1993 Ford Thunderbird LX 3.8

Summary:

The best thing the engineers at Ford EVER came up with..

Faults:

My thermostat went out at 200,000miles.

Both ball joints broke within 4,000 miles of each other, first being at 210,000.miles.

Motor was rebuilt at 170,000 miles.

Sway bar broke at 210,000 miles, broke with second ball joint.

General Comments:

I love my Thunderbird, for the miles this car has it has exceptional performance, 0-60 at 8.5 seconds... original transmission.

The seats are like sitting in recliners...

Love the hidden "low" second gear for race performance..

Owned another 93 t-bird before my Taurus, its what inspired me to grab this one regardless of miles when I seen it.

This car has beauty, aerodynamics, room, and luxury, I'd tell anyone.. matter of fact I tell people everyday,"They haven't driven a car until they've driven a T-BIRD"

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th July, 2004

1993 Ford Thunderbird LX 3.8 Liter V6

Summary:

Best purchase I could have ever made.

Faults:

Transmission went out at 107,000.

Brakes and rotors wear fast.

Headlight switch has been replaced twice.

General Comments:

This car handles on a tight mountain curve like a dream. The handling and overall performance of the car is wonderful, even with only a 3.8 Liter V6 under the hood. Overall, this Thunderbird has been a joy to own. Brakes and rotors are minor issues when you commute in traffic 200 miles a day, so I do not fault the car. The second transmission has finally give out at 252,000 miles. I will replace this transmission and continue on to 300,000 after I let her rest a little while!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th July, 2004

1993 Ford Thunderbird LX 5.0 H.O.

Faults:

Fan blower was making a noise, which we had replaced under warranty.

Air pump locked up at 140,000 miles and had replaced.

Headlights would go off due to a relay and Ford reimbursed us $600.00 for repairs we made.

The transmission has always been a little jumpy between 3rd and 4th. But at 430K miles it's still the original, never rebuilt.

General Comments:

This car has been a great car. I think some people will nit pick anything.

We have run synthetic oil since 1500 miles and the engine is still original and never rebuilt.

I just wrecked the car and the insurance wants to total it because of the high miles. My mechanic wants the car and is buying it, so this must say something for the shape.

I'm looking at a 94 model, and yes only a V8!

Overall this has been a best buy for us!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd April, 2004

1993 Ford Thunderbird LX 3.8

Summary:

My opinion of this car is nothing less than an excellent piece of engineering excellence.

Faults:

My head gasket blew at 163,000 miles. At the same time my transmission had started to slip so I thought it was only sensible to have the transmission rebuilt also.

General Comments:

Given that I was extremely hard on this car for the first 150,000 plus miles on this car, I couldn't have asked for a more reliable vehicle. I bought this car new and have "driven the wheels off of it". I live in Tennessee and have friends in Florida and Texas that I frequently visit. It is so much of a pleasure to drive that my girlfriend wanted one, so I purchased her a beautiful 1997 model and she loves it as well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd March, 2004

23rd Mar 2004, 10:01

An excellent piece of excellence, eh?

Are you a professional writer?

1993 Ford Thunderbird Supercoupe 3.8

Summary:

I love this car, the fastest production T-Bird Ford ever made

Faults:

This should surprise no one, but my head gasket blew at 98,000 miles.

Rear-end replaced around 90,000 miles.

The shift linkage was overhauled with the transmission when the engine was re-built at 98,000 miles.

General Comments:

If you can work on it yourself or have a good and caring mechanic, this is a world-class car. My experience with Ford dealers has been nothing, but one disaster after another. When the head gasket went, my dealer refused to work on the car at all and advised me to purchase a new car. I spoke to Ford and learned there was a recall on 1994 and 1995 3.8 liter engines for bad head-gaskets, but that the recall was "vehicle-specific" and did not apply to 1993 cars. My car was towed out of the dealer's lot and re-built by the best mechanic I've ever known. He loves the car and it has run better than ever for the last 20,000 miles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd January, 2004

12th Feb 2004, 14:06

Having experienced the same problem, except earlier than that at 50,000 miles then at 72,000 miles and then for the third time at 93,000 miles.

Ford doesn't seem to care about the problem on the 1993 Ford Thunderbird even though it has the same engine as the rest of the vehicles with that problem.

I would recommend that you get a full inspection of the engine compartment. (That includes a cylinder pressure test and to see if there are combustion gases in you cooling system.)

17th Aug 2005, 00:01

I had the same problem with my 3.8 at roughly 65,000 miles. It didn't qualify for warranty (what luck huh?!) and the dealer wanted $1600 to repair it. I replaced the gaskets and head-bolts myself for about $200, and it ran well for another 12,000 miles before the problem returned. I suspect the problem was the heads were slightly warped from the first go through, as the overheating only happened in extreme cold temperatures (below -20). If I could have afforded to have had the heads machined at the time I redid the gaskets, the engine would have probably been fine for another 50 or 60,000 miles.

Not wanting to spend another 3 weekends in the garage, I had the Thermaweld guy come and do his thing to the motor. It worked for about 6,000 miles before crapping out, but at the same time the trans started acting up (cracked valve they tell me) so I gave up and dumped the car.

No satisfaction from Ford for either the engine or the trans... they don't want you to keep a car longer than 3 years... bad for the economy (theirs anyway).

Dave.

24th May 2006, 14:07

My head gasket blew at 136000 and I still love the car. it is like new, given that it has rusted rockers.