Hey guys, a buddy of mine called me up the other day and said he saw a sweet red '87-'88 T/C for sale and that I should take a look. The car had only 52k original miles and was completely stripped and re-done(should i say restored?). The car looks brand freakin new with the exception of some sun fading on the rear seats which is quite noticable. What do you guys think for $10k? I think it's $7,500 nice, but then again, I am a cheap :D
For $10K of my money it would have to be a all original, fully loaded, very low milage (10 - 15K or less) climate controled garage kept, no blimishes of any kind,...you get the idea! Maybe I'm just more of a cheap than you? :)
I agree with Thundergrowl - $10k is too much for that car. I bought mine with 47k miles on it, all original except the tires, in near showroom condition (and that's with original paint) for $3500 CDN three years ago. Sure, mine isn't a TC, but that's not a $6500 "flaw".
Maybe in another 5-10 years one of these cars in good condition might be worth $10k (I'm talking stockers here, not cars like Eric's or Hawk's), but not now...
I feel like this is one of those cars that can never be worth a lot of money, they're okay stock, but I could never stand to drive one stock. There's too much that should be done to one right out of the box, so it's not much of a "collector" car IMO.
I've seen Turbo Coupes with less than 20K on them go for $10,000, but 52K? Nahhh...
no way. 6-7K max, prolly has 20k Into it, but then he should have known it wasn't an investment.
The car you see in my sig was $1500; there's no way I'd pay $10k for one.
Yeah, it was an older guy selling it. He said it used to be his friends car that they were basically going to restore and his friend ended up going through a divorce and sold him the car. He claims to have finished the car(and there are NO exterior blemishes...thought it belonged on a show room with mirrors under it) and was going to drive for fun on the weekends...now his wife wants him to get rid of it because they have too many cars. I guess he's try to recoup some of his losses, but he claims to do these sorts of things regularly, in which case he should know that you never get your money back out of a big project like that. Maybe when my lawsuit settles(if he still has it), I'll offer him like $7k cash...or less. I just wanted to get some input and see what you guys think...I usually see okay condition T/C's going for like $1,500-$2,500.
The thing is, any vehicle made between 1972 and 1993 will pretty much be like that - even the almighty 5.0 Mustang, with its 225 horses, pales in comparison to even a Honda Odyssey minivan nowadays. These cars have a big advantage over most other cars made in that time period, though: They look good. Combine that with the fact that they respond very well to mods, and I think you have a future collector on your hands. Will they ever be a HemiCuda? No, but I think they will certainly go up in value.
Look at it this way: When I had my two 2nd-gen F-bodies I paid $600 for the first one ('78 Trans Am) and $800 for the second ('80 Formula). This was around 1990. The first one was a beater but had a '70 LT1 in it. The second was mint but had a 301. Now, 15 years later, you can't even find a drivable one for under $5k, and a nice one will go well over $10k. And that is with 150-horsepower 301 (or in the case of Camaros, 305) engines.
Sometimes you can find a perfectly fine Tbird like mine in the $1500 range. Solid, straight body, VERY minimal rust, great interior, etc. Not showroom perfect, but who expects that out of a regular driver? I wouldn't even want to buy a showroom car.
i agree. honestly, 6500 sounds more fair to me. my "pull the trigger price" would be much less...maybe 4k.
I paid 1500.00 for mine. Totally stock 88' XR7, 85,000 miles, V-8, garage kept, waxed regularly in greater New Orleans (southern car) just under 2 years ago. Interior perfect, body 2 or 3 small, but not very noticeable door dings, and maintenance ketp up on. Yes, I got a great deal, but any used car WILL almost always have issues. That's why the warranty is not eternal. Yes, to me, the car was worth more, maybe even 3,000 at the most. I'm going to have to agree with everyone alse on here, but any car is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
The most I've seen one fetch on Ebay was $7800. That was for an untouched, one owner,23K fully loaded white '88 that was perfect. Had all the paperwork, window sticker, etc.
IMO....$10K is too much....the market just does not exist for these cars yet to fetch big money (and likely never will IMO)
Too bad I didn't see it, would been a nice one for a 347 swap...
I think you would be surprised at how many people like these cars. They sold very well in their day. They may never have the appeal the late 60's & early 70's cars did, but I think they will. I guess only time will tell.
Any time I see one for sale, and in decent shape, they seem to go very quickly, at least in SW Ohio anyway. I'm also amazed at what allot people are asking for, price wise.
Nice lookin' bird Hawk. Color looks great.
I would think the highest valued T/c would be one of the 83-84 models. They were the lowest years of production. Even then $10K is to much for even that.
Yeah, if a super mint, ultra-low mileage car with the window sticker went for $7800 in an environment where hundreds of thousands of people will see it, I highly doubt he'll get $7,000 for his in a parking lot. Personally, I'm glad there isn't a big market for these things, like the GNX's. Could you imagine paying $10-$15K just for an OKAY condition T/C?
