My first fbody was an 83 camaro 2.8. Ex wife wouldnt let me have a V8. Said with child coming and all, yadda, yadda, yadda. Got rid of it then her. Last november when my little scooty died I was in a pinch. Had a friend who just got a new car and had an 87 T/A formula sitting in the driveway. His wife had issued the order. Get rid of the T/A or she will. So I gave him a dollar, 4 quarters actually. Drove it 100 miles 5 days a week to and from work till the tranny died. Picked up a fresh rebuilt th350 from a co worker who had 2 700r4's for nothing. Shoehorned that in and blew the motor the next day. Bad week that was. I then bought a SB from a friend who put a BB in his C-10. Havent got all the numbers on the SB, it is either a 69 302 or a 69-80 series 350 4 bolt, havent pulled the VC to look a head numbers. It now sits in the drive with a dash, and half the wiring missing. Gonna put it back togehter before spring.

 

Heres how I got mine.

My original '86 Firebird got hit by some lady who thought she could beat me through an intersection, she had a stop, I didnt. Totalled that.

Looked for two weeks for an 85-90 T/A, Couldnt find anything. Posted an "wanted" ad on www.autoshoppermagazine.com. Next day I got an e-mail from a guy in jersey. Said he had an '86 T-top TPI, 4 Wheel Disc, T/A but it had high milage.

He actually brought it 2 hours to my town to show it to me. hd over 200,000 miles but he was original owner, and it was mostly highway miles, and also I knew I'd be replacin the entire drive train. Bought it that day for $950. That engine engine last 6 months till I put in the 350.

So $950 for a good running TPI T/A T-Top with all my options was a GREAT deal no matter how many miles it had.

 

I bought my 87 Iroc with 21k in 1992 from my hockey coach's brother in law. They had a kid on the way and the Iroc had to go...lucky me. Clean history, with no accidents.

 

Well I got mine for free. My father in law's girlfriend bought it for him, then made him sell it 'cause she was afraid he would get hurt in it, so they decided to give it to me for Christmas last year.

 

My youngest son wanted one, so we did a restoration on an 83 Camaro Z28 Crossfire. We did everything ourselves except the transmission.
painted it color shift blue to red.

This picture was taken in Feb 02

 

And this in Sept 02

 

I just bought my firebird less than a week ago. I bought it november 2, 2002 I bought it off my friends dad for $100 its an 84 Firebird SE with no engine or radiator but it came with a brand new 700R4 transmission for a 2.8 V6 wich sucks for me because I have to sell it for a TH400 so a 400 small block will bolt up. The interor was ok but I've gutted all of the seats so I can put in a 12 point cage and racing seats with 5 piont harnesses. Im going to try to keep it street legal so I can stom all of the rustangs at school. The reason is they dont like my daily driver a 95 Saturn 4 door with a giant aluminum wing fast and furious toyota supra decals and an exhaust thats high piched and sets off their alarms, I built it as a replica to fast and furious but its all show no go. Back to the firebird body wise it needs a left rear quarter pannel and bolt fron fenders because it sat in the garge for the past 6 years and their goober mobile (mini van) attacked it from not pulling in strait in. If any of you guys need V6 parts email me I got a bunch.

C-ya

 

Andy that is a beautiful car that you and your son restored!! Just Thought I would comment on it!:hail: :rockon:

 

Haha, my story kinda bites. I got mine off ebay in Jan 02. Owner listed it as running rich and a noisy throwout bearing. My GTA appeared to be a steal at the $1700 buy it now price and I jumped on it. I live about 700 miles from where I bought it in southern Indiana and the owner said he was sure it could make the trip this was not to be, 38 miles into the trip home the rolling hills of IN/KY were too much for the tranny and it gave away. I almost lost it, I spent every dime I had saved to get it and there it was stuck on the side of the road.

I returned home and left it on the freeway in southern IN, since I had to work the following day thinkin I could pull something outta my a$$ and get it back. Without even asking my Dad said he wasnt going to let me throw it away, he offered to fund and help bring her back to MI, we rented a Uhaul and trailer and drove it back. It has sat at his house since.

I lost my job back in Apr like many people have with this economy, I purchased a master rebuild kit from Hanlon but theorize the probs are more involved and with a new job and saving up Im hoping to have at least the tranny in good shape before the new year.

