@@euroasianbob9268 Dang I should've kept mine. Mine was midnight blue with royal blue interior, fully loaded and custom built for the owner of the dealership.
I was 17 when these came out and my dad bought a 1984 Thunderbird for me which I totaled 5 weeks after I got it for my birthday. He paid $5,000 for it cash and only put liability on it. After it was totaled, he only got $500 for it. I cost him 4,500, but when I saw the 1988 Turbo Coupe, fell in love. This is back when Ford made their vehicles to last almost forever. Now, I wouldn't by an American made car if you paid me, because they purposely make them to fall apart insuring, they can make more money off you.
I owned a 3.8 1988 Ford Thunderbird as my first car in the late 90s. Always had a soft spot for Thunderbirds ever since then, particularly the fox body 87-88 years. I've owned 3 Thunderbirds, 2 of which were the MN12 variety and the last one I installed the 99-04 power improver mods from that era Mustang GT, woke up the car, was a great personal luxury coupe, traded that for a 01 Mustang GT and then upgraded to a 99 Trans Am as my summer car.
My brother had 3 of these we put a 5.0l in it and put the 2.3 in a mustang lx also put the 2.3l in a ranger that was fun. What a nice car. Very under rated, wish ford remanufactured this model of tbird
Wow man what a killer car man!!! I love the thunderbirds man, and yes they were faster than the 5.0 mustangs in 88!!! This thing is super luxury!!!! 88 was killing it in thisridemy friend!!!
I had a Buick Grand National and my aunt had the same 88 Tbird 5.0 liter. The quality of the engine, sound system, options and look made it as great as a Grand National and just a hidden gem!
My first car was an 85 turbo coupe and my second car was a 87 turbo coupe no one mentioned that this cars were one of the first cars to come with abs in america
I worked at a Ford dealership when these were new & almost all of them were this color combo & they sold like hotcakes. But most of the buyers were older guys, who wanted Mustang GT's but at the same time, wanted something "different". I'd sure like to have this one. If it were blue on blue, it'd be perfect. Thanks to the Car Wizard, you've gained a new subscriber.
Man I would love to pull out my killer tape collection of metal from back in the day and jam some killer tapes while I pull up to the new school ford's and show'em how it's done!!!!
Bob, I had an ‘85 T-Bird Turbo-coupe back in ‘85 and drove it 113,000 miles. It was black with the red cloth interior, like yours. Only had to replace the fuel pump and timing belt. Still had the original clutch which was operating perfectly when I sold it in ‘91. Now wish I had kept it. John
I was looking to buy an 88 Turbo Coupe back in 1993. Salesman let me drive it home for a test drive for the night. Got a speeding ticket in it driving it around. Backed out of the deal. Still my all time favorite car (87-88 TC, manual only! The automatic ones only had like 165 HP because the transmission couldn’t handle the power).
If you ever run across that good Thunderbird, super coupe, that will blow your mind how fast that car is off the line that supercharged V6 blows, a turbo coupe out of the water
Great that Bob drives it for hours which can detect any issues. Bob can’t be a used car dealer he’s too normal!! Refreshing to see people sell cars that are not shysters. This proves you don’t need 700+Hp to enjoy driving
Great Thunderbird! I can say I never had a Turbo Coup,BUT my first Ford was a 1989 Thunderbird optioned like to the hilt. When I purchased mine it had the 3.8 V6 with only 38,000 one owner and four years old. I had that car for 8 years and when I traded her in she had 172,000 and still ran strong. God I miss that car.😢
I've owned one since 1989, a ladies car, if you are taller or have larger shoes, you may find space problem. my most recent one was also bought in Texas. being a manual, at the right rpm, merges in traffic like no other. Have fun
Love it !!! My first new car was a 1984 Turbo Coupe, same color with gray interior. I loved that car - it was fun to drive, quick, got great mileage on trips, etc. The 87-88 models were nicely improved with the intercooler and improved interior. This one is equipped very well and your description is spot on. You see very few of them these days and I enjoyed the trip down memory lane.
