Problems of a Newbie

[StormBird]

Hello to all
Im new to the site and the Car world
ok enough with the small talk lol

I have a 87 Thunderbird which has been sitting around
for almost a year and ive been yearning to restore it
Now the problem i have is i have no clue to what is wrong with it
last time i tried to get it fixed it ended up breaking down again
the guy didnt know what he was doing
but someone else told me
the engine and transmission may need to be replaced
Ok now should i have the car towed to a mechanic
or do mechanics ever come out to your house
My 2nd problem is last time i got it fixed i was told
My beautiful American made Ford product was actually made in Canada
which would make the parts much higher/difficult to find than usual
has anyone else had this happen
Also whats a guestimate amount on restoring a TBird
or at least how much would an engine and transmission cost me

I want to keep this car but ive been contemplating selling/giving it away
I have zero knowledege of cars except putting
my foot on the gas pedal lol and i dont really want to be ripped off
by a sleazy mechanic(been stung before)
so please give me any advice and or let me
know what you'd do in my shoes

Much Thanks for your time people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mike75]

There is no way to give you any ballpark figure of how much it would cost to restore your bird since we can't see it, and have no idea what is wrong with it.

Sounds to me like you should sell it dude, as it sounds impossible that you would be able to fix it yourself. Paying a mechanic to do all of that is out of the question, because if you have the money to do that, you should just get a new car.

Not trying to be a smartass, just trying to help you out.

[flewthecoupe]

Around here, an engine and tranny rebuild or even reman swap would run upwards of $6000 or more. I agree with Mike75.

[thunderbird muscle]

Not worth a restore unless you want to do it yourself even then you might not want to do it.

[RickwithaTbird]

ditto... if you dont know anything about cars you cant trust a mechanic... and you cant fix it either.. sell it and buy a t bird that already runs and tinker with it until you learn more.