 

My 87 Camaro was a 21st birthday present:

It had been mom's daily driver from 89-98, she decided that it was time for something newer and in the form of a Jeep.

Originally the car was going to be used for a trade-in but it's trade-in value was pathetic.... that coupled with the fact that my Hyundai Pony died 6 months earlier was how I ended up with "Paula".

Since then I've redone the interior (incl. 4th gen seats) added ground FX & a blister hood and swapped out the 2.8 for a 5.0. In the near future she will get a Gunmetal Grey Paint job, new wheels, stereo & TPI

As for Mom she never did get the Jeep she set out to buy, instead she came home with a 92RS!!! 13 years of 3rdgens & she still love's 'em

 

I saw it, I wanted it, so i bought it ... end of story

 

When I found my car I had just about given up on owning a thirdgen in decent shape.I didn't have enough cash to buy a decent one from a private owner,and I needed something I could depend on and not have to put any money into.So I had to go the rip-off used car dealer route.I wanted an IROC or a GTA,as you can imagine every one I looked at was trashed and overpriced.I went to look at an 88 GTA and when I got there it was already gone,I was tired and starving from driving around all day looking and on my way home I decided to check one last lot.They had all newer cars and imports,to turn around to get out of the parking lot I had to go farther in,and there it was.It was backed in farther back than the other cars and I almost didn't even see it.Even after I bought it I didn't realize how rare it was until doing some research.It only had one previous owner and 50,000 miles on it,it is also the second rarest year of GTAs.

 

Well, the tranny in my '85 Stang at the time went, so I needed a new car.

I was lookin for either a Camaro or Stang, and didn't have a big budget. I found the car on autotrader.

 

I always wanted a TA or an IROC, but ended up getting a mint V6 firebird instead w/under 100K. Until one day i walked out from work to see the rear hatch window shattered all over my subs and amp, and my right front tire slashed, all in broad daylight in a mall parking lot, go figure, thats mall security for ya. So does anybody know how much a rear hatch window is, new? Only about $478. And then the black trim molding that goes around the edge of the rear window, that flimsy metal sh**, yeah well it comes in 2 pieces, and each piece is $450. And of course, GM is the only one that makes those trim pieces so they can charge whatever they want for them. Insurance quoted the damage at $2700, my car was only worth $2600. So they wrote me a check for $2200 (2700 less the 500 deductible). I found a used window, with trim, installed, for $135. Plus $100 for a new goodyear tire, mounted and balanced. So $235 to fix it. I put a for sale sign on a 4x4' sheet of plywood and set by the highway and sold it that day for $2000. Then off to a dealership where i spotted a mint 88 TA that i was drooling over. 305 TPI, auto, 2.73, t-tops, loaded, bright red, brand new $1500 paint job, for $3250 with just over 100K, bought it the following week. Get this, insurance from the V6 is the same as the V8!! I plan to rebuild the engine this summer, if funding is available

 

I got my 89 rs from a guy that lived about 10 miles from my house.He had a few camaros and just needed to get rid of one.I had it for a week and it started over heating.Then i got that fixed "just the air deflector" i drove it about 2 weeks and some women rearended me.It bent in the right rear quarter panel and they totaled it cuz the frame was bent. Then a week before i got the insurance check i finaly got the guy to sell his 68 Camaro That i have wanted for 8 years,he lived like 3 miles from me.,Now my new baby is at the body shop having some body work and being painted.I can't wait till i have enough money to buy anouther thirdgen for my daily driver,then i would have the best rides there are. :rockon:

 

I bought mine by accident. I was looking for "fun" car, since I already had a POS daly driver truck I didnt car much about gas or anything. I decided it was going to be a 88 Jag XJS V-12, it had rims, new paint, man trans, and a few other things. When the day cam that I as going to buy it, I gathered up my money, and went down for one last test drive. While I was on the test drive I saw the Camaro, It had a few thing done to it. I normaly didn't think much of american cars one way or another but I really like that black camaro. I decided to tell the guy w/ the jag nevermind, and bough the Camaro the next day, I LOVE the car.