Thanks Bob for taking me down memory lane! I had one almost exactly like this except it was black with the red interior and had a 5.0 V8 with C6 transmission and the turbo coupe wheels..My mom got it for me back in 2004/2005 as a school project from a junkyard for $325..The inside of the one I had smelled like goat piss and had narcotic materials all over the inside..I was young and dumb and decided to gut the interior and had it running but could not get it to run right and then graduated school without ever finishing that car and the school wanted it off the property so it sat at our house for a short while before I sold it to a scrap guy for $50 and he crushed it soon after because I never put it back together.I also kept most of the parts from the car including the front fenders,hood and header panel...I have kicked myself in the nuts ever since selling it because I have yet to see another one for sale but I did see 2 in someones yard about 10 years ago but the people refused to sell the cars and have not seen any others since...I thought they went the way of the dinosaurs until I saw the one you had on your channel and I instantly went back to the days of owning one so thanks again for taking me down a sad but good memory lane..Wish I had that perfect example of a ThunderBird in your video!
I love these cars. The first car I ever bought was an 88 turbo coupe. The only thing different on mine was that I had the automatic. Mine was even the same color. It's a fun car to drive. It's not super fast, but it's an 80's car. It was fast enough for it's time
Nice find. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Never had aThunderbird. I was given a 78Ford Fairmont. To young and to broke to take proper care of the car. Drove it with a bad master brake cylinder. Not the best idea. Story to long to tell. Drive it like you stole much appreciation for sharing.
Fantastic machine Watched the Wizard’s video last night My friend was a salesman at a East Cleveland Ford dealership when these were brand new. I remember him coming to my shop and picking me up for a test drive. It was blue and had all the options like this one. It was a fantastic machine then as it is now. Coincidentally I wound up having several customers with these cars that entrusted me only to service them. Actually borrowed one to go out on a date with a girl that loved them. Not sure whatever happened to her or the T-Bird
An old coworker of mine use to own a Mercury Cougar of the same vintage and same paint color and very similar interior to this Turbo coupe. The only difference with the tbird is the the fast back rear windshield. I love that generation of the 4th generation Ford personal luxury coupes. I regret not being able to buy the car from her since she was the only owner of the car. After she retired in the early 2000’’s, she Ended up selling it to a coworker who paid her good money for it that I just couldn’t afford at the time.
My 3rd grade teacher had a black one. I would just look at it outside the window of the classroom. Always wanted one. Test drove the Mercury Cougar XR7. But it was beat up.
First job out of HS in 85 I was a service Porter for a Ford dealer in a suburb of Chicago I got to drive all the new fords includeing the new 86 turbo bird W/5spd and 5.0 bird and all the Mustangs I did not care for the Pony car I am a pretty big guy and needed the ample room of the T- Bird over the Mustang the 5,0 liter bird is the car I preferred but it would be a full decade of work before I could get anything new I had to get a trade with a living Wage that dealer job was $4.25 hour I learned the semi trucks much better pay
I bought one in 2002 for $1500 and had it for about 5 years. Awesome cars, unfortunately not a lot of parts for them so a low mileage one like is very desirable.
WOW, what a beauty Bob! I bought a new 1984 Turbo Coupe BITD gray 5 speed, I drove it all over the US and back. Just a wonderful driving car but I traded it in on a new 1986 Mustang GT automatic because I got tired of switching gears in Northern Virginia traffic.
I'm a big Ford fan and my way older brother had one of these in the mid 90s, think it was a 90' or so. It was sky blue, pretty sure it was the 5.0. Beautiful car, always liked it. Mustangs were always and still are my favorite-- what I didn't understand as a kid: Ford doesn't always make the Thunderbird. I didn't know that they had stopped and it would only come back for it's final generation a decade later. Things you take for granted when younger. Now it seems unlikely the Thunderbird will ever come back (as a "car") since Ford isn't making cars in North America other than the Mustang which in some trims, basically Is this car.
Just fyi. The foxbody birds were 80-88, with this last style being only 87-88. 89 and up switched to the mn-12 platform and somewhat resemble this, they were wider shorter and longer and had virtually no parts interchangeability. In this new platform the 5.0 was not available until 1991. They had hood clearance issues in 89-90. Not trying to correct you just want to help you narrow down your memory.
Beautiful car!! I used to own an 85 that I locked the waste gate shut on the turbo. Bob is accurate how fast they were. With that slight modification it outran mustang GTs no problem.
