I'm not sure what was so false about my comments...possibly poorly worded but I'm not sure they are completely false. I live in a community that is 90+% Hispanic, therefore when I see a thirdgen it is 9 times out of 10 driven by a person of Hispanic decent. Perhaps the part about them not caring about their cars was incorrectly worded, perhaps that they appear to not care about their cars is more correct. Also on the money issue, it's true...a lot of these guys are up here from Mexico for the summer to work and send money home, therefore they don't have all the money in the world to fix cars let alone buy something nice to drive around. I'm not sure what you call a false or racist statement there but everything I stated I have experienced first hand around my town here. I have a huge amount of respect for these people...I don't know 1 person that would get out in the orchards or fields for even 1 day to do what these people do all summer long. My family employs literally hundreds of Hispanic people each year to work for our company, whether it be in the fields picking or working in our cold storage and packing house.
Again all the comments I have made are from my experiences in my home town. Perhaps things are different where you live but here, that is pretty much the way things are. Again that is pretty much where I was trying to go with my first statement on this subject, if I stepped on anyones toes I do appologize, it was not intentional.

Ryan

 

I just think that is not right to generalize when you talk about a race or nationality, I encourage you to be aware that this is a multi cultural country, and we can't know who might be on the other side of the phone line.
Be careful when you write and, be sure that you write what you mean, and mean what you write. Don't let poorly worded statements make you say what you don't really mean.

Happy 4th of July to everyone

 

People tend to think I am weird when I tell them this but my absolute dream car is a 91-92 camaro. Not a vette, not a Ferrari, or viper. I am not sure why that is true. If you plucked one of these cars down in front of me I would turn around and sell it. Then next day I would bring home a 91 or 92 Z28 with an L98 and a 69 Camaro. While the stock Camaro needs a lot of suspension and engine work I dont think you can be the lines of the car. My girlfriend makes fun of me when I just sit outside and look at my car. I cant help but smile. Other fancier cars are nice but I dont crack a smile everytime I see one. I may also be the only one but I love the thirdgen interior and have no plans upgrading it.

67-69s are just plain sweet. I used to think they were my favorite until I got my 91 vert. It probably because I have been around camaros all my life. When we used to go to shows in Central Florida the camaros where always my favorites.

Oh well. Just my .02

 

I agree 100%, that's exactly what I'd do....

 

While I would love a Viper or a Corvette... a thirdgen Camaro is my realistic dream car. If I were to win the lotto or something, sure I'd buy a Vette... maybe a couple of them. But not after I bought a mint black 91/92 Z28 and a mint black 88 or so Trans Am.

 

Yeah thats more along the lines to what i meant. a thirdgen would come first and then I guess i would "force" myself to get a vette. A thirdgen is my ideal dream car. But its nice that it just so happens its a realistic one as well. I bought my 91 in 97 with 60K garage kept and show quality for 7K. Now to just find a hardtop.

 

I would have to agree with everyone on the lack of 'devoted' third gen owners. I see them ALL the time around here and at least 90%+ are P.O.S. Mines decent, I have a few buddies with nice ones, and occasionally I see a head turner, but for for every one of us that care for our cars there are at least 10-20 that don't. That goes for 1st and 2nd gens too (not as many of course), but I see them around town just rusting through the ground. The only thing they do to maintain them is keep gas in it and change the oil when it gets thick as mud or they burn it all off. Just makes ya sick.

 

Hey my car is not in the best of shape but I know there are a lot worse. Tranny is going. Engine is not too far away. Some people just dont have the cash to fix their car, I didn't for a while, so everyting I did was just to keep it alive, not to improve it. I hated not having cash to getting it like I wanted to. Then there are the people who don't care about their thirdgen, but those peope usually would not care about any car they drove anyway, even if it were new. Just worry about your own and stop flaming other people's cars. Why does everyone take it so personal. Dammit its a free country, let people do what they want with their cars and let people like yourself and I say what's on your mind. My opinion is that some people just take it too personal the way OTHER people's cars look. Just let them be.
Actually its in average shape, but now that I finished college I have a job that will allow me to fix my car. I dont think IROC350TPI meant to sound like a biggot. You do have to watch what you say and more importantly the way you think. Some people dont have the luxury to have a computer to find cheap parts for their thirdgens like many of us. Hey at least they are driving American cars. Plus it means they have priorities by sending money home instead of fixing their cars with the money they make.

