Overview & Reviews
Revised styling greatly improves the look of the Thunderbird for 1996. The Super Coupe is deleted, replaced by a Sport Package for the V8 model. Base V6 engines have been upgraded, and go 100,000 miles between tune-ups. Equipment rosters have been shuffled.
User Reviews:
Showing 1 through 10 of 55.00-
Bird is the Word - 1996 Ford Thunderbird
By cspirit - March 18 - 10:35 pmI own the V8 T-Bird, and of all the cars Ive owned through the years, it has proven repeatedly to be the most reliable, stylish and overall best value vehicle money can buy. I bought mine used a little over a year ago with 124000 miles on it, and aside from replacing the brake pads and ball joints (which were wore out from age and the previous owners abuse) this car has been an exceptional ride, silky smooth with plenty of power. Though the V8 only gets moderate gas mileage, the comfort, style and reliability more than make up for it. If youre looking for an older, stylish and reliable ride, I highly recommend the T-bird...
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Best Ford Car Going - 1996 Ford Thunderbird
By mrthunderbird - March 5 - 2:59 amI have owned this car for 7 years and over 100,000 miles. There are some issues with the 3.8 that will cost some money to fix, but it is well worth the effort. Head gaskets go like clock work about 140,000 miles. I had mine replaced with better quality ones along with a valve job. Runs great so far at 188,000. Transmissions tend to be glitchy, but regular maintenance keeps that in check. If your looking for a lot of miles from yours heres a trick. Keep it maintained. Use Royal Purple motor oil and micro filter. Use Lucas Top Cylinder Lube in the gas every tank full. I am looking to keep mine for a long time. Still gets 29 mpg Highway. See you on the road.
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216,000 miles and still doing great - 1996 Ford Thunderbird
By Love my 96 Bird - June 29 - 4:31 pmWow - what an awesome car. I picked it up as a used fleet car with 12,000 miles on it for $16k in 1996 - as of June of 2010 still has a lot of life left. Just this week needed to finally replace the catalytic converter - mechanic said with this car, its worth it. Hes so impressed - he checked her out from stem to stern and thinks shell get at least another 50,000. This beauty doesnt owe me a dime - $500 to do the cat, so what, how much am I saving in car payments and insurance? Yeah, its fabulous. Love this car.
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Lame - 1996 Ford Thunderbird
By pixiedw - November 11 - 11:31 amI received this car for my graduation from high school. And it needed alot of work done. The inside lights dont work, turn signals dont work, the sunroof fell off the car while I was driving, the car has no backend suspension, it cant even handle snow on the ground hardly ice, the alternator and engine cooling fan had to be replaced as well as a major belt, the starter went out and replaced. I think old ford cars are not made for use in the midwest.
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Ford Does it Again - 1996 Ford Thunderbird
By Bruce - October 15 - 12:33 pmThis is a real nice car but everyone should be aware of the 4.6L V8 issue that is not only common, but will likely cost you a lot of money. There was a recall with an extended warranty, after a lawsuit, which expired 7 years after original sale of vehicle. So, if you are not the original owner it is likely you never heard of it. Some genius designed the intake manifold out of plastic, including the coolant crossover. It will crack! You will then have a coolant leak requiring replacement of the manifold. Today that cost is around $800 to $1000 depending on where you go. I will be doing it myself for the cost of parts, which will be between $250 and $300. Do plugs while everything is open.
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silverbird - 1996 Ford Thunderbird
By silverbird - August 28 - 8:22 pm4 years ago I needed a second car to keep from putting too many miles on my Expedition. I bought my 96 ford thunderbird used with only 30,000 miles on it. It has been very reliable and is very comfortable to drive.Best used car I have ever owned. The 4.6 V8 gets great gas mileage, it rides smooth and still looks great. I am totally sold on Ford products now and look forward to owning many more in the future.
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My Birdy - 1996 Ford Thunderbird
By 4.6 LX Bird - August 5 - 9:15 pmI bought my T-Bird just a few years ago with around 60,000 miles. The car has been great to me ever since the day I bought it. Recently Ive been experiencing transmission problems, But thats not bad after 110,000 miles. I go through tires like crazy but thats just cause Im kinda hard on the car. This is the perfect first car for anyone as it was mine. Recently I added a 2000 watt system with a touch screen monitor. My favorite thing to do is drive on the highway on a summer nice summer night with the windows & sunroof open. Blasting the new system and listening to the V8 with custom exhaust roar. Ill never regret buying this car. In fact Im looking for my second. =]
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almost 200,000 miles ORIGINAL ENGINE - 1996 Ford Thunderbird
By kruzer - March 14 - 2:15 pmEverything is ORIGINAL never been replaced, except for the radiator (once). The car near 200,000 miles mark and I am going for 250,000 miles :) This was the best model and quality workmanship of all T-birds made. I get almost 29 MPG on open hwy but average is 26 MPG on hwy. Sweet :)
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Whats the word? T-Bird - 1996 Ford Thunderbird
By Gary - January 29 - 7:51 pmI bought my 96 V8 about two months ago. I love it, wouldnt want any other car in the world. Im getting some BF Goodrich tires tomorrow. Runs like a champ every time I turn that key it makes me grin. The interior is awesome and with some hood scoops on the exterior it looks like a mean car.
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Going on one quarter of a million miles - 1996 Ford Thunderbird
By raymond - June 23 - 12:01 pmI bought my T-Bird with 28,000 miles and I have put over 200,000 more. I drive it every day and get 26 miles to the gallon, mostly highway. Ford replaced the intake and I have replaced the alternator and fan motor. I had the front-end reworked at 175,000. I love driving this car because of its sports car performance. It handles like new. It is Laser Red with Crager Super- Sports and with a high output stereo. I look forward to buying an antique tag. This car has been a great investment.
