1997 Ford Thunderbird LX review from North America
"Great car for your wallet, and your tosh; with looks and performance to match"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Transmission had to be replaced because dealer overfilled fluid when serviced.
Struts and Shocks because car is driven on very poor country road.
Brakes, especially front rotors.
Front steering rack, caused by unbalanced front tires. Don't drive on unbalanced front tires, big mistake.
General comments?
Brakes I hear can be fixed by cross-drilled rotors & pads, and you do have the option of getting 2 piston front calipers that are bolt on improvements.
Wonderful car, very comfortable, as well as fuel efficient. Virtually no maintenance needed, just normal easy to do yourself stuff.
Car runs very well, not whiplash fast, but still very quick. Very nice highway touring car.
My last T-bird got 170K miles and still going strong. Looks like this one is capable of the same.
Don't use synthetic oil, it will cause knocking in crankcase, and other problems. I used for 20K miles and still have knocking. Use manufactures recommended multi-grade, you will do fine. Don't overfill, V8 only takes 4.5 quarts.
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| The best overall car you will ever own for the money |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 4.6 V8 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 25000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 95000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Thunderbird |
| Date of Entry | 23rd December, 2003 |