Boy this thread got big fast...

I like that. When I was young the tough guys in high school had 3rd gens and I envied them. So now I have one, unfortunatley they're no longer as cool as they were back then

Either way, I had a buddy in high school with one, '84 Z-28, 350. He was behind me on the highway, at night. An '84 Z coming up behind you looks like a shark. Then he punched it, and the q-jet snapped open and bam, he was gone. Man I fell in love with his ratbagged camaro.
My TA is a close 2nd to the early 3rd gens, as being my favorite.

Something really cool about the '77ish TA's though. Shaker hoods are just plain cool.

 

Ive driven several 4th gens and in terms of part throttle and throttle response none of them ever felt as strong as my g92 equipped L98 car around town.

 

The 82' Firebird brochure state that the Firebird was built for accelertion, cornering and fuel economy. We can not compare it to any other generation. The third gen is a performance car. Think of the decade in which it was built. I was not built for horsepower and drag races. Performance and fuel economy were a buyers concern. The F-body had to accomidate that need if it was to survive. If Pontiac didn't accept the "Chevy" motor, we would not have a third gen Bird. Pontiac could not get the emissions low enough on thier blocks. They did use thier Iron Duke. So why do i like the third gen, aerodynamics, performance, cornering abilities, and yes I do love Knight Rider. It helped sell our beloved Third gen.

 

I love the second and third gen cars along with the first Trans Am and the pontiac motors lasted until 1979. However I believe that the thing that hasn't been mentioned was Pontiac had the last laugh of the muscle car era with that FAMOUS SD-455. Read in more places than one that that motor was equal to the Hemi in terms of torque specs if you convert the numbers to the dreaded NET ratings. I stopped liking them after the third generation bec the camaro took on honda styling cues and the firebird got out of hand with the design. Tried too much too soon.

 

The price for a third gen now is amazing. I snaged a 88 SC 305 TBI for
$1200.

 

Three words: Twenty Fifth Anniversary

I'm biased though, so take it for what it's worth.

I love all the F-Bodies. If I had to put them in order of preference though, it would have to be 3rd, 1st, 4th, 2nd.

Completely forgoing the technology factor (which is one of the biggest reasons that I love the thirdgen), it's the quick flowing, square lines of the car that suck me in.

Believe it or not, we're experiencing a bit of groupthink here. Most of the general population doesn't prefer the look of the 3rd generation F-Body. In fact, I would wager a bet that if you got every Camaro and Firebird driver in the world together and asked them to rank their favorite generations, the thirdgen would be dead nuts on the bottom of the list.

It takes a special type of person to love the styling of the third generation F-Body. I for one wouldn't give up my low stance, above average handling and boxy lines for anything. Thirdgen.org is successful because it found a group of scattered misfits and brought them together as a force to be reckoned with!

 

I bought mine because ever since I was a kid in the late 80s, early 90's, I was mesmerized by them for some reason. For reasons unbeknownst to me I was always infatuated with third gens and I'd always notice them on the road. I think it started when my uncle went through a string of them when I was 3-8 years old, but Im not sure. Either way, I always thought they were the baddest, meanest cars I'd ever seen.

When I bought mine a few months ago I was realizing a childhood dream. Not too often you bag your childhood dream car at the age of 21, but damn, I dont regret it at all. Despite whatever flaws these cars may have, it's still perfect to me.

 

I never was a fan of 3rd gens. Never paid much attention to them Had a 76 Trans Am in 88, but went to "family " cars after that. I just wanted something to beat around in with T Tops. Although, I have sunk some money into car including a 350. Its just personal satisfaction now. I still like the second generations like my 72, but, for the price its good for now.

 

one of the unique things about the styling is that its both aggressive
and beautiful, and thats not easy to achieve , look at all new line
of bmw 3 series 5 series z4 etc they all look aggressive but they are ugly,
while look at the ferrari modena 360 its beautiful but not aggressive,

and 3d gen looks good in the general look and in details.
look how black headlight pockets on the iroc makes it look beasty,
the stripes package is just about right,the decals ,the hood louvers.
the bent rear , and look at the whole body its just a work of art,

 

The third gen is so raw . . .
- no air bags (until '90)
- no ABS
- no traction control
- no cup holders
- very little for interior storage places
- frame flexes
- body rattles
. . . and I love it!!!!
The car does . . .
- have decent power (when equipped so)
- handle like a rocket sled on rails
- have lots of room (at least in the front)
- look bad *** with a timeless design
- offer super bang for the buck
- turns many heads