 

Hey revlimit, (or anyone else for that matter) I like the pic in your sig, do you have a bigger/closer pic of the rear? I like the look of the inner rear lights painted the colour of the body...

 

mines rusted out cuz it was driven daily in the winter in canada. i have no intention of fixing it either, being as i cant keep it here in the states for more then 3 years. if i could keep it i would deffinetly fix it up.its a 84 biege with gold ground effects. i didnt really like the color at first but its kinda grown on me. so i hope to find another when i gotta get rid of the beast. the reason i cant keep it is cuz of emmisions crap.

 

i just bought my third gen, its a chevy orange with a few dings in the door but its in nice condition and is going to be immaculate in the next year, but most the ones around here are alright there are few though that make you look twice

 

I would love to take care of my car and restore it, ive done so mechanically, but now body work is SOOOOO expensive also.
Im only 18 at this age, with a HIGHHHH insurance its not the best car to be driving.

 

Speaking as somebody who drives a thirdgen that's about as trashed as they come (<a href="http://www.nthward.com/images/TransAm/">click here</a> to see what I mean), I thought I'd chime in. I bought the car for $450 last October when my Saturn's engine crapped out because I needed a new car fast or else I'd lose my job. I just happen to like thirdgens, and was lucky enough to find one for sale dirt-cheap at the time. It had suffered a lot of abuse at the hands of its previous owners, but it certainly beats driving a rusted-out Dodge Omni around town.

When I first got the car I thought about fully restoring it, but I decided it would be more trouble than it's worth. On a nice Saturday afternoon, I'd much rather be driving my car than fixing it up. I've decided to do what I can to keep the car running (it still runs very well, believe it or not), but I'll put most of my effort into saving up for a 5.7L GTA in better condition.

As horrible as my car looks, I actually like it a lot, it's fun to drive around, and it's by far the most comfortable car I've ever driven. I just drove it to NYC and back last month with no problems at all. I hate to see it in the condition it's in and I'd love to see it fully restored someday, but that type of project is simply beyond my capability. When it comes time for me to sell it, I hope I can find somebody willing to make a project out of it rather than sending it to the junkyard.

Just because I drive a crappy-looking thirdgen around, don't assume that I don't care about the car. Not all of us can afford to drive trophy cars.

-- David
Chicago, IL

 

I agree, but I stand slightly different on the situation as I also believe people can accomplish anything if they want it enough (look at the homeless crackheads who manage to get hundreds of dollars every day! -surely a working man such as yourself can eventually afford some fix-it's for that poor car), with some diligent "shopping around", I bet you could have that car looking way better for $1000 or so....if you really can't get the money, figure something out, like take it to a highschool autoshop class or something...just don't leave it suffering like it is I am not saying to turn it into a "trophy" car or anything....

 

Well, assuming I had an extra $1000 laying around (which I don't -- I've been unemployed since mid-March and I'm preparing to move to Philadelphia later this summer to finish my degree), I'd just as soon put it towards the purchase of a GTA than into my current car.

Don't get me wrong, I give my car all the routine maintenance it needs (oil changes, tune-ups, etc.) I've also fixed a few things on the engine, given it new brakes, replaced the driver's-side headlight assembly, and done a bit of work on the interior. And if I'm in a junkyard and happen to come across something my car could use, I won't hesitate to grab it. But the body work alone would cost me about $1500 (not counting a paint job and all the other work the car needs) which would really help toward saving up for a nice GTA. It just isn't worth it.

-- David
Chicago, IL

 

Yeah, I don't blame you; being unemployed sucks...I had assumed from reading your post about losing your job UNLESS you bought a car that you were employed; sorry about that..but when you do get around to it

It just seems to me like you can find a engineless or one with a dead engine with some "ok" body panels for about $400, sell the "donor" car, so you steal all the pieces you need from it; and find someone who can put them on your car for you for cheap, then take it to some maaco type place and spend $200 on the "cheap" paint job....so with some diligence it could be done.....and then when you are ready to buy your GTA you could actually get some money from selling it, but I understand your situation....just some of my thoughts

 

I know how you feel. Sometimes after a day of working on my car or detailing it, I'll just sit there and stare at it for a while. I'll crack a big smile on my face and everyone around me thinks that I've lost it. Honestly I don't think that I even fully understand it! I guess it's just something that us enthusiasts will understand

Matt