 

I got my 1984 Z-28 from my uncle just because he is a rich man and he wanted a new car. He bought it new in November of 1983. My dream car was his Porsche 944 turbo but he wouldn't give that up so I took the next best thing. I like this one too. I can't wait for the money to come in so I can get the rust work done.

 

Bought my first one(RS) with the help of my parents when I was 15 from a guy we knew who was just starting a used car lot.

I bought my Iroc from my Unlce after 2 yrs of trying. The first summer he was gonna let me have it for $400 running and in decent shape. Then the fuel pump went out and a few weeks later it was gone. I just found it one year ago this week sitting in about 2 inches of mud in a wooded area. A tree had fallen on it and busted out the rear window. It had 35 gallons of water in it along with a bunch of spider webs, leaves, the glass of course, an old oil filter, a tarp, and a whole lot of mold and dog hair. I talked to my uncle and he said he wanted $900 for it. I told him I'd give him the $400 he wanted before and he took it. My dad and I took my 4X4 S10 out into the muddy woods and yanked the thing out of there. I held the door open as he pulled me about a mile home. That was the worst smell ever! My mom offered me $1000 to leave it there but I had to save it. I had to work that do so I couldn't start on it until the next day. I tore out the interior and threw all of it over in the corner(eventually trashed all but seats). One year later I have a carbed 355 in there but still need to do the body work and new paint plus some interior work. This is my first project car and I'm just learning so it will take me some time.

pics here

http://jubba.envy.nu

 

my dad took me when i was 3 to the chevy dealership. He told me that when my dad said "what am i gunna pay the man?" that i say 16,8 my dad sat me down in the office... and they were talkin over the price... the salesman said, no lower then 17.... then my dad says "what am i gunna pay the man?" i looked up and said... "16,8" the salesman flipped out and now i am cruzin around in that same very car.. 15 years later.... its now my baby... i get to have fun with her! hehehe

 

i got mine out of a junkyard, it was washed away somewhere in a VA flood, had some bad damage, but i got it for 500 bucks, so i just restored it.

 

killer car... nice job with the gfx! and i want that wing.. the only wing i think is nice on 3rd gens...

 

ever since i was a kid, i wanted a third gen, and went through countless papers, online searches, and dealer lots. my senior year, 97-98 i found an 88 iroc 305 tpi 5 speed w/80k, but my dad said to wait then 2 months later, i found my first 3rd gen, a white 91 rs, (in sig) it was a beauty, but in the year that i owned it i replaced:
tranny
alternator, battery, starter
water pump, t-stat
fuel pump
distributor
vats system
brake pads, rotors, calipers, rear shoes
idler arm, ball joints, pittman arm
alignmen, tires, serp belt
rear tranny seal, pinion seal (twice)
and it was gonna need: a/c compressor and condensor and a.i.r. pump
then it got broken into, so i sold it....

i still wanted another third gen, so 4 mos. after i sold it, i located a 1992 b4c rs 350, factory cd, leather, 50k , but my dad guilted me out of it (the price was a little high - 7 large)
over the next 2 years i looked and saw a couple different camaros, but couldn't afford them b/c of school.
then last october......

 

i found my z28, and the price was good, but, i probably made a mistake, since it needs a lot of work. but i was willing to put the money into it, when...
while i was going to pick up my civic after getting fixed (cadillac pulled out in front of me) i saw a wrecked teal 92 rs, when i looked inside, i saw it was a 5 speed, and when the owner of the shop told me it was for sale, i went to the bank a week later to get the $1700 for it. i dove it home the next day, just needs a front end. its got high miles but the interior is PERFECT (just needs vacuumed) no cig burns, not faded too bad, and original factory cd player. the engine and tranny dont even leak or smoke.
next i hope to find a t/a when i sell the civic, b/c i've never owned one of those

 

I bought my '91 automatic RS new in July of '91 as a college graduation gift for myself. It was my daily driver up until a few years ago. I would it drive occassionaly to and from work. Still gets about 22 mpg.


I bought my '91 5-speed RS in April '02. I bought it as a project car to do all the mods that I have wanted to do to the Automatic but was afraid to do to my daily driver. From what I can trace back of the car, I'm the third owner and it was a special order from the factory by a dealership somewhere in GA. The guy I bought it from did maintain it very well and kept all his maintenance records but he let it sit for about 9 months after he bought a new Mazda truck. I only paid $1500 for it, did a little work to makeit road worthy and I'm driving now while I save the cash for all those mods. His trash was my treasure.

