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Auto Detailing and AppearanceShare tips and tricks on how to make your Third Gen shine! Get opinions on products or how something tasteful looks on your Chevrolet Camaro or Pontiac Firebird.
Like the title says what made you choose a 3rd gen and how did you go about buying it? what kind of sacrifices did u make to get it how hard did u work for it? what made you love Camaro’s how sentimentality attached are you to your car & what is the build purpose or end goal you want to meet with your 3rd gen let’s talk guys I think we have lots of disagreements on some things but we can all agree on 1 True Fact We Love Our Baby’s 82-92 F-Body’s
My third Gen story starts after I got my license and was looking for a cool car. In my search found a car lot that had two 3rd gens a red 84 Firebird 5spd with a V6 and a red 88 Formula auto with t-tops. I remember looking at them and thinking that is the car for me. In the end I bought the V6. Why you ask because it was the 5spd (I can't stand driving auto cars) and in much better condition than the 88. I don't recall how long in between cars that I got my second one an 86 Trans Am 5spd built for the street/and strip. and now about 10 years later I have another one my third that I'm going to keep forever. It need lots of love but its an 86 WS6 5spd. (the black one)
Something about these cars for me its the looks. I actually like all generations of F-body's.
My Second 86 T/A
its an 86 WS6 5spd. (pic also attached the black one)
Something about these cars for me its the looks. I actually like all generations of F-body's.
I was only 7 by the year 1992, so for many many years I knew nothing of the ThirdGen Camaro/Firebird. I had my eye set on a 4th Gen Camaro early on, went online shopping for one and I saw an IROC-Z in a general search and THAT my friend changed my life. While researching IROC's years later I came across ThirdGen.org. The members camaro's and their stories drew me in like a magnet, and put the 82-92 Camaro on the must own list for me.
I bought my 1986 Z28 on April 29, 1986. I was driving a 1985 Mazda 626 at the time which was really a cool little car. But I wanted something more and the Z was it. I looked at a red Trans Am but when I found the bright blue metallic Z28 on a dealer lot, that was it. Oh, and if it were not for this car I would have never met my wife. Still have the Z and still have the wife.
I remember I was 17 I used to hang out with a group of homies that had a 2010 Camaro SS and I drove it a few times I loved the interior I had to have a Camaro 1 day when I turned 19 I brought my 1st Camaro in a liquor store parking lot it was probably the most trashed rusted car I ever seen but hey it was the closest thing I could afford to a 5th gen I worked my *** off at a dealership for $1500 her name was Nicole she was a 87 sport coupe 305 with Automatic Trans once I got her cleaned inside and out I knew I was in love
When the time came in this car guys life to get a weekend cruiser I started looking. Not at 3rd gens, I always loved them and wanted one just never could afford one. I thought I wanted a Nova, 2nd gen T/A or maybe a Inexpensive Porsche. I had a 2nd gen Formy and loved it. Is was really nice and powerful. All this time my best friend of 50 odd years owns a 92 hard top G92 car. Black and Beautiful!. He has owned it since 93. I have always envied him and the fact he owned this car for so long. He does not give it the love it deserves. About 5 years ago I realized I wanted his car and offered to buy it. The look, the lines, that F-1 spoiler his car looks bad a$$. After about a year of trying, even using the keeping it in the family line he would not sell it. This was my turning point where I realized I had to have a third gen. The car I always wanted just did not know it. I had 3 must haves, 91-92 on the years, Z28 and TPI. I thought it would be easy as I had a good budget to spend but after 3 months of looking I found my baby 4 hrs away. I commissioned a high school buddy of mine to make the trip so if I liked the car I could drive it home. After a flawless 4 hr. cruise home Fred found her new forever home. Now I think my buddy is a little jealous of me know and this kicked him the **** to put the love into his car that it truly deserves. Below is my 91 Z28 TPI auto vert! You see her the way I bought her 4 yrs ago, just a hell of alot cleaner!
Last edited by vinny R; 05-26-2019 at 08:12 AM.
Reason: forgot to attach photo
After my 1st Camaro I got at least 2 other ones but sadly i don’t have any pictures fast forward to the present timeline I now have my 91 RS 5 speed manual T Top it was my Birthday gift to myself after my repo my last car was a 2014 Mustang GT 5.0 I could not afford to keep her sadly but 3rd gens are my Fall Back car due to Budget (Yes I’m a Mustang Guy as Well)
I Love all Muscle Cars
Started liking them in the late 90s when I was in High School. Years went on, in '11 I was thinking about trying to find a nice Formula 350, ordering a new Mustang GT (Coyote had just come out) or buying a C6 Corvette. What dissuaded me was I already modifying my 93 Trans Am, and didn't want another old car. Bought the C6. In '16, I sold the C6 & for a few years had been missing having a stock like Fbody to daily drive, decided I was going to finally get a third gen with either two options, dump it if I didn't like it or keep it for an LS swap. Found one on here, in Iowa and shipped it back to Texas. Been slowly fixing all the little things & restoring items on the car. Last October I bought a '18 Camaro SS 1LE, great car but I have a stronger sentimental attachment to F-bodies. I always look at my GTA and think that car would be perfect if it had a modern drive train and power.
