- Reaction score
- 8
- Thunderbird Year
- 2002
I have what was originally a mint condition, Whisper White 2002 TBird with the hardtop and I've had a lot of problems getting the seals repaired on it after the salesmen shoved and beat down on the hardtop in an attempt to get the screws on the lock down mechanism to fasten correctly (screw in).
If you do get the hardtop, be GENTLE with it if you have issues with screwing it down. Don't use any type of force on the hardtop, don't shove it back and forth, either. When I bought my car, it was like new, only 18,500 miles on it, supposedly didn't leak (according to the Ford Dealership I purchased it from) but one side of the hard top wouldn't screw in - they promised to fix this for me before I purchased it, and I later found out that instead of putting in the shop for a simple removal and adjustment of the hardtop screw in fasteners (right by the visor on either side of the car), the used car manager decided to attempt to fix it himself - which resulted in a bunch of salesmen banging on the hardtop, putting hundreds of pounds of force on it while another salesman would try to screw it in, and when one side would be adjusted (was able to be screwed in), they would discover that the other side was now not able to screw in (because they shoved the hardtop back and forth rather than removing it and the little part that the screw inserts into) all of this forcing, shoving and pressure caused the rubber drainage system to fully fail, resulting in water literally pouring into the laps of both driver and passenger sides and flooding the electric buttons on both armrests.
One salesman, Tom, put so much force on it that his metal watch band clasp actually CUT THROUGH the outer rubber gasket that is visible and at the top of the window (in the same general location where each door handle is but at top of window gasket)! So, I'm now paying to have these replaced, too. I actually saw this happen and got the manager to force him to step away from the car. These salesmen were completely in a frenzy in an attempt to fix the good old fashioned way by beating and shoving on it! LoL
Needless to say, I now have it being repaired at a legitimate Ford Dealership with a great customer service reputation that generations of my family have used - but, if you get one with a hardtop, make sure it is NOT leaking, and be CAREFUL with how you handle it - if the screw part of the top isn't screwing in, simply take the roof and those pieces OFF and adjust them according to the directions in the repair manual! There is also talk about how to do this on this site, too.
Another thing about the hardtops; they actually did come with this great little collapsible holding frame which allows me to easily store my hardtop.
Now, the Ford dealership that I bought it from has or had (as of about 5 weeks ago) 12-13 TBird convertibles on the lot - and there was a nifty little black one that had half the mileage of mine but it also had a hardtop with it that has a much smaller leak issue (than what they did to my hardtop) and it is now at a reduced price and down to just $15,500.00 ish.
It seemed like a good bargain and with just a small leak, I NOW know every detail about the hardtop drainage system, and so does my dealership that is fixing mine - if you were up for a drive, this one would be a great deal especially considering that it only has something like 8,000 miles on it! But, if you are interested in it, and you contact me about the dealership info - do NOT let them do ANYTHING to your car! Drive it off the lot immediately after purchase and just pay to repair things yourself. This original dealership (where I purchased the car) is a shamble! They even kept my car (the third time I brought it in for repair) for a month and put 330 miles on it, changed all of my channel settings on the radio and the day I went to pick it up, one of the used car salesmen had to remove his personal items from it and these large boxes, too, which were boxes from part shops - so I'm assuming that they used it for personal reasons and as a shop delivery vehicle while they had it for repair of the roof drainage system. It was also hit, or in a minor fender bender - for when I picked it up, the rear taillight and driver side quarter panel had to be reattached. They are a very unethical dealership - but if you are aware of this going in, and cover yourself on everything, that little black one is a fine deal. The price was originally a bit higher than my car, but once they discovered that the roof leaks, they greatly reduced the price. The car was still sitting there on the lot a week ago - new/newer tires and gorgeous looking.
As somebody mentioned above, about the cars being collectible (which they are in this part of the country - Detroit region) but once they hit 25 years old and we can get collectible plates in this state, having that hardtop that came with the car would be important. Getting it fixed is a bit hard to do, since some of the parts aren't available anymore and the people trained to fix them are few and far between - but I'd shoot for one with the hardtop on it. In really hot weather, the hardtop makes it much more cool, the air conditioning is much more efficient, I believe.
