First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

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First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #30 – May 25, 2006, 12:03:55 PM

Quote from: oldraven

My opinion is that you have to be really stuborn to own one of these cars.

You will NEVER get me to admit I'm stubborn.......

NEVER I tell you!!!!!

:mad:

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #31 – May 25, 2006, 01:26:57 PM

I actually bought my cougar for the motor. I have always wanted to put one in my Ranger (5.0) and a guy at work was selling it for 300. Well to make a long story short, I fell in love at first sight. I could not bear the thought of riping the heart out and putin it in a different vehicle, also I had finally purchased my first "muscle" car and V8. My dad was proud. So I am patiently waiting to get the transmission fixed so I can move it with out using a tank of gas and then the restoration starts.

Besides I have my winter 4x4 and summer fun now. I am complete.

Dan

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #32 – May 26, 2006, 12:11:19 AM

Now there's one thing I've never had a problem with in a fox car, is reliability. Aside from my alternator follies last year (which were self inflicted, trying to keep a six dollar alternator going) my white car has always started, and I wouldn't hesitate to drive it a thousand miles (in fact I drove it two thousand last October, to Montreal & back). My silver '87 Sport, grey '88 LS, and even the sage green '85 base were all dead reliable. The only unreliable T-Bird I ever owned was the '91.

Reliability isn't what made me decide to semi-retire the 'Bird. Hell, the thing is more reliable that that POS Volvo. It was preservation and the ablility now to be able to do some work to it that made that decision for me...

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #33 – May 26, 2006, 12:20:26 AM

Same here, Thunderchicken. The only time my car ever broke down (so far...knock on wood) was when the all original alternator died (well over 100k miles). Then the auto parts store gave us the wrong replacement, but once that was fixed, she's been running like a champ.

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #34 – May 26, 2006, 01:26:24 AM

Well, I can understand both sides of this it seems. My 88' makes an awesome Daily driver. The 86', well, maybe after I get some things fixed (205,000 on her) but she has felt like for a few years now. The 86' is why I bought the mach1. Power and dependability. I was getting sick of all the issues the 86' had. Always wanted more money in her.
The 88' was down for a couple of months because of a recouring relay from the pump issue (moisture), but after these last few weeks having it back and driving it almost every day again, I forgot about the mach1 for a couple weeks since it drives so nice, and was a bit more comfortable to drive. Auto vs. stick.

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #35 – May 26, 2006, 10:02:30 PM

My T-bird has been dead reliable, well untill tonight. A heater hose sprung a leak on the way to a car show. First time something has broke while I was out, even though it's an age thing.

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #36 – May 26, 2006, 11:12:01 PM

Guys guys what is going on here??????????????????
I'm not trying to start a flame war and i do understand the arguments of newer vehicles but hell i can never to this day see myself not driving my fox bird as a driver.
I drive new cars all day being a mechanic and personally they bore me,i love starting my 87 and hearing the roar of my 5.0,none of this is my car even running because it's so quiet.
If i won the lotto(never gonna happen)i'd have the 87 fully stripped and made to be show room but heavily modded to outhandle and beat most everything on the street(hell this year with 500 ponies it's gonna do that anyways,thank you VORTECH).
Now i drove my sc mn12 all winter this year(to rusted under the skirts to be saved)and yea it's a great car and turns me on for a v6(and i hate the 3.8L as an eng)but i was,i'll admit it scared and excited to drive the TC again for the summer.
With all the compliments i get and the turned heads you just gotta love it.
As for reliability,i think it's gotta be a 2.3L,3.8L thing because my 5.0L has never let me down,less the ocassional alternator or fuel pump which should be resolved with the 255walbro and 200amp 3g conversions,other than that it"s always dead reliable witch is more than i can say for nissans and chryslers anyhow.
I see cars everyday at nissan with retarded problems and recalls,dam lets not talk about that as they have to be the worst,not only that you think our cars have rust problems,you should see the battles we go through everyday tring to remove parts off of 3 year old vehicles.
Cyrslers are even worse,they still can't get their together,sure the 300s and magnums look nice but have you ever looked at the hoods or door bottoms of a 3 year old cyrco,rusted in the seams,absouloutley horrible quality.
Everybodies entiteled to there own opionions and i respect that but for me give me a good condition fox anyday over any and i mean any new car!!!

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #37 – May 26, 2006, 11:15:26 PM

this is one bad ass ride i gotta say i have never seen a convertable cougar !!!