Here is my car I had before my 3rd gen that I currently own I wish I could have them both but sadly money is very hard these days I kinda felt like I downgraded a lot going from a new car to a car that is older than me I’m 23 by the way but hey sometimes we have to look past what we desire in order to do what you need to survive
Nice I had one of those too. 05 GT Red leather interior - 4.10 gears - long tube headers - h pipe - american thunder mufflers - intake manifold and cam - reprogrammed ecm to only run on 94 or higher octane - this thing was a beast and probably the best sounding car I've ever owned - both my wife and i still wish we kept it to this day
Back in the 90's I lived in a small town with 300 people that had 13 thirdgen owners in it. Thirdgens were very popular back then so probably had something to do with it.
I paid 3,250 for the 86 TA in 1998 when I was 14 with my own money. Got a school permit at 14. I mowed yards starting at age 6 and also got paid helping out on family member's farms in Nebraska. I mowed about 10 or more lawns a week and eventually mowed the town parks. My parents helped me get the work rather than just giving me money and really didn't have any money to give anyway.
Other than getting it running or having everything working correctly - The goals of the car is for it to remain V8 powered, handle and brake well, have the interior and exterior modifications blend with the car. I just want it to be a street car that I drive around on the weekends. Build thread here: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/memb...-trans-am.html
I admit.. I'm a Stang lover too. S197's at least. I had a 14' GT/CS that I traded for my current 14' Track Pack Vert and I love it. Even with the power and feel, I love my third gen's though and admittedly get slightly more excited to get behind the wheel of one of mine over the Mustang.
In the mid 70s my late brother-in-law has a red on white interior 1968 convertible Firebird. I loved that car as a kid, the name of the car struck me as well, just awesome. In high school a friend had a 1979 blue Trans Am, again such a cool looking car. When I was 18 I came across a 1971 Esprit, faded bright yellow with tan interior. Had a 350 in it. I was short cash and my old man would not loan me a small amount because he thought I would kill myself in it. So I suffered for a few years. During that time, the 3rd gens showed up, along with a little TV show called Knight Rider. Well I LOVED KITT, he is a FIREBIRD too! So finally I went to a local Pontiac dealer, my sister and above late brother in law just bought a 1985 Pontiac 6000 wagon. I could not afford a Firebird so I settled on a Pontiac Sunbird. It was a neat little car and fun to drive. But I had that Firebird itch. So in 1986 after saving money I special ordered a 1986 gun metal gray v6 fully loaded Firebird. I waited 2 months for it to come in, counting the days. I would drive by every day to see if it was in. The owner and sales guy would see me but I would not stop. It showed up on a Friday, but it was tucked in the back. Saturday morning got a call, car was in. When I got there he asked me to move it, I was in HEAVEN! Took delivery a few days later. Sadly in 1988 it was hit hard parked in front of my dads house. Some punk kid who tried to pin it on his girlfriend. My brother in law was a cop, heard the call and came to the house. Had to hold me back from the punk when he tried to lie, I was so angry. Well 6K later, the auto body guy, a coke head which I did not know at the time, ended up cutting it in half and welding on the end of a 1987 Firebird. The car was crooked, took months to get back as well.
It was time to get what I really wanted, a fully loaded V8 Firebird. I went down to the same dealer in 1989. I said I want a Formula 350 with t-tops LOADED, BLACK with gray interior. He had 2 coming in within a month. Again I waited, and it showed up. And again he had me move it. 30 years later, after having it painted gun metal gray in 1994, it will go back to black this summer. I LOVE THIS CAR. It has been off the road from 2002 to 2013. I kept it running an clean all those years. But the paint peeled again. So down to metal I will go and get it back to its showroom look. I am very excited. I will own this car to my last breath.
My car kind of found me.
In December 2016, a coworker of mine had a son who had joined the navy and was stationed in San Diego. He had a 2009 BMW 3-Series and a 1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350. He didn’t take Firebird from Alabama to California because he knew it likely wouldn’t pass California emission inspections.
He was set to deploy for 18 months, so he told his dad to just get rid of it. The car was cosmetically good, no rust, ran good, so I asked how much he wanted for it. Initially he told me $500. When I paid him, I gave him more than that because I felt bad paying $500 to someone serving in the military for their car that I think is set to be a classic.
