And afterward you can't really figure out why?
I was at the parts store the other night getting some stuff. Went back out to my car and this guy rolls up.
Guy: Hey, is that your turbo coupe?
Me (as I'm opening the passenger door, with my bag sitting on the roof of the car): Yeah.
Guy: I used to have one of those. Is it a 5 speed?
Me: Yeah.
Guy: Only way to have them.
Me: Yeah pretty much...
Guy: I used to have two turbo coupes. Now I have a 199x Super Coupe.(I don't remember the year) Supercharged V6.
Me: Yeah...
Guy: How many miles does that thing have on it?
Me: 167,000.
Guy: Yeah, my Super Coupe has 155,000 on it.
Me: Yeah...
Guy: Well hey man have a good one.
Me: Alrighty then.
Yup. People talk to me all the time about my 82 Cougar Station Wagon.:D
Most of the comments are that they never knew there was such a thing. Details in the link.:screwy: :cheers: :) :crazy: :rollin: ;)
http://www.cougarsw.flacarshows.com/index.htm
dont get too many conversations like that up here... Everybody has the camaro disease, and they dont know what a thunderbird is.
I can think of two occurences. Both of happened at a gas station but only one I can't figure out why he said anything.
#1 - I have no clue why
Scene: The weld on my exhaust at the cat blew out so I was making a lot of noise. I say noise because the car didn't sound right at all running with no lers. I pulled into the gas station to fill up and as I'm coming in, this ratty looking guy is staring at the car. I then get out and start pumping gas.
Dialogue:
guy: "whew, is it fast?"
me: "uh, eh, it's allright"
guy: "cool" - then he left. WTF?!
#2 - the guy just wanted to compliment the car.
Scene: While filling up the tank, I noticed a guy walking out of the store eyeing up the car. He got in his truck and backed out of his spot and pulled right next to me.
Dialogue:
guy: "Hey, what year is that?"
me: "an '88"
guy: " that's nice. I never see any that aren't tore up. Well, take care of it."
me: "thanks"
I'll just skip over all those "look at that T-bird" comments :flame:
I was at the gas statin one night, and the older lady filling up next to me looks over and says
Lady: Is that a Thunderbird?
Me: (surprised look) Yes.
Lady: Is it brand new?
Me: (surprised look) No, its an '83.
Lady: Wow, that is in really nice shape. My son's mother in law has a '57. He drives it around the block for her a couple of times a year so it doesn't sit all the time. Reminds me of the one my dad bought brand new for me in '55 when I graduated from high school. Do you ever take it to any shows?
Me: Occasionally. I have one coming up here in a ......(got interupted)
Lady: I have this new Nissan and I am not to sure I like it. Nice car I better get going, have to meet my daughter for dinner.
Any conversations with strangers that start over my car usually end up with them thinking I don't know what I am talking about because
- Mercury never made a Cougar with a 5-speed
which of course generally leads to the comment of
- and they definitely never made one with a 4 cylinder engine.
[/I][/B]
You must be crazy. :crazy:
Brent
:cougarsmily:
i've gotten a few compliments on my current turbocoupe.
one was pretty funny.
guy: what's the deal with thos scoops?
me: it's the ducting for the intercooler.
guy: (looks at me like i'm crazy) they never made no supercharged thunderbird.
me: actually they did, it was called the supercoupe and was made in the 90's mn-12 body thunderbirds. this isn't one of those... it's a turbocoupe.
guy: you telling me they made a supercharged on AND turbocharged one??? (i got another wierd look)
me: yep. the supercoupes were a 3.8 v6 and the turbocoupes were a turbocharged 2.3 inline 4.
guy: yeah right. they wouldn't put a 4 cyl in a thunderbird.
me: fine, look. (i pop the hood)
guy: no shiznit!
he looked at it for a bit and complimented me on having a nice car and got in his busted ass corolla and drove away.
I don't get approached with the Sport because it's wicked ugly (bodywork in progress),but,when I open the hood,I get a lot of comments and looks.The Blue T-Bird got a lot of comments.I would guess that when the Sport is painted,people will be asking about it.
Most of the comments I got were after I walked their performance car from a light. Other than that, its just dirty looks.
I used to get a lot people asking if my '88 Bird had a "5.0" in it at the stoplight, because I had dual exhaust on it.
I would tell them..."no it's just a V6"...and they would looked shocked.
Now if they ask if it's got a "5.0".....I say "it's a 306" and that still confuses them..haha...some people just don't understand
This morning at Autozone getting power steering pump for the new cat:
Me: I need a power steering pump for an '88 Cougar XR-7
Clerk: The white one outside?
Me: (without thinking) Yeah.
Clerk: Wow, man, that's a nice ride.
Me:Thanks. It needs somework though.
Clerk: That a V8?
Me: (Thinking "if you were looking up the part instead of jabbering, you'd know") Yeah.
Clerk: I thought so. The body kit gives it away.
Me: Uh-huh. (Farquin Idgit)
Clerk: Bet that'll smoke the tires.
Me: Yep.
Clerk:Power steering pump is $55 with res. $10 core.
Me: Good enough.
Clerk: Have a nice day.
Me:Mmmm-hmmm.
Every time that happens to me, it's pretty clear why they started the conversation.
I haven't driven After (http://www.cardomain.com/ride/383878) since last fall until the last few weeks and I just went into the parts store to get some trans additive for one of my limousines. I was in there for barely 5 minutes and on the way out, I see someone taking pictures of After with their cell phone.
As I got closer, he asked if this was my car and used a bunch of hip-hop jargon to give it several compliments. I told him I took it as a compliment to see someone taking cell phone pictures in a parking lot.
I've had other similar situations with this car and my charcoal '78 limousine (http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2488908), too many to list and remember.
