Here’s The Inexpensive 1988 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe You’ve Been Looking For

A few months ago I had my eye on a five-speed Thunderbird Turbo Coupe as my next used car adventure. It sold before I had the chance to get it, which led me to the 2002 Infiniti I35 I’m currently playing with. And since I broke the hell out of my left ankle a couple weeks after the purchase, forgoing the T-bird’s third pedal in place of the Infiniti’s slushbox was probably for the best until I literally get back on my feet.

But this car… sweet mother of all that’s divine in the car world. I’ve always had a huge crush on the 1987-1988 “aerobirds” and this one, found on Craigslist outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is finished in black with the red interior and driven with a five-speed stick. Of all the turbocharged Thunderbirds, this is absolutely the hot one to own.

The Turbo Coupes featured Ford’s venerable 2.3-litre Lima engine, turbocharged and intercooled to make 190bhp in the five-speed models. I know, that’s weaksauce today, but for the 1980s it wasn’t bad at all. Plus, the Turbo Coupe had all kinds of tech for the day, including anti-lock brakes and variable ride control. It handled well, and the turbo mill had enough gumption to push this sleek coupe past 140mph. If you want to do a little modding, the 2.3 engine still has some aftermarket support. And lest you forget, the Thunderbird shared the same Fox chassis as the Mustang, so there’s room for some upgrades.

If you want a Turbo Coupe it’s not terribly difficult to track one down. However, finding one that hasn’t been swapped for a 5.0-litre V8 or one that hasn’t been tweaked and beat to death is getting tough. Per the seller, this car isn’t perfect and pictures show it. There’s definitely some paint issues, and it could most certainly use a good cleaning. But that’s where car enthusiasts are different from everyday people. I can see through the dirt, grime, and flaking paint. It has a fair amount of recent maintenance, it appears to be comfortably stock, and it’s listed as running and driving well. I’d be willing to bet just a proper reconditioning and buff job would make that car look infinitely better, and at $2250 you can’t really go wrong.

Offer $1800, agree at $2000 and have yourself a fun, decent looking driver. Or invest a bit more for a restoration—I’ve been watching these cars for a few years now, and the nicer Turbo Coupes have been steadily trending upward in price. My spider sense tells me these cars will enjoy quite a bump in value once they hit the 30-year mark, and that’s just a couple years away. Add $4000 in paint, maintenance, upgrades and some elbow grease and for $6000 total I bet you could have something like this:

If only I had a bigger garage. Anybody want to buy an Infiniti? I’ll throw in a parking pass so you can visit Mt. Rushmore while you’re in town.