Just wanted to see what other people think. To me the third-gens are much more eye appealing then the fourth-gen's with their fat rounded dumpy looking bodies. What does everybody else think.

 

Personally I love the looks of the 3rd gen over the 4th gen but I love the drive trains out of the 4th generations more. If you could get the drive train out of a 4th gen & swap it in a 3rd gen. That's my opinion. Hope I helped.

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- Mike Harvey -
1986 Firebird S/E

 

LOL, wouldn't, well SHOULDN'T everyone's answer be the third gen? I mean this is THIRDgen.org. heh, I just think its funny you ask this question. But I would have to say the 4th gen with the ground effects. They look sweet. The only 3rd gens I dont like are the pre 84s or whatever. Back whenever they didnt have the next to best ground effects kit. Now the 91-92s are phat as hell!

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1992 Camaro RS 3.1L
T5 Manual 5 speed
Cold/RAM air intake
Z-28 Exhaust
8.5mm MSD Ignition wires
TB Coolant bypass

Soon to be a 3.8L turbo RS

AIM screen name - Stopsign696

Kills:

95 (****) Probe GT,94 Mustang GT,91 CRX (dont ask me why he raced me),2nd Gen Z28 (350) haha to you V8 guys!,1992 RS 305 TBI (good race),First Gen Integra, Old Escort LX
More to come

 

Of course I love the Thirdgens the best! Esp the 91/92s. I do agree that the 82-84 Camaro ground effects were pretty ugly. I personally wouldn't want one of those unless it had the 305 HO in it. I really don't see what every1 sees in the fourthgen's over the 3rds other than the extra horses. Personally I'd sacrifice the 30 or so extra horses of a 93 LT1 to get a 92 L98. Just my opinion but it wouldn't take much to make up the extra horses. One last thing, I'd hate to have to work on a 4th gen the way the engine is half way under the dash.

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Red 1986 SC, 2.8L, rebuilt 700R4, 3.42 Posi, t-tops, 134K miles and counting, K&N air filters, hopefully more to come!

 

Thirdgens,thirdgens,thirdgens. I've owned four 3rd gens in the past 5 years prior to the 4th gen Z I used to have.The 4th gen lasted only about a year before I totalled it.I was actually glad,'cause I went back and bought a '91 third gen.I will never get rid of this one.And I just bought another third gen for my wife just the other night.So I hope this answers your question.

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'91 RS 5.0 TBI
New paint-solid black
ROH Snyper wheels-17x9 wrapped in 275/40/17
Eibach sportline springs
ASCD SS hood
Flowmaster cat-back
TBI mods
383 implantation soon to come.

 

Thirdgens, except the 98+ ram air TA's, and coming in very close behind 3rdgens is the 98+ SS...i dont like the 93-97 cars really at all

 

i love the ram air 4th gen trans ams but even more my 91 Camaro :] but i do like the 4th gen dash the roundness of it apeals to me either or i hate the 4th gen camaro look sorry -=(

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Dont Race Cops apparently you cant do that! -Dellz

 

run a thirdgen into a fourth gen at 50 and drive that you would have the best of both worlds. with on senserity though i love the way thirdgens look hella better than a fourth. If you want looks go with a third but if you want to go fast just like everyone else here do yourself a favor and buy a fourth gen.

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Go with the thirdgen. Sure they're not as fast as a fourth gen but they look a TON better. My God, the new Mustangs are better looking than the Camaros and Firebirds. I hate to say it but its true. Plus, they're much easier to work on. You can do an engine swap on a thirdgen easily and blow the doors of a fourth gen. Most modifications can be done easier and cheaper on a thirdgen car.

 

BTW, I have a 92 RS. I was wanting to see if there were more people like me out there that thought the 3rd's blow away the 4th's in looks! http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?...781&p=29492901

 

I'd take my T/A over a fourth gen, unless it was handed to me. I payed $700 for mine and it's mine. I can, and DO do what ever I want to it. No new car can give me the satisfaction. But the T/A's always looked good. I hate all fourth gen camaros. Especially with those flush lights.

