hello, I'm 19 and I am in the middle of buying myself my first car. I don't know much mechanically, but I want something rare, clean, fast and somewhat luxurios that's not a bitch to maintain. Just an overal cool car within budget (no more than 8000). At first I was interested in 01-02 Eldorados, I test drove one and fell in love instantly but some things came up and that didn't go well. Now I'm currently very interested in 3rd gen firebirds and camaros and this is where I need your help. Again I'm 19 looking to buy my first car but I just don't know if it would be the right purchase for my circumstances. The cars look beautiful and some to most are in my price range but please any advice you guys could give me about any of this at all would be so highly appreciated. Whether it's tips for when looking at the car or info about specific models or just ANYTHING. I'm an ignorant student ready to learn, thank you very much

 

to anybody who read the other one, leave your helpful comments on this thread to make it easier. Thanks again

 

People who are thirdgen fans are thirdgen fans, through the good and the bad. If you take some for some test drives you should know not far into it if you are for one.
If the cars are for you, maybe take a search on the classifieds on this site and see if there is something in your price range that is a reasonable distance from you. Start there. Look at cars local to you. Just look. Don't grab the first one, look and test drive a few, get a feel for them.
If you buy one, if it doesn't already, get subframe connectors.

 

Welcome! You've found a great place to research just about anything third gen related.

This is a good thread; it's written for sellers but you can sort of turn that around as a buyer when you start hunting. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/cama...ouncement.html

Try to learn as much as possible about what's really "rare" and what isn't. For example, someone trying to sell a "numbers matching 350 with 5 speed manual" is full of crap; there never was such a thing for our cars from the factory. Look through some build threads and get a feel for where other guys find rust and other problem areas so you know where to check. Get a feel for pricing; you can find these cars for under $1000 all day long but I guarantee they'll have problems (doesn't mean a $6000 car is going to be perfect though).

Maybe the most important thing is to decide whether you want something to customize and make your own or something that's a true classic; I bought mine with the intent to do some minor to moderate customization, so I didn't have an eye out for numbers matching or all original parts.

Read through the threads and use the search feature too!

Hope you find what you're looking for.

 

Third gens are easy to maintain, which is great news because it will be getting a LOT of maintenance. Seriously. Our cars are money pits lol. If you get one, just be aware of that. And I suppose it's like that with any older car, but I've never had to do this much work on any other car I've owned. They are great cars to learn on though, easy to modify, and fun to drive.

 

Thank you very much for the advice. What do you think of this ? It's a little too out there for me and I'm not a fan of orange but it comes across as a great deal. http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/5743206635.html

 

That sounds like a con to me,I don't know enough about cars to work on them I'm afraid I'd mess up the engine or something

 

It can be a con, it really depends on what you want from a car. I wanted something to learn on, and I got that. Also, not all third gens are created equal. I tell everyone this, always get any car you want to buy inspected by a trustworthy mechanic. It's better to drop the $100 to find out if it's worth buying vs spending thousands on a lemon. But the newest third gen you can get is still 24 years old. Stuff will be wearing out. I'm just trying to keep you informed man.

 

Do you mind checking out this ad for me and tell me what you think ? Thanks for your time man. If u re read the post maybe you'll get a better understanding what I'm looking for. http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/5743206635.html

 

It could have been done right, or maybe not. I noticed there's no engine pics. Does he have receipts for the work he's claiming to have done? Trust me, you don't want a hack job of a custom car with tons of problems. Like I said, take it to a mechanic and have them look at it and make sure it's mechanically solid. The other thing is, you said you wanted rare. This car would qualify, possibly even unique. But unique and valuable are important differences. If you're looking for a car that'll be worth something in another 10 or 20 years, this isn't it. If you just like how it looks and don't care about the collector value, then maybe check it out. You've also got to think about stuff like weather. These cars aren't built for snow. Too light in the back. I dunno where you are, so that might not matter. But there's a lot to factor in. If you have to do emissions, will it pass? Stuff like that

 

I would pass on that one. "completely undercoated" sounds like he really means "I undercoated it to hide rust/rot"

plus with an 8000$ budget you can EASILY get a thirdgen that hasn't been riced out with a lot less miles.

If you buy cars this old, you will need to put some work into them unless they were fully restored. the stock suspension will be completely shot, vacuum lines rotted, floor pans from leaking t tops/various other places for water to get in, doors sagging, leaking gaskets, and the list goes on. These cars are great to learn automotive repair on.

luckily, your budget is high enough to afford a clean one in way better condition. also, these cars in stock form aren't very fast.

 

What should I look for in terms of ones that will be valuable in 1-20 years ? Also, how bad is it in snow ? I'm in VA, it normally doesn't snow heavy or at all but it can

 

Well, it comes down to personal opinion, so here's mine:

Paint looks OK, body looks OK. I'm indifferent about the hood and notchback, although both are going to be lighter than the stock pieces (and lighter = more fun to drive as a rule of thumb). The hood does not appear to be properly aligned but that might be a trick of perspective? I personally think the taillights are hideous, but it looks like they're at least well done. Same for the scoops and trim. It's certainly a unique look, but you should be the one who makes the final call on that.

Definitely ask for some underhood pictures, receipts, build sheets, etc. Don't take anything for granted; as fervernt has already said take it to a mechanic that you trust and have them look it over. I'm especially leery of cars that have had an engine swap. If the guy can't show you proof that the engine/transmission are what he says they are, assume they're going to need replacement and get an idea of what that will cost, or what it will take to do yourself. Drive it and see how it handles. Look for things like spliced wires, busted vacuum lines, leaks/fluid stains on the underside, etc. If you have to worry about emissions (we do in this part of CO) make him take it in and obtain a passed emissions test.

To get your other questions: These cars are not built for snow at all. No traction control and front-biased weight distribution. If this is your only car keep that in mind.

TylerSteez makes a good point; these cars are not very fast in their stock forms. Even some of the V8 engine offerings topped out at ~150hp, and depending on options some of our cars weigh over 3300lbs. By comparison, my '08 Mazda 3 has ~145HP from a inline 4 in a 2800lb car.

That doesn't mean you can't make these cars fast by dropping some weight and/or improving your engine/exhaust/drivetrain/etc. But when you modify a car it sort of becomes your own beast (I'm sure the owner of the orange car absolutely loves the way it looks), and you're almost never going to get the money out of it that you put into it. These cars seem to hold their value pretty well if they're unmolested from the factory, but as soon as you do stuff to make it more fun to drive it's no longer original and the value drops pretty steeply. And that's assuming you have something semi-rare to begin with, like a 1LE or B4C car.

Now, that's just my two cents; I know some guys really enjoy the restoration process but I just wanted to get a fixer-upper that I could make fun to drive. Your needs may be different.

 

Well if you are looking for something that is going to be valuable it's not that orange thing. Unfortunately it is only done right in his eyes. Any full custom like that will only appeal to a very small group of buyers regardless of how well it is done. If a thirdgen is really what you want, you can get a very nice, lower miles, closer to original for 8k or less. You will have to do some looking and maybe have to travel but they are out there. I know, I bought mine a year and 1/2 ago for under 7k with 71k on it. Mine has vette wheels and a few other after market cosmetic stuff. It can be put back to original easy enough if that is what a buyer wants. The one you showed in the add is to far gone that it realistically can never be put back.
The thing you should know about is these cars are quite finicky and will require some TLC. It would be good if you know someone that can help you out when a problem arises. I will say that this board is a great place for that.