 

My first one was a 86 SC witha 305. It was my cousins car. He wrecked it in 92' and had a 3000 repaint, put a firebird spoiler on it, neons, a stereo and lots of other stuff. He died in 95' and his mom kept the car for 6 years and only put 3,000 miles on it. It still had 131,000 on it. I'm 15 and I needed a car so I bought it for 2,500. I still had a year to drive and the car started having problems. My neighbor had a 85 Z28 and he had to sell it for money. His dad owned a car maint. and repair shop and he said that he bought the car a year ago from a lady that was the original owner. She had always brought the car in to them to have it maint. My mom bought it for her to drive. Then my dad bought her a ford lightning and I sold the 86 for 2800 and am going to drive the 85. The 85 has no rust, every reciept for everything ever bought and drives awsome.

 

i got my 1985 trans am after my grandmother died. My dad was looking for a 69 trans am because that was what i originally wanted, couldnt find any. Then at a car show i saw and 88 formula and thought it was pretty cool, it was for sale, it got me thinking. At that car show my dads friend was storing a 1985 trans am 305tpi 46867 miles on it, no rust, no winters, perfect. We looked and i was instantly hooked. I was 3000 or 3500 i dont remember.

 

83 TA, LG4, J65, 200C, Hedmans, Hooker Catback, SLP Firehawk Rims, Eibach Sportlines, BMR Panard and Global West Steering Brace. The car has 100K miles on it and no rust.

I bought it from my neighbour in 1987. Back then I was driving for a living and racing two stroke karts every weekend - never really thought about road cars too much but once I drove the TA I really liked it.

Got in a minor accident a month after buying the car - about $6,000 Cdn total to repair both my car and the one that hit me. I was charged with careless driving although I beat that in Court.

My insurer took the position that notwithstanding that fact that the right front on my car was toed out about three inches and the car undriveable nevertheless this was prior damage and therefore they would not pay for it.

Anyway, I fought all of this through the Courts mostly without any help and when it was over I ended up going to law school. So what seemed like a disaster at the time was the catalyst for a major change in my life.

Future mods - TH350C, HO 350 Delux, Baer Brakes, Spohn subs and a lot of other stuff.

 

Forgot to add this:

 

My mom bought an 81 turbo Trans am,It was maroon
and loaded.Then in 87 she had the motor and tran rebuilt,
and in 88 she gave me the keys,I drove it for a year and a
half.Then she wanted it back because I wouldn't chauffer
her around.My next F-body was a 79 Z28 4speed 350 it was
my best car.Drove it for 3 years not one problem.But then in
96 i got my first 3rd gen.It was loaded L69 motor,T-tops it was
Black and gold,it was my baby until I dicided to make it faster.
blew the motor.after that I got an Blue 87 442 with T-tops pw,pl,and ect,put a 455 and turbo 350 in it.That was the fastest car I owened 12.23 in the 1/4 mile.Then got an 85 Grand National sold the 442,then someone stole my GN.In 99 got
another 442 maroon kept it stock and still have it.While on
line I saw an ad for a 92 Z28 for $2,300.I e-mailed the guy,he
sent me some pics.He was located in Delaware,I drove to see
it,and it had only 61243 miles on it.I was running like crap and
the vats wasn't acting right,the guy by passed it.well after I
replaced the map sensor,vats mod,and computer chip it runs fine.the Z has the heritage stripes 350 ane leather seat no T-tops but all other options.I got it in april of 2k.I put less than
a thousand miles on it.It's white with red stripes.:rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

 

17 year old kid wanting a Trans Am. Looked at quite a few last summer ('02). There was couple '79 T/A's but they mostly had the 4.9litre 301's. I didn't want that, so I kept looking. There was a '78 Z/28 I saw on autotrader for $2500. Called the guy up the next day to find out that it was just sold 15 minutes ago. You can understand my anger. Anyway, still looking for a Trans Am, I bought an '86 Chevette to get me around in. Even if it was a Chevette, it was a fun car to drive. Well, one day I'm driving down Ellesmere and I spot a white '86 T/A sitting in the parking lot of a local Green&Ross Garage. I boogied over there to take a look at it. Asked the owner about it, how long its been here and such. Said it's been sitting there for a year and the engine needs a rebuild and he was in the process of doing it, but had no time to finish it. Said he would finish it for me for $1200 or sell it to me as is for $600. Well, I took the car for $600 and towed it to my garage few days later. 1986 Pontiac Trans Am w/L98 TPI 383 Stroker. I upgraded some parts that were either worn out or busted up. Right now I'm still in the process of getting it running because of complications that I ran into towards the end of summer. But the restorection is getting close even though with the weather