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'82 Firebird, dead stock, 9 bolt disc rear, over 200,000 miles and still going strong, more to come...
http://www.spinfrenzy.com/stingerssx...easures.html#4

 

I love the styling of thirdgens,especially cowl hoods and rims,they are inexpensive and have less complicated to work on then the 4th gen engine bays with 10 thousand wires of spagetti wires,the 93 -97 camaros look like bullets with t-tops and the 98-newer camaros look like ****,especially those headlights.Now the 98-Trans Ams,especially the black/t-top ones are the only exception,probably cause I love eighties music and cars,and I am only 17,but that is just me

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86 IROC,canary yellow(originally black),fully loaded.305TPI WITH 700R4/SHIFT KIT

T-TOPS
POWER LOCKS
POWER WINDOWS
TILT
CRUISE
SADDLE INTERIOR
POWER ANTENNAE
SPOILER OFF 87 IROC SO NO THIRD BRAKE LIGHT ON ROOF
16" BY 8" RIMS OFF 89 IROC
3"INCH EXHAUST WITH A 2 CHAMBER FLOWMASTER AND 3 1/2" BY 18" LONG CHROME TIPS
20% TINT ON SIDES,HATCH AND T-TOPS
GTS TAILLIGHT COVERS
AFTERMARKET FOG LIGHTS
PIONEER CD RECIEVER WITH REMOTE AND DETACHABLE FACEPLATE WITH JENSON SPEAKERS ALL AROUND
TALKING RADAR DETECTOR"BACON ALERT"

PRETTY BADASS RIDE

What I want to do..
4"inch Cowl hood.
Pacer polished rims (same style as WELD Draglites)
Custom Liscense plate like MIKSROC or MIKS 86

A couple of nice subs in the back

 

Well i always thought 3rd gens looked better, especially 91-92 Z28s, but my friend bought a 93 Z28, and at first it was just ok, but now i think its badass. if you look at the lights at a certin angle it looks like its about pounce on you. i myself plan on buying a 93-97 TA and throwing a "stinger" or "Big-Block" hood on it. (the one shaped after the 67 427/435 vettes)

I think 3rd Gens look better stock, but 4th gens look better modified. (hoods, GFX, Wings etc...) i love the performance of his 93. i have driven it a couple times and its wicked. with 275hp we were doing cookes and doughnuts all over our local "best-buy" parking lot. i like the 4ths drive line because its easy to drive nice, and easy to drive fast too.

4THs really grow on you if your arround them alot. snd i would probably kill for a hugger orange 99 SS with some black stripes and a 6-speed. and do mass murder for a 02 firehawk. but maybe im just a violent person

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1985 WS6 Trans AM
glass T-tops
bone stock sloth of an engine LG4
T-5 tranny. thank god, i couldnt stand an LG4 auto.
Plans for an LT-1 or LT-4,
also plans for dual flowmaster exaust.

Got a corvette when i was 16, paid for it myself, screwed the engine up (idiot light didnt work, and i trusted the guy when he said he just changed the oil), and it turned into a project car.
now my TA is my daily driver. not a bad one, but it needs to be faster.

[This message has been edited by 85ws6TA (edited January 20, 2001).]

 

this is almost that view of the "pouncing" looks better in real life, and in a better color, and v8, new hood, some stripes or accented paint. after all that it looks insanely mean, before it just looks mean

------------------
1985 WS6 Trans AM
glass T-tops
bone stock sloth of an engine LG4
T-5 tranny. thank god, i couldnt stand an LG4 auto.
Plans for an LT-1 or LT-4,
also plans for dual flowmaster exaust.

Got a corvette when i was 16, paid for it myself, screwed the engine up (idiot light didnt work, and i trusted the guy when he said he just changed the oil), and it turned into a project car.
now my TA is my daily driver. not a bad one, but it needs to be faster.