Well I've had a few of those. The most memorable would be when I actually met 8birdy8 ( a lurker of this board).
While working at Autozone:
Jim: I need an oil sending unit for a 88 Thunderbird with a gage.
Me: Hey thats cool. Putting gages in?
Jim: Well kinda, installing an buttstuffog cluster out of a Sport.
Me: Awesome! Thats my Cougar out in the parking lot.
Jim: The white one?
Me: Yeah
Jim: Nice, I noticed the snowflakes on it. Kinda wanted to talk to the guy with that car.
Me: You got him!
Me: Hey you should join the foxtbirdcougarforums.com
Jim: I'm already a member!
We later exchanged information and he has been one of my best friends since. Hell we live in the same town now about 5 minutes away from each other. We have made several trips to the junkyard and stripped out many Foxes. Hell Wednesday I helped him install the crank in his new motor.
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I had a letter on the windshield of my car once after getting off school. Guy left his number, said he had some parts..
Later when I talked to him he said he noticed the car was lowered and it had snowflakes on it. That got him to stop and get out of his truck and look. When he noticed the TC seats, TC cluster he was really intrigued. Seeing the 5 speed was what made him leave the note.
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While changing a battery in a Maxima while working at AutoZone the guy ask me what I drove. I pointed to my Cougar. He told me all about his old 88 Thunderbird. He walked over to my car and spent about 5 minutes walking around and looking at everything. Had a long conversation about old foxes.
I've had several little conversations about my car or another persons fox (I do live in Ohio) while at a gas station or some parking lot.
Hell just today I talked to a woman for about ten minutes. She came to the dealership in an 88 Thunderbird LX. Had a for sale sign in the window. Little beet up but a solid running car.
i get people coming up to me all the time to ask me about my car.
usually the " whats is that, a thunderbird? i forgot ford made those(model), it looks nice."
followed by the " what motor does it have, a 5.0?" then " you could put one in there easily:hick:
older people usually, some of them probly remembering when they had one i guess.
my last car before this one i actually had people chase and flag me down to ask me about it quite frequently. it wasnt a ford though.
Not really a question but going thru the drive thru at A&W the window guy said "That sir is an exquisite car", to which I replied "Yeah, I guess".
Other than that I've had people come up to me and ask if its a T-Bird, to which I reply "F#%& off".
I used to work at O'riely auto parts, while working one day this guy in his mid 20's came in with a camero z28 from the late 90's.Well he starts talking about how fast his car was, and how he loves beating other cars yada yada yada. He then asked what I drove and I pointed it out to him. We walked outside as I was heading to lunch and I asked him if he wanted to go around the block, he said yes and away we went. Here’s where it got funny I made a few spirited passes and lit up the 275/50/15 nitto drag radials a few times. Then I dropped the bomb on him.
Him: Man, this things fast
Me: not bad for a 4 banger?
him: this isn’t a 4 cyl!
Me: Ya it is, its a 2.3l 4 cyl
Him: No this is a v8. This feels as fast as my z28!
we went back and forth for a while until finally I pulled over and popped the hood He was shocked and in silent disbelief, until I said" Do you wana race?"
him: (best part)Hell No, I don’t wana get beat by a 4cyl!
I laughed for days about that one!
Well thats where your wrong from 99-04 when they ceased production they were avaliable with the same 2.0 i4 that is in focus hatch's(I know alot of you here dont like/validate the 99's as cougars but hell i didnt like them at one point either , then i had to work on one at MTP and actually thought hey i can fit in this comfortably). Now for a foxbody with a 4 cyl no.
I actually have had quite a few people come up to me and offer straight up cash for my 87. The ever so often older person i saw staring at the car when I was getting out of a store was kinda funny.
What do you mean they never made a foxbody with a 4 cyl? Early cougar XR7's were turbo 4, and the turbo coupes.
When my dad was still around, we had a few people stop and ask us about it, mostly because you could hear the turbo spool. People loved the look of it, god I miss that thing.
Pretty much never. Which is fine by me.
Prolly the best compliment I ever got was at a local speed shop. It was right after I did the 5-lug conversion to darkthunder. The owner was completely shocked at how different the car looked with the Cobras and the new springs. There were plenty of other cars out there (much better than mine) so I was kinda surprised he even noticed it.
Funny thing is, I might of unintentionally blew him off. I was just trying to grab my stuff and get home before sundown, no garage.
You
DO realize they put the 2.3 turbo in the early Cougar XR7's, don't you? '83-86 or '84-86, I can't remember.
Johns gold Tbird is sitting behind Jims house (regular members know these names). Jim says that there have been 4 people stop and ask to buy the car.
My Bird's been hiding in the garage for months (hell, almost a full year). Every once in a while I pull it out to bring something else in to work on. It looks like hell right now - in primer, no lights, no side glass, no back bumper cover, and I didn't think anyone would pay much attention to it. The other day I had two locals ask me about it. One was the owner of the small gas station just down the road. He has a '67 Galaxie 500, and I mentioned that I used to have a '66. He mentioned that he used to have a Turbo Coupe like the one he's seen in my yard and asked me a bunch of stuff about mine (I had to tell him it wasn't a TC). He said he'd been watching the progress I've been making and is looking forward to seeing it on the road. The other was a guy that still owns one that looks just like mine did before the bodywork started. I've actually seen his car before, in fact I parked right next to it at the grocery store once. He asked me if I was selling any parts :hick:
As for you guys grumbling that people are calling your Cougars Thunderbirds: I've owned five Thunderbirds (85 V6, 91 V6, 87 Sport, 87 TC, 88 base V8) and one Cougar (88 LS V8). To this day my father refers to my Thunderbird (and the 87 Sport before it) as "That Cougar". I had lent him the Cougar to go on vacation and he fell in love with it...