I agree that this should easily be priced like a grand national…Considering manual transmission it’s classy look and beautiful luxurious interior aluminum wheels and early electronic suspension…
It is shocking how nice this car is!! I mean I really don't see how it's really any different than new other than a few rock chips! How is it even possible to be this nice being over 30 years old??
I have an 87 same color. It has all the options except leather. 66,000 miles. All stock. The only downside is it's automatic. I plan to leave it stock. It's hard to find one that hasn't been molested.
In the grand scheme of things the car is priced right.... Don't expect to win many stoplight races but they are nice rides.... I was a bigger fan of the next Gen Tbirds but this one would fit nicely in my world. Not many in this condition left....
@@euroasianbob9268 iv just watched this review again for the 7th time, it really is a beautiful car and whoever it is that gets to buy it is gonna be one lucky s.o.b and I am totally jealous!!! This is one of the nicest cars you've shared with us on UA-cam I think Bob 🤔.
My oldest sister had graphite color turbo coupe she bought second owner in 1996. Thing was awesome until it was stolen and when she got it back the turbo had been ruined by the theives... she sold it to a neighbor who fixed it and still owns it til today.
...I thought I heard "1998" (minutest mishap) during the introduction...she's definitely stealthily svelte & sleekly seductive...she just inspired an ideal of a "What if"-'88 SVO 5.0·GT/C!?!?!
Friend had a black on black one that sat in the dealers back lot for 2 years before she bought it! No idea where it is now since she passed away 10 years ago.
SOLD!
Congrats! How much, Bob?
Wish you could find some predator cougar or t bird super coupes
$20k
@@jaywho476 $20k
@@euroasianbob9268 Dang I should've kept mine. Mine was midnight blue with royal blue interior, fully loaded and custom built for the owner of the dealership.
I was 17 when these came out and my dad bought a 1984 Thunderbird for me which I totaled 5 weeks after I got it for my birthday. He paid $5,000 for it cash and only put liability on it. After it was totaled, he only got $500 for it. I cost him 4,500, but when I saw the 1988 Turbo Coupe, fell in love. This is back when Ford made their vehicles to last almost forever. Now, I wouldn't by an American made car if you paid me, because they purposely make them to fall apart insuring, they can make more money off you.
The Weeezard sent me... Such a sweet museum piece.
Thanks!
I’d drive it at least 2 days a week. My dad had an 88 auto that he kept until about 10 years ago. It was almost as clean as this one.
@@bh7940 definitely! I drive all my cars in regular rotation.
First I discovered the wizard, then the bob. I am from the area, and love seeing these vids.
I owned a 3.8 1988 Ford Thunderbird as my first car in the late 90s. Always had a soft spot for Thunderbirds ever since then, particularly the fox body 87-88 years. I've owned 3 Thunderbirds, 2 of which were the MN12 variety and the last one I installed the 99-04 power improver mods from that era Mustang GT, woke up the car, was a great personal luxury coupe, traded that for a 01 Mustang GT and then upgraded to a 99 Trans Am as my summer car.
True definition of a survivor car. Always love seeing odd ball cars like this in a preserved state. Hats off to whoever saved this bad boy.
That is one clean bird
My brother had 3 of these we put a 5.0l in it and put the 2.3 in a mustang lx also put the 2.3l in a ranger that was fun. What a nice car. Very under rated, wish ford remanufactured this model of tbird
Wow man what a killer car man!!! I love the thunderbirds man, and yes they were faster than the 5.0 mustangs in 88!!! This thing is super luxury!!!! 88 was killing it in thisridemy friend!!!
Came from the Wizard. Such a beauty. I never seen one this nice even in 1989 LOL.
I had a Buick Grand National and my aunt had the same 88 Tbird 5.0 liter. The quality of the engine, sound system, options and look made it as great as a Grand National and just a hidden gem!
Saved in Graceland playlist ... Thanks man
What a car!!!! Unbelievable that that car is over 31 years old! Greetz from the Netherlands , ramon
Dam Bob that was one sweet car.
This and the Cougar were BEAUTIFUL for that time! LOVED THEM!
That car is the best looking fox body car ever made! Too bad it’s sold before I even saw it….😢 Very Nice find😎
I know! I wanted to drive it more!
A truly amazing undervalued car. Love this style of T-Bird! Amazing car. Amazing!!