I’ve had the car for over 2 years now, and while it is not a daily driver for me, I do drive it on occasion and love it.
The car still runs fantastically and is a definite head turner.
I’ve owned several cars over the last 15 years including modified Jeeps, Mustangs, a modified 350Z and a BMW 335i. Not one of them has received half of the attention and complements that my 3rd gen Firebird receives every time I drive it.
For me, 3rd gen Firebirds just struck some sort of chord in me from the first look. When they came out in late 1981, I was 18. I loved to drive from the start but didn't have my own car. I drove my Dad's second cars, a Chevette and then a Citation. They were fine with me;I was happy to drive absolutely anything. Going to college and living on campus, I didn't have a car and didn't have any money to buy one.
My brother-in-law bought a 1982 Trans Am in black. From the moment he pulled into my parent's driveway, I was hooked. I liked cars before that, Firebirds, Camaros, Corvettes especially. But not having the resources to buy one, I didn't really give acquiring a car much thought. My brother-in-law let me drive his Trans Am. This was the first car I'd driven that had any power (even the weak 1982 seemed powerful vs.a Citation or Chevette) and the handling was just phenomenal. Suddenly I discovered what "driving" really could be. When he and my sister went on a two-week vacation, he tossed me the keys and said to have fun. It was probably the best two weeks of my life to that point. I felt like a million bucks driving that shiny black T/A around. This was early 1983. Corvettes were at the end of a very long cycle. Mustangs were beyond dull. This was one of the best looking, best handling cars on the planet and it was all mine for a while!
It took me a while to get my own. I got out of college and bought what I could afford, a new Cavalier. But I knew what I wanted. It wasn't until February of 1990, but I finally got my Firebird, a new white Formula with a TBI 305. No the fastest car in the world, but not at all slow in that era when 7 second to 60 mph was fast. Absolutely loved that car.
Almost thirty years after buying my first, and the 3rd gen Firebirds are still my favorite cars. After logging 167K miles on my first Formula, I bought a 4th gen Trans Am convertible. Fun car, but I never thought it was as good looking, and, with the top up, you couldn't see very well. I eventually sold that and in 2003 bought another '90 Formula, this time a Maui Blue with a TPI 305. Kept that for over 6 years and sold it with 124K (to Punzak90 on this forum). Followed that with a 5th gen 2010 Camaro which was a nice car until it was nearly destroyed by a deer, but still no Firebird. I really didn't think much about buying another 3rd gen until I just doing some random searches on eBay for various cars. I started seeing all the great looking Firebirds and Camaros from the '80s that were available. After a few months of looking, I decided, "Why not? You only live once." In February of 2018 I bought an '88 GTA with only 32K miles from a small specialty dealer in Michigan. I like it just as much as I did when I first drove a Firebird 37 (!) years ago. Back where I belong.
For me, 3rd gen Firebirds just struck some sort of chord in me from the first look. When they came out in late 1981, I was 18. I loved to drive from the start but didn't have my own car. I drove my Dad's second cars, a Chevette and then a Citation. They were fine with me;I was happy to drive absolutely anything. Going to college and living on campus, I didn't have a car and didn't have any money to buy one.
My brother-in-law bought a 1982 Trans Am in black. From the moment he pulled into my parent's driveway, I was hooked. I liked cars before that, Firebirds, Camaros, Corvettes especially. But not having the resources to buy one, I didn't really give acquiring a car much thought. My brother-in-law let me drive his Trans Am. This was the first car I'd driven that had any power (even the weak 1982 seemed powerful vs.a Citation or Chevette) and the handling was just phenomenal. Suddenly I discovered what "driving" really could be. When he and my sister went on a two-week vacation, he tossed me the keys and said to have fun. It was probably the best two weeks of my life to that point. I felt like a million bucks driving that shiny black T/A around. This was early 1983. Corvettes were at the end of a very long cycle. Mustangs were beyond dull. This was one of the best looking, best handling cars on the planet and it was all mine for a while!
It took me a while to get my own. I got out of college and bought what I could afford, a new Cavalier. But I knew what I wanted. It wasn't until February of 1990, but I finally got my Firebird, a new white Formula with a TBI 305. No the fastest car in the world, but not at all slow in that era when 7 second to 60 mph was fast. Absolutely loved that car.
