vintage vs/ 11th generation if you had your choice...

[stevedaphotoman]

I guess I have two question...

1st) Does any one have any idea how many of the 11th gen's are left on the road?

2nd) Being a 2002 torch red owner, I really love this car,.. Love the style, the power, and confortable.. Just a fun car to drive and own.. I did own a 1986 T-bird for 10 years.. It was black with a plum interior.. It serves us well as a daily driver.. That rounded bubble design was so revolutionary when it was introduced, but to me it was never a garage keeper like the 11th gen's.. If you had your choice of all the t-birds which would be your keeper.. For me it would be a '56 or perhaps a mid '65 or '66, and again the 11th gen's.. Don't ask me to rank them though.. :-

 

[couture]

I love my 2002 but I think if I had my choice it would be a 55 - 57 as long as it was in excellent condition.

 

[stevedaphotoman]

I love my 2002 but I think if I had my choice it would be a 55 - 57 as long as it was in excellent condition.

You have a nice garage.. Yes, I want to agree, vintage just puts a fine patina on one's soul.. I would love a 55 - 57 but ant that's a big BUT it would have to be clean to start with.. To get a garage find, with tons of work, would be over whelming to me.. I wish I had started working on cars when I was young.. T watch this forum and the issues that pop up with the 11th gen's and I think if I had a 1st gen, would it be easier, less technology to deal with etc..

Nothing like going to a car show with a 1st generation anything..

 

[fdf3280]

A 58, 63-65 , I love those model years.

 

[tlfmd]

A 58, 63-65 , I love those model years.

I considered searching a replicar Tbird with opera window and modern running gear. Then the neobird showed up as my two seater began to fail. I like my 2005 anniversary edition premium

 

[Mike in Nashville]

I have always loved the look of the '55-'57 however I owned a '57 Ford Fairlane 500, 312, automatic. It was two tone gray and white. Very nice car but it did have it's issues. The one I always remember was the vacuum operated windshield wipers. When you were going up a hill in the rain and gave it gas the wipers would slow or even stop at times. I also remember in the 50's and 60's universal joints, ball joints, tie rods and dozens of other parts were worn after 10 - 20K. By the time they had 50k on them you had done head jobs and dozens of other things. I can also remember doing a lot of work on my '65 TBird with it's 390. I kinda like my '05 Cashmere.

 

[stevedaphotoman]

Yes

I also remember in the 50's and 60's universal joints, ball joints, tie rods and dozens of other parts were worn after 10 - 20K. By the time they had 50k on them you had done head jobs and dozens of other things. I can also remember doing a lot of work on my '65 TBird with it's 390. I kinda like my '05 Cashmere.

My Dad had a 50's or 60 vintage Rambler Station Wagon.. I do remember him bitching about the u-joint in that.. Matter of fact, I think we got stuck at least once if not twice because it gave way.. I also remember going to the Ford Dealer to replace it in 65-66 and It was my first time seeing a T-Bird in the show room.. It was a black 66 and I looked in the back and saw that wrap around back seat and thought, man that is cool and the dash was almost space ship like.. At 10 years old I tried to talk my dad into buying the T-Bird but he settled for a family '66 maroon Ford Galaxy 500.. He did eventually buy a 1980 Thunderbird...

Yupper one of the main reasons I DO love the 11th Gen's is because of the technology.. Not unusual for cars nowadays to hit 200,ooo miles and not having to deal with carberators distributors etc is a huge positive.. That dreaded computer is also a great feature.. For it to store issue codes is a huge plus... I guess I'm a victim of HGTV and Velocity where they knock out a kitchen in a 1/2 hour or rebuild a 50 year old garage find in an hour.. New paint, interior and a new big block engine..

Like they say in the lottery ads all you need is a dollar and a dream.. My dream is a multi bay garage with a couple of 11th gen's (one 2005 with less than 5000 miles and the one I have now along with a 56 or 57 and a cough cough, 65 or 76 vette.. Oh wouldn't mind a finished Wayne Carini find either...