Let me know if you'd like more info on that one little black TBird.
lmc
If you do get the hardtop, be GENTLE with it if you have issues with screwing it down. Don't use any type of force on the hardtop, don't shove it back and forth, either. When I bought my car, it was like new, only 18,500 miles on it, supposedly didn't leak (according to the Ford Dealership I purchased it from) but one side of the hard top wouldn't screw in - they promised to fix this for me before I purchased it, and I later found out that instead of putting in the shop for a simple removal and adjustment of the hardtop screw in fasteners (right by the visor on either side of the car), the used car manager decided to attempt to fix it himself - which resulted in a bunch of salesmen banging on the hardtop, putting hundreds of pounds of force on it while another salesman would try to screw it in, and when one side would be adjusted (was able to be screwed in), they would discover that the other side was now not able to screw in (because they shoved the hardtop back and forth rather than removing it and the little part that the screw inserts into) all of this forcing, shoving and pressure caused the rubber drainage system to fully fail, resulting in water literally pouring into the laps of both driver and passenger sides and flooding the electric buttons on both armrests.
One salesman, Tom, put so much force on it that his metal watch band clasp actually CUT THROUGH the outer rubber gasket that is visible and at the top of the window (in the same general location where each door handle is but at top of window gasket)! So, I'm now paying to have these replaced, too. I actually saw this happen and got the manager to force him to step away from the car. These salesmen were completely in a frenzy in an attempt to fix the good old fashioned way by beating and shoving on it! LoL
Needless to say, I now have it being repaired at a legitimate Ford Dealership with a great customer service reputation that generations of my family have used - but, if you get one with a hardtop, make sure it is NOT leaking, and be CAREFUL with how you handle it - if the screw part of the top isn't screwing in, simply take the roof and those pieces OFF and adjust them according to the directions in the repair manual! There is also talk about how to do this on this site, too.
Another thing about the hardtops; they actually did come with this great little collapsible holding frame which allows me to easily store my hardtop.
Now, the Ford dealership that I bought it from has or had (as of about 5 weeks ago) 12-13 TBird convertibles on the lot - and there was a nifty little black one that had half the mileage of mine but it also had a hardtop with it that has a much smaller leak issue (than what they did to my hardtop) and it is now at a reduced price and down to just $15,500.00 ish.
It seemed like a good bargain and with just a small leak, I NOW know every detail about the hardtop drainage system, and so does my dealership that is fixing mine - if you were up for a drive, this one would be a great deal especially considering that it only has something like 8,000 miles on it! But, if you are interested in it, and you contact me about the dealership info - do NOT let them do ANYTHING to your car! Drive it off the lot immediately after purchase and just pay to repair things yourself. This original dealership (where I purchased the car) is a shamble! They even kept my car (the third time I brought it in for repair) for a month and put 330 miles on it, changed all of my channel settings on the radio and the day I went to pick it up, one of the used car salesmen had to remove his personal items from it and these large boxes, too, which were boxes from part shops - so I'm assuming that they used it for personal reasons and as a shop delivery vehicle while they had it for repair of the roof drainage system. It was also hit, or in a minor fender bender - for when I picked it up, the rear taillight and driver side quarter panel had to be reattached. They are a very unethical dealership - but if you are aware of this going in, and cover yourself on everything, that little black one is a fine deal. The price was originally a bit higher than my car, but once they discovered that the roof leaks, they greatly reduced the price. The car was still sitting there on the lot a week ago - new/newer tires and gorgeous looking.
As somebody mentioned above, about the cars being collectible (which they are in this part of the country - Detroit region) but once they hit 25 years old and we can get collectible plates in this state, having that hardtop that came with the car would be important. Getting it fixed is a bit hard to do, since some of the parts aren't available anymore and the people trained to fix them are few and far between - but I'd shoot for one with the hardtop on it. In really hot weather, the hardtop makes it much more cool, the air conditioning is much more efficient, I believe.
Let me know if you'd like more info on that one little black TBird.
lmc
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