very close to buying an SC

[b_burns30]

Im looking at a black 89 5 speed with grey leather interior. I really like it. It only has 76000 miles on it, completely stock, air silencer still intact. I took it for a drive and it drives very nice. Gets good boost and good vaccum. The seller wants $5000 for it. I think thats a fair price and am pretty sure i will buy it. Is this a fair price or am i getting a steal? Does anybody have some advice for me? This is my first SC buying experience.

[OneSweet89SC]

I've had my SC for a little over a year. It is an 89 5-speed, black w/ gray cloth. When bought, it had 56k on it. I payed $5,700. Was that steal? Absolutely not. Would I do it again? Yes, without a second thought. I looked for a long time before buying one of these, and this one was exactly what I was looking for--low miles, IMMACULATE condition, new tires, new brakes. It needed VERY little. I replaced the motor mounts, and bought some new rubber trim for some dried out pieces. If the car you are looking at is what you've been looking for, then I'd say grab it. If you are settling for something (like color, tranny, year, sunroof/no sunroof), then I'd say wait for the one you really want. At the $5,000 price range, you will find another SC. It's not a steal, but the deal sounds fair (although it's hard to say without seeing the car). Goodluck.

[b_burns30]

Thanks for the info, i have been looking at this SC for over a year now. I tried to buy it in the spring but it was being saved for another buyer. Now that it is for sale again, i will try not to let it go.

[KwikGSeX]

Friend of mine ont his board recently bought a MINT MINT MINT 94 AODE SC with the SCP 300hp package for $5200.. If you are patient you will find a better deal.. The 94 has 80k on the clock.. I personally think the 89 is worth no more than $4000 with that mileage..

[fastsc92]

i got my 92 sc for 2800....mint....family car...all stock. had 96k on it when i bought it. not a bad price

[HappyHourHero]

i think it depends on how much you want that car, i agree with dennis, that you could find a better deal. i got my 90 5spd for $3500 a year and a half ago with 78k in pretty good cond. when early style lower milage sc's ranged from 4500-6000 when i was looking for one here in ny. i also came across a 94 "excellant cond." a few weeks back for 3400 with 80k(?). is the seller negotable with the price?

[b_burns30]

Thanks for all the info. I talked to the seller today. We didnt talk on the price that much though. He had a previous offer for 5000 but the buyer didnt pull through. Personally, i believe that the owner thinks that the car is worth more than i do. Im not too sure if he will let it go for less. As for finding a better deal on an SC, I havent seen more than 3 SC's in my area in the past year and none of them were for sale. So to even see an SC makes my day. But i will see how low he will let it go for. I need the money thats for sure. Insurence is gonna kick my butt.

[J57ltr]

That's way way more than it's worth. 3,725 is blue book for it. If I were you I would look around for a while.

Jeff

[Digitalchaos]

I paid 3200 for mine with 40 something thousand miles. The asking price was 3800. Interior is mint, paint is fair, and I bought it knowing the syncros & tires were worn. When its time to make a decision about a car, the main factors that come into play are how much you can afford, and how much the car is worth to you. If it is identical to what you want, in excellent condition, and hard to find; then it is worth it. Unfortunatley cars are always overpriced.

[jpaitala]

If cars were that cheap in here I could easily have 3 SC's.
I payed ~14 000USD of mine last December. Think about it... and it was pretty good deal!!!

[Mike8675309]

If the seller has been stuck with it for a while, this is your chance to deal.

First I'd make sure those are real miles and not some scam someone is playing.

If so, then I would offer 3800, and negotiate no higher than 4200. If he won't bite, leave your phone number and name and tell him to call you if he ever wants to go at that price.

In the mean time look around. An 89 is not really a car to be paying over book value on. Now if it was a 95 5speed, that would be a different story.

Single owner, good records, and those miles, maybe 4800, but always look for alternatives.

[92_coupe]

I paid 24,500.00 out the door for my brand new one in 1992, every option except phone, had sticker price of 32,000.00 has been the best and most fun to drive and i still like it after all the years and miles i have put on it. had to go to about 12 different dealers to find it and used ones that i looked at had been abused. look at it carefuly and if the owner took care of it buy it or if it looks abused run like hell.

[b_burns30]

I know the car hasnt been abused. Only 2 owners. 1st owner only put 20,000 miles on it. I got the CARFAX report and it is clear of everything. The person who owns it now is sort of a friend my family's and we all trust him so i'm sure he is telling me the truth. I should know within a week if i will be buying the car, and will give all the details. Thanks for the advice and info.

[92_coupe]

One other thing is they did improve over the years, my 92 was the first year of the intercooler, good improvement ! the 94 and 95 have the newer blower style. if i was looking for one to buy today i would be looking for a 95 in good shape and jump on it. it took me 4-5 weeks and that was when they were in production to find mine, all of the dealers only had about 1-2 each.some were demos and every test ride i went on the salesman was all over me to floor it,i found mine in a yard, just off the truck, with 2 tenths of a mile. post a wanted to buy on this forum and check ebay every day. i like my 92 but if i didn't already own it i would be after a 95 model just my 2 cents and experiance of having a super coupe all these years.

[Deep6]

IN my time of buying and selling cars both privatly and as a salesman, if a car is a superior example, it can command a higher asking price. But remember that is always an Asking price. It's want the owner or dealer would like to get, the "wish" # if you will. Chances are he'd be will to knock a few hundred off cause you're a "friend".

I have a 95 5-speed and I made sure to hold out for one of those. After reading about the prob's that the earlier cars had (headgaskets, ABS brakes etc.) plus also realizing that if I wanted to do mods I'd need later style hardware, like the 93' up spindles, and later style fuel tank. PLus 20 extra hP didn't hurt either.

