Hey guys! ChrisFix here, and today we're doing something special.
This is something that I've been wanting to do for a while now
and I just recently saved up enough money to do it.
Today, I'm buying my mom her dream car.
Actually, that's where I'm going right now!
I'm gonna go check out a car, test drive it, and see if it's the one.
In the meantime, let me give you a little background on why I'm doing this.
Ever since I was a little kid, both of my parents have always been there for me
and supported me no matter what!
From the time I wanted to be a chef and went to culinary school...
...to the time I wanted to be a marine biologist and went to college.
(ChrisFix's mom cheering)
They even supported me with my crazy idea to make YouTube videos about working on cars.
One million subscribers. Check that out!
No matter where life led me, my parents always pushed me to work harder and do my best,
which made me the person I am today.
So fast forward just a little bit, my mom has always said she likes the Ford Thunderbird.
Specifically the ones that are in that classic Thunderbird blue.
Unfortunately, there's not many of these cars out there since they didn't sell well.
They were only made from 2002 to 2005,
and now finding a blue one makes it even more difficult.
And since this car is so rare,
I asked you guys on Instagram for some suggestions.
(On video) "Hey guys, ChrisFix here!"
So not only did you guys offer up your suggestions on websites,
but a lot of you physically went to car lots near your house,
sent me pictures, and that is just-- I couldn't believe it. It blew my mind.
Thank you so much! My subscribers are just so great.
This whole process has really been like a team effort, and I thank you for the help!
So after reading all of your comments, I started looking for cars.
One of the sites that I've never heard of that you guys told me to try out was autotempest.com.
And I'm glad you told me because this site helped me a lot.
Just like searching any other website for cars, you enter your make, your model,
how many miles you want to travel from your zip code, and then year.
What this website does which is why it's so helpful is it searches Ebay, craigslist, Cars.com,
AutoTrader, Cars Direct, Oodle,
and many other major car buying websites with just one click.
So all I have to do is scroll down here,
hit that search button.
So even though the Thunderbird's a rare car, look at all the results that we got
from all the different car sites.
But just to give you an idea, I saw this car already.
Had a bad transmission, so I passed on that.
I saw this one but the radio didn't work, it had dings and everything all over it, so I passed on that.
Didn't see this car yet. It is the Pacific Coast roadster, but this is pretty pricey.
So instead, we're gonna go check out this car right here.
He posted up a lot of pictures, the car looks like it's in great shape,
I spoke to the owner on the phone, and I'm looking forward to checking this one out.
So thank you everyone who suggested this site.
It is definitely bookmarked now.
And thank you very much Auto Tempest for supporting the video
and my goal of getting my mom her dream car.
So now, let's go check out this car!
Alright, we are on our way to check out a 2004 Ford Thunderbird.
The only issue is it's not the right color, it's not that classic Thunderbird blue,
but that's okay because it's like a blue-green, it's a special edition.
Either way, the most important thing right now is to stay emotionally detached,
don't be afraid to walk away if the car is no good,
and this car is gonna be a tricky one because I want it to be perfect.
This is a special gift for my mom, and I really want a nice reliable car.
And it looks like we are here.
Check it out right over there.
And just rolling up on this, I could tell this looks like a real nice car.
And this color looks awesome. I can't believe I was concerned about it.
This looks so good, my mom's gonna love it.
The top has like a white pearl color to it.
Its metallic looks so good,
mixed up with this like seafoam green, it's like a blue-green metallic.
This also looks so good.
Color is not going to be an issue, so let's take a quick look at the car.
One thing that I saw coming around the corner are these headlights.
These definitely are going to need some restoration.
They're yellow, they just don't look good on this car,
and you could also see that the Thunderbird badge here is a little chipped up,
but that's easily replaceable.
One thing that you don't see chips are on the paint which is great.
A lot of the cars that I saw had a lot of rock chips up here.
I don't see any and this just looks awesome!
And speaking of rock chips again, I don't see anything on the glass.
The glass looks chip and crack free,
it does have a heated element in here so the front windshield is heated which is a nice feature,
and man, this car just looks pretty good.
You can see it's well taken care of.
The wheels on this car a special edition wheel, they aren't on any other Thunderbirds.
They have the matching color for the paintwork which is nice.
But one thing that catches my eye right now, these brakes are shot.
