I've been talking with a gentleman about his 1989 firebird formula which he has listed for sale.

The car is a black 1989 formula firebird, automatic transmission with a 5.0 V8.
105,000 miles, T-Tops, straight body except for some body damage on the front fascia and hood.

He says the engine and transmission run great, the car is several hours away so i have not been able to take a look at it yet, but i plan to do so on the weekend, However this is what he says about the car. Engine and transmission run great (will have to see this for myself) says he has the original case for the t-tops and they lock with the original key. He says the headliner is a bit damaged because the wind caught it and tore it up a bit (???) And the back seats are sun damaged. He says the dash is "perfect" and has had a cover over it most of its life (will have to see this for myself as well) The vehicle does have damage on the hood and front bumper, apparently it was hit by someone and the fender was replaced, but the hood and bumper were not. Picture below illustrates. I'd like to get an opinion on how hard this would be to repair, how much it would be, or if buying a car witht his kind of damage is even worth it.

This car is basically exactly what i am looking for, late model formula firebird in fairly good shape. He wants $1,800 for it.

I've included a few of the pictures he sent me below. Can i get a few experts opinions on this? I know i havn't seen it in person yet but i'd like to see what you think anyways. Thanks.

 

i'd say it needs a new front clip at least... the front clip is hard to fix when it's split like that... prolly need a new hood as that is a bad spot to have that kind of damage. unless the motor and suspension are in great shape i'd pass and find another car...

 

The plastic bumper is EASY to work with. If it's just a crack then it's a simple fix with 3M flexible bumper repair. Lay in fiberglass cloth across the back of the crack and take your time and it's an easy fix. The hood on the other hand could be a problem, but body work isn't my thing. Have a body shop look at the pics.

Either way, the price is right as long as the condition of the car is decent.

 

You state that it has the 5.0L, its it "Tuned Port" or Throttle body?

Since its missing the Hood decal, I assume the hood was repainted at one time.

The seats have covers, and I suspect that they were torn or damaged.

$1800 seems fair from the pictures...

JOhn