1986 T-Bird (http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=175825215&dealer_id=55753152&car_year=1986&make=FORD&distance=200&lang=en&max_price=&model=TBIRD&sponsorModel=&end_year=1986&min_price=&certified=&address=61603&search_type=both&advanced=&start_year=1984&isp=y&cardist=88)
I think he will have the car until the price comes down some.
maybe it be worth that much again in 10-20 more years (and if it was stored in a bubble)
Another guy trying to get his money back for a car he never drove. Kinda sad when they say "If you think this price is high, try taking that money to your local new car dealer and see what it will buy you" because it WILL buy you a better performing, safer, more reliable car. (I'm thinking Hyundai Tiburon)
He'll be sitting on that car for another 10 years at that price. But if I was a millionaire I'd buy it. :)
You lost me at 'better performing'.
So how many rubber pieces on this car have deteriorated just by the passage of time that should have been replaced by now? No water or not there is still moisture in the air too so no water does not mean no rust, especially underneath (surface rust on rear axle and cover, other miscellaneous places) Those coveted rust free cars from out west stay rust free and get wet, but there is little moisture, if any, in the air most of the time.
Well if you put new tires on the Tbird, it might be similar in the performance department. Anyone care to dig up road test specs of a 85-86 Tcoupe and a Tiburon? I bet they are gonna be pretty close in every maneuver, except for braking...the Hyundai with discs and ABS will spank the bird in that one.
Not that I like Tiburons, I just don't like smart-ass sellers who say idiotic things like that to justify an insane asking price. That's all I'm sayin.
He wants that much money for the car and puts up 1 slightly out of focus picture.
OK guys, say you were in his position. You have a 20-year-old car that is practically a virgin in ALL respects. There's no book value to cover a car like his. You and I and everyone else that views that page 100% absolutely KNOW the car is valuable.
Is it collectible? Sure.
Is it mint? Probably won't find one again like this in your lifetime.
So is it worth the price? Of course.
Getting someone to pay that price, that's a different story. I'm thinking if you saw that car 20 years ago on the showroom floor and never bought it, but regret that to this day, then this is your car (you can always buy back your past...it'll just reach deeper into your pocket, that's all!). In that case, it's worth the money. To us, it may seem crazy. But your name isn't on the title...it's his call.
And speaking as someone from a unique viewpoint of car value, you don't even want to know what I've got into the convertible, and what I'd ask out of it were I to ever sell it (which I'm not planning--this is just hypothetical). My asking price would make this guy's TC seem like chump change...believe dat homie. ;)
Your right on the money no pun intended
Considering the dollar is only worth roughly half what it was in '86, it really wasn't a good investment for the seller...
But I agree fully with Eric it is very collectable, and if kept in its current condition it will only appreciate in value. Problem is few of us have the money to buy a car we're just gonna polish and look at...
too bad He didn't have an 87 or 88 tc much better car to store in my opinion
No love for the "4-eyes" around here sometimes..
And that is why he will be sitting on that car for decades. When the car is really worth that price, we'll all be a LOT older. ;)
Oh, and you that the Turbo Coupe was bad?
Look at this: http://www.chooseyouritem.com/autos/files/8000/8166.html
Looks about as clean as mine was when I got it. I only paid $6500 for it. But that is just crazy. :crazy:
Hey, at least he didn't say Cougar... at least the bird can be represented here without fear.
Yeah, I just think the 83-86s are almost the red-headed stepchildren around here sometimes. People pushing others to stick 87-88 noses on 'em, etc. I actually prefer the "4-eyes" look because to me it looks a little more aggressive, for lack of a better term. (esp. if you black out the headlight surrounds, etc.) I just went back and re-painted mine in gunmetal metallic (to match the 2-tone I made the car) and clearcoat, and I love how it came out.
I don't have a problem with the 87-88s.. obviously I don't, since I own one.. but it just seems like the 83-86s are almost disliked. Maybe things will improve when Chuck's "clone" is all painted and everything. That was getting favorable responses even before primer.
The 4 eyed birds look waaaay better in my book. The nose isn't so long, the roofline and c-pillar is way sleeker, the decklid is lower and more elegant.
(http://blizzard.he.net/~foxbody/pics/ourcars/85fordtbird30thSMSWEET2.jpg)
I'm the opposite with the Cougars, I like the 87-88 for its more aggressive nose, more curvy rear window, and more upright trunk. Looks more like a Merc should.
(http://blizzard.he.net/~foxbody/pics/ourcars/88merccougarXR7smSWEETsmall.jpg)
But anyway, nobody should hate the 4 eyed models. They were here first, made Ford plenty of money, and paved the way for the 87-88s because of their success.
I prefer the 85-86 T-Birds over the 87-88's, which is saying something considering I've had two 87-88's (one of each) and only one 85-86 (an 85 base V6). To me the "four eye" look perfectly bridges the "muscle car" look with the modern, aero look. On the other hand, I prefer the 87-88 Cougars over the 85-86 models - not so much because the 85-86 versions look bad, but because the 87-88 is such an absolutely perfect automotive design in my eyes. Ford hasn't gotten a design so "right" since, until the '05 Mustang.
That being said, as for the value of that car: I've said it a million times, a car is only worth what somebody is willing to pay for it. These cars have a very limited appeal to the general public. They're big, they're slow, and they are getting harder to fix due to lack of parts. We all love them, but we are in a minority.
There is not a Fox T-Bird fan around that would not love to have that car, but whether there's one willing to part with $15k for it is another question. The car has a few serious misgivings that prevent it from being the cream of the Thunderbird crop:
It's an automatic
It's missing some very desirable options (leather and moonroof)
It's an '86. Try to defend the 86 as you might, there is no denying that the intercooled, PRC and ABS equipped, four-wheel disc brake'd, 8.8" rear, 11" front brake, 190-horsepower 5-speed 87 model is a better car overall (from the factory). Looks are subjective, but performance is not. Yes, you could add a lot of that stuff to the '86 (disc rear, 11" brakes, intercooler, 5-speed) but that would destroy the originality of the car.
The fact is that these cars are not desirable enough, even to us, to spend that much on a pristine example. We'd pretty much all rather buy one in just "very good" condition and then have guilt-free fun with driving and modding it. Sure, if I hit the lottery I'd consider it, but until then I can think of much better places for the money.
And yes, I'm aware that styling wise the 83-84 is almost identical to the 85-86, but I like the 85-88 interior much more than the 83-84, and driving the car, the interior is what you look at. That's why I didn't include the 83-84 in my "which ones I like better" list - I do like 'em, but they come in third.
Both those sellers need to get a reality check, The tc in the condition that it is in i would say should fetch maybe 5-6 k and that Mark i would say the same, 40 k for that mark?
Didn't you read any of the replies here?