[This message has been edited by 85ws6TA (edited January 20, 2001).]

 

Wow Great Question
I have always loved the 3rd generation cars especially the camaros (91 & 92) in particular. I bought my 1991 Z28 on impulse as I drove by a dealership where it was featured in front because I just had to have it. I liked the 4th gen. camaros especially the rs ground effects right up until they changed the lights to the bulbous eyesores they are now. Visually I wouldn't trade my Z28 for a new SS straight up! I wasn't a big fan of the Firebird redesign and until they released the latest update around 98 and it is like WOW. I love the new Trans Ams. I gotta say late Zs and new T/As - pure artwork.

Robin

 

Most 4th gens. always looked too long to me. The 3rd gens. look stocky and brutish which is elemental to a muscle car. Some of the 4th gens almost look graceful, but thats probably due to improved aerodynamics. Its against common sense, but I like a car that punches a hole through the air, not one that slices and slips through. Stupid I know. But thats why I like the old brute muscle cars too. Kind of like comparing a 1st gen. Camaro's flat face to a Plymouth Roadrunner's pukishly sleek nose.

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89 RS V-8

 

I like 3rd gen's better as far as looks. I do like 4th gens too but the 3rd gens just have more of a muscle car look and thats what I like. And like someone else said before 4th gens are faster in stock form but a 3rd gen is much easier to work on and modify. I like 3rd gens because you get modern handling and aerodynamics but you can throw in a carbed 383 and give it the feel of a muscle car. The best of both worlds in my opinion.

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84 Camaro 305 ported & milled heads, 3 angle valve job, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, Hedman full length headers, Accell ignition, Crane 274H cam, B&M 700R-4, 3000 stall speed, 4.10 gear,
M/T ET street tires
visit my website at http://www.geocities.com/jbenge/page1.html

 

3rd gens over the 4th. I like the drivetrain of the 4th gens, but do you know how easy it is to swap a big block into a 3rd gen? I like the cleaner look of the early 3rd gens the best. Guess that's why I bought an 82 camaro. Motor choice sucked, but I just jerked the 305 and put in a 350.

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82 Camaro, 350, Erson cam, ported heads, Crane Hi-6, Accel coil, Turbo 350 with 2500 stall.

 

It depends. Stock vs Stock- 4th gen TA's w/WS6 or Firehawk package especially 98 up's. However a tastefully done non- delapidated thirdgen that isn't overdone or riced/tacked out or rednecked out can look better. For example: Take a solid 92 RS loaded, with T-tops and mint black interior...gut it..throw in a cammed LT1/LT4 or 350 Ram-Jet, T56, 9 or 12 bolt rear (or even better a 'vette IRS) w/3.70-4.10 gear, first rate shocks/springs/swaybars,chassis reinforcement, Kenny Brown style super street cage, ASCD IROC wing, Ram-Air 2 hood that isn't all defective from the factory or an ASCD ram-air hood, fill the emblems, shave the antenna, flush mount door handles, new paint & new lenses all around, Good exhaust w/angle cut stainless tips out the back, bowtie grille and factory fog lights in the front, throw in my mint black 82 TA Recaro's, 86-89 style dash w/McEwen White gauge overlays, LoTek a pillar w/Auto meter white faced gauges, a Momo Steering wheel like Mr IROC's, Hurst billet plus shifter w/GM "H" **** (optional on 4th gens), rollin' on some Simmons FR17's 17x9.5 front/17x11 back (least backspacing possible) wrapped in good lookin meats, and it will look better than any 4th gen but cost 2-3 times as much, sooo I'd just buy the Firehawk since I sold my IROC and have to start from scratch anyways. UNLESS I can get rid of my wife Sorry to ramble folks but I like to prove my points.

