My wife has had a penchant for a convertible for a long time. So to quiet her down one day, I decided to take her to look at - not buy - a Mercedes SL500.

After eyeing a few SL's on the Benz lot, I drove to the Ford dealer to look at an F150 Supercrew I saw advertised. Just to look at - not buy.

Big mistake! With no clue and by dumb coincidence, they had a 2002 red T-Bird sitting on the showroom floor.

To make a long story short, we ended up buying the T-Bird and an FX4 offroad (new for 2002) F150 Supercrew.

The T-Bird:

Unbelievably quiet, graceful, aggressive, and downright fun to drive. Its "smooth-as-silk" performance, balance, and handling rivals any euro-roadster.

I went for a performance run through some curving stretches, and got use to the five-speed automatic transmission by using 3rd thru 5th gears. Shifting was not at all jerky like a lot of automatics, and I was able to use the RPM's for slowing, leading into the curves, then accelerating out and setting up for the next. The 17 inch 235/50's gripped without a peep, and the long/short arm suspension held an edge like a carving knife. I used the brakes one time during the run - the speed limit posted down to 45. Very impressive!

On the Freeway, this little gem just quiets down and absorbs quite a bit of road, making a joy ride very comfortable. The variable-assist power steering stabilizes the higher speed straights, in what becomes one-touch steering at 80. One note: The car has less than 200 miles on it, so I wasn't about to exceed 100, although there was plenty of travel left down to the floor.

The interior styling is simple elegance, with the exception of the center console. Although it doesn't look out of place, one might think that FMC cut the cost on this item by installing the top of the line Ford sound system and climate control. I think anyone would have paid the premium for a 'unique-to-the-T-Bird designed console.' I know I would have. At any rate, the sound system is more than adequate, and actually adjust louder with the top down as external noise elevates. The dual zone (driver and passenger) climate control is overkill (it's a 'good' thing) being as how it was originally designed for a four door sedan like the Lincoln LS.

The exterior is like fine wood furniture, in that, with proper care, it will become a timeless classic. The lines are seductive, and even non-enthuiasts have to rubber-neck this work of art. I had one guy tell me he had to get a closer look, because at first he thought it was an older restored Ferrari (hey, it's bright red ... what can I say).

Downsides I've noticed:

1. With the soft top up, I have to scrunch down to fit (I'm 6'1"). It's not as prevalent with the hard top, and visibility is impaired with both tops, even with the port hole. I live in Southern California, so my answer to this dilemma; "drive with the top down always."

2. The road-grime has a tendancy to quickly accumulate on the bottom body panels behind the rear wheels. I asked the parts department if matching colored mud flaps were available, and they said they were not.

Overall, I have to say that FMC has finally done it again by placing the new T-Bird into the category with the 55 thru 57 T-Birds, and Mustangs of the 60's. The advantage the new T-Bird has over these classics; is state of the art technology and materials.

What a great day I picked to go look at cars!









Amount Paid (US$): 48,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: 2002 Ford Thunderbird Premium Model with Hard Top