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #38 – May 27, 2006, 12:30:12 AM

dominator

You gotta remember that some of our cars have been handed down. My 88', does not run perfect, but it does drive and handle great. My 86' has seen better days and feels like trash right now, especialy since the exhaust is in bad shape and shake violently as 60 mph, but eventualy, it will become my dream car as i can afford to fix and add what I want in the future. I've had people ask to take pics of it, and have had a kid come running out of a oil change place just to look at it. It just got complimented on today. Love to see yours by the way. Can't remember if I've seen it before, but the small pic on your avatar looks nice.
I had an 84' I let go some years ago, and it ran very well also. I've also had a 5cyl (one of the 6 cylinders did not work) cat given to me, and it was a piece of junk. Not every fox has been treated well in the past. The 84' is now trashed somewhere because the owner just doesn't seem to be able to take care of anything. You also have to remember not everyone has the talent to fix, or can afford to fix thier fox either. I know what you mean though. Gotta love these foxes!!!

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #39 – May 27, 2006, 09:28:16 AM

True to all that and i do understand that there are alot of hurtin foxes out there,i used to drive what looked like a nice 88 but it was so badly rotted the frame broke right at the torque box.\
I was so sadened to see my 88 stripped in the parking lot before it sped it.
Although it was comforting to find my 87 TC in exactly the same colour and with more options the same week i stripped my car.
As for mileage i know what you guys mean,my TC still has under 100 000km's on it,93458km's to be exact and it's gonna suck to see it turn 100 000 but just gotta drive it.
When i put it away again at the end of the summer i'm sure it will be over 100km's due to the fact i take it everywhere,camping,road trips etc,the thing is so dam reliable,but it's all due to preventative maint and constantly checking the car over on my hoist at work.
Now i know most of the people in here don't have that luxury so i understand there side as if i didn't, my ride would not be in the condition it's in.
I can post pics this afternoon but my car is in readers rides at coolcats and there is two of my fav pics there.
As for the not taking car of your car,i see it every day with some of the YCP,S(you cheap prick)we get into my work.
Only oil changes for 100 000km's and they wonder why they end up with a 2000.00 estimate when they bring there car in for a check eng light after there warranty expires(duh)i see new cars everyday with only like 2-10 000km's with recalls and check eng lights on,luckly there under warranty but my car may need 500.00 worth of parts in a year and that's only one months car payment on a new stang at this point so you can see my point as well.
Plus as thunderchicken mentioned the depreciation as soon as you drive off the lot is like 5000 dollars,HELLO,that's just insane.
Classic example check out the 02-04 stangs,as soon as the 05 came out they dropped dramtically in value,there are tons for sale out here and no one wants them.
In the end,still love my fox-bird and always will.

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #40 – May 28, 2006, 02:00:53 PM

I have had a bird since 1984, and other fox bodies prior to that. I still like my fox cars. Some aspects of them are dated but considering the fox was introduced in 1978 as the Faormont it is to be expected. The ride quaility on rough roads is choppy and always was, but these cars handle good. Comfort is decent, but in 20 years things to provide comfort/utility have advanced. I like my cupholders and multipe power ports. Overall driving my bird vs. driving my 2002 car is different. I would not say one is better, but i would not want to, nor is it practical for me to use my 20 year old car as a driver, as a matter of fact chances are the 2002 will be retired by fall 2007. I will however keep the bird as long as posssible.
I like my 5.0 and I am beginning to like the feel of having my 20 year old car be nicer than others 4-7 year old cars.

I think one thing is true it is OUR responsibility to keep these cars running and preserve them. As time goes by we will be the only ones who CAN fix them, or hopefully have parts for them. Even now most mechanics either do not want to bother with cars like ours or lack the skill set to deal with us. It is up to us to maintain the skills and info to keep these beasts on the road. Most mechanics do not want to or can not deal with eec 4, if it is not obd2 they are not interested. We know the intricacies of our cars others do not. Many view our cars as just old and will do hack repairs on them anyway.

I say it is time to keep presevation in mind.

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #41 – May 28, 2006, 08:36:13 PM

I do agree with you,being a mechanic myself i hate working on old rusted cars that aren't obd2 but for me i know my old bird and the eec-iv so all is good(getting to know it better since the anderson install),but i do know that most techs shy far away from anything older,kinda sucks but that's how they are.

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #42 – May 29, 2006, 01:55:30 PM

Quote from: Chuck W

You will NEVER get me to admit I'm stubborn.......

NEVER I tell you!!!!!

:mad:

And you'll never get me to admit I misspelled stubborn......

N'heifer!!!!! :mad:

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #43 – May 29, 2006, 03:32:08 PM

Quote from: Thunder Chicken

I guess it's very similar for any classic car owner. If you had a '66 Mustang it would not be a very good daily driver, even compared to a pedestrian Cavalier or Focus. But it'd still be a good car to hang on to :p

Yea if I want to make the TC feel modern, I just take the old Cobra Jet out... No power steering(actually NO power anything, other than brakes), stiff clutch, hard straight up bucket seats... Makes the TC look and feel great again...