 

Im a little Biased here. I daily drive my 97 TA,wouldnt rade it for ANY car. I also have a 91 TA that looks damned good,its my racer/toy. The 97 is just more solid of a car than my 91,as far as squeaks ratlles and whatnot,dont get mw wrong,i wouldnt trade the 91,but im not getting rid of the 97.
The car i miss most was my 89 IROC,loved that car,350 ttops,nitrous,was a fun 1 to drive and rip down the highway in.
All in all Both are great,and everyone will always have their preference. Ill take both,wont have it any other way

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1991 TA WS6 305/5 spd
Nitrous,hooker shorties,flowmaster 3" cat back,3.73's and a 160 shot of nitrous
DragStars 15x3.5 et fronts,15x10 rears with 275-50/15 BFG DR


1997 TA LT1
Draglites,15x3.5 sportsman pros
16x9 255-50/16 Comp TA's or Drag radials
Moroso CAI,no sway bar,dynomax non catback

[This message has been edited by RacinLT1 (edited January 24, 2001).]

 

Also, I feel 4th-gens look more refined with their rounded edges and contours (4th gen camaro's just look like Geo Storm's on steroids IMO unless they're SS's) but the ram-air TA's look muscular yet somewhat sophisticated. Third gen's especiall IROC's and 91-92's look just mean...the sharp angles..low and wide....very brash..you look at them and you just know they were meant to go fast (not all do) but they were meant to. They are a good mix between the classic styles designs of the vintage muscle cars and the new "egg-shaped" techno-garbled road missles we have today.

 

If you like Jap cars, go with a fourth gen and get some wings and skirts and big wheels and wings and stickers and wings and stainless exhaust tips and wings!
If yo like American...

 

Theres no way in hell these look japaneese.
thats how my TA would be if i have a 93-97. only the body would be white with a black "cowl" (not really a cowl, but i dont really know what you would call it.)

now i think this looks insanely bada$$. i love the look of the TA, and i like the camaro one. i like the look of a 91-92 Z28 with this hood more than the 4thgen camaro, but not the TA, and i like the look of the 4thgen camaro more than the look of a stock 91-92 Z28. They shudda made IROCs till 92. or even till 02. (just a random b-itching.)

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1985 WS6 Trans AM
T-tops
bone stock sloth of an engine LG4
T-5 tranny. thank god, i couldnt stand an LG4 auto.
Plans for an LT-1 or LT-4,
dual flowmaster exaust,
& a pounding stero.
mods right now include a radar detector.

[This message has been edited by 85ws6TA (edited January 25, 2001).]

 

I agree that the fourth gen cars have a Japanese look to them, especially cars with aftermarket spoilers and ground effects. This is true of the interior as well. What's up with that dash? It looks like it belongs on a Maxima. Plus, the fact that you can't see the hood from the drivers seat make you feel like you're driving a minivan. Like someone else said the Camaros look like a Geo Storm on steroids. Not only that, but the Trans Ams look like a Saturn on steroids. The new Camaros are even worse with that front end. They look like those new Chryslers. I can't see how anyone thinks that these cars are bad. Sure they're fast but they don't have a tough American muscle look.

 

3rd Gen Trans Am's are sweat, I have a 3rd gen camaro SC, but my favorite would be a 4th gen TA... WOW that hood, that LS1.... That is nice..

 

you cant see the hood of a thirdgen either when you drive. all i can see is the teardrop cowl opening. i guess if you sit grandma style in the seat you could see the hood.

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click below to check out MY FORMULA PAGE!
http://www.formula350.com

or click below to email me
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I like them all, and I buy what I can afford. I'll start on the 4th gen's in a few years.

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1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula LO3 Auto
-180 degree stat
-Hooker Cat-Back
*****Possible summer '01 mods*****
Open Element, Auburn Posi, Keyless Entry, wonder Bar off the IROC, 4th gen seats, T/A tail lights

1985 Camaro IROC-Z LB9 Auto
http://www.geocities.com/krt80/

 

What good is the tough American muscle look if it doesn't have the ***** to back it up?

