gmb04

I am looking at purchasing a low millage 1988 Firebird formula 350. The car has only 24K miles on it. I have been looking at the forums for some time but still have questions about major things to look out for when buying one of these cars. Additionally who involved is maintenance on these cars. It seems these primitive computers put on these cars can be a hassle and it seems hard to get replacement parts and techs to work on them. Thanks for any help.

Bob88GTA

iTrader: (2)

gmb04...congrats on your future purchase.

There is no possible way to cover everything. Just look at the size and amount of info on here about TPI. My suggestion to you is go to the TPI section and just start reading.

TPI can be VERY temperamental. BUT, when tuned properly, they're a kick in the pants!

Good luck and welcome to TGO.

PSSSS: Stay away from hacked up and "MOLESTED CARS"

red rock

iTrader: (2)

One thing you need to know is that the speedometers turn over to 0 after 99999, so does it have 24k or more? You can tell alot about a car by how it was taken care of. That car is 27 years old now, so you will have to replace sensors, gaskets, hoses, etc. Parts are still available and the computers are workable, either by you or many programmers out there. When posting about a problem or a car, be as specific as possible. These cars are easy to work on, but the first thing to do is invest in repair manuals. Factory (ebay), Chiltons, Haynes.

rusty vango

obviously, you want one that has NO MODS of ANY KIND!! it eliminates having to re do and search for what some jack leg has done. secondly sensors and switches are now of poor quality, since they ALL come from china. if I was to do it all over again, I wouldn't have chosen one that sat in a barn since 1991. if you buy a stock car without all the headaches and problems that the "freefiddy" and LS everything crowd do to them you will be WAYYY ahead. good luck with your quest

TylerSteez

iTrader: (3)

TPI cars can be really tricky to get running right, everything has to be perfect for the ecm to be happy. Can't really think of anything off the top of my head to look for. If it idles nice and smooth and doesn't pull any codes then that should be a good indication for any car. Many of the parts are discontinued especially anything involving the egr (egr, solenoid, temp switch) but the good thing is that the tpi c4 vettes have the same egr system so its not too bad. Good luck with it all man

fireburdluvr85

Make sure you can test drive it. Most likely has the original failure prone injectors. With such low miles a lot of stuff may be gummed up. Easy enough to work on.

gmb04

Wow thank you all for the information. This is a great forum. That info about the odometer turning over at only 99999 is interesting. I see it is a one owner car the name on the bill of sale matches the one on the title and original purchase. However the current owner is not the original owner but never register the car so it will be one owner on paper. The current owner says the car has been garage kept but I do notice the spoiler is cracking bad but I have heard this happens to the cars. Also the exhaust cat back has been replaced which I thought was odd for only having 24k miles. Do yo think this car might have 124k on it? The paint does look good though, except underneath the spoiler looks rusty,and is said to be original. For what he is asking I won't have money left to invest in the car for sometime and I want to make sure I make a good decision and don't make a bad decision on something blatantly obvious. Thanks again for the help.

red rock

iTrader: (2)

You should be able to tell how much the car has been used by the condition of the drivers seat and drivers door armrest. 24k, they should be in really good shape, 124k they will have signs of alot of wear. If the car sat outside in a salty air area such as the coast for any length of time, a 27 year old car will have some surface rust. How much is he asking? Do you have any pics? Have you looked at the motor? Is it oily or really dirty?

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

My 89 shows 240,000.0 miles on it. When did they switch? I thought it was in 86-7?

gmb04

8500 but I hope to get it down to 8100 fingers crossed. http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/cto/4823728298.html

someone972

iTrader: (2)

Just by the way it looks and the fact that it does have the extra digit for the hundred thousand miles, I'd say it's definitely got 24K opposed to 124K. Can't see anything wrong from the pictures, everything looks like it's in good shape.

red rock

iTrader: (2)

Wow, I looked at the car and it looks really nice. The odometer runs higher than 99999, so almost 24k should be correct. The interior and seats look great. The engine bay looks all original. I would say from the pictures that car looks to be all original and in really nice shape. At $8100, it's worth what you are willing to pay. I would think that would be a fair price if the car rides and drives as nice as it looks. TTOP350, your right, they must have changed in '88 or maybe it's a Firebird thing. My '87 Camaro only goes to 99999 miles.

onefreakz

wow super clean car the miles does match the condition of the car , its worth the $$ good luck hope you get it

TylerSteez

iTrader: (3)

My 86 has the 6 digit odometer so it had to of been the later years, I wouldn't be too concerned by the cat back exhuast change, it's a common thing for people who want a little more sound from their cars. as someone said above, test drive would tell you a lot but with that low of mileage that thing sounds like it's in great condition, nice find

gmb04

I will keep you all updated. Thanks again for the help.

Ta Re Ser

That car looks very clean. Up in the North it would be listed for 10000 +