88 Turbocoupe... Someone is about to pay big bucks for a nice one.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1988-Ford-Thunderbird-Turbo-Coupe_W0QQitemZ170073357893QQihZ007QQcategoryZ6240QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
i cant believe that thing!
sure is nice though, might be worth it if you have the cash. and if the guy is thinking of it as an investment at all, i gotta say i cant imagine the tc's being worth nothing in the future. theyll be desirable....
I was thinking this was a joke thread.. and when I saw the car I also thought I had went dyslexic..
! thats hot.
Sold for $7101. That's got to be a record (at least over the last few years). That car looked museum quality though.
I wonder if it will show up around here...
I hope so its cherry
Not even CLOSE to a TC record. Unless I missed something over the last 7 years, a Med Red on Raven leather every option including moonroof but still a 5-Speed TC from NY with ~7000 miles on it sold for $18,000. Options mean EVERYTHING on these cars. That TC was as optionless as you could get that year. Would have easily brought in $12K with a moonroof and the light group.
My car, while not a TC, was in every bit as good condition as the TC in that auction, had all the same documentation (and more, including all maintenance/service records since new), and had lower miles (47k) on it when I bought it for $3k in '03. That guy got all the money in the world for that one.
Michael - you're right about options being a big thing in these cars (personally I prefer the fewer options the better, with the exception of A/C being mandatory and I'd love to have a moonroof and leather). More important, though, is that you've got to find a buyer. With these cars it's hard. I remember a TC that had been owned by some celebrity (a Kennedy, perhaps?) with under 10k miles that had been on eBay several times at around $12.5k and had never sold. Like I just posted in another thread: We're nuts about these cars, but it seems nobody else is...
:giggle: someone should have sent a "recruit" to the seller in the "ask the seller a question"!!!!!
I asked the seller many, many questions. That car, while being very, very nice isn't 1/2 the car the $18K TC was. It is definately nicer then Kennedy's TC though, that car was trash. The early Bird's and rare stuff is really starting to go up. FILA's, 84-86 XR7's, 83/84 TC's, 30th Anny's, 20th XR's, they're all starting to consistently gain some.
That's a very fair price for what that particular TC is. Since the nice 80's Thundercats are now in collector status, expect the values to go up from here. The Lincoln Mark VII is now in collector status as well. If you have a nice one, take care of it.
a rare 1988 3.8 TURBO t-bird( VERY LIMITED) sold for around 20 K a few years back on ebay.
By "Very Limited" you mean "Did not exist", right? At least none ever left the factory like that...
As for the values of these cars going up - I can certainly see it. I paid $600 for a 1978 Trans Am in 1989, then $800 for a 1980 Formula in 1991. The Formula was mint. Wish I still had them - try to find a mint 2nd gen F-body for less than ten times that amount now...
yeah as soon as i read that i said HUH??? a turbo 3.8? might be a good idea but i didnt think they even were made.
as much as personally i would love to see our cars become real valuable, knowing myself, if and when that happens, ill become very paranoid. ill park the thing as close to where im shopping/working/whatever so i can constantly look out at it. i'll be so worried about someone stealing it. i just would. that or an accident. and yes ill probably have a daily driver but still whenever i take it out i fear that this will preoccupy me to no end :giggle: well theyre new enough maybe someday i could get a car alarm put in for some peace of mind....
-as i have stated before sometime, somewhere in this forum. unless someone wants to START the bidding on mine at whats on the window sticker,(which IS still in the window) i believe i'll just let it set where it be...
Uh-oh, I hope they wait to start going up in value until I can buy a couple more of them!
I really don't think the value of Thunderbirds & Cougars will go up much for quite some time though. Mustangs will always be more popular, and I see a lot of nice 5.0 Mustangs around here sell in the $4000-6500 range. I just hope Thunderbirds don't get to quite that point, I'd like them to stay affordable.
Seems like a very fair price to me.
Those '80s shiznitbox Monte Carlo SS's always sucked and were poorly built. Yet they go for big money.
This one's in basically the same shape, similar miles, and they have a BiN price of nearly $12K. Never understood the "draw" with these cars, at least compared to the Tbirds.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-Monte-Carlo-Monte-Carlo-1984-Chevrolet-Monte-Carlo-SS-SUPERB-ALL-ORIGINAL-SS_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6171QQihZ020QQitemZ300075085831QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
YES YES for some reason everyone LOVES those! the 80s two door regals and grand prix's and montes and cutlasses etc. i think theyre riding the coattails of the Grand National and GNX. so the turbo regal T-types follow and then everyone loves anything that looks like that (so all of those GM "g-boides" i think theyre called??? corect me if im wrong!)
i have to admit though i do have a little bit of a soft spot for those. it sure looks out dated when compared to our cars, especially 87-88 but i cant help but like em,:beatyoass: i know im gonna get banned for saying that lol
and furthermore, especially with t-tops. they just look killer. theres an idea!!! they should have made t tops on some of our cars.
t-tops FTW.
but i do agree with the statement that the 'stangs will be more popular. its a given. the foxbody mustang is just classic. theres no beatin' around the bush it just is!