My first car was an 85 turbo coupe and my second car was a 87 turbo coupe no one mentioned that this cars were one of the first cars to come with abs in america
Correct!
Got here via the weeeeezard!!! Great car!!!💪🤟🤟🤟
Thanks!
Wow, no words.. my dream car then and in some nostalgic way still now.
I bought a brand new Turbo Coupe in 1983. Loved it!! It was a fun car. I sold it and bought 77 Corvette.
I had four of them. Recalls galore.
DROOOOL!! I had a 1987 T-Bird Turbo. This brings back such fond memories!
I worked at a Ford dealership when these were new & almost all of them were this color combo & they sold like hotcakes. But most of the buyers were older guys, who wanted Mustang GT's but at the same time, wanted something "different". I'd sure like to have this one. If it were blue on blue, it'd be perfect.
Thanks to the Car Wizard, you've gained a new subscriber.
Thanks for commenting and subscribing!
Man I would love to pull out my killer tape collection of metal from back in the day and jam some killer tapes while I pull up to the new school ford's and show'em how it's done!!!!
BOOM!
I owned a 83...85....88 Turbo birds...and also a the new retro bird........i miss my black 5 speed 83 out all or them.....
had the 86 and 89 both V6 now you are making me drool. still wish I keeped the 89
Great car they run for ever
Thanks for the memories. Bought a Black one for $18K. Drove it 12 years and 130K Miles. Have a 2005 TB now.
Bob,
I had an ‘85 T-Bird Turbo-coupe back in ‘85 and drove it 113,000 miles. It was black with the red cloth interior, like yours. Only had to replace the fuel pump and timing belt. Still had the original clutch which was operating perfectly when I sold it in ‘91.
Now wish I had kept it.
John
Beautiful car! Glad it found a good home.
I was looking to buy an 88 Turbo Coupe back in 1993. Salesman let me drive it home for a test drive for the night. Got a speeding ticket in it driving it around. Backed out of the deal. Still my all time favorite car (87-88 TC, manual only! The automatic ones only had like 165 HP because the transmission couldn’t handle the power).
If you ever run across that good Thunderbird, super coupe, that will blow your mind how fast that car is off the line that supercharged V6 blows, a turbo coupe out of the water
Great that Bob drives it for hours which can detect any issues. Bob can’t be a used car dealer he’s too normal!! Refreshing to see people sell cars that are not shysters. This proves you don’t need 700+Hp to enjoy driving
Sometimes dozens of hours;). Thanks for the nice comment!
Thanks for sharing! We had an XR-7 Back in the day!
Sister in law bought a 87 25th anniversary Cougar.
Love these 87-88 turbo coupes. Beautiful example Bob!
Thanks!
Great Thunderbird! I can say I never had a Turbo Coup,BUT my first Ford was a 1989 Thunderbird optioned like to the hilt. When I purchased mine it had the 3.8 V6 with only 38,000 one owner and four years old. I had that car for 8 years and when I traded her in she had 172,000 and still ran strong. God I miss that car.😢
Great story!
@@euroasianbob9268 thank you. From then on I owned Ford or Mercury products.
I truly miss 1988
I've owned one since 1989, a ladies car, if you are taller or have larger shoes, you may find space problem. my most recent one was also bought in Texas. being a manual, at the right rpm, merges in traffic like no other. Have fun
I used to race against these back in the day. Just as fast as my mostly stock 93 LX 5.0 I had at the time. Beautiful survivor!
Love it !!! My first new car was a 1984 Turbo Coupe, same color with gray interior. I loved that car - it was fun to drive, quick, got great mileage on trips, etc. The 87-88 models were nicely improved with the intercooler and improved interior. This one is equipped very well and your description is spot on. You see very few of them these days and I enjoyed the trip down memory lane.