 

When I was younger my father worked in the Van Nuys assembly plant building all the thirdgen Camaros/ Firebirds for the wast coast. He also drove an '85 2.8L V6 Firebird. I grew up riding in the thirdgens and I now that I am old enough to buy my own I wanted to rebuild one for myself and my father. He always wanted to see these cars become a hot rod icon. I just wanted to get one and totally rework it to the quality that some of the firstgens are restored to. So in September of this year I found an '87 5.0L V8 Formula with 85,000 original miles (fairly low for a thirdgen). Its not in the best condition but its going to be a mean machine when I'm done with it. A 396, reworked engine management, and 4.10's in the rear spell trouble in caranies. you can see by the pictures that I have alot of work ahead of me.

 

Sorry everyone; this other picture didn't load. the car has had a paint job so it doesn't look all that bad on the outside.

 

I bought the '87 from a Pontiac Dealer where my Mother worked. That way I could get her discount That was back when people were still trading them in on 4th gens. I paid $5000 for it, but like I said, that was several years ago, and that also included an extended warranty, which put a brand new GM Crate engine in it three months later

The '92 I bought off of eBay and I will NEVER buy another car off of ebay again. The seller will only tell you what you want to hear and show you only the "good" pictures. By the time you realize this once you pick it up or take it home, its too late.

 

I guess you could say this one kinda just fell in my lap. After selling my '87 5.0 T/A back in '91, I'd always promised myself I'd get another F-Body. About 6 weeks ago, the '93 Dodge Daytona I was driving threw a rod while on the way home from work. It still puzzles me because I kept that engine in mint condition. ANYWAY.. The next day, after getting a ride home from a co-worker, I stopped by one of my neighbors to see if he wanted to goto happy hour.. him driving of course. He then asked me..."What are you going to do about a car?" I said I had no clue but that I needed something fast. He said, "I'll sell you mine for $500" I thought he had completely lost his mind at first. Then he explained to me that the chick he was shacking up with and moving to Dallas, TX with, would be buying him a new Jeep once they arrived. I said.."SOLD"

I gave him the $500 the very next day. Took the car to emissions and passed with flying colors..titled it in my name..etc. The next day I went to Discount Tire to have them look at one of the Yokohama YK420's ($140 each) that seemed to go flat every few days..(he told me). After looking at the rubber, they told me they were going to get on the phone with Yoko because the tires were PEELING at the tread surface. Yoko told them to REPLACE all 4 with a brand new set at no charge!!!

SO that's about it. I'm now the proud owner of a '91 Z28 5.7 TPI. It's in beautiful shape all around. There's not one single dent or smidgeon of rust. I'm the 3rd owner and have been babying it every day. I'm probably going to drive it for the next year and then stick it under a cover in my garage. Then it will be my toy.


Chris

 

here is the story on my current 86 T/A, I had a 92 dodge ram50 that i was useing as a work truck(great little truck,it had a mitsu engine in it) every thing work in my little truck and ionly had about $1,000 in it. I looked in a local paper and saw a 86 t/a for sale for about $1,500. i called the person that had it in the paper and asked about the car, she said she was the 2nd owner and bought it in 92 form the original owner with 40,000 miles on it, I asked her if she wanted to trade a 92 truck for it, she was interested because she had a 15yearold son who was wanting a truck to drive, i drove the truck to her house and her husband drove and my wife and I drove the t/a, they wanted the truck and i wanted the car for a project. (my wife also wanted the car). I parked the car about three weeks ago getting ready to restor it.
here it is...

