Thank you for not just jumping on the bandwagon of haters for this edition of Thunderbird. So many just seem to parrot what they are told without even experiencing the car. It actually was exactly what I was looking for at that time. I liked the styling very much and having driven Fairmonts and Thunderbirds of the era, I can comfortably say that they are just as different as the Cadillac Seville was from the Nova which was basically the same platform. Times were changing and Ford started a trend with the Taurus of aero styling. While I did appreciate it on the Taurus, I very much disliked the styling of the aero Thunderbird. I was so disappointed in the aero styling that when it came time to trade my 80 Silver Anniversary Thunderbird, I jumped ship and went to Pontiac. I didn't return to Thunderbird until they released the much more attractive (in my opinion) version in 1989, although I did hold out for the V-8, which returned in 1991. They not only were beautiful, they were very reliable. At the time I was trading often, so I replaced my 1991 with a 1994 (V-8) that I still drive today with over 500k miles. Oh, and I also now have another 1980 Silver Anniversary Thunderbird.
I had a 1981 TBird and loved it more than I should have. It had the 4.6L V8 and was pretty quick, at least to me. All the styling queues from the earlier model in a more aerodynamic package. Loved it!
Ive owned 3 of these Fox Bodied 1980-1982 Square Birds , Had a 1981 as my first one with a 302, i drove it daily 7 years put 200,000 miles on it, the main issues i found were the power window tracks wear out rapidly and you got to adjust it periodically, Also you will be replacing the plastic gear in the power window motor, Every 6 months of daily driving, you got to go around in re-tighten all the interior screws, they tend to rattle out rapidly, mechanically it burned up 4 pairs of front struts, 4 pairs of front brake pads, and 2 replaced rack and pinions, 2 radiators, no major mechanical failures, never has been towed in any of them, the car eventually developed noticeable chassis flex as it got older, Owned a 1980 Cougar XR-7 Black with red interior, repainted it and resold it, had low milege, also had a 1980 parts car , this is back in the early 2000's, definetly not the most reliable car's, but still better than other cars, assuming it didn't rust out. The wheel well shaping was considered to be the uglyest part of the these 1980-1982 design.
I had a base '80, black over grey with red interior, bought used. Among most comfortable of all seats in my 25+ cars lifelong. To me it was a classy, cozy driver.
My uncle bought a new 1980 Thunderbird. I was amazed by how much Ford had downsized the car. It looked like a 3/4 scale model of the old T-Bird. I'm 6'1" and I had a hard time fitting into the backseat. It was comfortable if you could sit up front. It was the first car I remember seeing with electronic digital readouts versus the analog gauges on the dash. It did look futuristic in 1980.
I had the Heritage model in college. I loved the huge moonroof mine had - it could be removed and felt a little like a convertible. The abysmal reliability forced me to Acura after college.
I had a 1980 Thunderbird. Bought it in 1982 with just over 40,000 miles. It had the 302 and overdrive, plus the “heavy duty” suspension. I really liked the car. The styling was indeed a carryover from the last generation, and a little too overwrought for the downsized model. The big problem with the car was abysmal quality. Within two years and 20,000 miles it needed a power steering rack, power steering pump, rear differential, the EEC III controller module failed, and the emergency brake system failed. It also had an episode where the entire electrical system shut down, was towed to a Ford dealer, but magically started working again on its own. It was traded on a 1983 Grand Prix that also had frustrating electrical problems from new. I don’t miss the 1980’s quality.
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon all the domestic brands were struggling. Despite the problems, I have fond memories of the Thunderbird. For it’s time, it has a great combination of economy, performance, ride and handling. And if you look at its competitors, the styling was comparably attractive.
Shows how styling can go a long way. The 83 "areo" T bird shared alot of mechanicals with the 80-82 and sales were far better. The 80-82s looked too much like the Fairmont it was with more standard equipment. Great vid and I see your gonna hit 1000 subs very soon now!
Yeah this generation gets a lot of pushback but I like it for nostalgia reasons now that it’s antiquated. But yeah the 83 did better in the styling department. Thanks for watching and thanks for the support. I still gotta watch your Buick Grand National video.
'77-9 T-Bird: already 800lb lighter than its forebear. I loved my base '80 (e.g. best seats of all my c.25 cars). All T-Bird style eras ran THREE years save '67-71, '72-6 & final eras.
