The subtle hood scoops immediately indicate that this 1988 Ford Thunderbird is something fairly special. The first owner sought to combine luxury and performance, ordering this classic with the optional turbocharged four-cylinder engine under the hood. By ticking the box beside the manual transmission option, they created the most potent version of the Thunderbird available in that model year. It is a one-owner survivor that the seller recently revived, ready for this Ford to find a new home. They have listed it here on eBay in Sarasota, Florida. Bidding sits at a mere $3,038, which is below the reserve.
Ford released its Ninth Generation Thunderbird range for the 1983 model year. Buyer response was strong, with this Generation remaining on sale until 1988. This final-year example is one of 147,243 ordered during 1988, presenting nicely as a genuine survivor in Light Sandalwood. Close inspection reveals a few small chips and imperfections, but no major issues that might warrant a cosmetic refresh. The T-Bird has been garage-kept for its entire life, remaining in storage since the early 2000s. Therefore, the lack of patchiness and matte areas is unsurprising, nor is the fact that this beauty is rust-free. The plastic shows no evidence of deterioration, and the 16″ aluminum wheels are excellent.
This Thunderbird comes with a level of creature comforts befitting a Personal Luxury Car. These features include climate-controlled air conditioning, power windows, power locks with keyless entry, power mirrors, six-way power front seats, cruise control, a tilt steering wheel, and a premium AM/FM radio with a cassette player and graphic equalizer. The overall appearance is above average for a classic of this vintage, supporting the seller’s claim that this T-Bird was its owner’s prized possession. There is slight wear on the lower outer edge of the driver’s backrest, which is as bad as it gets. The remaining upholstered surfaces are spotless, there is no crumbling plastic, and no aftermarket additions.
The first owner wanted a turbocharged coupe, by-passing the Mustang and focusing on the Thunderbird Turbo. The 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine in this car would have produced 140hp if it had been teamed with an automatic transmission. However, by specifying the five-speed manual transmission, power increased to 190hp. Power steering was standard fare, as were four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock. The seller confirms that this T-Bird’s sole owner treated it as their weekend driver, clocking 94,000 miles before storing it in their garage approximately two decades ago. The seller invested over $4,500 into its revival, replacing any components that could potentially be suspect after years of inactivity. It has a documented ownership and service history, and is a turnkey proposition for the winning bidder.
This 1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo is a wonderful survivor, and it is reassuring that the seller took a meticulous approach when reviving it after its decades-long hibernation. That should ensure it is in excellent mechanical health, ready to provide the winning bidder with the same level of motoring pleasure as its first owner. The 1988 T-Bird Turbo is a vehicle whose value is difficult to determine, as recent sales results have varied widely. However, it should comfortably climb beyond $10,000 before the hammer falls. Anything less, and it could be a bargain.
Loved them then..love this one now. Great color.
These are beautiful cars, the 5spd makes it even better. This is the 3rd time the dealer has run it through eBay, the two prior times the high bids were $5,000 and $4,425, which seems far lower than it deserves. These Turbo Coupes are one of those cars that fly under the radar, but are the perfect counterpoint to people who say that the collector car market is overpriced.
Steve R
They are good looking cars. I remember my buddy had one in the early 1990’s that was a problem child. Always something with that ‘bird. So much so, that the poor car ended up “stolen” and taking a bath in a lake. It was never said but we all knew it was an odd coincidence for a guy that had talked aloud about how he could get outta the car payments.
This is a very nice survivor, not particularly low mileage, but the colors are holding this back from fetching what it deserves, which is the 8-10 range. Always liked the 87-88 birds.
I thought I’d bring everyone up to date. I knew it was way under priced at $3.000. I looked at the posting for this car in the early AM hours of Nov 7, 5 days left to bid with current bid price of $6,850. Should go close to 9-10k. I believe this is a respray because of the missing pinstripe around the upper lip of the body across the doors to the trunk. I thought that was standard for a Turbo Coupe.
These T-Birds pulled off the aero styling look very well. This is a nice example. Not expensive. New headlights would help the look.
Take a minute to read the ebay ad. Of course one can’t always believe what has been written, but this dealer/seller sounds like he is trying to present the car, and himself, honestly.
Opinion… That car has sat outside or in a car port not in a garage, the odometer has rolled once and the owner had their dog(s) with them going places nice that its a manual.
As Woofer said, I too believe it has a paint job. Look at the door handle pockets. Hard to buff those areas. And the drivers door keypad has tell-tale signs of being taped off.
Is it an 87 or 88?
They could have included a new Thunderbird emblem and shift knob in that $4500 as well.
I’m a Thunderbird fan, 85-86 TC are my favorites, so I’m pointing these out as buyer beware on the description.
I think these later model Turbo Coupes were intercooled. When I first saw the picture I was like oh no it’s beige, but on closer inspection it has more of a gold hue like desert tan. If it was closer I’d give it a look.
Nicely optioned TC; looks like every option except leather seats and sunroof. Color is unique as I have not even seen a Bird in this color at the Ford Nationals. No pics of engine bay? No mention if the Program Ride Control works, which is not uncommon for it to fail and near impossible to fix given the lack of available parts – even used. I love my ’87 TC. Nice ride, nice supportive seats, nice balance between luxury and performace for the 80’s. The ideal grand tourer of its day.
Update from prior comments…Engine pucs finally loaded in. The PRC has been removed as struts and likely shocks were replaced with aftermarket parts… shame.
Good sleuthing JohnnyB.
The selling dealer was very creative getting free advertising everytime the brakes were hit lol.
A detail job on the interior could possibly help to find a new owner lMO.
“This listing was ended by the seller on Mon, Nov 10 at 9:04 AM because there was an error in the listing.”