 

My 86 T/A was purchased by my uncle. He had special orderd it from the factory back in Feb. of 86. Around 1994 or so he sold it dirt cheap to his son (my cousin) who over the years ran it into the ground. I bought it for $550 with a blown motor and a crunch in the passenger side front fender. The interior just needed to be cleaned and the car desperatly needed a wash. Its come a long ways since i bought it in january 2002. So far i have replaced the engine bought a new fender and cleaned it up pretty nice. This car was the one i was obsessed with since i was 5 years old. Its actually like a dream come true!

Pic (taken about 3 months ago before engine replacement)

 

My first passion is snowmobiling, but last winter was a pretty bad winter for snow where I live in Wisconsin. I got pretty bored and decided I needed a project car. I've always loved Formula's, but was looking for any model Firebird. It's pretty hard to find a rust free 3rd gen project car around here so my search broadened drasticly. I ended up finding an 87 Formula in Montgomery, Alabama. The interior was junk, the motor was shot, and it needed paint and body work, and the best part, no rust. So, my buddy and I drove 35 hours straight through round trip, paid over $300 in gas, for a $200 car.

 

Let me start from the beginning:
1. 85 Honda Civic Hatchwagon-my parents made me buy it (it was $50) and I hated it. I never drove it and I gave it away.
2. 64 Buick Skylark- killer deal for only $400, it was a 2 dr. hardtop with a pathetic 225 "Fireball" V6, the ancestor of today's 3.8. It was the 1'st car I drove on the road. I was stupid and tried driving it through the winter. The gas tank started to leak, and I parked it. The frame started to rot, so I sold it.
3. 87 Merc. Cougar XR7 #1- I got this p.o.s. for only $250 when the gas tank went on the Buick. I drove it for 4 months before the tranny lunched.
4. 87 Merc. Cougar XR7 #2- I went back to the place where I bought the 1st Cougar and they had another one, but it was silver. It was in great shape, and since they felt bad about the other one, I got it for $250. I used the old one for parts. Drove it through the rest of high school.
5. 89 Nissan Maxima SE- Got it the week after I graduated for $800 with 200,000 miles. All it needed was tires, and I got it from the original owner who religiously maintained the car. I never had any problems with it, And I drove it for 2 years.
6. 83 Z28- I was at a new year's party with some of my buddies and we were looking through the classifieds, looking for funny crap for sale to laugh at (we were wasted). I spotted an 83 Z28, charcoal with t-tops and a 5-speed, all original, for $400. I called the next day, and went to look at it. The car had been sitting for a while, but it was mostly there, and the body was pretty nice. It had the light weight hood, too. The owner couldn't find the title, but they said they had it. Looked like a nice winter project. I got the car, a spare nose, an 88 350, 4 bolt main truck motor, and some other stuff for $325!
A few months later, a girl totalled my Maxima on the way to college. I decided to get the Z running so I could drive it everyday. I was driving my dad's 92 Ford F150 Stepside for the time being, so at least I wasn't stranded. The day I got the Camaro running was horrible. It had the worst knocking sound I had ever heard. I was pissed, so I decided I should look for something else. Then fate intervened.
I had just gone to look at another Maxima, and it needed tranny work. The idiot selling it thought it was fine, so I passed it up. The next morning I got a call from my uncle. He spotted a late 70's Trans Am that morning for sale. I immediately went to check it out. It was a 79 403 WS6 T/A in nice shape, running, and in need of some exhaust work. I got it for the $2000 I was going to spend on a Maxima.
I had to sell the Camaro to make room for the T/A. I still have the 350 though, and I'm planning on building that soon. I bought a new Jetta to commute with, and I have the T/A and the F150 to play with. I'm still eyeing up 3rd gen parts, because I want to build another one someday once the T/A is all done. I just spotted a complete TPI setup at the boneyard!

 

I bought the 83 Z28 off of a friend for $500. The engine had a flat cam lobe but the paint and interior were awesome. I traded that car in on a 2000 Ranger because I am a moron. I just bought the 88 Formula a few weeks ago from a co-worker for $1500. The paint is good, the engine just had a crank kit, and the trans was just rebuilt. He bought the car for his wife as a project, but when he couldn't make the t-tops seal he decided to sell it. I bought the 2002 Formula brand new in July from the Pontiac dealer I work for.

 

Well i first began to like camaro's when i had to ride with my brother in a parade..

We had a red Z28 with a drop top......needless to say a whole lot of reckless driving ensued....