Thanks Bob for taking me down memory lane! I had one almost exactly like this except it was black with the red interior and had a 5.0 V8 with C6 transmission and the turbo coupe wheels..My mom got it for me back in 2004/2005 as a school project from a junkyard for $325..The inside of the one I had smelled like goat piss and had narcotic materials all over the inside..I was young and dumb and decided to gut the interior and had it running but could not get it to run right and then graduated school without ever finishing that car and the school wanted it off the property so it sat at our house for a short while before I sold it to a scrap guy for $50 and he crushed it soon after because I never put it back together.I also kept most of the parts from the car including the front fenders,hood and header panel...I have kicked myself in the nuts ever since selling it because I have yet to see another one for sale but I did see 2 in someones yard about 10 years ago but the people refused to sell the cars and have not seen any others since...I thought they went the way of the dinosaurs until I saw the one you had on your channel and I instantly went back to the days of owning one so thanks again for taking me down a sad but good memory lane..Wish I had that perfect example of a ThunderBird in your video!
I love these cars. The first car I ever bought was an 88 turbo coupe. The only thing different on mine was that I had the automatic. Mine was even the same color. It's a fun car to drive. It's not super fast, but it's an 80's car. It was fast enough for it's time
Nice find. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Never had aThunderbird. I was given a 78Ford Fairmont. To young and to broke to take proper care of the car. Drove it with a bad master brake cylinder. Not the best idea. Story to long to tell. Drive it like you stole much appreciation for sharing.
I had that stereo system in an old Ford it does sound very good.
I've seen some good ones over the years, but NEVER one that clean and straight. Good find and priced right, sir. :)
Fantastic machine
Watched the Wizard’s video last night
My friend was a salesman at a East Cleveland Ford dealership when these were brand new. I remember him coming to my shop and picking me up for a test drive. It was blue and had all the options like this one. It was a fantastic machine then as it is now. Coincidentally I wound up having several customers with these cars that entrusted me only to service them. Actually borrowed one to go out on a date with a girl that loved them. Not sure whatever happened to her or the T-Bird
An old coworker of mine use to own a Mercury Cougar of the same vintage and same paint color and very similar interior to this Turbo coupe. The only difference with the tbird is the the fast back rear windshield. I love that generation of the 4th generation Ford personal luxury coupes. I regret not being able to buy the car from her since she was the only owner of the car. After she retired in the early 2000’’s, she Ended up selling it to a coworker who paid her good money for it that I just couldn’t afford at the time.
I came over from car wizard when I seen this car I had one in high school same color and everything I sure do miss it
My 3rd grade teacher had a black one. I would just look at it outside the window of the classroom. Always wanted one. Test drove the Mercury Cougar XR7. But it was beat up.
First job out of HS in 85 I was a service Porter for a Ford dealer in a suburb of Chicago I got to drive all the new fords includeing the new 86 turbo bird W/5spd and 5.0 bird and all the Mustangs I did not care for the Pony car I am a pretty big guy and needed the ample room of the T- Bird over the Mustang the 5,0 liter bird is the car I preferred but it would be a full decade of work before I could get anything new I had to get a trade with a living Wage that dealer job was $4.25 hour I learned the semi trucks much better pay
Wow! Great find, Bob.
Thanks!
I'd buy this car if I could. I had an '86 SVO and loved that power train.
I bought one in 2002 for $1500 and had it for about 5 years. Awesome cars, unfortunately not a lot of parts for them so a low mileage one like is very desirable.
Beautiful car! So rad. 🤘 I love the red on red. 👍
WOW, what a beauty Bob! I bought a new 1984 Turbo Coupe BITD gray 5 speed, I drove it all over the US and back. Just a wonderful driving car but I traded it in on a new 1986 Mustang GT automatic because I got tired of switching gears in Northern Virginia traffic.
That's so my dream car from growing up
I'm a big Ford fan and my way older brother had one of these in the mid 90s, think it was a 90' or so. It was sky blue, pretty sure it was the 5.0. Beautiful car, always liked it. Mustangs were always and still are my favorite-- what I didn't understand as a kid: Ford doesn't always make the Thunderbird. I didn't know that they had stopped and it would only come back for it's final generation a decade later. Things you take for granted when younger.
Now it seems unlikely the Thunderbird will ever come back (as a "car") since Ford isn't making cars in North America other than the Mustang which in some trims, basically Is this car.
Just fyi. The foxbody birds were 80-88, with this last style being only 87-88. 89 and up switched to the mn-12 platform and somewhat resemble this, they were wider shorter and longer and had virtually no parts interchangeability. In this new platform the 5.0 was not available until 1991. They had hood clearance issues in 89-90. Not trying to correct you just want to help you narrow down your memory.
