bezanson88

Hey, all ive surfed these boards daily reading random posts about all these cars as well on camarosource ive had the hardest time trying to decide what i want. ahaha I know this should be a decision that i make as it would be my car but maybe some people who are much more knowledgeable of these cars could point a newcomer to the right ones.
I've read the specs on this board of the various years, as it goes right now, in terms of want, its split between probably an 86 Z28 or an 88/89 IROC, then a Trans Am probably 85 or 86 then firebird. I personally don't like the Camaro RS for some reason the look of it just doesn't appeal or for some reason looks a lot different to me.

In terms of what i like in these cars, i think T-tops are neat and would always like to have em' but if not its not a big issue, Also i haven't learnt how to drive a stick/manual so id prefer automatic My mechanical knowledge is very. and i mean very slim, the idea with this car (also being my first own personal car) i would be able to learn from it and work on it a bit. Thirdgen aren't very common in my region either so they can tend to be a bit more expensive then some of you americans living in the more southern regions and price does kinda matter. Ideally id like a V8, why should be pretty obvious even though they aren't super on gas, and i know you can do stuff to a V6 but still.

In terms what i plan to do with the car, is probably just add some mild performance enhancements as i go but i wouldn't make it a drag racer or anything, just basics like cam's headers, intakes etc. also probably gears eventually like 3.23's i think thats the right number, so its like decent on both highway and city and has more pep then just the 2.77's??

I Know this seems more like a WTB thread but im just looking for general opinion's of what my decisions are and how wise they should be, or if someone has any other better ideas as what i should pursue in terms of thirdgen cars, i just fell in love with them though since ive seen them and now any other car that i could get would just not do.
thanks in advance.

impaled

more importiant than the year or trim is the motor that the car has in it. if you are interested in performance at all, i would go with a 350 (5.7L) over the 305. TPI TBI or carb is another choice you have to make, they each have thier own advantages. i personally have a carbed 350 and love it and before that i had an 1987 sport coupe with an LG4 (carbed 305) and it was really slow compared to what i have now.

bezanson88

yeah i forgot to add that in, i was leaning more towards a 350, or like some form of TPI ideally an LS1 or something would be nice ahahah but im not that naive. id like to stay away from carburated. i know they can do good things but its just personal preference.

Ward

iTrader: (1)

I would sort of disagree. I would find the model which you like the best, like IROC, GTA, etc. It's much easier to change engines than it is to try and turn a base firebird into a GTA, or a base camaro into an IROC. My first thirdgen was an 83 firebird S/E, which someone had put a 400 in. I could have spent a lot of money on that car, building the motor, making the interior all nice, etc. But at the end of the day, it would have always been a base firebird. I would agree that the 350 is probably the preferred choice, but I actually wanted a 305, because I wanted a manual trans. It's easier to drop in a 350 than it is to convert an auto to manual trans. Also, my old firebird was hardtop, and I always wanted a t-top car, so the new one *had* to have t-tops. Pretty much the only way to add t-tops is to cut the roof off a t-top car, and weld it to a hardtop car, which is not practical.

bezanson88

yeah, id like a z28 or an iroc with a nice engine in a 350 would be very nice, but then the whole cash factor comes into place i will probably settle for a 305, which is still fine in my eyes, im not a huge racer or anything like that an its not like a 305 is weak either atleast as far as my knowledge goes? but basically im waiting for the dream opportunity to come up with someone selling exactly what i want for cheap.

and i know overall this isn't going to be a cheap endevour, but the thing is people ask me why i would something like this i should get just a normal car or whatever, and the thing is if im going to drive something and have it be mine, i want something i enjoy spending money on and enjoy working on. so why would i buy some commuter car i don't want. i know there is the whole winter beater thing but thats a completely different area.

Ward

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, I was pretty much in the same situation, although I had alot more conditions on what the car needed to have. I knew I wanted a GTA, either white, black, or gunmetal, with a 5 speed and t-tops. I just started saving money until I found a deal I liked, and had enough to buy it. It took about 2 months of searching, and the car I found was in Miami (I'm in Dallas), and I paid to have it shipped here. I wasn't turning up any cars locally that weren't just totally destroyed, or not really what I was looking for.

IROCmonkey

Well ultimately its your ride. My suggestion would be to find a v8 car in the trim package and color that you fancy (GTA, IROC, et al) and make sure it is mechanically sound and the interior and body/paint are in good shape. Get it inspected by an independent mechanic before you buy. Since you are starting with limited mechanical knowledge it is worth it to pay a little more up front for a mechanically sound and reliable car that you can begin learning on by doing maintenance and minor upgrades, while being able to rely on it to get you where you gotta go. Take pix, research the VIN, look underneath, etc come here and ask lots of questions

(305 is fine, too many folks bash em, if you find a 350 car ok great, but a 305 isn't the end of the world, TPI over TBI if you have the option, unless gas mileage is an issue)

bezanson88

yeah for sure id definitely go and take pictures and bring a buddy of mine who is much more mechanically inclined to look at it, if i can't take it directly to a mechanic, and for sure id post em' up here and get some second opinions before i delved into anything, thanks for the info!