The Value of a Thunderbird (1958-1966)

[Falcon Ranchero]

While searching for cars for sale I had been noticing a lot of T-Birds years 1958-66 for sale but they were mostly under $15,000, and said cars were in very good condition. 

I guess my question is Why don't Thunderbirds seem to hold their value? I mean, it's a 2-door coupe with a 390 engine, and nice luxury components. What's not to love? Not saying I don't knock the fact that they're selling cheap because the average joe (like me) could get a nice car like that pretty easily.

For example, this attractive '64 here in Selwyn Ontario is pretty pristine, and could be had for $8,900! A steal in my opinion.

[Mike 1017]

I watch Mecum and prices for Thunderbirds are creeping up. The announcers like all of us comment on why such low prices. A rotisserie restoration brings big bucks. Amos Minter Thunderbirds can bring as much as $80,000 to $200,000 My dream Thunderbird is a 1966 428 Q code, triple black hardtop, with every available option. I don't like convertibles

Mike

[Mark]

Bad electrical in some instances, also hidden/difficult to fix structural rust.  I'd avoid auction cars, lots of issues hidden with expanding foam covered with undercoating.

[Bainford]

24 minutes ago, Mark said:

I'd avoid auction cars, lots of issues hidden with expanding foam covered with undercoating.

I would agree with this. I have attended Barrett Jackson auctions, and I was amazed at how many of the cars crossing the block were just nasty flips with cheap, hasty repairs and shiny paint. Many were not at all what they appear to be when viewed on TV.

[Falcon Ranchero]

5 hours ago, Mark said:

Bad electrical in some instances, also hidden/difficult to fix structural rust

My Great Uncle has a 65 Bird that he restored almost 40 years ago; said the rear quarters were crust so he did fix them but the car became a little hefty in the hindquarters after the addition of more metal and so the fender skirts wouldn’t fit right so he just leaves them off. Also now the horn doesn’t work, nor the speedometer and the wiper lever is spring loaded and the electric windows are tired. But still they’re nice cars once everything is in order

[espo]

Hard to figure out sometimes why certain cars and trucks values very so much. Ford built a lot of these and since they were sort of their premier line and expensive the people that bought them usually had the finances to take care of them and maybe even had a garage to park them in. Different types of auto enthusiasts that would sometimes do abusive things to their cars were looking at different models. These would have been considered "old people's cars" and not desirable. I would think a mint Thunderbird like this if it has been properly cared for and maintained could be a great car. Not an economy car for sure, but a comfortable driver with all the bells and whistles. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

25 minutes ago, Falcon Ranchero said:

My Great Uncle has a 65 Bird that he restored almost 40 years ago; said the rear quarters were crust so he did fix them but the car became a little hefty in the hindquarters after the addition of more metal and so the fender skirts wouldn’t fit right so he just leaves them off...

No offence to your great uncle, but work done correctly returns a vehicle to as-new condition, with no additional weight or fit issues.

The horn could be as simple as a bad relay or crusty contacts in the steering wheel.

Speedos can be rebuilt to like-new.

Tired electric windows usually just need track-cleaning, proper adjustment, and careful reworking of the motors (with new brushes), which for the most part last pretty much forever, as stuff then was kinda overbuilt.

If you decide you want one (or ANY old car, especially a unibody), get a magnet to check for excessive filler on rust-prone areas.

A car with a blown engine is a whole jelluva lot cheaper to bring back than one that has structural rust.

Edited December 2, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy
CLARITY

[JollySipper]

It could have a lot to do with the generation T-bird that you might would be dealing with....... Some of the favorite body style 'birds among their owners would be, like, the 'baby' Birds, (the first three years) or the Rocket birds ('61-'63)..... My favorite of the T-birds is probably the least liked, as I like the '80s aero coupes the best...........

[StevenGuthmiller]

It’s just a simple matter of what’s popular or desirable at a particular moment in time.

That’s pretty much it.

Nobody is ever going to convince me that it’s because T-Birds were junkier than anything else from the same era.

I doubt that the T-birds were any worse than any other Ford of the period.  They all shared a large portion of mechanical and electrical components.

Now, you might be able to convince me that Fords are junk in general, but that’s irrelevant to this discussion. 😁

 

 

 

Steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

For some strange reason, the "squarebirds" of either generation never really became desirable.

But as all the "me too !!!" rides get stupidly overpriced as everybody buys them because everybody else buys them, what's left will inevitably begin to appreciate.

They're nice cars, really relatively simple. But again...unibody cars with serious rust are nightmares, as you need to be a very competent fabricator/welder to bring one back, and good ones are rare and expensive.

[johnyrotten]

They all go through ebbs and flows, look at mopars In the early 90's. They were cheap, the restoration craze really took off, big dollar cars were found, saved, and the market boomed. A hemi car or daytona brings big money, and all the "sibling" cars down the line go up as well. A bodies were dirt cheap, try and buy a decent dart for "little" money now. They want way too much for a Cuda or charger, seems like c-bodies are the only one's not too crazy, but those are a different animal. I looked at this dart before the world shut down, it was gone underneath, wanted 6500. 

