is ugly, the RWD cougaur and T-bird, 5.0 SC 3.8 and the 4.6 were awsome cars, My Mom has a 95 cougaur and that car is mint, less than a 100.000 KM and it will run with any car on the road, car for car a T-bird - cougaur is a better car than a fox body mustang, maybe Ford did not want a in house rival.

 

Yeah -- I thought the latest rendition of the T-bird was a pretty nice looking car! Unfortunately, every time you saw on the road it was being driven by some gray-haired old fart with his dried-up prune of a wife -- not really an image that will move a lot of new cars! It definitely got tagged with the "mid-life" crisis label!

 

It may or may not matter to you, but the car is a complete and total pain in the *** to work on too. Ten pounds of @#$! in a five pound bag. Packaging nightmare.

For instance - Most cars and trucks use weights welded onto the driveshaft to balance the drivetrain. Not a T-Bird or LS. They use different weight washers and nuts on the front and rear pinion flanges. Don't put them back in the wrong place if you ever pull the driveshaft out of one.