Yeah I heard the ‘77-9 were already lighter than the predecessor. So you had a base model ‘80? Cool. Last time I saw one of these on the road was like the mid ‘90s. Thanks for watching again.
We were makin' thunderbirds We were makin' thunderbirds They were long and low and sleek and fast They were classic in a word Back in '55 We were makin' thunderbirds We were young and proud We were makin' thunderbirds We were young and sure We were makin' thunderbirds -Bob Seger
Another great video!! I wasn't much of a fan of Thunderbirds until the 90s right before they ended them unfortunately. I can see where Ford was going and I would say it probably worked out better than if they had made it FWD.
Yeah man good thing they didn’t make it FWD.. I actually don’t mind FWD but I believe certain nameplates just shouldn’t be FWD i.e. Mustang/Camaro/T-Bird etc. A FWD T-Bird just doesn’t sound natural haha.
Thank you for doing the video. Yes, this generation was a flop. The 1983 could not come fast enough. I liked the Mercury Cougar version better as it was better looking, but boy didn't 1983 turn things around at Ford and Mercury. Then Lincoln Mark VII arrived for 1984 on the same platform. You covered a lot of information nicely. They did do a dramatic weight reduction. They messed it up for 1989 as it was heavier than the out going model. Some people lost their jobs behind that one. This car served its purpose a learning situation. They had to upgrade the styling because tastes were changing. Ford put a lot of cars on the Fox platform. Thank you again.
Yeah that 1989 was a bit heavier but I like the way it look too. Especially the SC. The 80-82 get a lot of criticism but now that they are antiques I like them for what they are. Too bad we don’t get cars like that no more nowadays. The ‘77-‘79s were beautiful no doubt. I like the aero-birds too.
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon I noticed a lot of the cars we had in the 1970's and 1980's (the big cars, personal luxury cars) are starting find favor with people who dismissed them in the past. I think because they do not build big or personal luxury cars like this anymore considering what is on the market today in 2023.
@@OLDS98 I agree. It seems most of the admiration comes from the children of millennials. They had never ridden in cars this comfortable is comment I get from those who experienced my 1980 Silver Anniversary Thunderbird.
History please! Downsizing was well in hand by 1980, GM the leader with '76 Seville and all large '77 car lines. '77-79 TBird was much downsized from bloated '72-76 era. '80-82 was Downsize #2.
You know, this is not really a bad looking car. Not by a long shot. Not enough to want to own one, i do notice, they are mostly all gone, so there is a reason for this. Quality issues?
My biggest complaint… It wasn’t as smooth riding as the previous generation. Styling is a little polarizing. I owned two 1980 Thunderbirds at one time. I regret selling them. Now I own a 1981 Mercury Cougar XR7 to make up for it.
BTW: "effectively"!??🤔 In fact, Henry Ford II bullishly insisted on the style cues shown as passé by these TBirds. Only after he retired could Aero Bird, Taurus etc. be produced.
Mom had an 80 Town Landau. It had the 4.2 V8 that had the power of a V6 with the gas mileage of a V8. Not powerful at all. It had the cool digital dash and a good handling TRX suspension. The brakes were pretty bad and one of the ball joints squeaked until it let go once. Eventually it was handed down to my brother who put on mag wheels and hush thrush mufflers making it sound mean but still slow. Then the trans started to slip. A fun memory, but not the best of the Tbirds. I really liked the 77-79.
Thank you for not just jumping on the bandwagon of haters for this edition of Thunderbird. So many just seem to parrot what they are told without even experiencing the car. It actually was exactly what I was looking for at that time. I liked the styling very much and having driven Fairmonts and Thunderbirds of the era, I can comfortably say that they are just as different as the Cadillac Seville was from the Nova which was basically the same platform. Times were changing and Ford started a trend with the Taurus of aero styling. While I did appreciate it on the Taurus, I very much disliked the styling of the aero Thunderbird. I was so disappointed in the aero styling that when it came time to trade my 80 Silver Anniversary Thunderbird, I jumped ship and went to Pontiac. I didn't return to Thunderbird until they released the much more attractive (in my opinion) version in 1989, although I did hold out for the V-8, which returned in 1991. They not only were beautiful, they were very reliable. At the time I was trading often, so I replaced my 1991 with a 1994 (V-8) that I still drive today with over 500k miles. Oh, and I also now have another 1980 Silver Anniversary Thunderbird.
500k miles? Whoa! Good on you!
@@MotorMaster_StunticonAnd I haven't even maintained it like I should.
