My first memory of 3rd gens was in elementary school in 5th or 6th grade. The local Police Department brought the "Dare Camaro" to our school and I was in a trance looking at it up close. It was a white RS with the D.A.R.E graphics in Red and Blue on the doors. I think it was a 91, but it might've been an 89 or 90. Years later, I saw it parked for what looked like long term storage in a town owned lot. I still wonder if it was anything special like a B4C car. But that car definitely got the 3rd gens stuck in my head.

 

My brother has always liked camaro's alot and my dad owned a few when he was a kid so they would get talked about sometimes. Then ever sense I was like 11 I would go on the computer and look at pictures and study cars and then last year my brother was like hey you should ask dad if you can buy an old camaro or firebird for pretty cheap and then you would have something to work on. So I asked my dad and he said he would put $1000 towards it and I had about $500 at the time. I looked and all the 1st and 2nd gen camaros were either to much money or needed to much work so I decided I was going to get a 3rd gen. So I looked for about 6-8 months and we went and looked a few cars over that time but they would either be crap or they would get sold right away. So one day I saw a white 91 camaro in jessup MD and I gave the guy a call and got the info on it and found out it need a few things to make it run and then when I called back he had just sold it. Well about 2 months later I saw the same camaro for sale in Dundalk MD and the guy said he bought it replaced everything the guy had said needed to be replaced and it still wouldnt run and he was asking the same price as he bought it for. We went down and looked at it and I really liked the car so we told him we would buy it and we would pick it up in a few days. So I picked up my camaro for $1000 and then it took about 500 to get it running. Now about any money I make goes into my camaro and i'm really glad that I picked it up because I've learned a lot about them sense I got it and there is much more to learn from it.

 

I was born in 1990 to much of a baby to see them riding around but when i was around 5 yrs old one of my uncles had 2nd gen blue z28 that i still cant forget the way that beast ran. so as i grew older i kept seeing 3rd gens everywhere and the foxbodies. so one day u know i was around 7 or 8 i saw a blue irocz toy car lol i begged my mom to get it for me lol so i got it, that toy car was like my life at that time took it everywhere with me. So yea idk wat happened to that car it desappeard but it didnt hurt me much since i was at the age when u r not intrested in toys as much. So i lost interest in cars for a bit but on the summer before starting high school i started to like cars and i like any type of cars too from domestic to import, but i would only like to own domestics rather than imports. So yea i was only 15 when i was going in to high school u know i saw all these really beatuful 4th gens and 3rd gen and i always liked the body of the 3rd gens so there is this street where i stay that they always put cars for sale on sundays so i always used to pass by there on my bike then like a year passed by when i was 15 then sudenlly i saw the most beautiful 3rd gen ever i felt so in love with it at first site, it is a 1991 Camaro RS i didnt know alot about them i just wanted a camaro badly i wish it could of been an iroc though but watevers i love it even if its an rs, it was the only camaro i bumped into that had some 17 inch replica iroc rims and one of the best paint condition ever the others were faded out, the interior was also in really good condition and the best of all it had 5 speed . so i rode home after i took a look at it i wrote down the number so i got home and told my mom about this sexy lookin 3rd gen i told her if we can go see it, so we went we called the guy we test drove it and man it ran so good and it sounded very nice too. so then we asked how much it was the guy was selling it for 2500 we offerd him 2300 and i got my beautiful 3rd gen . I was only 16 yrs old when i got it. and its my daily driver and proud of it and it is a really big head turner since third gens are like rarely seen where i am at especially in the condition mine is in and where i stay nobody really owns the 3rd gens why because the 305s are not as fast as lsx engines, 4.6s, and 5.0s and everyother cars out there and i guess they dont want to bother with engine swaps and stuff where i stay its like 4th gen, mustang, and foxbody ville and some GTOs. but it dont matter to me my baby will soon be lsx powered the first one ever where i stay . So yea thats how i got into 3rd gens and thats how i finally owned one too. In the near future i want to buy another 3rd gen but this time a blue iroc . So yea what u guys think of my encounter of third gens and the day i finally owned one.

 

That would be way back in 1982 when they first came out. Friend at school got a v6 Camaro his senior year. I loved the styling of both the Firebirds and Camaros, it was so fresh after so much suck in the 70's and stayed fresh to me at least with all the suck that would come up in the 80's. The key thing was the look the Z28 had...the 77-78 Trans Am inspired headlights were the real attraction.

In the mid-80's I got a new 86 Camaro Sport Coupe 2.8 liter w/F41 suspension. Car & Driver was mostly to blame because of all the good stuff they wrote about the F-cars in the early mid 80's. My 86 Camaro was a pretty car but not a very good one as it gave a lot of problems.

By 1990 I was pretty much done with the whole performance car thing and about to get married...when I saw the 1990 IROC. At first I just wanted to test drive one. The more I looked the more I wanted. I started reading Car and Driver again. They did a nice write up about the RS and Z-28's something $15,000 cars with $20,000 looks. So I started looking Camaro's again...my future wife wasn't very happy about that.

