Just drove a 2004 Thunderbird

[beefheart]

While I’m want to swap my 1993 Miata LE for a Thunderbird , today I drove a one owner 2004 Black with red and black interior, really drove out nice, well taken care of, will put it on a lift Monday morning, anything I should be looking at while I consider this car? Thank tou!

This page contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.

 

[h2austex]

While I’m want to swap my 1993 Miata LE for a Thunderbird , today I drove a one owner 2004 Black with red and black interior, really drove out nice, well taken care of, will put it on a lift Monday morning, anything I should be looking at while I consider this car? Thank tou!

I have a 2005 which has not had any issues yet, but the most common I've seen online are electronic glitches associated with the front and rear electronic modules, and hard to find/expensive parts. By 2004 they had smoothed out earlier issues they had.

 

[JohnS]

I sold my 2011 Mazdaspeed mx5 and bought a 2003 Thunderbird. I have to slow down for corners now but no regrets. Look for rust where the cross supports connect to the frame.

 

[quicksliver]

While I’m want to swap my 1993 Miata LE for a Thunderbird , today I drove a one owner 2004 Black with red and black interior, really drove out nice, well taken care of, will put it on a lift Monday morning, anything I should be looking at while I consider this car? Thank tou!

Great fun driving. Only 12,757 made that year. Hope it checks out for you!

 

[Jerry Johnson]

Well not only do I have a 2010 Mazda Miata Grand Touring PRHT, 6-spd, with the factory Bilstein Sport Suspension, but I have a 2005 50th Anniversary Premium and the driving experiences are entirely at opposite ends of the spectrum. The Mazda is truly an (albeit underpowered) beautifully handling exquisite piece of machinery while the Thunderbird is a refined, quiet, adequately powered beautiful fun car, but John S (above) is correct, one has to slow down for the corners. I upgraded my TBird's brakes with Powerstop slotted rotors and calipers. The bottom line is I love both cars for what each offers in driving experience

 

[beefheart]

I did think the Thunderbird brakes were a bit soft, that Thunderbird is sure a comfortable car in my opinion

 

[Frankie the Fink]

Turn on the headlights and run the dash gauge light thumbwheel up to maximum, if the dash lights do NOT work and the gear shift center console indicator lights also do NOT light up; its indicative of a classic FEM (Front Electronics Module) failure.
Not a deal breaker but to correct this common failure the unit needs to be remvoed fron the DS kick panel and sent off fore repair (about $400) and then reinstalled. If the power steering gets tight and hard to manage it can also be the FEM

 

[doug7740]

While I’m want to swap my 1993 Miata LE for a Thunderbird , today I drove a one owner 2004 Black with red and black interior, really drove out nice, well taken care of, will put it on a lift Monday morning, anything I should be looking at while I consider this car? Thank tou!

I have a 2004 Merlot Thunderbird that I purchased last year. My wife and I took it on Route 66 from Chicago to California and back home to Ohio via the northern route. We were on the road 28 days and 6,300 miles. There something about driving a Thunderbird on Route 66, on a sunny 75 degree day with the top down that can’t be described. I also have a 1955 Thunderbird that I drive locally 1,000 miles per year. As you can tell I would rather drive and enjoy my cars than just let them sit in a garage and look at them.

When I was going to purchase my 2004, I drove it normally and then aggressively to make sure there was no delayed transmission engagement at low speeds and turning corners, and there were no hard jerks of the transmission engaging.

Check out everything electrical, the electronic modules are big ticket items. Make sure the dash lights and shift indicator lights work, if they don't the the Front Electrical Module is probably defective.

Make sure the ignition coils and the wiper motor bracket seal campaign were performed.

You may want to check and make sure the latches for the top unfasten and fasten and don't forget to operate the convertible top. The tonneau cover for when the convertible is folded down and the hard top are included with the car.

Make sure the car comes with two sets of keys; a replacement set keys from Ford is costly.

Put the vehicle on a lift so you can check the brakes, tires, suspension, and the underside for any leaks or damage. Deteriorating suspension bushings are common.

Connect a scan tool, (if you have one), to the car's Data Link Connector so you can check to see if there are any fault codes in any of the control modules.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[beefheart]

Great advice thank you all!

 

[FStJ]

While I’m want to swap my 1993 Miata LE for a Thunderbird , today I drove a one owner 2004 Black with red and black interior, really drove out nice, well taken care of, will put it on a lift Monday morning, anything I should be looking at while I consider this car? Thank tou!

Beefheart nailed it. Electronics may plague you, later models resolved some. My 2002 fuel module failed, car was down for a month to locate/repair part. Involved removing most of the interior.