I would like to get my hands on a clean example of one of those T-birds. The ‘89-‘97, in my opinion, were one of the best looking generations.
I love the 82 bird! My neighbor had one and we went to the country club to swim every summer pulling up in that navy blue two tone bird!
I had a 1981 TBird and loved it more than I should have. It had the 4.6L V8 and was pretty quick, at least to me. All the styling queues from the earlier model in a more aerodynamic package. Loved it!
Ive owned 3 of these Fox Bodied 1980-1982 Square Birds , Had a 1981 as my first one with a 302, i drove it daily 7 years put 200,000 miles on it, the main issues i found were the power window tracks wear out rapidly and you got to adjust it periodically, Also you will be replacing the plastic gear in the power window motor, Every 6 months of daily driving, you got to go around in re-tighten all the interior screws, they tend to rattle out rapidly, mechanically it burned up 4 pairs of front struts, 4 pairs of front brake pads, and 2 replaced rack and pinions, 2 radiators, no major mechanical failures, never has been towed in any of them, the car eventually developed noticeable chassis flex as it got older, Owned a 1980 Cougar XR-7 Black with red interior, repainted it and resold it, had low milege, also had a 1980 parts car , this is back in the early 2000's, definetly not the most reliable car's, but still better than other cars, assuming it didn't rust out. The wheel well shaping was considered to be the uglyest part of the these 1980-1982 design.
I had a base '80, black over grey with red interior, bought used. Among most comfortable of all seats in my 25+ cars lifelong. To me it was a classy, cozy driver.
My uncle bought a new 1980 Thunderbird. I was amazed by how much Ford had downsized the car. It looked like a 3/4 scale model of the old T-Bird. I'm 6'1" and I had a hard time fitting into the backseat. It was comfortable if you could sit up front. It was the first car I remember seeing with electronic digital readouts versus the analog gauges on the dash. It did look futuristic in 1980.
I had the Heritage model in college. I loved the huge moonroof mine had - it could be removed and felt a little like a convertible. The abysmal reliability forced me to Acura after college.
I had a 1980 Thunderbird. Bought it in 1982 with just over 40,000 miles. It had the 302 and overdrive, plus the “heavy duty” suspension. I really liked the car. The styling was indeed a carryover from the last generation, and a little too overwrought for the downsized model. The big problem with the car was abysmal quality. Within two years and 20,000 miles it needed a power steering rack, power steering pump, rear differential, the EEC III controller module failed, and the emergency brake system failed. It also had an episode where the entire electrical system shut down, was towed to a Ford dealer, but magically started working again on its own. It was traded on a 1983 Grand Prix that also had frustrating electrical problems from new. I don’t miss the 1980’s quality.
Thanks for sharing that info about the 1980 T-Bird. Yeah 80s reliability/quality wasn’t the best.
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon all the domestic brands were struggling. Despite the problems, I have fond memories of the Thunderbird. For it’s time, it has a great combination of economy, performance, ride and handling. And if you look at its competitors, the styling was comparably attractive.
Shows how styling can go a long way. The 83 "areo" T bird shared alot of mechanicals with the 80-82 and sales were far better. The 80-82s looked too much like the Fairmont it was with more standard equipment. Great vid and I see your gonna hit 1000 subs very soon now!
Yeah this generation gets a lot of pushback but I like it for nostalgia reasons now that it’s antiquated. But yeah the 83 did better in the styling department. Thanks for watching and thanks for the support. I still gotta watch your Buick Grand National video.
@Antique TAGS I appreciate it! Hope you don't mind the occasional corny Star Wars references in it LOL.
Wife just subscribed to you Rob...You only need one more to hit 1k!
Hey that’s awesome Scott. Really do appreciate it! Good looking out!
This is a favorite of mine.
'77-9 T-Bird: already 800lb lighter than its forebear. I loved my base '80 (e.g. best seats of all my c.25 cars). All T-Bird style eras ran THREE years save '67-71, '72-6 & final eras.
Yeah I heard the ‘77-9 were already lighter than the predecessor. So you had a base model ‘80? Cool. Last time I saw one of these on the road was like the mid ‘90s. Thanks for watching again.
I like that you’re going into the 1980s. Keep up the good work and the videos coming!
Yes indeed, thanks for watching!
Shalom from Mississippi gulf coast.
Shalom!
