Backfire
There’s a framed print of a Honda N600 hanging on the wall in the service department of our local Honda dealer. The car looks innocent and kinda cute… not as cute as the Tribbles in Star Trek, but just as prolific, thanks in large part to Detroit’s decision to build cars like the 2002-’05 Thunderbird, full of unserviceable and unavailable components.
Steve Raymer Via email
I was very pleased to see the article regarding 2002-’05 Thunderbirds in the September issue of Hemmings Motor News. It was great that the Hemmings editorial staff and writers gave this generation of T-Birds the recognition they deserve. Of course, having owned one identical to the feature car since September 2001 may make me a little biased. Jeff Koch did an excellent job with the information developed, his presentation, and the photos. I am familiar with Jeff’s work from Hemmings, and other publications he has been involved with, and I know his work will always be top-notch.
I would like to make a few comments about the article. The resources used, Phil and Ken, provided good information. But I think there needs to be a little clarification. First, there were 82 Inca Gold cars, the last cars produced in ’05, not the 187 indicated. Also, I think the values provided were low. From my experience, the high figures provided are probably more the average. Some low mileage and specific colors bring in the mid to upper teens, especially if sold through a dealer. And some colors, such as Thunderbird Blue (02), 007 (03), Merlot (04), PCR (Pacific Coast Roadster (04), and Cashmere (05) often command higher prices. The Hemmings classifieds seem to confirm this, too.
There are other specialists who are well known and respected in the Thunderbird hobby. Dot Lang of Texas has developed and maintains the , which may be the ultimate resource on the 2002-’05 models. It includes 1955-’57 models, as well. It is very complete, well organized, up is another dedicated 2002-’05 resource. It is an interactive website that was initiated in 2002 and has had among its members Ford employees involved with the Thunderbird program since the beginning. It likely contains information on every issue that has developed regarding the cars, good and bad. There are other Thunderbird specific websites that are good resources, as well.
