1997 Ford Thunderbird V8 - One family owned

1997 Ford Thunderbird LX Description

This 1997 Ford Thunderbird was purchased new by my father in April of 1997. My mother used the car regularly for the first 10 or so years until she quit driving, accumulating just over 100,000 miles. When my Dad passed away in 2010, my Mom began driving it again, adding a few thousand miles to it. But the Thunderbird had become too big for her driving skills, so we got her a Smart car, and the Ford sat again. We finally answered her pleas to remove the car from her garage, and drove it to Oklahoma in February of 2016, where it has been stored in a heated and cooled garage, except for weekend outings and occasional shows. It has a total of 109,000 miles now.

This is the last year of the "Big" Thunderbird. This one was shipped from Ford to Promotional Trim Services, where it received the Regional "Limited Edition" package before shipping to Cole Ford in Winchester, KY, where my Dad bought it. The Limited Edition package was the silver tape insert on the moldings, and custom embroidered floor mats. It was to have special fender medallions, but they were deleted on V8 cars. I always thought the chrome wheels were a part of the package, but the window sticker shows them as an extra option.

Even though the car was used regularly, it looks new inside and pretty close to it outside. My parents always kept it in a garage, and it was covered during periods of non-use. Everything works inside, and it is still completely original, down to the factory cassette radio. It has never been smoked in. I remember my Dad having an updated intake manifold installed due to some kind of defect in the original, but I can't remember what it was and I didn't find any paperwork for that in the car.

The car isn't perfect. The driver's door and fender were painted approximately 14 years ago, when a deer ran into it. My sister backed into the front bumper about 7 years ago, resulting in the bumper being repainted and a new headlight. There is a ding and a scratch on the hood from a ladder that fell over when a raccoon got trapped in the garage. And there are scratches in the silver tape where my mother misjudged distances before she quit driving it. (She's 91, so it's ok.) The tires are like new but are old and have flat spots from sitting, which results in a minor vibration that cannot be balanced out. And the Check engine light was on when I started it to take these photos, I will have it diagnosed and repaired before the new owner takes delivery.

The usual legal stuff - buyer is responsible for shipping. Car is sold AS IS with no warranty.

.