I have been driving 3rd gen for years and finally had an opportunity to drive a $14k, 2000 transam. It only had 43k miles and I was not impressed. I was not biased towards thirdgen while testing 2k TA. No doubt it had some raw power but form an overall driving point of view, a thirdgen with equivalent HP would do much better. I am tall and do not fill crammed in 3rd gen, contrary, 4th gen squeezed me. The very moment I pulled 4th gen, rear wheel went to side of the road as it fished, means I had to pull little slower next time, but then, how would you beat a car in a stop light. If I want to enjoy a regular drive with some power, 4th gen is definitely not my choice. You can make a chevette go faster with added HP. I seriously do not understand how they have engineered a car that does poor in regular street, hence marketability. After all, manufacturer is making a car for a street performance, and not for the drag pit. 4th gen simply a devolution of Transam. No wonder why firebird went extinct past 2002 and GM got rid of rest of Pontiac by 2010 . Seriously, simply slapping a powerful engine doesn’t necessarily make a car good for a street drive. I also would fire those engineers who came up with a car that only meant for a drag pit. I was so close to buy, but my first impression was not ‘wow’. It defiantly did not worth my $14k.

 

I drove a 97 Camaro Z28 and I liked it better as a road car compared to my 3rd gen. The ride is better. I think that the improved springs and shocks do it, yet it's still not a really good ride. I'm tall and I feel a little more comfortable in the 4th gen cars. The interiors are also nicer. But for racing, third gens are the way to go.