While the Super Coupe is probably hailed as the most memorable Thunderbird from the tenth generation of production, the more basic models exemplified exactly what the personal luxury car market was craving for the period. By now, the T-Bird was also equipped with independent suspension, offering improved stability and better handling over many of the earlier examples. This 1990 Ford Thunderbird LX here on Craigslist in Portland, Oregon, needs an engine repair, but it still looks quite good outside, and sounds reasonably priced at just $1,400. For the cost, this one seems well worth the effort, and we’d like to thank reader Curvette for another excellent tip!
Unfortunately, no engine photo is provided here. Stepping up to the Super Coupe gave buyers the high-performance variant of the 3.8-liter V6, while the base and LX models featured the tamer Essex engine, rated at 140 horsepower. These were all that consumers had to choose from in 1990, as Ford had temporarily dropped the V8 option, but it made a quick return in ’91. Though the seller reports that the 73,000 miles shown are actual, he also informs us that this Thunderbird’s got a bad head gasket, so plan on spending some time under the hood before this one’s ready to continue as a dependable driver.
Thankfully, the blown gasket seems to be the only bad news, as the exterior appears to remain in very good condition all the way around. This one’s said to have had only two owners, and, cosmetically, it appears to have been properly cared for outside by both. I’m not noticing anything screaming for attention on the body, as the panels appear straight and rust-free, and even the paint still shows a strong luster. This car also features a power sunroof, a desirable component that the owner doesn’t even mention!
The front buckets are wearing aftermarket seat covers, so it’s unknown if there are any tears underneath or if they’re just there for protection. However, the visible sections of the interior appear to remain well-preserved, but this one comes from an era with those annoying self-operating seat belts, so that’ll take some getting used to. The seller compares his asking cost to that of a scrap example, and I have to agree that even with the repair facing the new owner, this 1990 Ford Thunderbird seems fairly priced. What do you think?
Had a 90 T-Bird with the 3.8 V6. It was a good riding car, not the fastest but it liked curvy highways. Biggest problem was trying to do a tuneup on the thing. The most difficult things was doing one particular spark plug during a tuneup. No way could you get to it without a ‘Sidewinder’ socket wrench, maybe with a lift but not on the ground. I liked it enough to get a 94.
It’s been 50 years but my memory of difficult plug changes always goes to the Shelby 500KR.
Add says they are selling for scrap… i think the seller needs to do some more research because scrap is $250-$300. but it does have me wondering what a head gasket job would cost on this ride.
Once bought a 92 sable LS off Ebay for the tidy sum of $338.12 back in the early 2000s, much to the wife’s chagrin. Silver, black leather, power everything, gorgeous car other than the blown 3.8 head gasket. Bought a set of reconditioned heads, plugs, gasket set, bolts, cooler thermostat, and new coolant hoses all off Ebay for another 300 bucks, and did the job in the garage over a weekend. Sold it three years later with zero issues. Probably an easier job on the RWD Tbird.
With what’s out there on the market right now and the sky high prices for computer junk, this is a great buy fixing that engine problem is no biggie wish I had the money and the means to go get it from elpaso texas
The Good: Overall condition, except for the head gasket, low price. The Bad: Head Gasket repair, while not terribly expensive, could show other engine issues that could get expensive. The Ugly: Those damn “Motor Mouse” seatbelts, which went away in the 1993 models, IIRC, when airbags were installed. The Verdict: Worth it, if you can live with those damn seatbelts, and an engine swap is always an option! A Coyote V8 would fit nicely in the engine compartment, and Ford has a 5.0L Coyote “Power Package” for sale, with a crate motor, automatic transmission and all of the wiring you need to hook it all up, just write a check, LOL!
The “passive” seatbelt rule was a cheap “quick fix” to comply with Federal regulations that mandated either airbags or automatic seatbelts to ensure that folks actually “buckled up” back in the day. These were not only annoying, but had a potentially fatal flaw. Despite the adjective “passive”, which strongly implied that no action on the part of the driver was necessary to fasten the belts, you had to manually fasten the lap belt, which many people failed to do. If you failed to fasten the lap belt, you would slide under the shoulder strap in a crash. That was called “submarining” under the shoulder belt, which would catch on your neck and throat as you slid under the strap, causing a fracture of the fifth (5th) and sixth (6th) cervical vertebrae, a perfect “hangman’s fracture”, killing the driver instantly! In severe crashes, people had actually been decapitated by the shoulder belts! So much for a “safety” device!
Both of my Mother’s cars, Saturn SL1 and a Mazda 626 had them, and they drove me crazy! Every time I’d shut the driver’s door and begin to lean forward to adjust the driver’s seat, the damn shoulder belt would hit me in the throat as the little motor mouse would start moving the shoulder belt into the driving position! Either that, or it would hit me in the back of the head when I opened the door to get out of the car! Nuts! It got so bad that I took to unbuckling the shoulder strap before entering or exiting the car! Damn Bureaucrats!
I had a ninety T Bird with the passive belts. A minor annoyance at worst. And if you failed to fasten the lap belt manually you got what you deserved in my opinion.
The overall condition of the car, minus the engine, looks in really nice shape. I’m assuming if it’s been an OR car its whole life the the underside looks just as good. I don’t think the price he’s asking is bad. If the head gasket issue didn’t damage anything else you could have a really nice car for not big money. Even less if it was something you could do yourself. I totally agree with the comments about those seatbelts. My sister used to have a 92′ Escort and I hated those damn things!
This seems like a nice enough shell for the money to put another, more powerful engine in. But, you’ve gotta like the looks of this generation T-Bird to put in that amount of effort.
I would swap a 32v 4.6 and. Tremec T56. Not sure if an upgrade to the rear would be warranted. Nice shell.
Those headlights don’t appear to be sitting as flush to the body as they should be….
.I think the headlights looks like the one I had. IIRC the lights stood a little proud of the hood. Might be an optical illusion too based on the camera angle. One thing I didn’t have and wouldn’t care for is the panel in the roof, just one more leak to deal with.
I don’t recall seeing these body styles with cornering lamps before!