Almost thirty years after buying my first, and the 3rd gen Firebirds are still my favorite cars. After logging 167K miles on my first Formula, I bought a 4th gen Trans Am convertible. Fun car, but I never thought it was as good looking, and, with the top up, you couldn't see very well. I eventually sold that and in 2003 bought another '90 Formula, this time a Maui Blue with a TPI 305. Kept that for over 6 years and sold it with 124K (to Punzak90 on this forum). Followed that with a 5th gen 2010 Camaro which was a nice car until it was nearly destroyed by a deer, but still no Firebird. I really didn't think much about buying another 3rd gen until I just doing some random searches on eBay for various cars. I started seeing all the great looking Firebirds and Camaros from the '80s that were available. After a few months of looking, I decided, "Why not? You only live once." In February of 2018 I bought an '88 GTA with only 32K miles from a small specialty dealer in Michigan. I like it just as much as I did when I first drove a Firebird 37 (!) years ago. Back where I belong.
Great story ksr. You know as we get older it is funny how the things, cars in this case, that we really apreciated back then start coming back to us and it seems we appreciate them even more now.
I graduated high school in 1988, my wife in 1985. In high school I always loved the look of the IROC. I had a 1980 Camaro at the time, then went thru a 5.0 Mustang phase. Last fall I decided to pull the trigger on a 1985 Iroc hardtop to work on and fix up. It is a dog, with the carb 305, but I could care less, it still handles like a dream. Below is a picture of it, as it was, when I cleaned it up when pulled from storage this spring. She has 74K original miles and is currently off to paint. I am keeping it the stock white it was originally. My son is 15, and he even thinks it is a cool car. He especially loves the Carmine Red interior. I have told him if he is lucky, he can use it for prom when he is older. It will be staying in the family!
i liked the look the the third gen firebird.
bought a 1986 v6.
dissappointed with 125 hp.
traded for a 1987 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350.
after waiting 3 months for the car to be built and delivered to the dealer,!
the dealer ripped up the Purchase Order because THEY did not know it would be the ONLY one available from the factory.
(one per pontiac dealership, 3000 dealers at that time)
i got the car!
much more to the story, just let me know what you want to know. i do have all original paperwork, however, i traded for one of the very first 1993 firebird (4th gen).
In 1990 I was 19 yrs old and started my first good job in a steel mill, by 1991 I wanted an IROC, I found a 1990 used and wanted it real bad, the salesman wanted the sale real bad and it was a Friday afternoon, I filled out the paperwork and told him the only way I was buying the car was on my own, no co-signer, he said it wouldn't be a problem. So I traded my car in and left on a sunny Friday afternoon in a white IROC with the T-tops out and Guns and Roses playing on the tape deck, enjoyed it all weekend only to get the call from the dealer on Monday telling me I needed a co-signer. Well my dad said NO you will get it when the time is right on your own. Back to the dealer to return the car and get my old one back, well that sucked! In 95 I bought a brand new 95 Z28 LT-1 6 spd on my own and it was nice but it wasn't that IROC, the 4th gens never got me like the 3rd gens, I sold it two years later. Fast forward to 2020 and I finally found a 3rd gen I liked and bought my 89 T/A with T-tops, took me over 30 years but I finally got what I wanted. One neat thing is it's the same year I graduated so that's pretty cool, my long hair is long gone but still love these 3rd gens!
A week ago I sold my 1972 Buick GS. I had already be informed about this 1984 Trans AM with talk to the owner & pictures. The car was in great shape inside & out., 20000 miles & metallic blue body & blue interior. The colour just grabs your attention!
Sight unseen, I purchased the car and had it delivered last Sunday. I am performing work under the hood - spark plugs, carb, repainting bretaher assembly Purchased new BFG lettered tires yesterday. What a difference that made. Also repaint of breather assembly.
I wanted a change from old muscle to more modern performance.
I just love this car. In the short time that I have owned this car, it has received many, many great comments.
I caught the affliction from my buddy's firebird several years ago. I forget the year of the car, could have been '84. Base model, carbureted 305, oxidized silver paint with a mangled fender and t-tops. Factory performance suspension and an open diff. He did a bunch of work to it, everything that didn't cost a lot of money because we were both broke back then. It had long tubes clamped directly to some big cherry bombs, it was a no-welding type deal. Your typical beater, I didn't think much of it until I went for a ride.
It did awesome peg leg burnouts, the t-tops were gloriously open, even the 305 was faster than my car and it sounded better too. The suspension really surprised me. It wasn't crisp and precise like my e30 but that didn't make it slower. I was impressed with it for a sub-$2k car at the time. It had a lot more potential than my car, and cost a lot less.
After going through some hard times, and being without a fun car for 3 years, I remembered his old junker fondly. I really wanted an IROC-Z, and was willing to pay extra to get one. I found mine on Craigslist and couldn't say no because it was basically everything I was looking for at a price I could afford. It just hadn't ran in 11 years .