The rotors are all grooved, so it needs front brakes.
Let's go around and check the back see if it needs some back brakes.
And yeah, the back brakes are even worse, this is grooved pretty good.
So the back brakes and the front brakes are gonna have to get replaced.
That's definitely something to keep in mind, not a big deal.
If you don't know how to do it, I have videos on how to do that.
It doesn't cost a lot, we could get some top-of-the-line brakes on here for my mom
so this car stops on a dime.
So let's just keep looking around the car.
Good, we have the emblem here.
I don't see any dents or scratches which is great.
The paintwork really looks good on this, I'm kind of excited about that.
And this car is just-- it looks really good. I'm actually really excited about this.
I think this is a good possibility for a car that we might come home with today.
Let's go speak with the owner.
Okay, here we go!
Alright, thank you very much.
So I got the keys and we can go and check out the car.
Now just so that you guys know, the owner isn't gonna be in the video, I want to respect his privacy.
But he did tell me that I could take as long as I want filming the car
and get all the shots and angles and go for a test drive, that's not an issue.
So I really appreciate that, and the first thing that we're gonna do
is we're gonna check out the inside of the car.
Now I developed a really good and really helpful used car buying checklist.
I'll link it in the description, it's free to download for you guys.
So if you're ever going to buy a used car, it has everything that you need to check
to make sure you don't forget anything.
I'm gonna be going through this myself as we check out the car,
so let's go check out the interior.
Now one thing I really like about this car is the retro futuristic styling of it.
So they take little cues from like the '50s such as these door cards that have the slots in them.
That's something you would see back in 1955 when the Thunderbird first came out,
and that's really cool!
Now diving into the interior, this looks great so far, and we'll take a better look.
One thing that you'll notice right away is this car is in great shape.
I don't see any rips, I don't see any tears, there's no cracks in the leather,
it just looks well taken care of and that is great,
because that means that the owner actually cared about the car and maintained it.
And if this interior looks a little bit familiar, you're not going crazy.
That's because this shared the same interior as the Lincoln LS.
Now they adapted little differences such as the white gauges, and the blue needles,
and the blue Thunderbird sign, some aluminum on the side here,
But basically this shares the same platform as the Lincoln LS and the Jaguar S-Type,
both well-defined luxury vehicles which is awesome.
So there'll be plenty of parts available which is always a good thing.
One thing that caught my eye over here is the plastic handle.
It's like chrome wrapped, and you could see it's chipping off a little bit.
I do have a solution for that, that's not a big deal. Not too concerned about that,
but what I do want to check out next is the engine bay.
So let's pop the hood and the main thing we're going to be looking for under the hood is leaks
and also making sure that the fluids are filled to the correct level.
I see a little bit of sweating here, but not leaks so that's fine, that's where you fill the oil anyway.
The master cylinder is filled. It is a little low, but we did say we need some brakes, so that makes sense.
And we want to check our oil.
So let's remove the dipstick and what we want to see is the correct oil level and oil that's in decent shape.
So the oil is filled up to the first mark which is fine, it doesn't look burnt or creamy,
it has a golden brown color which is typical, and this looks good.
So everything looks good under the hood. Now we go for our test drive!
I've been driving this car around for a little while now, and it feels solid.
It takes turns nicely and you feel completely comfortable the whole drive.
In addition to comfort, this car has a good amount of power
so you could accelerate effortlessly.
Here's what I'm talking about!
This Jaguar 3.9 liter v8 makes 280 HP, which you could tell is plenty!
While accelerating fast is a lot of fun, my favorite part of driving this car is the incredible ride quality.
This bridge is very bumpy, yet the car floats along like it's on a cloud.
You could really tell when designing this car,
they stuck to the Thunderbird's luxury routes.
And man oh, man, I could get used to driving this around!
So overall, there's no squeaks, the suspension is tight, the steering feels good, everything works as it should.
So let's get back to the owner's house and see if we could go home with this car today.
Now back from our ride, there's one last thing to do.
I checked everything on our checklist. This car is just in great condition, you could tell it's been taken care of,
and overall, this is definitely the best Thunderbird that I've test-driven and seen so far.
But we do have to do one more thing. I always scan the computer with a bluetooth OBD-II scanner
so that I know that there's no problems that are hidden from me.
