Hoping to buy my second firebird

[DoubleBumFun]

I am looking at getting a new car, something is a sports car and of course fast. My first car ever was a 1986 Firebird. I believe it was a V-8 (correct me if I am wrong but I don't think there were in V-6's?), and it had four exhaust pipes. The thing was a beast, and I loved it. The only problem was that at the time I was stupid and didn't know what I was doing, I got the car real cheap, but it needed a lot of work. The second thing was that I live in a very populated area that gets heavy traffic. The firebird I bought was a manual, and it didn't hold up well in the stop and go traffic that sometimes happens where I live.

Well despite the love/hate relationship I had with the first firebird I still want one. Now that I have more experience with cars and the firebird in general I want to try again. This time I am looking for a 2002 5.7l V8, leather seats (the fabric seats on the 02 are beyond ugly in my opinion) and perferbly dual exhaust. But two exhaust pipes are fine, it is just that dual sounds sexy. And most importantly I want it to be automatic.

I'm not looking at buying one anytime soon. I just want advice. What do you guys think? My main concern is the transmission. Should I just suck it up and go manual or go with the 4-speed automatic version?

How reliable is the 02 firebird? One person told me they are about as good as how the last owner kept it up. I was hoping to be able to buy from a pontiac dealer, but the one in my area doesn't sell any. When and if it ever comes down to needing to buy new parts how much is it going to run me, things like that. Thanks!

[TraceZ]

Welcome to the forum!

02 is a good choice for model year. 1998 was the changeover year from the LT1 style to the LS1 style. LT1 was 1993-1997. You can tell the difference visually by looking at the front ends. The LT1 and LS1 noses are quite different.

Also different was the engine. Both are 5.7 liters, but the LS1 is all aluminum and makes more power. The LT1 had a cast block.

If I were you, I'd look for the lowest possible miles on a car in your price range. I would start looking at 1999 models, with fewer than 50K miles and go from there. You'd be surprised how good the deals are. The 99 models are nearly indistinguishable from the 02's, and the prices are lower.

[Z Ya Later]

For the transmission question, it all depends on how comfortable you are driving a stick. I drive my Z in traffic everyday and it doesn't really bother me that its a stick. Its true, an F-body is only as good as the owner that took care of it, but that's true for any car really. The 4th Gen F-bodies have been shown to be pretty reliable for the car that they are. Keep your eyes open, one will show up. Most dealers will track one down for you if you want them too...assuming you're serious at the time you go in to buy it. Good luck man.

[DoubleBumFun]

Thanks for the replies guys. By the way, how much horse power does the 99 firebird have? I found one website earlier but can't find it again on google.com, that listed the 97 firebird as being able to do 0-60 in 5.7 seconds. Very nice, makes me wonder what the 02 can do since it has more horse power. I'm the kinda person that wants the powerfulest thing possible.

But I could for sure settle for a 99 firebird if it looks similar to the 02. The biggest thing that attracts me to the car is the look. And as a added bonuses I rarely see any firebirds on the road, which I think is real nice. I don't want something that everyone else owns. I use to be very interested in getting a Mustang, but everyone and their grandma has one.

[Z Ya Later]

The 99 Trans Am was rated at 305 hp, the 02 was either 310 or 315. At least, that's what was published anyways.

[DoubleBumFun]

Aah ok so either way it doesn't matter then, i'll be happy with either car. Although I wouldn't buy a car online ever, I found a 99 firebird, leather seats, automatic, V8 5.7l for $12,800. That is exactly what I want. It is all the way in Florida anyways. Hopefully i can find something like that here in Washington State

[Z Ya Later]

I'm sure you can. Check out www.autotrader.com as I've seen a bunch there (my g/f lives in Tacoma and wants an F-body, esp. after riding in mine lol).

[DoubleBumFun]

Just noticed your profile said California, was hoping you lived in Washington State. It would be great to check out some firebird owners and ride in their cars.

[Z Ya Later]

Sorry about that man. I've got a Z28, but essentially the same as the Trans Am. The 98-02's are stronger than the 93-97, but the 93-97 is no slouch . Do some looking around, I know there's dealers around that are eager to make a sale and would let you take it for a test drive.

[Dave M]

Just to answer a few questions you brought up.... in 1986 there was indeed V6 available, it was a 2.8L. In fact, in the early 3rd gens (82-85 I believe) there was even a 4 cyl available!

No f-body since 81 has rolled off the showroom floor with dual exhaust. The dual outlet exhaust you see is just 2 outlets coming from a single muffler.

99 and 02 would be indistinguishable from the outside, the only real differences were the minor power differences.

automatics are far more commong than 6 speeds, so you should have no problem finding one that as the options you want.

If you buy from a dealer, you may get some type of warranty that you wouldn't get from a private owner, but you'll likely pay thousands more on a comparable car when buying from a dealer. Most enthusiasts that take great care of their cars will usually sell privately when the time comes also, rather than trading in at a dealer. It is my experience that you'll find a little better cared for cars when buying privately. There are exceptions to every rule though, of course. The key is to do your homework and thoroughly check out the car, and don't make any impulse decisions.

Good luck!

[Dave M]

btw, here's a link to one in your area. It doesn't list mileage. Use autotrader.com to search in your area.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...p=y&cardist=63

[DoubleBumFun]

I learned about the impulse thing the hard way when I bought my first firebird. I'll for sure be doing my homework this time and testing driving different firebirds before I find the one I want.

[DoubleBumFun]

btw, here's a link to one in your area. It doesn't list mileage. Use autotrader.com to search in your area.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...p=y&cardist=63

Ooh wow thank you very much! I wish I could buy it right now, but i'm gonna have to wait two or three months atleast before I can get one. Hopefully that firebird will still be around. The best price I have seen so far and it is exactly what I want.