Last edited by Komet; 10-18-2021 at 09:21 PM.
Reason: Added picture.
My parents made me get a job the moment I was old enough to legally work. My mom actually sat in the interview to make sure I got the job. I never spent any of the money and it kept accumulating until I decided to buy a car at 18 years of age.
I didn't know anything about cars so my dad picked out a car for me and it was the Firebird (he also picked a '82 Camaro for my brother 7 years earlier). Insurance for a V6 Firebird was same as a Ford Escort so that was a no brainer. I remember the owner's name was Mustafa Mustafa, a name so good he used it twice. He wore a turban and smoked a cigar. That was 29 years ago and he would probably drop the cigar if he saw the car today.
My dad test drove the car because it was a stick shift. After the purchase my dad asked if I wanted him to drive the car home and I said, nope, I'll drive it. He watched in surprise as I smoothly drove away. What he didn't know is that 2 years earlier my uncle put a 2WD truck in a mud hole and then told me to drive it out. That's how to teach a stick shift in one lesson.
Guessing this picture is around 1994. Bushes in the background are half trimmed because that's as far as Grandma could reach. She had dementia and you could keep her happy all day by handing her a planting shovel and set of yard clippers. Those were rough years on the landscaping, but good years for the heart.
427seven (10-14-2021),Bow_Tied (10-14-2021),Buddy (10-18-2021),dagwood (10-14-2021),Kincer (10-14-2021),T.L. (10-14-2021) and 1 others liked this post. (Show less...)
I was 16 in 1987 and a new Iroc might as well have been a million dollars as I had no money. I bought a 1971 Chevelle for $375 instead. A few years later my cousin had a red '82 Z28 which one of my best friends in high school ended up buying and we toured around a lot in that car. That stuck with me, though I continued on with the Chevelle hobby picking up a 69 SS396 4 speed in 1992. Fast forward to 2001 and I have a real job and I start setting aside $25 per 2 week pay cheque. Every raise I got I bumped that amount up. Though I had to dip into that savings a couple of times, I kept at it. I started shopping for a 3rd gen around 2011/2012, initially interested in an '84 HO 5 speed tTop but couldn't find one in good condition so I kept saving. Eventually I decided I'd get an '85-87 either 5 speed or 350 with Ttops, which ever came first. Then a good friend picked up a black '87 5.0 Iroc and I was getting keen. Prices started to climb but I eventually in 2017 got my car, an 87 Iroc 350 Ttop with 32k miles, original paint, totally stock, unmolested. Love love love driving it. So far I have done minor cosmetics and tires and repaired the hatch pull down motor. It's a blast.
My reason is short and sweet.... Kitt!
I loved Knightrider as a kid and a 3rd gen has been my dream car ever since!
This one came around at the right time at the right price and I've pumped a lot into getting it to where it's at today!
I just bought mine a couple months ago. I bought it because it was by far the best bang for the buck in todays market. I am a life long car guy. I was fortunate enough to grow up when todays big buck muscle cars were just plain old used cars. So I owned and drove some very cool rides for almost no money. I bought a 440 six pack Cuda as a bank repo for $550.00 back then. Drove it through out high school. Talk about sorry I sold a car!!
Recently I had the urge to have a V8 car with a manual trans. So I started the hunt. 1969 442 Olds 4spd convert, 1973 Z28 4spd, 1968 390 AMX 4sp, were some I looked at. All of them were total rust buckets or mechanical/electrical disasters. Plus they were at the top of my price bracket. They were little more than a starting point to start spending considerable time and money to make them decent.
I'll also add that besides the Third Gen's I was also amazed at how many Corvettes get no respect or value either. Looked at several of them. Did not purchase any after I drove one. I'm a big guy and the **** pit was tiny as could be. Top of the doors rubbed on my shoulders. Not a long distance car by any means.
Then I happened on and ad for the car I just bought. Could not believe my eyes!! A legit 21,000 mile car AND it's a convertible too ?? Can't be!!! But it was!! It's the low HP 305 TBI with a 5spd. I could care less about the power . I'm a senior citizen now. The need for speed is not as great as it was back in the day.. The car is in amazing condition. Runs and drives as good as it looks. The clincher is that after some negotiation I bought it for $3000 less than my budget would allow. I got a fabulous car and kept some cash in the bank too. Could not be happier.
I guess my story is quite a bit different than most. Son came home with this 88 several yeas ago. Solid basics and no rust but looked rough and needed a lot of work and he needed a truck - so I bought it from him. Took a couple months work but with under $5000 total spent I got the car like I wanted it. Fair weather daily driver for 13 years and 110K miles with no major failures. Pretty good investment. Still a good looking and running machine but not a usual driver these days. Gets a whole lot more attention now than when I first started driving it.