I was driving by a local dealership and saw a Camaro i wanted, I love the teal color and fell for it.....

I bought it 3 days later, and owned it ever since.....

I only began to take an interest in fixing it and customizing it about 1.5 years ago.....and here i am today.....

 

I really missed my 89 Formula 350 that I had back in 91. After I sold it, I wanted another one. Thumbing thru the trader, I found my new bird. 89 Formula 350 115K, straight as an arrow, runs perfect, needs paint (thanks GM for that water based paint!), $2450. Went and looked at it and the seller said everyone there wanted the GTA but no bites on the Formula. Got her for $2K and drove her home. Gonna meet my paint booth by the end of the month.
I feel like I did when I was 23 and bought my first Formula, all over again.
James

 

My mom's best friend's husband bought the car brand new in 86. 2 years ago he bought a new 2000 Olds Intrigue. He knew how much I loved his car so he sold it to me for $1000
It's cool because I take him for rides in it every once in a while.

Now that I think of it, he has an 8 X 10 picture of the car the day he bought it, I gotta get a copy of it!

 

Back in late 88 a guy I knew named John bought a beautiful brand new red L98 Iroc. It was the baddest thing in the town of Princess Anne at the time. He loved that car and actually had 2 sets of floor mats.I know this to be a fact because my wife dated him. According to my wife,he would pull one set out of the car and make you wipe your feet on the first set of mats before you got in on the other set of mats. I was a junior in high school so you know I was in love with that car. I always said that if I could ever buy an Iroc like that I would in a heartbeat. He kept the car for around 6 years, started a family and sold it. A friend of mine named Scott bought it and took just as good of care of it. He had it until last year. I guess you can figure out who bought it next?? Yes that is me!! I always wanted a car like that but never imagined I would have THAT particular car. When I bought it it was bone stock and still ran like the day it was new. I am having alot of fun with it and can see why both John and Scott loved the car. What a great ride! She is getting old and in need of freshening up but I am working on that as we speak. I am just glad I got the car and not some kid who would destroy it.

 

Forgot to add a pic..

 

It was March 1989, I was 19 years old. I found myself in my local Pontiac dealer applying for financing on a spanking new GTA Trans AM but even though I was making mid 30's without any bills at the time I was declined! I guess it was my age; but not to be defeated I literally drove across the street to the Chevrolet dealer and started talking about one of a row of nice new IROC-Zs lined up on the lot. I picked out a bright red, 10 miles on the clock cherry! I filed out the application for the financing and the next day the salesman called me and asked when I wanted to pick it up! He didn't have to ask me twice, I was there the next day with down payment in hand. Here is the original window sticker.

Fast forward to the year 2002. Now at age 32 I look back on 13 years of enjoyment that this car has given me. Its carried me without fail through thick and thin, snow and rain for 328,000 miles (original engine!). Of course I've religiously maintained her with the able help of the Sheik, but all those New Jersey winters had taken a heavy toll on her body. It was painful to see my car literally dying by rust every day. So I started planning a restoration; I went on the web and learned about Year One and Classic Industries, two great sources for Camaro/Firebird resto parts, emblems and decals. While I was on an parts ordering frenzy I was also shopping around for body shops. I visited about 5 or 6 before I settled on Troast Auto Body. It took them 7 weeks but the results were well worth the wait.

 

Viking, cool website about your IROC restoration. Not many people care enough or are willing to spend the money to have a job done right. Excellent ride!

 

Well I'm thirdgenless (even though they are and always will be my favorite cars), but I've owned 2, so here goes...

1) My mom bought my old '89 Camaro RS brand new in September, '89. Car was gorgeous...Medium grey mettalic, t-tops, custom cloth in grey, just a pretty car. Only problem was underhood...the lowly 2.8. I received the car as my high-school graduation present in '98, after having waited 9 years to get the car. It was pampered with only 56k on it, and it was a sweet cruiser. It looked like brand new, and was by far the cleanest daily-driven third gen in the area. I pampered it, then planned to sell it in February, 2001 to my now-girlfriend. I decided that spending $5,000 to convert it to a TPI 350 was not worth the time and hassle, and I wanted something quicker. The 30th Z I purchased fit the bill VERY nicely, and made me appreciate how wonderful the 4th gens are, even though previous to then for me, life ended after the '92 model year!! I decided I could keep the RS as a daily driver and just run it until the wheels fell off (it then had 89k), but ran and looked beautiful. Within 1 year, I was tired of the 11 second 0-60s, the 18 MPG, the t-top rattles and leaks, and said "the hell with this, give me something faster and newer for an everyday car." I did what no one said could be done...pristine at 96k miles, I sold it for $4,000 in 5 days, to a 16 year old girl. I found out about a month ago the car that was so perfect back in March was recently totalled...my baby is gone