Anyway, consider that for another $4000 you could get a 95 5-speed with similar miles in great shape.

Also, since this guy is the second owner, you don't know the history for the first 20K. Use that to your advantage if you want this car. Check the tires and make sure they are basically NEW for him to be asking this price. He shouldn't balk if you want your mechanic to take a look see at it either and he should be willing to fix it if you are going to be paying him $5000.

[92_coupe]

SOME INFO ON HEADGASKETS
ALL YEARS had headgasket trouble because of the 220 degree fans too hot for aluminum heads, cheap bolts, cheap gaskets, and exaust that has too much back pressure. If you put a lower thermostat in change your fans to kick on at lower temps and free up the exaust you would most likly have NO trouble with even the factory headgasket in all years of SC'S. keeping your coupe cool by using the ac to overide the 220 degree fan switch of the eec will help but freeing up the exaust is just as important.

[J57ltr]

All SC's from 89 on had an intercooler.

Jeff

[b_burns30]

What thermostat would you recomend? 180? Also, could somebody give me a description of the stock exhaust and a description of the ideal exhaust set up for an SC? Thanks.

[92_coupe]

180 degree works fine for any engine stock is 195 for exhaust dual 2 1/4 pipe with high flow cats into magnaflow # 212278 3 inch pipe out then split into 2 1/4 pipe into dynomax 917732 super turbos. sounds good not too loud and flows great. don't forget to put in a flange behind the magnaflow resonator like the factory exhaust so you can do future service or repair work that requires exaust removal. A ford diesel exhaust flange works good as it is 3 inches and fits the new pipe and resonator looks just like factory but bigger and weld everything up so you will have no leaks:cool:

[b_burns30]

Well i have run into a new problem today. My parents will not let me buy the SC because they think it is too fast for me. I am 18 years old and they think im too young for such a fast car and will get into an accident. Does anybody know how i can convince my parents that the SC is a safe car? My parents want me to buy an LX instead of the SC. Im trying to tell them that the SC isnt that much faster than the LX.

[Deep6]

Tell your parents that you are no longer interested in the Thunderbird anymore, and you want to get a mustang. That'll get them thinking that the Thunderbird is a safer car.

It recieved a five star crash rating front rear and side. Driving a thunderbird will mean that you are driving a rolling tank.

let your parents know that the thunderbird you are looking at *only* has a V-6. It isn't a super duper fast V-8 thunderbird. In fact tell them in 1989 Ford didn't offer a V-8 in the car due to "insurance reasons".

Show them the safety features it has, Show them that it has a back seat. Show them it has trunk space. Show them that it is classified by the insurance industry as a "2-door sedan" NOT a "2-door sport coupe" like the mustang or camaro.

Tell them that you are getting more for your money with the SC over the LX. Tell them that the LX's Blow headgaskets left and right (they do, you wouldn't be lying here).

Tell them that ABS brakes came standard on the SC and they were an Option on the LX and not even available on the Base model.

If that doesn't convince them, and you really want the car, make sure to remind your parents (gently) that you are 18 and therefore an "adult" and you are paying for the car yourself. You feel as though this is a good choice of automobile for you because you want to feel safe but at least have something that makes you feel like a young adult.

[J57ltr]

boy his parents must be Dumb if they are going to believe that. If you don't tell them what type of car to drive then move out. You are 18.


Jeff

[Digitalchaos]

Add that you want a 5 speed, and it is only available in this package. 5 speeds get better gas economy, and you can say they will last much longer with smaller repair/maintainance bill. Speaking of economy, tell them the SC gets better gas mileage than a regular Tbird because of the 6 cyl engine. If they are aware of the Supercharger already, tell them the increased air charge produces power from the engine without using extra gasoline.. just take into account their technical knowledge. (it probably does get bttr mpgs than an engine with the cubic displacement to match ouput power of the SC, but not for this reason) . If they say 'get a Cavalier if you want a 5 speed', find the numerous technical articles on the Internet which explain why RWD can actually be significantly better in most low traction conditions than FWD. Also, remind them you want a large car, not only for its capacity but for the additional safety it affords to you and your passengers. This is almost the only modern car of its size with a manual.. not to mention rwd.

Probably your strongest points will be the mention to economy and lower maintainance costs. Next to that will be your specific desires, like size and manual trans. Another strong point- if they consider you an inexperienced driver, tell them the extra speed afforded by a Tbirdsc will help you compensate for bad driving decisions you might make, like pulling out in front of a semi at 60 mph's. If they can be convinced that you are an experienced driver, use this to convince them you are experienced enough to drive an SC.

Just remember not to tell them anything they may know to be untrue. If you question what they know about cars, or if you question the accuracy of the contents of any of the posts here, simply ask. There are valid arguments, and there are tactics to assist you.. just know the difference. What you want in a car should always be a priority, that is the 'point' of life, after all.. to enjoy it.

BTW; in 1989 the horsepower of the SC engine was 210. The later LX's were 205. This can be used as evidence that it was hardly any faster than a regular LX.. and instead you want it for the other virtues.

[92_coupe]

Buying the car is the easy part, have you checked out what insurance will cost? It is listed as a high performance car when insurance puts the vin number in their computer. times have changed since i was 17 years old and bought a 429 boss mustang. remember if you get that first ticket insurance will be next to impossiable to get and if you put it into a ditch it will most likely get scrapped by insurance co and pay off will be next to nothing. So if you talk your parents into buying this car be coooool with it and enjoy the ownership of a very limited production performance sport coupe.