This actually saved me once big time!
So go underneath the steering wheel, and plug it right into the OBD-II port.
Then, you could use your phone and do an all-system scan.
And this has saved me big time.
Recently, I saw a nice blue Thunderbird, it was in great shape, I was ready to make an offer on it,
but after scanning the computer, I found out it had a bad transmission.
And then the owner found out later on that it would cost $3,000 to fix.
So thankfully, I checked the computer.
And it's done scanning everything, so you can see we don't have any check engine codes,
we don't have any ABS, airbag, transmission codes, all our electronic modules are good.
So this car passes the scan test, now we could go make an offer to the owner.
So we're here with the owner, and I-- I really like the car, I test drove her, everything's really nice,
needs a couple of things. What are you asking for this car again?
[Owner] 14.9.
[Chris] 14.9...
So it doesn't need a few things but again, I like the car,
I'm a buyer right now, I have the money at 13.5.
[Owner] 13.5?
[Chris] Yes, sir.
[Owner] You got a deal.
[Chris] Awesome, thank you very much. My mom's gonna love this!
Thanks again. Have a good one.
Alright, I cannot believe this is real life right now. I have the title signed over to me.
This is crazy now that's exactly how you do it!
He took my offer and we have the car!
Now my mom is out with my dad. My dad's keeping her busy.
I don't have much time, but what I'd like to do is I'd like to change the brakes,
clean the headlights, restore them, clean the car, make sure everything's good, change the oil,
basically make sure the car is ready to go for my mom so when she gets it, all she has to do is drive it.
And for anybody asking, I have a friend who's driving my truck home.
So I really appreciate that, and thank you very much to the owners or the previous owners of this car for being so kind and
let me film and also accepting my offer.
This is awesome, so let's get home!
We're on our way home, but we do have to make a few quick stops.
First, we need to go to the DMV to transfer the Pennsylvania title...
...and get a New Jersey title and plates. Awesome!
Next, let's go to the auto parts store.
We're walking in with an empty cart and leaving with the full one.
You should never let me go to the parts store alone!
And finally, I want this car to have a full tank of gas for my mom.
And one tank later, she's full.
Thank you very much.
So finally, we made it back home with the car, but we don't have much time.
And not only do we not have a lot of time, but we have a lot that we need to do, so let's get started!
First, let's change the oil, so get the car on ramps.
And getting under the car for the first time, this thing is clean!
Wouldn't you agree, Cooper?
Okay, so let's change the oil.
Start by removing the oil plug and drain the old oil out.
Once it's all drained out, tighten up the drain bolt,
and let's remove the old oil filter, and install a brand new one.
And I like to write down the mileage of the motor
which will help me remember the last time I changed the oil.
Finally, add 6.5 quarts of fully synthetic oil, and we are done!
Now, let's install a new cabin air filter.
So remove all the clips on the wiper shroud, pop it open,
and look at all this dirt and debris that's in here.
Now we can remove the old air filter which just slides out.
Out with the old and in with the new.
The new filter slides back into place like that.
Now the air coming from the cabin will be filtered and clean.
Speaking of clean air, the engine also has to breathe clean as well.
So disconnect the wiring from the mass airflow sensor,
unsnap the two clips, and peel the intake cover upwards.
Now we can slide out the old filter.
So out with the old and in with the new.
The filter slides back in, then push the lid closed, and finally reconnect the wires.
Good!
So that's everything under the hood.
Now, let's go and install some new brakes.
First, remove the wheel, then the brake caliper, and then the brake pads.
Now, remove the brake caliper bracket and finally, the brake rotor.
Install the new rotor,
and the new brake pads,
and let's finish up by installing the caliper and torquing it down.
Finally, put the wheel on, lower the car to the ground,
and that's a one brake job done.
Might as well spray down the wheel and clean them off while we're at it.
And finish off with some tire shine to finish the look of the clean wheels.
So that's one down. I got three more to go.
I'm going to do it to all four wheels, change the brakes, change the rotors,
clean the wheel, get some tire shine on there,
and then we're on to the next step, which is...
...cleaning the engine bay.
Use a microfiber towel to clean off all the dirt,
then, brush in some trim restore,
and finally, use a microfiber towel to give it a good buff to make the plastic look brand new.
Here's a before...