People bought them because
A) They were in the minority in that they were a rather good looking car in a time of the dark ages of the automobile
B) Were a good value when new
C)Were very competitive with other vehicles of the time period in perfomance.
If the 87 body style came out in say 2000 and they all came equipped with a drivetrain from a same year Mustang GT with everything else being equal I don't think they would fare as well. The car market has changed(not necessarily for the better). These cars would most likely be critisized by every car magazine the same way the Panther chassis is now.
I drove a 66' mustang when I was a bit younger,car was in good shape and working order also, and after driving it, it killed my love for the car. It felt like a piece of junk, literaly. I've owned allot of cars and even though I own an 04' Mach1, I will always love looking and driving my 86' more, it's personal. Besides, people bought the original mustang for the same reasons you gave about these cars, and now look. I've owned a 89' & a 94' cougar also (94' was loaded by the way), and even though the 90's out performs the foxes, easily, I will always like the fox's better. It's all about nostalgia, new cars always out perform. If they didn't, who would buy them. Look at what they have done to the mustang, and it wasn't a great car when it came out, it just happened to be the right car at the right time. When you reach my age, you may think differently. Of course, when your my age, you may decide it's better not to think at all. Sometimes it's just not worth the stress.
Oh yea. Nice cars by the way. That blue looks good on the new mustangs.
Hell, I'm glad Thunderbirds aren't even as expensive as Fox Mustangs are. Look at how much they sell for...I NEVER see a 5.0 go for under $4000 here unless it's a POS. Many of them are listed for $6000, and I see them for $8500 or more on occasion. I know some car dealer up around here had a '92 or '93 Fox 5.0 vert for $10,000 awhile back. Would I pay that much, hell no, I don't even think they're worth $4000....
My TC was 150 in decent shape, yeah one hundred fifty dollars, and was even running, just on three cylinders due to a broken rocker arm. As soon as anything goes wrong on one of these cars, and someone trys to get rid of it, they'll practically give it away. Especially since some people are so uneducated about their common problems.
I think 10 grand is way high! Even though very nice examples of these cars are getting rare (I cant remember the last time I've seen a TC on the road... In any condition.) they dont hold any kind of collector status or investment value. In fact, out of all the thousands of fox T-Birds and cougars that were produced I bet less than half of them even exist today... and that's probably an optimistic guess. I'd be willing to bet that in another 20 years there will only be a handfull left.
Anyway, If I wasn't buying a certain 86 on Friday :D I'd be seriously considering this one:
http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?t=7032
That's about as clean as they come judging by the pics.
$10k seems way to high to me, Though, If i had the money to spend... I would probably be saying otherwise. :hick:
I ussually only ever see fox birds or cats around here at the Junkyard, Sad but true. :mad:
A Few years ago, There was a nice I would say Candy Apple Red 87 TC up the street, Had chrome side kick plates which im not used to seeing + the full chrome package.
Havent seen it in about 3 years, It just disapeared.
And in it's place?.... A Fiero. :bs:
Recently up the street A Brown 83-84 showed up. :D
With how little these cars are looked down upon, And then just tossed away.
I see them becoming very scarce in the future.
I'm not sure what the production numbers were on them through 83-88, But, I agree when there is probably already at least half left.
It's worth what someone's willing to pay for it.......in other words what the market will bear. We'll never know because the car will never be for sale....at least not while I have a pulse. Selling that car would be like selling my kid.
LOL!!! The NATO guys would love you even more if you did that.
I paid 1200 for mine, pretty good condition. The guy wanted 2K for it, but I offered cash on the spot. Needless to say, he took it. Money talks, offer him 5, work up to 7. Any more than that, keep looking.
Some guy at a car show wanted to buy mine for $6,000. I couldn't sell it I like it too much. I agree these cars are getting rare. I mean Ford made almost 350,000 Thunderbirds in 1977. How many do you see now? I bet that in 10 years there won't be as many Tbirds or Cougars as there are Fox Mustangs left. Parts are going to be a b**ch to find soon.......
It's funny that this issue has come up...I found this today on my lunch break.....
1988 THUNDERBIRD TURBO COUPE
midnight blue, leather, 5spd, EC, no winters, 1 owner, 34kmi, $10000 Mohawk, NY (315) 823-1237 (315) 724-2777
Problem is that for those of us in the rust belt, everything rusts til it's junk...that's why you don't see many of these older cars.
BTW a friend of mine that lives in Iowa has a buddy with a 1400 (yes fourteen hundred) mile turbo coupe, that I believe he paid actually more than $10,000 for...guy is supposed to be trailering that car to the World Ford Challenge.
-check My Sig. $10,000 Wouldnt Even Get A Glance For Mine....
19 YEARS, IT WAS OVER $18,000 ON THE STICKER, I WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE WORTH THAT MUCH.....
hey i believe i saw a 87-88 cougar on ebay for like $16,000 a while back .... it did look pretty nice though ...