Yeah I never understood all the whoop-de-do over Monte Carlo SS's either. I think it's just the name. Really, I routinely see those sell for $4000-6000, and for that you get what? A warmed-over Monte Carlo with an "aero" nose, 16" wheels and that "hot" 305 (I never understood how they could put a Corvette cam into a 305 and still end up with only 180 hp). You have to swap in a 350 just to make them fast, at least on the V8 Thunderbird you really only need an HO conversion, and the Turbo Coupe comes with more horsepower stock which is pretty funny.
I have sort of a soft spot for G-bodies, I'll admit...though, it seems like it's hard to find them in good shape anymore.
thought i hear that Ford thought about doing this but was pushed off and the SC was produced in its place
haha yup i see plenty of them BEAT into the ground.
I have the articles from 87 and 88. Apparently Ford installed some 3.8SC motors into some 88 TBirds and gave 2-3 of them to the Michigan State Patrol for "Testing". I really have to dig my giant article collection up soon huh?
Yes, Ford was considering a twin turbo 3.8 for the '87 TC. They were considering it back in 1983 - I have the Car and Driver magazine snippet about it somewhere and a pic of the prototype on my website (though it only looks like a regular 83 TC with the FMS body kit). The engine never saw production, though - instead the TC got the SVO Mustang version of the 2.3 to tide it over until the SC showed up in '89.
When you think about it the 87-88 T-Birds and Cougars were really an anomaly - a completely redesigned body that shares absolutely no sheet metal with the 83-86 save for the hood, and I think even that has a slight difference - a very slight crease in the center front edge to better mate with the new pointy nose. This means all new body tooling for what was essentially a stopgap update to keep the car "fresh" until the delayed MN12 platform was ready.
I would not be surprised if some were built and were even driven on public roads, but I'd bet that every one of 'em were returned to Ford after the testing period. Wouldn't be much of a test if Ford never got to see the results. And we all know what happens to prototypes, especially "test mules" - they were probably crushed and recycled into ashtrays. Besides, those would be SC engines, which we all know existed. A turbocharged 3.8 T-Bird or two may have existed too, but they would never have been sold to the public.
I fully believe that if an 87-88 SC (or turbocharged 3.8-powered TC), made exactly like the 87-88 TC including the PRC and ABS, except with a supercharged or turbocharged V6 instead of the turbo 4, these cars would have enjoyed the same "legendary" status as the GN. Similarly, had the V8 'Birds and Cougars been offered with the HO V8 we'd still be laughing at the "HO" 305 powered Monte Carlo. Ford would never have allowed a lowly T-Bird to steal the Mustang's thunder though, so the 3.8SC engine was delayed until a suitable 3800-pound chassis was ready for it. The HO would have to wait even longer, until 1991.
Heh, liking the Monte Carlo SS, I wanted one. That's the top car I was searching for when I got my license. I wanted a later 80's model in black with the maroon interior and red stripe kit and yes, the t-tops. I didn't care about a 305, that car looked awesome. Mind you the ones I pictured looked awesome, the ones I could afford looked like lawn ornaments.
The Cougar saved me though. I got a fully and I mean fully loaded car with more options than the monte could dream of in excellent shape for a fraction of the cost.
Someone will probably use it for the 2.3T and 8.8" to go into a shiznitbox notch Mustang. Either that or put a cabed 302 into it.
Hmmm....never noticed that before. I'm showing p/n E7SZ-16612-A for all hoods 1984-88. Y'all must have some reeaaaallllyyyyy good hooch up there in Nova Scotia. :flip:
Seriously, everyone, don't worry about the values of these cars. Worry more about the values of the
parts. You can almost always find a new car. But you can't always get the part you need. On one hand NOS parts are emerging from hiding. On the other they're pricey...IF you can even find what you need. Prices are randomly fluctuating on eBay as well. I've seen the same part go for two vastly different prices at two different times. I guess it's all about what you're willing to pay. That's also why the FMS 140mph speedo keeps commanding $200+ US prices, even used. Hell, I'm as guilty as anyone...if y'all knew what I've paid for some parts you'd think I was absolutely as crazy as Carm. ;)
Well...I am crazy...like a
FOX baby.
Don't say I didn't warn you. ;)
Almost forgot what I was originally going to say. Dammit I hate getting older.
Whether you like the G-bodies or not they will be around for many years to come. Despite the mediocre build quality they have withstood the test of time. Not as gracefully as our cars, of course. But they do enjoy a much greater aftermarket support thanks to lots of dedicated fans and even the help of GM.
In 20 years when we go to car shows, we will be as nostalgic about the G-bodies as our parents were about the '57 Chevy.
And honestly...they do have a charm about them. They are RWD American cars, with tremendous power potential, and represent what many consider to be the true end to the first muscle car era. For that fact alone we should be glad they're around.
You can dislike them all you want now...but sooner or later you'll realize they are necessary. Hell...you might even start to like them. And who knows...maybe even Camaros too. ;)
wow. yet another piece of amazing wisdom from the E-man. :bowdown:
dude...you just friggin hit the nail on the head.
and i got another thing to admit. i ALREADY like the 80s camaros. i just CANT help it. i do see a lot of em around here that are beat up/lowly base models, but there are a few iroc-z's with the bodykit and that wing with the two middle supports that are in GOOD shape and i rubberneck every time.
of course that one time i saw an 87/88 cat like cougarcruisin's go by BK while chomping on that whopper i almost jumped out of my seat. ;) so never fear, my loyalty is in the right place.