[Falcon Ranchero]

14 hours ago, JollySipper said:

Rocket birds ('61-'63)

Even those ones are relatively cheap; there's one about 2 hours away from us, a '63 (my favourite year of the Rocket Birds) had it at $17,000, now down to $12,000 which is pretty reasonable looking at all the photos.

And actually there's a 1961 just a minute away in our subdivision that's been for sale for years at $15,000. But in 2021 the owner put a stupid Flame Job on it so we'd have to scrape that off, but even then it (and the 1964 Comet Villager he also owns) have been sitting out on the front lawn for years, also; though he does drive them occasionally and tends to them in his garage. But he's left the Bird out in the snow for the past 4 years, and the two of them are covered with 5 feet of snow as we speak. Hoping maybe to thoroughly check them out in spring, just to find out more about the cars.

This photo was taken last year, but this year the snow's so high they're just two generic white car shapes

[bobss396]

I was looking at a pretty nice '62 Bird just as the plandemic hit in 2020. White, red inside, nice all over. It needed a exhaust manifold and some front end work. Due to a lot of uncertainty at the time I passed on it.

They are nice cars, even up to the '66. But you need to do your research on them. The sequential taillights are one item, I think there is a digital conversion package for that now.

Front disc conversions are not cheap.  Hanging a dual master cylinder interferes with the driver side fender strut, under the hood.

Interior stuff is expensive even used, electrical work gets complicated real fast.

But for style and comfort, the '64-'66 are hard to beat.

[JollySipper]

51 minutes ago, Falcon Ranchero said:

Hoping maybe to thoroughly check them out in spring, just to find out more about the cars.

Yea, he could be treating those cars a little better......... When I was a kid, from about 8 to about 12 years old, I would make Dad drive me around the back roads of the county we live in just to check out the old cars....... Most folks didn't mind!

[Ace-Garageguy]

51 minutes ago, bobss396 said:

They are nice cars, even up to the '66. But you need to do your research on them. The sequential taillights are one item, I think there is a digital conversion package for that now.

Front disc conversions are not cheap.  Hanging a dual master cylinder interferes with the driver side fender strut, under the hood.

Interior stuff is expensive even used, electrical work gets complicated real fast.

All true, and here's another piece of advice.

The VAST majority of expensive electrical problems on old cars are caused by someone who doesn't understand 6V or 12V DC trying to "fix" a simple problem by hacking in to the harness and doing a bunch of unnecessary rewiring.

Look under the dash, under the hood, and behind the trunk liner panels if the car has 'em.

If you see a lot of wire nuts, ScotchLok connectors, crimp connectors, electrical tape, odd looking wires dangling, or anything else that's obviously not factory, odds are a chimp has been in it, and getting things to work right will take some real money at some point.

 

 

Edited December 3, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy
TYPO

[Mike 1017]

21 hours ago, Mark said:

Bad electrical in some instances, also hidden/difficult to fix structural rust.  I'd avoid auction cars, lots of issues hidden with expanding foam covered with undercoating.

I agree. I would not buy any collectible car or a bucket list car. Unless I drive it like I stole it, put it on a hoist, let it idle for 30 minutes and use a paint thickness gauge. No Auction Bondo Bucket for me.

[sfhess]

4 hours ago, Falcon Ranchero said:

Even those ones are relatively cheap; there's one about 2 hours away from us, a '63 (my favourite year of the Rocket Birds) had it at $17,000, now down to $12,000 which is pretty reasonable looking at all the photos.

And actually there's a 1961 just a minute away in our subdivision that's been for sale for years at $15,000. But in 2021 the owner put a stupid Flame Job on it so we'd have to scrape that off, but even then it (and the 1964 Comet Villager he also owns) have been sitting out on the front lawn for years, also; though he does drive them occasionally and tends to them in his garage. But he's left the Bird out in the snow for the past 4 years, and the two of them are covered with 5 feet of snow as we speak. Hoping maybe to thoroughly check them out in spring, just to find out more about the cars.

This photo was taken last year, but this year the snow's so high they're just two generic white car shapes

 

They both look angry about having to sit out in the snow.

[peteski]

4 hours ago, Falcon Ranchero said:

But he's left the Bird out in the snow for the past 4 years, and the two of them are covered with 5 feet of snow as we speak. Hoping maybe to thoroughly check them out in spring, just to find out more about the cars.

Actually just the snow cover or rain on a parked car are not a major problem.  It is the salt on the roads in the winter if the car is driven that causes issues. Another big problem is if the uncovered car sits in the open and all the dead falling leaves and pine needles settle into all the low areas on the car and are left on it.  When they get wet from rain or snow, they retain the moisture which starts to slowly rot the body.  Don't ask me how I know (and now know better).

[Ace-Garageguy]

7 minutes ago, peteski said:

...Another big problem is if the uncovered car sits in the open and all the dead falling leaves and pine needles settle into all the low areas on the car and are left on it.  When they get wet from rain or snow, they retain the moisture which starts to slowly rot the body.  Don't ask me how I know (and now know better).