We were makin' thunderbirds
We were makin' thunderbirds
They were long and low and sleek and fast
They were classic in a word
Back in '55
We were makin' thunderbirds
We were young and proud
We were makin' thunderbirds
We were young and sure
We were makin' thunderbirds
-Bob Seger
Haha. Good one 👌
Another great video!! I wasn't much of a fan of Thunderbirds until the 90s right before they ended them unfortunately. I can see where Ford was going and I would say it probably worked out better than if they had made it FWD.
Yeah man good thing they didn’t make it FWD.. I actually don’t mind FWD but I believe certain nameplates just shouldn’t be FWD i.e. Mustang/Camaro/T-Bird etc.
A FWD T-Bird just doesn’t sound natural haha.
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon 100% agreed!! I think GM should have kept some key models as RWD
Thank you for doing the video. Yes, this generation was a flop. The 1983 could not come fast enough. I liked the Mercury Cougar version better as it was better looking, but boy didn't 1983 turn things around at Ford and Mercury. Then Lincoln Mark VII arrived for 1984 on the same platform. You covered a lot of information nicely. They did do a dramatic weight reduction. They messed it up for 1989 as it was heavier than the out going model. Some people lost their jobs behind that one. This car served its purpose a learning situation. They had to upgrade the styling because tastes were changing. Ford put a lot of cars on the Fox platform. Thank you again.
Yeah that 1989 was a bit heavier but I like the way it look too. Especially the SC. The 80-82 get a lot of criticism but now that they are antiques I like them for what they are. Too bad we don’t get cars like that no more nowadays. The ‘77-‘79s were beautiful no doubt. I like the aero-birds too.
@@MotorMaster_Stunticon I noticed a lot of the cars we had in the 1970's and 1980's (the big cars, personal luxury cars) are starting find favor with people who dismissed them in the past. I think because they do not build big or personal luxury cars like this anymore considering what is on the market today in 2023.
@@OLDS98 I agree. It seems most of the admiration comes from the children of millennials. They had never ridden in cars this comfortable is comment I get from those who experienced my 1980 Silver Anniversary Thunderbird.
I think this generation of ford thunderbird was shortlived as it wasn't produced beyond the 1982 model year.
Yeah too bad it wasn’t more popular, thanks for watching.
It had most usual 3-year TBird style cycles as in '55-7, '58-60, 61-3, 64-6, 77-79. 1967-71, '72-6 and final eras were konger
History please! Downsizing was well in hand by 1980, GM the leader with '76 Seville and all large '77 car lines. '77-79 TBird was much downsized from bloated '72-76 era. '80-82 was Downsize #2.
You know, this is not really a bad looking car. Not by a long shot. Not enough to want to own one, i do notice, they are mostly all gone, so there is a reason for this. Quality issues?
The Ford Fairmont reminded me of a big tin can. I owned both a 1980 T-Bird and a 1980 Ford Fairmont. No real comparison in my humble opinion.
Being a 90's kid I loved the idea ford had for 80 to 82 t bird I kinda liked the look it had definitely miss old comfortable seats
Yeah those seats were like pillows!
My biggest complaint… It wasn’t as smooth riding as the previous generation. Styling is a little polarizing. I owned two 1980 Thunderbirds at one time. I regret selling them. Now I own a 1981 Mercury Cougar XR7 to make up for it.
BTW: "effectively"!??🤔 In fact, Henry Ford II bullishly insisted on the style cues shown as passé by these TBirds. Only after he retired could Aero Bird, Taurus etc. be produced.
Yeah ‘effectively’ was kinda an on-the-fly decision. I agree a more appropriate term could’ve been used.
Not my favorite T-Bird. I think if the front end looked a little better would have made a big difference
Yeah the looks are subjective. I actually like the way it looks up front with the false headlights haha.
The Thunderbird was an ugly car since 1958 !
Yeah I guess looks are subjective.
No it was not, it was a beauty.
I agree, but I have a '79 and used to hate them. But somehow I've learned to love it.
Mom had an 80 Town Landau. It had the 4.2 V8 that had the power of a V6 with the gas mileage of a V8. Not powerful at all.
It had the cool digital dash and a good handling TRX suspension.
The brakes were pretty bad and one of the ball joints squeaked until it let go once.
Eventually it was handed down to my brother who put on mag wheels and hush thrush mufflers making it sound mean but still slow. Then the trans started to slip.
A fun memory, but not the best of the Tbirds. I really liked the 77-79.