1997 Ford Thunderbird Reviews, Pricing & Specs
What owners say
"Overall, owners of the 1997 Ford Thunderbird are quite pleased with their cars, highlighting their reliability, comfortable ride, and decent power, especially from the V8 engine. Many drivers appreciated the car's stylish design and performance, enjoying its fun factor on the road. However, some noted downsides like lower fuel economy, particularly with the V8 engine, and minor maintenance issues over time."
Performance - Same engine as a Mustang GT of the same year but since it is a heavier car and the engine is detuned some it does not accelerate as quickly. Build Quality - Car has the standard suspension rattles of a 130,000 mile car. Appearance - One of Fords sleekest designs that has aged well. Cost of Ownership - 17-19 MPG city/24-26 MPG highway. Relatively low maintenance costs. Fun Factor -I love driving this car
December 20, 2009This car is a joy to drive. The style is very nice and it has the power and handling to support the style. The car gets surprisingly good gas mileage for a V8. I would think long and hard about getting it if you have to get in the back seat on a regular basis.
February 6, 2015good car for 350 bucks. runs good with the 4.6l v8 engine option. sets you back in your seat even with 2.73 gears in the rear end. gotta give it credit i guess for having 139,000 miles on the modular v8. it should have quite a bit left in it. ...well maybe. i need to go a little easier on it if i want it to last. my ram air hood is my favorite part of this car. it gives it the agressive looks..so much for a sleeper grandma looking car
November 11, 2008What owners say
Performance - Same engine as a Mustang GT of the same year but since it is a heavier car and the engine is detuned some it does not accelerate as quickly. Build Quality - Car has the standard suspension rattles of a 130,000 mile car. Appearance - One of Fords sleekest designs that has aged well. Cost of Ownership - 17-19 MPG city/24-26 MPG highway. Relatively low maintenance costs. Fun Factor -I love driving this car
December 20, 2009This car is a joy to drive. The style is very nice and it has the power and handling to support the style. The car gets surprisingly good gas mileage for a V8. I would think long and hard about getting it if you have to get in the back seat on a regular basis.
February 6, 2015good car for 350 bucks. runs good with the 4.6l v8 engine option. sets you back in your seat even with 2.73 gears in the rear end. gotta give it credit i guess for having 139,000 miles on the modular v8. it should have quite a bit left in it. ...well maybe. i need to go a little easier on it if i want it to last. my ram air hood is my favorite part of this car. it gives it the agressive looks..so much for a sleeper grandma looking car
November 11, 2008Purchased this car new when I was 19. It was (in my opinion) one of the best values for the dollar. Plenty of horsepower and torque. It had four wheel independant suspension with four wheel disk brakes. Cornered wonderfully. Drove the car over 100k miles prior to selling it. I regret that decision every day. The only thing that I wish it came with, was a manual transmission 18mpg city 25 highway
July 2, 2008good accel, good breaking, handled pretty well. The Engine was clogged when i got it, it ran like a V6 instead of a V8. green body, leather interior. expensive on gas and a few problems with maintenance but it wasn't too bad. This car was fun as hell to drive.
August 3, 2009Very reliable 3.8v6. Comfortable ride. And durable. Not to mention a very pretty car
July 28, 2023The Ford Thunderbird in this generation is a very nice mix of performance, luxury, and style. They can be relatively inexpensive if you look around and get lucky. I drive this one daily, and as mentioned before it is fun to drive, comfortable, and gets excellent fuel economy all things considered. I do all of my own "routine" maintenance, and do it with basic hand tools and several specialized tools I have either built or purchased. Costs for most parts such as spark plugs, belt, idler pulleys, starter, alternator, radiator, filters, plug wires, are all within reason.
January 24, 2015Plenty quick, for the late 90s not-so-impressive 2v 4.6 V8 20mpg if you keep your foot out of it 14mpg if you don't Lots of room front and back I think they're totally sweet looking would have liked a stick excellent ride excellent handling stereo sucks (get an aftermarket one) great engine note
January 25, 2010I bought mine NEW in 1997, It has only 35,000 origional miles. Seats have been covered the whole time. Did step up and put in High Performance chips.Running the 4.6.
October 1, 2007It's a solid car. Under the hood, it packs a 4.6L fuel-injected V8 that, when it was made, put out around 205hp and 290tq. Luckily for me, it's not stock. The best estimate is that it's churning out close to 210hp and 300+ tq, thanks to a cold-air intake, true-dual Flowmasters exhaust, and Superchips Performance programming. It cost me about $2300 when I got it, and has since cost me over a grand in performance parts and maintenance. It sucks gas if your foot is in it.
June 30, 2010
