1968 Ford Thunderbird Landau Coupe review from North America
"Never been rebuilt after almost 250,000 miles! Runs great!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Transmission started leaking slightly at about 75,000m.
Starter motor died at 210,000m.
Steering box started leaking some power steering fluid at 230,000m.
Some rust just above rear wheel lips.
General comments?
This car is amazing!
It's closing in on 250,000 miles and has yet to be rebuilt once.
The big 429 has enough power to push this 6000lb car to 15 second quarter mile times. Which is usually enough to whoop up on 5.0 Mustangs and more than it's fair share of Camaros and Firebirds.
It's floaty, like most Fords from the era, but that's what makes driving it so nice. Most comfortable car I've ever driven.
It has 2.90 highway gearing, so gas mileage is surprisingly good. Even though you have to fill up with the highest octane you can find... which can sometimes be difficult.
Other than the problems I listed before, the only other problem with the car is sometimes you have to jiggle the gear lever around in park to start the car, because of the safety switch which keeps you from starting the car in gear.
All in all, I'd have to say it's one great and often overlooked piece of engineering history.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1968 |
| Year of manufacture | 1968 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 429 Thunderjet Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 200000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 235000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 23rd October, 2007 |