I hate white cars. Always have. Still do. I was looking at a low option blue v6 RS and commented they were asking a load v8 price like for that white RS. Short version I ended up taking a 2nd test drive and after 8 hours of haggling bought the current Arctic White 91 RS. I actually liked it's looks better than the 91 Z-28 because I'm not a fan of the F-40 spoiler...

My 91 RS has 305,000+ miles on it and I'm the orginal owner. I've had the car almost my entire adult life. There are so many stories with this car...Wife hated on the car the whole 17 years we were married. The car has been totaled twice and put back together. Currently an LS1 engine is being built for the car.

...and I still don't like white cars...with one exception.

 

When i was in high school a couple years ago i was a huge import guy, still kinda am but hey now i cant go wrong with a nice V8. Anyways, in my autos class it was pretty much every kid in the school who could afford what high schoolers think are "fast cars". I had at the time a 1999 Grand Am GT that my parents loaned me and i pretty much worked my butt off to save money for my own car. I really wanted a 240sx going into my junior year of HS. Anyways we would never work on my car in autos we would always work on a few of the other kids "performance cars". There was a civic, an Interga GSR, a Talon TSI and of course there was this kids 1987 Yellow hardtop Iroc-z. Not too sure if it had a 350 or a 305 but the thing was mean, had a nice cam and a bunch of mods done to it. His dad bought it off the lot new in 1987 and gave it to him as his first car. This thing was the fastest car at school. Beat everyone at the races. I would always ask him how much was in the car, it wasnt a whole lot and than i would hear of all the things that the other kids were doing to their cars and the massive amounts of money they were spending on just keeping their cars on the road. Needless to say when i saved up enough money i looked at imports, saw it was like 6K for a car with over 100K than i decided to look at camaros. A hell of alot cheaper and better looking IMO. i found one with under 100k and took it home. Been hooked ever since, even thought she is not as reliable as i would prefer her to be.

 

I hear ya there. I've only owned 2 white vehicles in my life and they've both been Camaros. For some reason I don't mind the white camaros, but I don't think I'd buy anything else in white. Well, maybe a Vette!

 

I live on Curacao. A small island in the caribbean. I was born in 1990 and have always been into cars. I've always imagined myself driving my moms explorer when i turned 18 (driver license age here ) Until one day when we were driving home and me and my dad saw a mean looking '82 Z28 parked outside my neighbors house. I went over and asked about the car after that and he told me he had to sell it for someone. So the next week me and my dad bought it. I was 16 at the time. I recently got my license and have been driving the car ever since. It's a pretty nice first car since it has a chevy 350 crate motor and a TH350 in it. I havent seen any other '82 Z28's on the island so that's pretty cool. Been fixing her up and learning about third gens as I go. Much love to TGO and all the great people on here <3

IMGP1746.jpg?t=1227136193

 

I first got into them in 1995, when I picked up an 85 TA for 500 bux. I was in high school at the time, and it was my first car. In reality, it was nothing special, just your typical TA with a 305/auto, but to me it was the coolest car that had ever existed. Spent some of my happiest moments in that car; I can't hear a Soundgarden song without hearing that 305 rumbling in the background.

I just picked up an 84 Z28, and although it isn't exactly the same, I'm sure it's I'll have a great time with it. Except now I can afford to build the car I spent dreaming about when I was supposed to be learning Algebra 2....well kind of.

 

I was born in 90' and I dont remember seeing 3rd gens anywhere, I have always been into cars my entire life, my dad was a chevy guy, and so was I, the first vehice I ever took a ride in was an 89 K-5. I had always loved 1st gens. My dads friend had a 4th gen vert and I was never appealed to the looks of them. My sisters boyfriend had a 3rd gen firebird which she crahsed lol. But that was the first 3rd gen I got to ride in, I think I was 11. That car was sweet it was loud and the gauges were lit red. When I was 13ish my friend had a red t/a, which is the first car I can remember seeing do a burnout in person. I fell in love with that car, that kid owned a bunch of firebirds. He sold a purple 88 firebird 305 TBI auto to my gf's older brother who did nothing to it, it didnt run. He was going to sell to me for like 300 bucks if I could get it running. I changed the starter and battery and it wouldnt run so I gave up. Now that I look back on it, it was probably something stupid as always, just wish I knew what I know now then. Anyway got in some trouble and 2 years ago when I was had my permit getting ready to get my license my dad got me mint 87 f250 for 500, he had maintained it and knew it since it was a work vehicle of his. Sold that. Got a 95 Grand Prix GTP, hated that POS. Gave me nothing but problems. Met this kid who has an 86 IROC who is actually a member on here and also the one who put me on to this site. Anyway the kid is a real thirdgen freak. