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1989 Firebird Convertible
Originally Maui Blue(repainted darker, but similar, by a previous owner)
Medium Dark Grey Interior(nearly all redone)
5.0 TBI Engine(rebuilt) / Automatic Transmission
Drum Brake Differential(stock)
Approximately 136,000 miles on chassis
3" Aftermarket Cat
3" Cat-back with Flowmaster Muffler
New Shocks and Struts(to be installed)
Eibach Pro Kit Lowering Springs(to be installed)
36mm WS6 Front Sway Bar w/poly bushings
TDS Wonderbar
15" Stock Wheels(polished) w/good tires
'85-'90 Trans Am Taillights
Convertible Top has been replaced and is nice
TDS Subframe Connectors(not installed, will go with the car)
Over 50 pix are on my cardomain page, linked in my sig below.
It's not perfect, but it is in good condition, and I doubt any buyer would be disappointed with it. The engine runs great, and the car looks good, especially the interior(which I've redone), exterior, too(except for the hood, which I’ve swapped). And given what decent thirdgens are selling for these days, and this one being a rust-free, California convertible with a V8, I don’t think I’d be out-of-line asking $4,000, as it is. And if it had a better paint job and matching hood, it would easily be worth in-excess of $5,000. But I’m listing it for $2,500, which, IMO, is a very good price. So if you've been looking for a good thirdgen Firebird Convertible for a good price, then I think you will like this one.
I bought this car a couple of years ago to be a “project,” but it was already in good shape. I didn’t want to tear apart my still-original Formula, yet I wanted to “play” with a thirdgen, so I got this ‘vert. Unfortunately, since I bought it, I’ve moved several times, and it’s being kept in garaged storage. I take it for drives in the mountains whenever I can, but I just don’t have time for it anymore. And it's costing me to store it and insure it, so I'd rather just let it go.
The engine was rebuilt by a previous owner, so I have no idea what was done to it. But it runs extremely well, and it has a passing smog certificate. The original odometer reading is in the 136,000 mile range, but that’s kind of irrelevant for the engine anyway, due to the rebuild.
I was told the A/C blew cold when I bought it, but it never did. The blower and heater work just fine, but just warm air, no cold air, from the A/C. I wasn’t really concerned, though, because I was going to remove it anyway. I know that is a concern to most people, but repairing or converting it isn’t as big a deal as you’d think, and everything you’d need to know about doing it can be found by searching TGO.
The oil pressure gage isn't accurate. The previous owner said he had the sender checked, and it was supposedly ok. I've changed the gage, itself, and the entire cluster, but that didn't help either. Other than that, I've never bothered to look into it any further. It's obviously nothing serious, probably just a ground-related issue.
Since the car has a 3" cat, if the buyer didn't want to put headers on the car, but he wanted a better flowing exhaust from the manifolds, I have a nice TPI y-pipe from my '87 Formula that can go with the car that would be the ideal solution. That's what I'd planned to put on this car until I eventually swapped its engine.
I don’t know if the transmission was rebuilt. I don’t think it was, but it shifts very well and operates smoothly. The torque converter is a little “chattery” at idle, but it doesn’t affect performance, and it isn't noisy when driving.
A little research showed the car was involved in some fender benders before I got it(I’m its 7th owner). Nothing was major, and all were repaired(but its bodywork could’ve been better), and the owner had the car repainted entirely(unfortunately, not its original Maui Blue, but similar). Again, all of that was by previous owners. But the car is straight, and all of its body panel VIN stickers are in place. The paint job was a cheap one, but it’s clean, it shines(though it could use a buffing), and there are no runs, drips, scratches, dents or dings anywhere(except for the swapped hood). It’s a California car with a history entirely in California, and there are no rust issues. I own this car, its title is NOT salvage, it’s clean, free and clear.