Last edited by tom3; 10-18-2021 at 09:06 PM.
Reason: add pics
When I first started looking for a car to buy, I didn't have much money to my name. I really wanted an old muscle car, but I grew impatient and started expanding my options. The cars I looked at in my budget were either too thrashed or someone else bought out from under me. I started looking more into 80's cars mainly wanting a foxbody. I was aware of thirdgens and have seen plenty in my time on this earth, but it wasn't until I started to see a red 89 RS auto 5.0tbi ttop start parking out in front of my house that I started to fall in love with em. I thought it was such a cool looking car and would see it everyday. One day I saw a for sale sign on it. I looked at it and drove it around. It didn't shift right and we couldn't agree on the price. Nowadays with my increased knowledge, the shifting problem felt like a misadjusted kickdown cable. After driving that car I really wanted one. Badly. I set out to find a 5.7 IROC. Unfortunately I was getting impatient again and wasn't finding any cars that were in my price range that met my conditions. I started looking at Firebirds and then saw it. A red 88 Formula 350. I drove it and loved the thing. I got the guy down to a price that I was willing to pay and then drove it home. She's seen better days. Has the terrible a-pillar cancer, leaked like crazy, and the paint started fading incredibly fast. Rust is starting to pop up and the terrible repaint looks even trashier. I love that car as much as the day I bought it. Last year I started to look for that IROC I always wanted to LS swap. Then I saw a post on here for a teal 92 Z28 that was freshly repainted and in pieces. It wasn't the IROC I wanted, but I'm starting to like the 91-92 Z28's even more than an IROC. I'm finally in a position where I can start putting it together and LS swap it like I wanted. Once I'm done with the Z28, the Formula 350 is going to get torn apart and restored. I have a special connection with the Formula. It's my first car and when it came to fixing the problems with it, money has been no object. I don't think I could get rid of it even if I was forced to.
Thanks for reviving this thread. It's great to hear everyone's story.
I graduated from college in May 1987. My car at that time was a hand me down 1975 Oldsmobile Delta 88 that my parents had given to me with 100k + miles on it. They had purchased it used in 1977. That Olds seemed like it was 30' long. Guys I was friends with had started buying nicer cars and I felt I was ready for an upgrade myself. Of course this was in the middle of the third gen era and there were Camaros and Firebirds everywhere and I was turned-on by the look of these cars. In the summer of 1987 my dad and I went to the local Chevrolet dealer who had two new Camaros on the lot including a bright red IROC-Z. We test drove both of them but the IROC-Z with TPI and 305 5-speed really hooked me. The local Pontiac dealer didn't have any Firebirds in stock at the time but I was also intrigued by the look of the TransAm as well.
I would need to save some money before I could afford to buy a new car (plus pay the hefty insurance as a 23 year old) so I created a budget and a plan to put money away each pay period so hopefully I could purchase the car in the Spring of 1988. My mom also agreed to loan me some money so I would have a decent down payment and the rest I would finance over the following few years. I was really focused on saving to get my dream car and didn't spend much outside of the normal expenditures for rent and groceries. In the meantime I would read all I could about the current IROC and the Trans Am models and visit dealerships in various towns and cities and I travelled to for work and pleasure just to see what they offered in these models. The budget and savings went through the fall and winter such that in February of 1988 I ended up going to one of the local Pontiac dealers and placed on order for a 1988 TransAm with TPI, W6 suspension, 5-speed 305 with T-tops. The hardest thing to figure out was what color. Black and red were the popular colors and really looked great with the black diamond spoke wheels, but I didn't want the same color as everyone else. The Medium Maui Blue with silver ground effects (only offered in 1988 on the Trans Am) caught my eye and I decided to go for it. For about 8 weeks I kept waiting and anticipating the day the car would come in. I drove through the dealership lot on a Sunday in mid-April 1988 and saw my car on the lot waiting to be prepped. It apparently had just come in the day before. I called the dealer first thing Monday morning to see how quickly I could pick it up. I had to get to the bank as well as meet with an insurance agent to get those details taken car of first. I pick the car up on that Wednesday as I recall. I was so anxious to just get in and drive. Once I got through the meeting with the F&I guy it was mine and I drove off the lot. I was excited but also a little nervous. Last thing I wanted to do was put a scratch on it or get a speeding ticket!