...and after.
Beautiful.
Next, we're gonna give the car a quick bubble bath.
Use a microfiber wash mitt to clean off the dirt,
and finally, wash all the suds away.
I'm also gonna wax the car so there's a nice protective layer on the paint.
So wax on, wax off!
And check out that shine, that looks so good!
I could see my reflection, but we don't have time to admire the reflection.
Next, we need to replace the peeling badge.
And to remove the emblem, a little trick is to use some fishing line.
The braided fishing line works great, and it's actually really sharp, so we want to pull up towards the emblem,
not down towards the paint so you don't scratch the paintwork.
And then now you're just gonna work your way sawing back and forth towards the center of the emblem.
Beautiful.
Now, just get some alcohol on a rag,
and wipe the old sticky residue off.
And finally, now we just need to align this emblem,
and that looks good, and now just press it down and it adheres right to the car.
And check that out. That looks so much better than before
with that old chipped away chrome.
And speaking of chipped away chrome,
let's go fix the chrome that's chipped away on the door handle inside.
We're gonna use a chrome vinyl wrap to coat the handle,
but first, we have to remove as much of the peeling chrome as we can.
Once the chrome's gone, clean off the plastic with some alcohol,
then we can lay our chrome wrap over the handle.
Using heat from a blow dryer, it will help shape it,
and cut away any extra material.
Now with one final squeegee...
Look at that, beautiful!
And we are cutting it close timewise.
Luckily, the interior of this car is in great condition.
We're not going to be able to get to the headlights unfortunately,
and I think that's it, I think we need to go right now.
Actually, I almost forgot...
One last thing, we got this awesome bow.
This is gonna go right on here.
Okay, let's get this car out of here.
My dad's on his way home, and he'll be here in like 5 minutes.
Cutting this close!
So the plan is I'm gonna hide around the block away from my house so my mom doesn't see the car.
My dad's gonna come home with my mom like he normally would, park in his normal spot, and go inside.
Once my mom's inside and settled in, then I'll head over with the car.
So I'm just nervously sitting here waiting for my dad to call so I could bring the car around.
Okay, here we go. Here's my dad.
Hello?
[Chris' dad] Mom's inside the house, you can bring the car out.
[Chris] Okay, I'm gonna head over now.
[Chris' dad] Alright, bye.
[Chris] Bye.
Here we go, let's do this!
Alright, my entire family is right behind me waiting outside,
except for my mom who's inside and I'm gonna call her out right now.
She has no clue what's about to happen.
This is gonna be awesome, let's do this.
Hey mom, can you help real quick with a video?
So um, you know how much I really love you, right?
Yeah, what'd you do now?
I got you something to show you my appreciation.
*gasp*
Oh my god, you're crazy!
That's yours.
I know you've always wanted a Ford Thunderbird.
Look at him giggling.
I can't believe it.
And get in.
Wait, I don't want to dirty the floor.
You won't dirty the floor, it's meant to be used.
Oh my god.
When did you get this?
Where was I?
Oh my god.
There's the keys.
Here are the keys, go start her up.
Oh, wow.
So this car has a ton of features.
You have heated seats on both the driver's and passenger side.
When you take the hardtop off, you have an automatic soft top that goes up and down.
You have a dual climate system, so not only do you have your
climate control on the driver's side,
you hit dual and you have climate control on the passenger side
so you can have two different temperatures.
And then, you have a really nice radio.
Awesome stereo system, it sounds so good,
and this thing is just loaded with really nice features, a nice comfortable car.
Oh yeah, this is a special car.
There's only 1,000 of these made and it's called the Pacific Coast Roadster.
Yours is number 648 out of 1000.
Not that that's super important, but it is kind of cool to have a limited edition car.
Can we take it out for a ride?
Yeah, we could go for a ride.
But before we do that mom, how about we finish up the video,
and do you want to try closing it out?
Give this video a thumbs up,
and if you're not a subscriber, please subscribe.
And I also would like to hear your comments below
to tell me your dream car.
So you heard my mom, comment below, let me know what your dream car is.
Thank you very much everybody, this is awesome.
I couldn't have done it without you guys, without all your support for all my videos and my channel.
This is unbelievable, incredible, so I really, really appreciate it, and I'm totally grateful for your support.
Let's go for that test drive!