Comments: 1-15, 16
Well I just got the car and after driving it for a couple of days it started leaking coolant and it turns out it needs a new water pump and the thermostat needs to be resealed.
Well, I was in need of some money so I had to trade in my beautiful 1994 Cadillac Sedan Deville for some cash and another car. I picked the Thunderbird mostly because of it's looks and I had no idea of how well it performed. When I test drove it I went easy on the gas, but noticed the turbo kick in in second gear and it seemed to pick up quite fast for the small amount of gas I was giving it, but I didn't investigate the car's speed any further. After I bought it and drove it a little I could tell that the turbo could really make the car take off, but I didn't do much in the way of acceleration because I wanted to treat the car gentle for a while to see if I could see what kind of condition it was in.
Well, one night when I went to see someone and I was following the directions to their house I found out just how powerful this car was! I had not seen a certain landmark and I had driven for a while looking for it so I decided to turn around to see if I had passed it. Well it was late at night and I saw noone in sight so I just made a U-turn in the rather large road that I was driving on. As I was about 75 percent done with the U-turn I decided to give it some extra gas and drop the clutch out faster than usual to see how much it would peel out. Well, the next thing I knew I was sitting sideways in the middle of the road because the car had flipped itself around when I spun the tires! Now keep in mind, not only did it whip itself around in about a half circle, it did this without even giving it nearly as much gas as I could have or dropping the clutch out as fast as I could have! As soon as I had gotten my bearings and realized what had happened my respect for the car increased tremendously. I could not get the spin-out out of my mind for a day or so and I could not stop my exstatic wonderment that I owned this car. Don't get me wrong, I have had some nice cars and some fast ones, but never anything like this. And power is not the only thing this car has going for it!
It handles like it is glued to the road. It stays flat going around corners or curves. And now that I have told how much of a sports car it is, there is even more.
The ride is comfortable most of the time and the suspension can even take some fairly big bumps without feeling much of it in the inside of the car. I have heard that most sports cars have a harsh or somewhat uncomfortable ride, so that is a big plus for the T-Bird right there.
Also, even thought it has sports car handling, it is still a fairly large car, so if you prefer something with bigger car looks than the average sports car, here it is.
And while we are talking about looks, this car is gorgeous. Even intimidating. Especially in black, which I think is the only color I would ever choose for it.
Although it is very impressive on the outside, the interior is quite 80s looking, but not ugly. When I get the money I will probably restore this car or buy one in better shape and customize it, especially the interior.
So although I have been mostly a luxury car fan for my driving years and have never cared much for sports cars, this T-Bird that I came across just because I had to sell my other car and it was the best looking one I could find has opened up my eyes to a whole new world--the sports car world. And although there are lots of them out there, I would still probably choose this one because of it's combination of performance, comfort, looks, and gas mileage (about 30 mpg).
This car is so fun to drive that once late at night I was reading reviews on it and they got me so excited that I just had to take it for a spin even though it was so late.
So if you are looking for high performance, a nice ride, striking looks, and good fuel economy at a low price, this car would definitely be worth looking at.
You're right, from one 88 Thunderbird owner to another, these cars are amazing and very powerful. Glad to hear you like yours as much as I do mine.
I also own a 1988 Turbo Coupe, which I bought from the original owners - a middle aged couple.
Wow, what a machine... especially for a 20 year old car.
I believe these cars are "keepers."
It is nice to hear someone else talk about these cars like I do. I have an 88 T bird that I got about 2 mouth ago, and I just love it. The power is unbelievable. I am 15, soon to be 16, my Dad has an 85 T Bird that I was going to fix up, mods are coming soon to my car.
I came across this car looking for something to drive until my Camaro was rebuilt. Well, the Camaro is done, but I still have the car. I have done few mods, but the 5.0L guys look at me in a state of "awe" when I pass them (at what my friends tell me on their speedo is about 145mph!) Never had a problem so far, other than keeping tires on her! The car pulls 16 lbs boost like nothing. A good job, Ford! Long live the Turbo Coupe!! Oh, I paid $1000 for the car, which now has 137,000+ miles and is still running strong.
I have an 88 turbo-coupe, that I got from my dad. It has 115k on it now, it's been sitting for a while. He just drove it on the interstate b/c they are not a very good city car. I've had some problems with it since it sat for so long, but I'm slowly fixing it. My fixed problems were: headlights where cloudy, they quit because a wire burned, valve cover gasket (which is a pain to change), paint, temp gauge sender, fan switch sender, heater core (another pain), master cylinder and slave cyl for the clutch, boost control solenoid (which I removed, this caused it to have 17.5lbs in all forward gears. It's very quick), water pump, and thermostat. They were not too bad to fix, and not too much money. It still has one problem, it will idle up on it's own, I can put my hand over the intake and it will still run. It has no leaks in the intake lines, I turned it off, then on, then again. It behaved like it should for a minute, then again died. If you can help please comment. I know a good site for owners: www.turbotbird.com/
I too own a 1988 Turbo Coupe. I have liked these cars since my early teens. I have always kept my eye out for one that had a good deal. I am 26 now and I finally found one that I chose to buy- that's when the real fun began. I never had any idea what these cars really were. This is by far one of the best cars to own. It is a sports car, race car, luxury car, family car, and travel car all in one. It even has the look of a mean in-your-face yet mellow look to it. I have only had one trouble problem which I can't seem to figure out, maybe someone knows and could post an answer for me and others. My turbo has always worked perfectly, but the oil feed line needed replacing- no problem there- I took it apart, fixed the line, put it back together and now my boost isn't working right. I normally get 12lbs psi, but now I have to give it full throttle just to get 5lbs psi at high RPM. I think it could be vacuum related.