Regarding the hood, my plans for this car involved installing a Formula “Power Bulge” hood, so its original flat hood is gone... literally, gone, so I can't put it back on. The Formula hood is from a junkyard car, and it needs some bodywork and paint-to-match. My plan was to give the car a '91/'92 facelift and have it entirely repainted in its original Maui Blue, so it wasn’t an issue for me to have a different color hood on it for now. So if aftermarket hoods are your preference anyway, then here's your excuse. I have no plans to repair this. IF I do, I'll be raising the price of the car by a lot... but I'd probably have decided to keep the car, so it wouldn't be for sale anymore, anyway. So now is your chance.
The only other exterior cosmetic issue, that’s very hard to see, also happened when it was previously owned. Apparently, a shop jacked-up the car on the driver's side by the ASC-installed, boxed, rocker rail supports, and it left impressions in the supports. But it doesn't affect the structural support, and it looks like something that can be easily repaired.
The interior is VERY CLEAN. This is where I began my project, mainly because I’m not comfortable in “used” interiors. It’s Medium Dark Grey. I’d planned to change everything to charcoal, black and white, which, obviously, isn’t going to happen now, but I’ve already changed the trunk’s interior panels. I no longer have its original grey panels, but they were nothing special anyway, just hacked by ASC, so they’d be very easy for someone to duplicate. I rebuilt the hatch pull-down mechanism with a TDS kit, but the trunk lid needs new struts. The carpet was replaced by a previous owner and is very good, and I added new set of fourthgen front floor mats(charcoal, for the future interior color change). I installed a nice set of cloth "GTA" seats(never hooked them up, but I have the harness). The rear seat upholstery has no damage, though it looks a bit “over-cleaned.” And I installed "GTA" door panels(they aren’t perfect, but they look good). One of its ‘vert side panel seatbelt trim pieces is broken, but Hawk’s reproduces those, so new sets are available. And I've got a NOS set of seat belt trim pieces for the tonneau cover.
The center console is good. I replaced the lid, so it's good, too. I installed a NOS radio pod and a NOS radio trim bezel. I installed a NOS stock leather shifter handle and a good, clean, stock leather e-brake handle. The car currently has my Formula’s original 3-spoke steering wheel in it, but I plan to keep that and put the original 4-spoke wheel back in it. I installed a new dash pad(with the deluxe metal speaker grilles, but w/o the cloth). I put in a clean, '85-'88 style dash panel bezel with all the correct switches(all connected and lighted), and a grey “Firebird” dash map pocket w/sunglass holder. And I installed a 140mph instrument cluster w/8000rpm tach and recapped the instrument bulbs in red(rather than the stock amber). The speedo swap “added” miles, but I have the original speedo showing the car’s actual, lesser mileage of approximately 136,000.
And for the last big interior change, which I could keep and put in my Formula, but I’ll let it go with this car(unless the buyer isn't interested in a stock radio, because I'd like to keep it), I installed a 4thgen Pontiac Delco Monsoon 7 band eq/cd/ radio. It has all red display and backlighting, so it and the (now red) dash lights match at night. THIS IS NICE, and it’s not for sale separately.
Headlights still work fine, but you’ll get a TDS repair kit that I had onhand for the future. You’ll also get a new set of TDS sub-frame connectors that I'd planned to install when the carpet was out of the car, during the full interior color change, which, obviously, isn't going to happen. Again, they're going with the car. They're not for sale separately.
So there ya go. I've, literally, nit-picked this with a fine-toothed comb for you. There are no surprises. So, all-in-all, I think it’s a pretty good deal for a car that’s good already, but that with very little work, can be an excellent car! And rather than take-up anymore of TGO’s space, pix can be seen on my cardomain page(linked in sig below). I've also got pix on the cardomain pages of the other parts for sale. My name is Tim, and, at this point, I can be reached right here. Thanks.
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I took the car out for a drive over the weekend, so I stopped to take a few pix with the phone of the interior with the "GTA" door panels I installed recently. These aren't on the cardomain link(below) with all the other pix. All the other pix are good. I also took a pic of the tail lights lit. It was afternoon, but it was late and a bit hazy, so you can see them a little bit.