Love that color great looking car
yay happy bob, love the shirt for the car too! Just like with the renault. Thanks for the entertainment Bob.
Thanks for noticing! ;)
Beautiful T-Bird!!👍🇺🇸
beautiful!!!
The Car wizard sent me 👍
Welcome!
Wow, Jay Leno would love this!
Amazing car, nicer than a mustang in my opinion.
Red on red, what a beast!
I agree! Most have the gray interior which is so boring.
Really nice car. I saw the car wizard video and came here... got a new sub ...
Thanks!
This model always reminds me of NASCAR.
Thing is a time capsule! Cool!
The car wizard sent me.
Beautiful car!! I used to own an 85 that I locked the waste gate shut on the turbo. Bob is accurate how fast they were. With that slight modification it outran mustang GTs no problem.
I agree that this should easily be priced like a grand national…Considering manual transmission it’s classy look and beautiful luxurious interior aluminum wheels and early electronic suspension…
Better for us! I love under appreciated cars. Lots of bang for the buck.
@@euroasianbob9268 what’s the price??
@@NewEdgeDesigns
www.euroasianauto.com/details/used-1988-ford-thunderbird/79550467
That’s a steal for 18k you’ll never find another that thing is sweet
@@steverone7623 thanks!
This is absolutely gorgeous. No doubt this will sell for a premium.
god i love that car.
Call Jay Leno, he loves cars like this.
It is shocking how nice this car is!! I mean I really don't see how it's really any different than new other than a few rock chips! How is it even possible to be this nice being over 30 years old??
I know!
I have an 87 same color. It has all the options except leather. 66,000 miles. All stock. The only downside is it's automatic. I plan to leave it stock. It's hard to find one that hasn't been molested.
Looks like mine!
Is that a PA inspection sticker on the windshield? Definitely in amazing condition if it survived PA roads.
In the grand scheme of things the car is priced right.... Don't expect to win many stoplight races but they are nice rides.... I was a bigger fan of the next Gen Tbirds but this one would fit nicely in my world. Not many in this condition left....
Bob needs a larger parking lot for drifting!!!
MotorWeek has a retro video on a 87 Turbo Coupe. Lots of new stuff in it compared to previous birds
You said 98 at the beginning of the video..damn that wud be crazy if a 98 looked like that
That is a beautiful car Bob, if that was for sale here in the UK I would definitely buy it...🙂👍
I’ll drive it in your honor John!
@@euroasianbob9268 iv just watched this review again for the 7th time, it really is a beautiful car and whoever it is that gets to buy it is gonna be one lucky s.o.b and I am totally jealous!!! This is one of the nicest cars you've shared with us on UA-cam I think Bob 🤔.
@@In_memory_of_Dad ha! I’m really going to be sad when it’s gone.
Survivor? That’s a Thriver!
My oldest sister had graphite color turbo coupe she bought second owner in 1996. Thing was awesome until it was stolen and when she got it back the turbo had been ruined by the theives... she sold it to a neighbor who fixed it and still owns it til today.
That thing would walk away in survivor class, and they’d never know you monkeyed with the turbo.
...I thought I heard "1998" (minutest mishap) during the introduction...she's definitely stealthily svelte & sleekly seductive...she just inspired an ideal of a "What if"-'88 SVO 5.0·GT/C!?!?!
Waaaazard sent me! Hi bob
👋
My guess was $15,000. $17,995 is basically my guess with the 2021 temporary price bump.
Friend had a black on black one that sat in the dealers back lot for 2 years before she bought it! No
idea where it is now since she passed away 10 years ago.
If only....very tough for me to be heading your way.
Wait until I post the video of my 84 5.0 with 10,000 miles on it. Car looks brand new. Cheers
Here is a link to the ad.
www.euroasianauto.com/details/used-1988-ford-thunderbird/79550467
Need to have Doug Demuro review this thing!
For your NEW Ford Thunderbird talk to Bob 👌
Exactly!
The wizard sent us. If i had the money I would make an offer. Considering I don't have 10k+ I can't
I think $18K is more than fair.... and am surprised it isn't more. I imagine it will be sold very soon!
My uncle had one of these once
Do u ever get the 86 thunderbird turbo coupe i would like another one
1988 not 1998, my mother had a black 1989 same car; it was fantastic!