And 33 years ago it was my daily driver... Actually took it to Chicago and Iowa in the summer of '76. With the July heat and the black vinyl interior we 'bout melted... Was a lot cooler in July of '93 when I drove it to New Castle PA and over into OH a couple of times, so we faired a bit better... After about the 3rd day it was feeling normal... So FEEL is basically what you get used to, 33 years ago I would have argued it was the best driving car on the road. These days it compares to a field truck...

A buddy drove the CJ back from a car show a couple years ago and stated "man I forgot how primitive those things really are"...

Quote from: EricCoolCats

Y'all have to remember something, too. My first Cougar was bought in May 1987. That's 19 years ago. I don't know if there's anyone else on this board that has stuck with these cars that long (maybe Tom...?). So that's all I've known for two decades. Now I know that same car, but from a different point of view.
...

Nope I bought my first Fox Bird('88 TC 5 speed) in the summer of '96... I was paying child support and buying/selling all the Chevettes, and Mustangs I could get my hands on in '87... Don't remember exactly what was my regular driver, likely a 200 6cyl '79 Fairmont, or maybe a '80 231 Buick V6 Monza... Didn't keep them long back then... I did buy a Diesel '81 Cutlass Wagon(actually a sharp car with a set of Olds Rally wheels) in early '88, that I drove till '93 while I was doing some resto on the CJ. Thats when I started getting back into the performance stuff...

Your multipoint view of the Cougars is compareable to me and the CJ... Yup it's a changed world, and we've changed as well...

I like the idea of Cool Cats leaning to the resto side... Now since all these Birds/Cougs are 19+ years old it's time..

First Drive of the Year - And Thoughts

Reply #44 – May 30, 2006, 05:55:50 AM

I honestally cannot belive a majority of the things that were said here. There is nothing wrong with these cars. There are things wrong with each individual car. I have never really had a problem fitting into my cougar, it more fits into me. Being 6'4, and at one point, well over 200 pounds, the car just fits. I dont have any problems seeing anything over the dashboard, or out the back windows. However.

My old 86 will never die. It has rust, it hardly runs, and it gets 15mpg freeway, max. This has never stopped me from driving it. I used to work for $5.50/hr, for less then 10 hours a week, just so I could buy a tank of gas and waste it in a day. Now, yeah $50, $60 and an up coming $75 a pop for a weeks travel sucks, but it will not change me.

When it comes to these cars, there is something special, not nothing. I dont know what it is, but it has alot of it. I probably havent driven a cougar in the last 3 months, but sometimes its all I think about. My freinds always ask about my cougars, and when I am going to fix this or that. I couldn't count how many people wanted to buy my $110 297,000 mile POS wonder how it runs car.

I have had to pull my seat out, throw in a lawn chair and drive to my job, with people who only wear suits and trade cars in every year. Not very impressive looking to say the least in that enviorment, but everyone got to know me by that car.

But back to the main point I was getting at. I hate power windows. I want to kill them all. When I get another job, I am pulling my "new" power window and door lock doors off and letting them rot in my back yard untill I take out another fire hydrant. Even though, you have to reach over ocassionaly and roll the window up, or lock the door, you never have to worry about it working.

It gets py gas miliage city, so I got a 87 v-6. It gets 25+ city and worse highway. Throw in a 88 engine, a t-5 and a stereo and it is every 16 year olds dream car. Wont have problems with it for years, more likely then not.

Even though things break on these cars, they are usally just that easy to replace. I could live my life having to pull the whole suspension on the front drivers side to change the battery. Or having to drive to a dealer the get a tire changed. Ever try the spark plugs on a new dodge? You spend 30 mins just getting the plastic v-6 emblem off. I could do the same thing on all three of my cars in the same amount of time.

Sure, you cant fit a 6x6' partical board, inside of the car, but you can strap it right on top. Or hell, throw a trialer hitch on there and pass bmw's up the slope of a moutain with a 1,000 pound trailor 4 people and a trunkload full of tools spare tire and camping gear. For what the cougars are stock, they are fine for a mojority of dd's out there if not better. And changing parts is easy and everything engine/tranny wise swaps out with a mustang, so it will always be avaliable.

Lots of people say the 5.0 is a dog, but even with almost 300,000 miles on it, I beat a majority of my freinds cars, even alot of newer imports. Maybe the engine has been rebuilt, or parts swapped, but there is nothing like passing v-6 mustangs and a majority of cars out there on an on ramp. Compair these cars to those of the 60's. They only fall short in one catagory. And even then its not that bad.