Another misunderstood potential problem is car covers.

Anything in contact with the paint for any time, especially after rain or heavy dew, will hold a film of moisture, even the "breathable" covers, and when the sun hits 'em, often times the paint will begin to blister, with rust not far behind.

I ruined the finish on my '86 Jag in 3 months before I was aware of this fact.

Edited December 3, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Falcon Ranchero]

13 minutes ago, peteski said:

When they get wet from rain or snow, they retain the moisture which starts to slowly rot the body

That’s my main concern, too since they’re on a grass lawn and there is a tree with leaves that fall onto said lawn and the cars have been in that spot since mid November so moisture collection has probably been occurring beneath them.

[Big_John]

18 hours ago, johnyrotten said:

They all go through ebbs and flows, look at mopars In the early 90's. They were cheap, the restoration craze really took off, big dollar cars were found, saved, and the market boomed. A hemi car or daytona brings big money, and all the "sibling" cars down the line go up as well. A bodies were dirt cheap, try and buy a decent dart for "little" money now. They want way too much for a Cuda or charger, seems like c-bodies are the only one's not too crazy, but those are a different animal. I looked at this dart before the world shut down, it was gone underneath, wanted 6500. 

A Body Mopars did used to be cheap, but I agree, they aren't cheap anymore.  I owned 2 '69 Darts.  One was a 383 4 speed car that I owned twice.  Long story, ex-race car and I had no $$ the first time.  I bought it sight unseen the second  time but by now, the car had sat outside and was too far gone for me, so I sold it to a friend that flipped it to a Canadian buyer.  That was in the 80's.  Had 340 4 speed Dart too..  Drove the snot out of that one!   

C bodies have been going up in value over the last 5 or so years, but it really has to be something special or a convertible to be worth a lot.  Some 300 letter cars too. 

[Big_John]

On 12/2/2024 at 12:43 PM, Bainford said:

I would agree with this. I have attended Barrett Jackson auctions, and I was amazed at how many of the cars crossing the block were just nasty flips with cheap, hasty repairs and shiny paint. Many were not at all what they appear to be when viewed on TV.

I drove cars in a couple Krause auctions a bunch of years ago when they were still in business.  I was surprised too how rough some of the cars were.  Basically used car flips.  

 

[johnyrotten]

2 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Another misunderstood potential problem is car covers.

Anything in contact with the paint for any time, especially after rain or heavy dew, will hold a film of moisture, even the "breathable" covers, and when the sun hits 'em, often times the paint will begin to blister, with rust not far behind.

I ruined the finish on my '86 Jag in 3 months before I was aware of this fact.

Tarps bake them to death as well. And create mold factories. Sucks to hear about the jaguar 

[espo]

On 12/3/2024 at 7:16 AM, Falcon Ranchero said:

Even those ones are relatively cheap; there's one about 2 hours away from us, a '63 (my favourite year of the Rocket Birds) had it at $17,000, now down to $12,000 which is pretty reasonable looking at all the photos.

And actually there's a 1961 just a minute away in our subdivision that's been for sale for years at $15,000. But in 2021 the owner put a stupid Flame Job on it so we'd have to scrape that off, but even then it (and the 1964 Comet Villager he also owns) have been sitting out on the front lawn for years, also; though he does drive them occasionally and tends to them in his garage. But he's left the Bird out in the snow for the past 4 years, and the two of them are covered with 5 feet of snow as we speak. Hoping maybe to thoroughly check them out in spring, just to find out more about the cars.

This photo was taken last year, but this year the snow's so high they're just two generic white car shapes

I remembered your interest in older Thunderbirds today while looking at the lots for the Mecum Auction this weekend here in Kansas City. I know it is a completely different market and hardly relevant to your area, but they have a great looking lot on Saturday 12/7 lot #S192.1. You can look at their web site and pull up pictures and information on what they're offering. If this is of interest too you look at the Saturday lots and it is on page #8. You can always look at what something sold for later. 

[bobss396]

On 12/3/2024 at 9:17 AM, Ace-Garageguy said:

All true, and here's another piece of advice.

The VAST majority of expensive electrical problems on old cars are caused by someone who doesn't understand 6V or 12V DC trying to "fix" a simple problem by hacking in to the harness and doing a bunch of unnecessary rewiring.

Look under the dash, under the hood, and behind the trunk liner panels if the car has 'em.

If you see a lot of wire nuts, ScotchLok connectors, crimp connectors, electrical tape, odd looking wires dangling, or anything else that's obviously not factory, odds are a chimp has been in it, and getting things to work right will take some real money at some point.

 

 

There are a lot of things like harnesses available for almost any part of these cars.

With the Birds, by 1961 they were getting quite complex. Lots of luck with a plug & play harness that is not specific to that car. Close enough will not hack it.

Sure you can get almost anything regarding wiring. It is a specialty and will run some bucks. I put an aftermarket harness in my old Ford. That was pretty simple and encompassed less than 60 wires total.