Ok, first off, I know very little about Firebirds. I have had 3 3rd gen Camaros, but no 'birds. Are there pro's and con's to these 2 cars? Also, I know of Trans-Am, GTA, Formula, and just Firebird, do these coincide with the IROC, Z-28, RS, and just plain Camaro? If so, what matches to what? Thanks!

 

Go to the Drivetrain List in the Tech Data https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/techdb.shtml and see what models are on what level.

Which car coincides to the other changed alot of times and there were alot of models so reading the history for the cars will help also.

 

Mechanically they are almost identical. I think that it depends on your tastes. I like the look of the Firebirds/Trans-AM's much more than the Camaro. I would image that the Firebird would have better aerodynamic qualities. Not by much though. They are a little sleeker. Most all the parts are compatible with each other. They all have comparable models to each other.

It's like the difference between Ford and Mercury. The differences are mostly cosmetic.

Now on the fourth gen cars I have driven both and I think that the Firebirds and Trans-AM's are built alot better than the Camaro. The Camaro felt cheaper then the Firebirds. It squeeked more. The plastics felt inferior. Otherwise they were about the same.

 

Yeah, I thought it may be just cosmetic, but it seems like the Firebirds are more luxurious as well. I always thought they had nicer options, and I really like the gauge setup! I was wondering, because I was thinking of getting one, and didn't know if I should get a Trans Am, Formula, or GTA.

 

Another difference that no one mentioned when bought new, the Firebird was more expensive model to model then the Camaro.
I know, I priced both, then purchased a 1987 IROC. Which I still
have.

 

It's almost always been that way. The Firebird and Trans-AM's have always been higher priced than the Camaros. I agree that the Firebird line has had what seems like nicer options. Although they have always been close I have always prefered the way the interior and the exterior look on the Firebird. Especially in the third gen interior. The dash is of superior in my opinion. I just prefer the layout.

Also in my area I see a ton of third gen Camaros as of late. I never see Firebirds or Trans-AMs.

In the fourth gen it seems like two to one in favor of the Camaro.

Third gen it's more like 10-1.

I like having a car that few other people have.

 

I think like stated above, firebirds got a little nicer interior, some extra options not available on the Camaro etc, but then sometimes the camaro would get things that the 'bird would not, like the "Wonderbar"

John

 

I like the Camaro model more than firebirds. Mostly because Camaros look much better

 

I'd have to lean towards the Camaro, as that's all I've owned! Although a nice black 90-92 GTA with those crome wire-looking wheels was the object of my desire for a while! It was on ebay about a year ago, with every single option, and with I think it was 4000 miles...