2003 Ford Thunderbird consumer reviews

It looks like it just came out of the show room.never seen inclement weather and has been stored in my garage during winter months. It has the Hardtop Option with a storage rack

This car is a class act.It drives nice, rides nice, and turns heads.Mine is a 2002 White bird with Hard Top.Only thing Ford should have done was make hard top Retractable in trunk.Beautiful,beautiful cruiser.

This car is gorgeous. It gets all the looks. It's a big V8 that has a nice exhaust sound. However, it's heavy and can feel slow. But isn't that the point for a Sunday cruiser?

Fun to drive with good handling and acceleration. Smooth and comfortable, but not a race car. Body finish and interior is clean and durable. Car looks almost new.

These retro-style convertible Thunderbirds look great and are fun to drive, but are a bit expensive to maintain. Recommended that you need to use the highest octain fuel and the mileage is only around 15 mpg, so gas gets expensive. Also, getting harder to find parts for it when needed and there are 2 design issues that tend to crop up - one that requires a transmission rebuild and the other requires replacement of the ignition coils. Both are expensive. The car also is in a bit of an awkward position in terms of what it is supposed to be. Looks sporty and has a reasonably powerful V8, but the body is heavy, so it's not really a true sports car. Still on warm sunny days with the top down it is a lot of fun to tool around in!

it will be a great 2nd car that i will use to go to dd for coffee with my retired friends this is my adult toy , that looks great, and is a reasonable $ hobby

I love my t- bird but 5 vehicles for two people is way to many. The t-bird is in perfect condition. It's never out of the garage in bad weather. The all black interior is pristine . Very low mileage, and well taken care of. It's my baby.

It's a great car! So much fun to drive! It gets lots of attention & tons of compliments. Having the hard top option is very helpful for winter.

Quick Review ... Drove 3000 miles in four days in complete comfort. OK, it's not ideal for driving in snow and it doesn't have much trunk space but its understated style, excellent handling, power, smoothness and comfort make for ideal civilized personal transport (as a second car). Always draws admiring glances without being ostentatious. Economical to fuel; 18 US mpg running errands and 26 US mpg for weekend getaways. Longer story ... 2001 saw the introduction of the 2002 11th gen two seat retro Thunderbird. I noticed this car and did give it a passing glance but unaccustomed to dreaming beyond my financial means it soon became a vague memory. A few years ago on the internet I discovered that a 2003 Mountain Shadow Grey Thunderbird had suddenly become affordable for this pensioner of modest means. I began searching, learning and saving. In the spring of 2013 I found the right low mileage one owner car in Pennsylvania. After due diligence and a flight east I was able to drive it home in surprising comfort and in only four days. It has taken on the task of daily driver and elder limo (mom is in her 90's) with grace and aplomb. A few interesting facts about the 11th generation Thunderbird ? 1. Although futuristic and European design concepts were considered, Ford?s Skunk Works team won the day with key retro elements such as the reverse wedge profile, round tail lights, hash marks on the side of the front fenders, egg crate grill and iconic hood scoop. 2. The 2002-2005 thunderbird was born or should I say modeled on a computer eliminating two generations of prototyping. Existing engineering, manufacturing and safety data helped quick model a car that could actually be built and operated as it eventually was in Wixom, 30 miles from Detroit. 3. Ford owned Jaguar at the time so the DEW98 platform (unibody chassis components) was created by engineers on both sides of the Atlantic for use in the Lincoln LS, Jaguar S-Type (another retro) and the Thunderbird. 4. The 11th gen Ford Thunderbird has a Jaguar V8 engine, Ford transmission and unique fully independent suspension to make up this platform. The engine?s short block (block/pistons/rods/crank) was manufactured in Ohio (the rest of the engine came from Jaguar in England) and the stroke is 1 mm shorter than the Jaguar S-Type?s equivalent so that the engine was marketed as a 3.9 liter vs. Jaguar?s otherwise identical 4.0 liter. 5. The 11th gen Thunderbird is a departure from the traditional feel of large V8 `American Muscle? cars. Not so much forcefully powerful as it is smooth and quick yet acceleration as fast as any Thunderbird built. Not surprisingly this car has much the same feel as the Jaguar V8 cars of the same period. 6. The trunk will bring home only a week?s groceries for two people but you knew it was just a two seat car, didn?t you.

It has everything you would need from a sports car. Comfort, luxury, speed, reliability, gas mileage, looks, etc.