And thanks for your enthusiasm. I hope it rubs off on other people, because this is a nice car, and its price is extremely reasonable.
Not looking for a trade, though. If I wanted a car, I'd keep this one. It's very nice, and I've already redone its interior just the way I want it. But I just don't have the time, the need, or the space for it anymore. Otherwise, it wouldn't be for sale at all. And if it doesn't sell, and I end-up finishing the exterior, I will be keeping it... or raising the price A LOT. But it's out there now, and someone should take advantage of the opportunity.
Last edited by LAFireboyd; 04-03-2009 at 01:04 PM.
$2500, heck yo uare just about GIVING it away, I am surprised that no one has snatched it up... If I did not have one already I would have been beating down your door.
John
__________________ 87 FORMULA - 5.1 LB9/A4 T-tops 3.73 Modified (Yellow/Black)
87 FORMULA - 5.0 LB9/M5 T-tops 3.45 (Yellow/Gray)
89 FORMULA 350 - CONVERTIBLE 3.27 All original (Red/Gray) www.3rdgenformula.com
I'm as surprised as you are, John. I feel like I'm giving it away at that price, too. But I didn't want there to be any hesitation by prospective buyers. And I really don't care for the "wheeling and dealing" aspect that always comes with buying cars, so I wanted to make it as simple as possible. And I figured at that price, someone would just show up with the cash and drive it away.
I've had some interest thru PMs and some interest through craigslist, but so far, nobody's come forward to close a deal, so this is still available.
I know it's partly because of the hood. But for that price, they'll be able to afford to do anything they want to the car, including repairing or replacing the hood.
But the longer it sits here, forcing me to pay storage and insurance bills, the less I'll be willing to deal on it. So someone should take advantage of my "motivated seller" status, because I'm losing my motivation, lol.
Last edited by LAFireboyd; 04-03-2009 at 01:07 PM.
I'm as surprised as you are, John. I feel like I'm giving it away at that price, too. But I didn't want there to be any hesitation by prospective buyers. And I really don't care for the "wheeling and dealing" aspect that always comes with buying cars, so I wanted to make it as simple as possible. And I figured at that price, someone would just show and with the cash and drive it away.
I've had some interest thru PMs and some interest through craigslist, but so far, nobody's come forward to close a deal, so this is still available.
I know it's partly because of the hood. But for that price, they'll be able to afford to do anything they want to the car, including repairing or replacing the hood.
But the longer it sits here, forcing me to pay storage and insurance bills, the less I'll be willing to deal on it. And eventually, it won't be for sale anymore at all. So someone should take advantage of my "motivated seller" status, because I'm losing my motivation, lol.
That sucks about the hood, but you actually have the hood I was thinking of getting if I had a carb or TBI car! But, I still may get one because something tells me that cowl would be a nice little spot for some aftermarket mini gauges...
LA'Boyd,
Have you tried to sell it through normal means, like Autotrader? I have had a great deal of sussess selling it through those means. I have sold everything in less than a few weeks.
John
__________________ 87 FORMULA - 5.1 LB9/A4 T-tops 3.73 Modified (Yellow/Black)
87 FORMULA - 5.0 LB9/M5 T-tops 3.45 (Yellow/Gray)
89 FORMULA 350 - CONVERTIBLE 3.27 All original (Red/Gray) www.3rdgenformula.com
I haven't tried Autotrader yet. I started here, hoping to find the car a home within the thirdgen community. Then I put it on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago. So I guess Autotrader is next.
I'd have thought the economy was a big factor, but there are plenty of cars here for a lot more money, and they seem to be selling quickly. So obviously, people have the money to spend and a good deal isn't that important to them. Apparently, they're just looking for perfect, low-mileage, 20 year old used cars. Too bad, too, because for $2,500, they'd have plenty of money left to turn it into their own version of the "perfect" car.
