You can still find good cars out there in the six thousand or so range that can only go up in value. Keep in mind that these cars are spendy to restore. So, if you find a low mileage original car in the fifteen thousand dollar range, it is probably a better buy than a five thousand dollar car that needs a lot of work.

1967 was the first year for the "Big Birds." For the five year production run of 1967 through 1971 the Thunderbird was back to a body and frame construction shared with the Lincoln Mark III. Design and styling of the 67 through 69 years is quite good. Also, these years you could have bought a four-door thunderbird sedan with suicide doors on the rear. These are quite collectible. Not many were made or sold. If you find one, buy it.

The 1970 and 1971 Thunderbirds were restyled with a longer hood and beak-like front end that made the car look like a Pontiac. We have owned a 1970 Thunderbird and I can tell you that it is very easy to crunch the grille in a parking lot. From the driver’s seat you cannot tell how far that beak sticks out there. Still, the car has a sleek and no-nonsense look about it that says "personal luxury" ready to move out fast. The collectors are just finding these cars. If you find a "cream-puff" four-door or a 1970 with the beak uncrunched, buy it now. You won’t find one if you wait till later. Production was down to about 40,000 cars in 1970 so they are not plentiful.

Next we have the 1972 to 1976 "Luxo-Birds." From 1955 to 1971 the phrase "Unique in All the World" applied to the Thunderbird. With the 1972 to 1976 Thunderbirds the T-Bird became a blatantly rebadged Lincoln Mark IV. It had virtually all of the toys and luxury of the Mark with a price about $2,500 lower. I own a 1973 Thunderbird with a 460 cu. in. engine. I love it.