The best praise I get is from older people who wonder what kind of NEW car it is, and then I tell them it's 18 years old. And kids love it! They like to scream "Nice car mister!", and give big thumbs up.
Once while parked outside a Walmart while waiting for my wife, a young kid (maybe 6yo) holding his parents hand said, "Look mommy!! A race car!!!".
Gotta love it!
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PS; I went cruising around in a friends late 90's stang and hardly anyone paid it any attention. Plus they were everywhere. Then we went for a ride in the 3rd gen and what a difference. Lots of waves and thumbs up. Many head turners, especially from the girls!
Don't tell my wife.

 

i love thirdgens for the following reasons:

1- 90 IROC was my first car
2- Look good
3- Handle great
4- moderately fast
5- the T-Tops look great on them
6- get alot of looks when im driving my red 88 around
7- exhaust sounds good
8- relatively cheap and easy to maintain

 

i will believe that when i see it! feel free to show me proof of that

it seems the 3rd gen is the most ignored of all the generations...1st and 2nd being "classics"; 4th gen being fast, newest, and most refined. the 3rd gen is just the cheap generation that all the young people are buying now and modding....just like the fox body mustang. and power to them!

the good thing about the 3rd gen right now, is that you can really blow some people away with a clean one. not to be egotistical, but a lot of people stare at my car, and i think its because they rarely see a clean 3rd gen. still, a clean 1st or 2nd gen will get more attention. the 4th gen has the worst styling except for the ram air 98+ IMO. i love how 3rd gens look so wide and the roofline is so low. it may not be lower than the 4th gen, but it appears to be

ive heard the 3rd gen handles better than the 4th gen...is this true?? (im talking of course about the tightest suspension you could get in an IROC or TA from the factory)

 

Im not realy sure about the handling thing. I've heard a lot of pople say that... this is what I do know.

They switched to a different suspension setup with the 4th gens that is superior on paper, but I think the 4th gens have a higher center of gravity. Beyond that, I have no idea.

I think the crux of the matter is you have to use a much, much higher spring rate to get the same stiffness on a thirdgen than a 4th gen. It's easier to compromise ride quality with performance handling with the 4th gen setup.

But I may be wrong, it's just pieces of things I've gathered and stored in my head, hopefully someone else will come along and explain that better.

 

i love the handling, i heard from someone that they(GTA/IROC)had a truck steering box or somthin, but that could be way off ...the curves on the third gen t/a's are my favorite....

 

As someone who road raced an '84 Trans-Am for six or so years, I do have to say there is something about the way a 3rd gen turns in a corner that is really nice compared to a 4th gen (which I am road racing now). As far as high speed (100-130mph or so) stuff I like the 4th gen better.

I was an original owner of an '89 Formula 350 which I reluctantly sold after having it eight years. I picked it over the GTA as it had less heavy options and seemed more a driver's car, which it was. I put some headers and exhaust on it and it drove well and sounded amazing. Very reliable car as well. Got 28mpg on the highway to boot!

So, some years down the road I have sold my '84 Trans-Am road race car and knew I'd miss having a third gen around (have three fourth gens currently..) looked and looked for another Formula, I like the 91-92s. I like the subtle graphics and banshee nose. Even looked at Firehawk #026 in person, would have driven away with that car except they wanted too much $ for it. Turns out they sold it for what I wanted to pay for it about a year later.

So, I found me the nice '91 Formula you see in the pic on the left by my name, it is getting a 383 T56 conversion. Stock color and appearance outside will be retained and I am also keeping the original TPI 305/ T5 trans.

4th gens are a dime a dozen, a nice third gen is something to look at!

 

I like my 3rd gen because:
1. Still a leg in the old days of iron blocks and do it yourself possibility.
2. Good looks timeless design.
3. Huge aftermarket possibilitys,engine and handling updates.
4. The T tops.
5. Very good bang for the buck.
6. With time there is a possibility that a car like mine will be a good investment at least here in Sweden/EC with options like Iroc/350TPI/T top and all in all the car is in a good condition,actually we see a stagnation of pricefall and good high option 3rd gens is beginning to catch some interest.

Best regards Mats