My '75 Oldsmobile was not worth anything so I was able to keep it as a winter vehicle. That first summer I put 12,000 miles on my TA. I drove it everywhere and loved it. In late October of that year I bought a cover and stored it in a barn for the winter months. In the spring of 1989 I was filled with excitement again to get the car out of storage and start driving again. Kind of a new car experience all over again. I didn't buy the Trans Am with the intention to keep it forever, but it has worked out that way. The second summer I put abound 6,000 miles on it. The following year I got married and we drove it up to Lake Superior for our honeymoon. A few years later we had kids and soon the car stayed in the garage more often than not. There was a period of time in the mid-2000's where I didn't drive it for 4 years. It just stayed in storage as we were busy with the all the kids activities and despite having four seats it wasn't a family car. As of today, 33+ years later, the car has barely 51,000 miles on it. Other than tires the only modification was Dyno Don's headers and a new Magnaflow exhaust system which sounds great. The paint is all original although the hood had to be repainted this year as the building I store it is collapsed last winter. I was very fortunate to have only a few scratches on the hood. That story is here: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto...-collapse.html
Fortunately over the years the car has not been involved in any crashes or other mishaps. I got get quite a few compliments and many people upon seeing my car reminisce about these cars from the 80's and early 90's because they had an iconic look and many people drove them. them. The photos below were taken last fall.
Thanks for reviving this thread. It's great to hear everyone's story.
I graduated from college in May 1987. My car at that time was a hand me down 1975 Oldsmobile Delta 88 that my parents had given to me with 100k + miles on it. They had purchased it used in 1977. That Olds seemed like it was 30' long. Guys I was friends with had started buying nicer cars and I felt I was ready for an upgrade myself. Of course this was in the middle of the third gen era and there were Camaros and Firebirds everywhere and I was turned-on by the look of these cars. In the summer of 1987 my dad and I went to the local Chevrolet dealer who had two new Camaros on the lot including a bright red IROC-Z. We test drove both of them but the IROC-Z with TPI and 305 5-speed really hooked me. The local Pontiac dealer didn't have any Firebirds in stock at the time but I was also intrigued by the look of the TransAm as well.
I would need to save some money before I could afford to buy a new car (plus pay the hefty insurance as a 23 year old) so I created a budget and a plan to put money away each pay period so hopefully I could purchase the car in the Spring of 1988. My mom also agreed to loan me some money so I would have a decent down payment and the rest I would finance over the following few years. I was really focused on saving to get my dream car and didn't spend much outside of the normal expenditures for rent and groceries. In the meantime I would read all I could about the current IROC and the Trans Am models and visit dealerships in various towns and cities and I travelled to for work and pleasure just to see what they offered in these models. The budget and savings went through the fall and winter such that in February of 1988 I ended up going to one of the local Pontiac dealers and placed on order for a 1988 TransAm with TPI, W6 suspension, 5-speed 305 with T-tops. The hardest thing to figure out was what color. Black and red were the popular colors and really looked great with the black diamond spoke wheels, but I didn't want the same color as everyone else. The Medium Maui Blue with silver ground effects (only offered in 1988 on the Trans Am) caught my eye and I decided to go for it. For about 8 weeks I kept waiting and anticipating the day the car would come in. I drove through the dealership lot on a Sunday in mid-April 1988 and saw my car on the lot waiting to be prepped. It apparently had just come in the day before. I called the dealer first thing Monday morning to see how quickly I could pick it up. I had to get to the bank as well as meet with an insurance agent to get those details taken car of first. I pick the car up on that Wednesday as I recall. I was so anxious to just get in and drive. Once I got through the meeting with the F&I guy it was mine and I drove off the lot. I was excited but also a little nervous. Last thing I wanted to do was put a scratch on it or get a speeding ticket!
My '75 Oldsmobile was not worth anything so I was able to keep it as a winter vehicle. That first summer I put 12,000 miles on my TA. I drove it everywhere and loved it. In late October of that year I bought a cover and stored it in a barn for the winter months. In the spring of 1989 I was filled with excitement again to get the car out of storage and start driving again. Kind of a new car experience all over again. I didn't buy the Trans Am with the intention to keep it forever, but it has worked out that way. The second summer I put abound 6,000 miles on it. The following year I got married and we drove it up to Lake Superior for our honeymoon. A few years later we had kids and soon the car stayed in the garage more often than not. There was a period of time in the mid-2000's where I didn't drive it for 4 years. It just stayed in storage as we were busy with the all the kids activities and despite having four seats it wasn't a family car. As of today, 33+ years later, the car has barely 51,000 miles on it. Other than tires the only modification was Dyno Don's headers and a new Magnaflow exhaust system which sounds great. The paint is all original although the hood had to be repainted this year as the building I store it is collapsed last winter. I was very fortunate to have only a few scratches on the hood. That story is here: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto...-collapse.html
Fortunately over the years the car has not been involved in any crashes or other mishaps. I got get quite a few compliments and many people upon seeing my car reminisce about these cars from the 80's and early 90's because they had an iconic look and many people drove them. them. The photos below were taken last fall.
