What's up with all these Birds for sale?

[lasuvidaboy]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

It is a different era. In general, young people (high school & college age) hardly give ANY car a second look today. It's not an object of passion or beauty, it's an appliance to get them where they need to go. Back in the day, there weren't many teens who actually preferred a car with 4 doors.

I completely agree. Other than the occasional incredibly expensive exotic, few cars if any catch the attention of young people today. When Detroit stopped making interesting cars in the mid-1970s and later, the car culture began to die. As a kid, I couldn't wait for September when the new cars were introduced. Today cars generally look the same year after year and some look similar to what they looked like 15-20 years ago!

[eboose7]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

Thunderbird fans--be of good cheer, for all is not doom and gloom. Yes, I know that many here have some form of opinion, or even fear, about the bleak future ahead for our beloved cars. But there is hope on the horizon.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, I see an interest in our cars among the young. Whenever I drive my car to work, young men and women, some as young as 25, compliment the car and stop to talk about it. The usual comment centers around lack of awareness--they were unaware that Ford ever made such a car. The same is said of the Ford GT. Sadly enougn, Ford didn't do a good job of advertising the car. They failed to use the social media devices that target the young. As a result, the word of mouth never got out to generate sales. Anyway, lets be honest about it: how many young people buy two-seater roadsters? Most of the new Corvettes I see are being driven by aging Boomers like us.

Still, another favorable sign for the future is the fact that resale values remain high for Thunderbirds. Moreover, I keep getting letters from my Ford dealer asking me to trade my car. That's because he can't keep used Thunderbirds on the lot. Last week, he had an Evening Black '02 on the lot with 25,000 miles that sold in three days. High resale value coupled with demand give every reason to be optimistic about the future. Rarely is one revered in his or her own era. Historians are just beginning to realize what a great president Harry Truman was. The same can be said of automobiles.

[DaiUyTed]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

Speaking as a high school teacher, I feel that some folks here may be generalizing young'uns based on the few they know today. Kids and young adults whom I know are as interested in cars as we were in the 50's and 60's. Just drive your Bird through a high school or college parking lot when classes let out. Or attend a few small local car shows.

[jerrym3]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

If Ford didn't advertise the TBird enough, why was the 2002 such a sought after vehicle?

How many Corvette commercials do you see anywhere? Yet, GM keeps making them, although they are pretty much priced out of the average 21 year old's car budget.

And, most important, GM continues to upgrade the car.

The Bird had a nice launch, and then things caught up.

And, the lack of future improvements, except for colors, was a nail in the coffin. (Just like the LS.)

But, there are few nine year old cars that can still get attention the way the Bird does.

As for car show attendance, I go to a show every week with my Galaxie.

Older folks greatly outnumber the younger. Seems like the younger crowd attends because it's something to do, not that they are car lovers.

Most of the show cars are owned by older folks as well, if you discount the new Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers.

[4LOWBIRDS+7]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

Same here!! The very few interesting cars out there are so expensive that a retro Bird with low miles at current prices looks like a bargain to me. If I had the money and the space I'd grab a couple more right now. How many interesting cars can you buy with low miles which are also modern and drivable for around $20-25K? I'd love a PCR or a Cashmere or a Bronze or all three.

WATCH OUT, THAT HAPPENED TO ME.

[Chuckster]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

Speaking as a high school teacher, I feel that some folks here may be generalizing young'uns based on the few they know today. Kids and young adults whom I know are as interested in cars as we were in the 50's and 60's. Just drive your Bird through a high school or college parking lot when classes let out. Or attend a few small local car shows.

OK Ted,

Just for the sake of argument, please tell us about the cars that your high school students drive. Maybe today it's more an issue of economics than car passion, but I'm pretty confident that a drive through most high school parking lots would put most of us to sleep, unless you're into Beemers and Mercedes SUV's in the more affluent high schools.

I remember Road Runners, Boss Mustangs, GTO's, 442's, Trans Am's and a few Corvettes. Man, I'm dating myself.

[DaiUyTed]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

They're driving what they can get, the cooler the better, just like we did.
Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers if they, or their parents, can afford them. If they could get their hands on five to ten- year-old versions of them, the parking lot would be crammed with them. Even more so Road Runners, Boss Mustangs, GTO's, 442's, Trans Am's, etc. But there aren't five to ten-year-old versions of any of them.
They like my car. (A clue might be in a frequent comment: "Nice rims, Dude." You see, I got rid of those Grandmother wheels immediately. Borla helps, too.) (Hoo boy! Now I'll never be voted TOTM!)

OK Ted,

Just for the sake of argument, please tell us about the cars that your high school students drive. Maybe today it's more an issue of economics than car passion, but I'm pretty confident that a drive through most high school parking lots would put most of us to sleep, unless you're into Beemers and Mercedes SUV's in the more affluent high schools.

I remember Road Runners, Boss Mustangs, GTO's, 442's, Trans Am's and a few Corvettes. Man, I'm dating myself.