2) Within 30 days of selling my RS, my '95 Grand Am was boring me as a daily driver, and I took in on trade at work an '89 Formula 305 TPI that was a 1 owner, fully documented, with 103k miles, much neglect, and some rust. I bought it off work for $1,000, put $1,400 in it within 30 days, and drove it, and saw how much fun a 3rd gen V8 could be. I planned an eventual restoration for it, and kept the Grand Am for the winter. But, the car needed something new every week, I was spending $200 a month just to store the Z and the Grand Am, and I said to myself "gee, I work for a new car dealer, I'm spending over $300 a month just for maintenance and storage fees, so why not just take that $$ and buy a new car?" The Formula then went out on the lot, and low and behold, it sold within 7 days, also for $4,000..netting me a tidy $1,600 profit by July, 2002. I then transferred the plates from the Formula to the Grand Am, got that out of storage, put it out on the lot, and sold it within THIRTY MINUTES, also for $4,000!!!!!!!! I took the $8,000 from the sales of the Formula and Grand Am, paid off the Z and used the remainder as $$ down on the loan on my new baby...an '02 Grand Am GT. Sure, its FWD and a V6...but it runs the 1/4 as fast as a third gen 305 TPI, gets 30 MPG on the highway, and goes in snow!!! Sure, it isn't as pretty, but until I can have 3 cars, the Z and the GA have to take presedence over a 3rd gen for me

3) My '97 Z28 I bought March 20th, 2001, and will never look back. The only car I may give up this one for would be my dad's...an '02 Sunset Orange Formula 6 speed, t-tops, chrome wheels, loaded....that I not only ordered for my dealer, but had the honor to sell to him He likes my Z better, and I like his Formula better, especially now that I discovered his car is 1 of 901 2002 Formulas made, and in super-rare sunset orange, is one of maybe 75 cars made!!! So maybe a trade will be in order?? If not, I'll keep the Z forever, and will park either a 350 IROC or a TTA next to it within 5 years, I hope...

I just keep telling myself, only 43 more payments on the Grand Am....

 

Got out of the army, had some cash saved. Wanted an American V8, realized third gens could be had cheap and were almost unlimited in possibilities. Scored the Berlinetta, loved it. About a week and a half before I left the country for the new job, found a guy selling a completely rust free(pretty rare in WNY) S/E, so I was forced to pick that up cheap. Now theyre both in a barn awaiting my return. Thats about the story.

 

Well you see... it all started when I learned to drive. I fell in love with the Camaro, and got stuck with a Beretta, who was a great car but no Camaro.

Then I was forced to move to NJ for a little while, 2 weeks later some idiot NJ driver tried to make a turn from the left hand lane into a right hand side street and didn't check his mirrors at all. (Nor did he put on the turning signal which seems to be an optional thing here in jersey >_<) and sideswiped into Beretta throwing it into the guardrail, and then it boucned off that back into the idiots car and they became one car, the fire department had to cut them loose. The Beretta was totaled by allstate and there began my search for a new car with the bs 3000 the insurance gave me... I test drove a newer z28 but couldnt get fianaced, so I started looking for a used car, but all the used cars were ugly and old.

Then I logged on to eBay and searched for camaros in my price range... and happened along my car. It was love at first site, and after driving her I had to have her. And I do =)

Now I also sued the idiot and that is where I got the 10000 to fiox up the car...

 

I've always wanted a TA ever since I saw Knight Rider in the 80's. When I got older I still wanted one. I already had a reliable daily driver and just one day I got the idea to get an old one and restore it. I saved up the cash and just did it. I've really just begun working on it. I have along way to go. Fortunatley most of the work is interior. The outside looks almost perfect.