man I would trust my SC 400 over a ford thunder bird any day!! The SC 400 is a very reliable car you just have to make sure that you get one that has been taken care of. And yes the car doesnt have a timing chain no big deal kinda wish it did but oh well. The timing belt is cheap to get but to change it with water pump tensioners and seals get expensive cause of labor. But this is done every 60-90k and you can always take off the covers with ease to view the conditon of the belt. I have 165k on my SC400 shes still strong.
check this site for info on the SC 400/ 300
http://www.intellexual.net/