I have a 88 turbo coupe that I love, but there is a few things that I cannot figure out. I was hopeing that you guys could help. The first thing is that the car keeps blowing the front cam seal and I have no idea why. The other thing is that the car makes a vacuum when it's running. When I take the oil cap off it sucks the cap back down. It does not suck it down so hard that I cannot take it off, but enough so that I can definitely tell. Any ideas would be great bboggs23@yahoo.com.
I bought my '88 Turbo Coupe for $700 cash.I need to fix the ignition and get new tires to drive it safely. For now I have it rigged up to go joyriding. It is extremly quick! I live in Colorado, so when the snow falls, I can sit in 1 spot all day going around and around! I raced my Brother, he was in an '87 Integra, about 1 mile. I could've changed the radio station before he got done! I love this car, I plan to do custom paint and bodywork to it before working on the engine since it runs strong anyway. My Thunderbird has 66k on it, I'm the 3rd owner, and I will not sell this car. It is truly a masterpiece! I have not seen one in my city since I bought it, so it has to be pretty rare.
Anyone have simple ideas to improve the HP please let me know.
e-mail me at
madmaninhalo@yahoo.com.
I bought a new Turbo Coupe in 1988. It has 71,600 miles and looks and drives like new, or close to it. When it starts building boost, it will break the rear tires loose in second gear on dry pavement. Set your cruise at 70 and it will get 28 miles per gallon. How can you not love that?
I had an '88 Turbo Coupe also. Favorite car ever! Even got asked to put it in a car show.
With 32,000 miles on it, some guy ran me off the road in a rain storm and I totaled it.
What I don't understand is, with such a sporty "family car", why did Ford stop making it?
I got 40mpg on the hwy, 36 in town. Handled great, very fun to drive.
I purchased a new Turbo coupe in 1988 and drove it until 1999. To this day I don't know what the heck I was thinking when I sold it. By far this is the best of 20 some cars I've owned. Beautiful balance of power and style that puts the trash on the road today in shame.
I am looking to replace it with another. If you have one, keep it going stock if you can. A stealth classic.
I have both an 88 and and 2 86 TC and you just can't beat the price, performance, and when the TC is in a line at a car show, my dad's 90 ZR-1 Vett gets a glance, but the 88 TC gets a glance double take and then a stare...
And the gas needle will stay in one place for a while (if you stay out of boost). I get 18MPG at 20LBS of boost hot ballin the 88... The 86 is well not an all out drag car, but close.
Most recent: 8/10/2008 Albuquerque NM
1/4 Mile ET: 10.350
1/4 Mile MPH: 138.500
1/8 Mile ET: 6.970
1/8 Mile MPH: 99.000
0-60 Foot ET: 1.670
Temperature F: 95.3
If you have any tech or repair Questions.
Contact info:
Innovations Automotive
Owner: Matt
Chainsmokerhtc@yahoo.com
Home: (505) -858-3055
Cell: (505) -907-3607
I am also an 88 Tbird owner, and I have had mine for six years. It was given to me by an old friend of mine. This car is special. It has never left me stranded, and if it was going to quit it always waited until I got where I was going to do so.
A lot of people put Thunderbirds down, but they have no idea. I feel sorry for them. As for Sylvester and me, we will just keep on leaving them in our dust! (Sylvester is what I call my TBIRD)
I have an 88 T-bird TC, and was wondering if the heads are interchangeable from a non turbo to a turbo?
My belt jumped time and ate 43 teeth off. I possibly could be timing it wrong, but following the Haynes manual step by step, it's kinda hard to mess up. People say there is a possibility I have bent a valve, I have not run a compression test yet though.
If anyone can give me information on the "interchangeability" of these heads, please send me a message bigandroundpound4pound@yahoo.com.
Thank you.
I own an 88 T-bird as well. My brother-in-law's father gave it to me as a gift for doing some repairs on his truck. He was the first owner. I tried selling the car a few times but nobody wanted it. It sat in my garage for 3 years until just this past month, I got it on the road. Now that I've driven it a few times, I'm never getting rid of it. In fact when I get enough cash, I'm buying another in better condition.
I've been a mechanic for 25 years, and the more I investigate this car the more I find that Ford went all out on this beauty. Four wheel disk brakes, turbo charger that has liquid cooling, ride control, possi trac diff, you name it, it's got it. Except for the lack of cup holders, I'm extremely impressed.