[DaiUyTed]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

Seriously, my high school and college were like most of yours, and they're still the some. The parking lots are full mostly with any clunker the kids can get their hands on. But they still truly appreciate a neat ride today. If we could get our hands on a ten year old Ford, we'd roll and tuck the interior, move the shifter to the floor, if that's all we could afford to do, and dream. They still do. Maybe with Civics and Sentras with beer-can exhaust tips, but they still have the lust.

[justjon]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

I am a very recently retired teacher from a large urban So Cal High School. What student parking lot? Most urban teens don't drive at all anymore. Drivers ed is long gone from schools. Insurance is ridiculous and kids don't have jobs. Surprisingly, they don't care much. They are only vaguely interested in cars and mostly then with economy and stereo systems. They do like wheels, they do like Bentlys and Escalades and they do rent limos. None of them work on cars. They pay little attention to what I drive. A few kids liked my 5.0 Mustangs, nobody cared about my Jag or my Allante, they thought my Miata was gay and the Tbird was invisible. I parked next to my classroom and every student knew what I drove. Someone did steal the leaper from the Jag.

[Tbyrdy]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

The bird always gets looks everywhere...some people even comment on it.

I still think it had such a low production run that parts will be hard to get after 10 years. That will not increase the price.

This is one of the most technically sophisticated cars I have ever owned. Just spend some time going through the repair manual and you'll agree. If the car doesn't have a great aftermarket for parts in the future, it will lose resale value.

I still say enjoy life today, including your earthly possessions; life will be over too soon.

[lasuvidaboy]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

I am a very recently retired teacher from a large urban So Cal High School. What student parking lot? Most urban teens don't drive at all anymore. Drivers ed is long gone from schools. Insurance is ridiculous and kids don't have jobs. Surprisingly, they don't care much. They are only vaguely interested in cars and mostly then with economy and stereo systems. They do like wheels, they do like Bentlys and Escalades and they do rent limos. None of them work on cars. They pay little attention to what I drive. A few kids liked my 5.0 Mustangs, nobody cared about my Jag or my Allante, they thought my Miata was gay and the Tbird was invisible. I parked next to my classroom and every student knew what I drove. Someone did steal the leaper from the Jag.

The is exactly what is frustrating to the car companies. More and more younger people have little to no interest in cars. The ones they think are cool are usually super-expensive w/status. As posted, most younger people think of a car as a basic appliance-a tool to get from pont A to point B. I really don't blame the kids as just look at what has been coming off the assembly lines for the past 25-30 years. The only people that look at my TBird (in ground zero for the car culture-L.A.) are people over 40-years-old. If I drove a Bentley Continental convertible or Rolls Phantom convertible I'm sure the kids would look but those would set me be 200-400k!:)

[Lindy]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

...I humbly suspect that there were quite a few retro-birds bought and stored for speculation. Market conditions are softer than hoped for and some folks are liquidating their investments. This evokes thoughts of the infamous 1978 Silver anniversary Indy pace-car Corvette. Many, many were bought and stored. Now, 33 years later, they fetch about 40 grand when a perfect example is brought to the market every now and then. I do expect the retor-bird to do better. However, there are a couple of caveats. Parts availability, and technology obsolescence.

[Ediron]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

The is exactly what is frustrating to the car companies. More and more younger people have little to no interest in cars. The ones they think are cool are usually super-expensive w/status. As posted, most younger people think of a car as a basic appliance-a tool to get from pont A to point B. I really don't blame the kids as just look at what has been coming off the assembly lines for the past 25-30 years. The only people that look at my TBird (in ground zero for the car culture-L.A.) are people over 40-years-old. If I drove a Bentley Continental convertible or Rolls Phantom convertible I'm sure the kids would look but those would set me be 200-400k!:)

Bruce make's a good point as other's about the young market just look at the ad's on American Idol most Ford ads are geared to the young set.

[lasuvidaboy]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

Bruce make's a good point as other's about the young market just look at the ad's on American Idol most Ford ads are geared to the young set.

The new Ford Focus, Fiesta etc. are great cars that are packed w/the latest technology and are attracting younger buyers to Ford. These cars won't become collectibles or win any beauty contests but they are very well engineered, get excellent gas mileage and are fun to drive.

[Chuckster]

Re: What's up with all these Birds for sale?

The kids are absolutely not to "blame" for the change in the way cars are perceived today. As mentioned, many lack luster models that may change once or twice every ten years and marketing that emphasizes the number of cup holders and connectivity to the internet more than style have a lot to do with how cars are perceived today. Currently, it seems that Ford's biggest selling point is "Sync." It really doesn't matter what the car looks like as long as the driver can talk to it....and the car can talk back.

Long gone are the days when dealers covered their showroom windows with paper and the Big Three created excitement each Fall with the launch of new models that actually looked different from the previous year.

It's a part of American automotive history that I'm glad to have been a part of. Lots of fond memories.