 

I think its halarious that some people think 4th gens look like Japanese cars because the 4th gen's have a market for ground f/x and wings. LOL!!!

 

It is funny they way they think.

That last thing I think when I see a 4th gen is, "gee that looks like a japanese car"

 

as far as I am concerned the f-body ended in 92

Your supposed to say "search"....duh!

 

Sorry.

It's like whenever I see a 4th gen, the first thing that pops into my head is "I thing you should do a search".

 

Anybody else notice how OLD this thread is?

 

I was about to say..
It's funny how old this thread is..
But someone beat me to it.
How the hell did ya find it!?

 

Very true. My 2002 Firebird with a V-6 has more power than my 87 Trans Am did with a 305tpi.

 

the only 4th gens i would consider buying are the 96 and 97 camaro SS, or the 30th anniversary TA, and that's only because they have a very striking look that i actually like.

I think the thirdgens are better in every aspect except stuff like wheel/tire combos, brakes, engine, trans, and seats.

Of course, i have the best of both worlds with an iroc with 4th gen SS wheels, a 94 T56, and 97 Z28 seats. Brakes are something that i think my car needs work on, so i will get to at least 4th gen specs if not better, and as far as engine, I pretty much have every stock 4th gen beat there too with a supercharged L98, and the next combo, which i'm hoping really starts to come together over this winter, is gonna be a lot meaner yet.

 

does anyone else think that 4th gen birds look heavy compared to the camaro, I know they weigh the same but the bird looks fat?

Thats my intelligent comment for the day

 

I think the 3rd gen Camaro looks better, but I also think the 4th gen Trans AM looks better

 

I love thirdgens, but I have also seen quite a few AWESOME fourth gen SS's and TA's.

 

I would take a Brand New Trans Am Ram Air 6-speed over a 3rd Gen any day of the week..........

 

Don't get me wrong, I love 3rd and 4th gen Camaro's and Firebirds....but..I'd go with the 3rd.....I've never owned a 4th gen before.... I have talked to quit a few people who have had 3rd and 4th gens and they liked the 3rd gens better.

 

When it comes to cars, age does not matter to me. I just care about a good design. I am an old school fan so I would go with a thirdgen over a fourth gen. I like the look better. You see more variations of thirdgens on the road than you do with 4th gens.

 

I really like both 3rd and 4th gens. My top pic for looks would be a 3rd gen IROC convertible, and my top pic for 4th gen....see my sig pic and website. (94 25th Anniversary Trans Am Convertible with factory Ram Air setup and lots of Lingenfelter performance goodies, 31,000 original miles.)

 

I like your 4th gen, especially with those rims. If we talk about engines, I would go with a 4th gen for obvious reasons.

 

Thanks...I like the 4th gen TA's from 93-97 better than the 98+ TA's. The 98+ just look too gaudy for me. I'm still thinking of getting another set of these rims like I had on my last vert, but the Fikse's are growing on me. Not many people have them, and they do look pretty darn good.

 

The thirdgen cars are so much easier to work on and their flexibility makes them a much better platform to build on. To me it really isn't how much power the car came with from the factory, its all about what you can do to improve upon it.

 

i hate to say it but the 3rd gen's were the worst camaro's and firebirds ever built. the 4th are beautiful and so are the 1st and 2nd. 3rd is just 3rd. slow engines. unless you got the gta/iroc.

 

Why do you own one then? If you are looking for the best platform to build on the thirdgens are the best F-bodies to start with. The have enough modern technology so that the aerodynamics and handling are excellent. However, they are old enough so that they are fairly easy to work on and have the flexibility to accept just about any drivetrain set up you could want.

 

i own one b/c they are so easy to come by and there is so many of them that they are really really cheap.

 

I like 1st 3rd and 4th gen.. and a 72.. like the taillights,, also the split bumberz are cool.. better than ford or rice