Man that color pops! It's so rare and such a nice color on the lines of the Trans Am. It would look good on a Camaro, but on the Trans Am it just looks so perfect. I know I push every 'bird owner to go to the Trans Am Nats.... well, you need to take that too. Lol.
I had a 88 gta in my late teens and early 20s but had to sell it to buy a house. I built it with my older brother and he recently passed. I found a black 92 gta for a reasonable price so i jumped on it! I sure missed having a third gen, I love these cars!!
I sold a #s matching 1972 Buick GS just before the Cdn Thanksgiving. It was a great car that I purchase in Sept. 2000. Over the years we restored the car to a #2 condition. After pulling the engine in April 2021 to replace the valve train (worn out) & replace the oil pan gasket & fix intake manifold leak and placed the engine back in the car in late June 2021, I decided that it was time to let someone else enjoy the car as much as I had over the years.
My brother had found a 1984 Trans AM and tried to buy it but could not. He put me onto the car. After many text messages & telephone calls, we agreed to a price. Car had 33000 kilometers on the odo. it was not truly pristine but close. Interior is like new. No I have had to send the carb off for rebuild, disable the egr valve, and purchase new set of BFG Radial T/A tires to pass a safety check. I have replace the outer window sweeps on the doors. Even withith a bad carb, I managed 27 mpg on a road trip.
I love this car and it presents a new adventure.
For some context, my parents are divorced and I am 19 years old. That's TMI to be telling strangers IMO, but it will make sense.
So I was a 14 year old fetus living in St. Louis, Missouri with my father and I would go visit my mother in Topeka, Kansas on the weekends and during breaks from school. Grandparents lived close to my mother, so I would go visit them and naturally, I was very close with them. My grandfather specifically. I got my permit at 14 years old in Kansas and I half-learned to drive manual in my grandfathers project miata and restored jeep. I wasn't very good at it, but I loved driving those cars. So I asked him if we could go half and half on a project car (I was working as an umpire) and he said it would have to be under $5,000. So for a year and a half, we looked for cars. I didn't think I wanted a muscle car, as I was mostly looking at ***** 350z's and beat up Miatas. My grandfather had gone and test drove an 88 firebird while I was in St. Louis, but didn't have a good running engine. He showed me pictures and I got curious about that era of automobiles. I started looking at 80's firebirds and camaros on craigslist for about 6 months, but didn't find many in Topeka. But one morning, before an out of town baseball tournament, my grandfather showed me a craigslist ad for a 1989 Camaro RS and I woke up real quick. Exact color I wanted, V8, old school. We went and looked at it later that night and I couldn't keep a straight face the entire time. Even just pulling up to the guys driveway, I probably said something like "Holy ****. Look at that grandpa!" My grandfather and I took it for a test drive and I sat in the passenger seat like a kid on Christmas. I was in love with it. We threw the guy $4,000 and we drove away. My grandfather let me drive it for myself when we got home and I just fell in love. It was my first car. I couldn't even drive yet and it was a very happy time. We started doing some paint work and tune up maintenance on the car. Fast forward to shortly after I turned 16, my grandfather passed away and the car was put into my hands fully.
Keep in mind that I live in St. Louis with my dad, but I visit my mother when I can. My grandfather didn't want me to bring the car back home in case something happened with it, he would be there to help. I had talked about this car for the last 4 years to my friends and they had never seen the car. I was able to bring it back home after rebuilding the steering and taking the ORIGINAL tires off from the factory (IDK how they made it 90,000 miles without separating). I pulled into a QuikTrip parking lot where all of my friends were longboarding. Seven sets of jaws hit the pavement when I pulled in. I took everyone for a ride and I cannot express how happy I was. I wanted to bring this car to St. Louis with me for the last 4 years to show all of my friends and to be able to lay my eyes on this beautiful time machine every day. I get compliments and pointed fingers every single day I drive this thing. It will never leave my sight. It is a souvenir for my grandfather. First day in St. Louis
What are you doing up at 1:01 AM! Oh yeah, you're 19. Great age.
Seriously, thanks for sharing your story. It's fantastic. It's great to see the younger generation feeling the same love of these cars from the 80's and early 90's as those of us whom were 19 or so back in the 80's and early 90's. My son who is now 24 also enjoys these cars (although prefers cars from the late 60's and 70's). Below is photo of my son when he was just 16 and had learned early at age 14 how to drive a stick just like you did. He too just wanted to get out and drive and soon he developed "the fever".
Congrats on a great looking car. No doubt your grandfather is proudly looking down and smiling.
05-26-2019, 12:09 AM
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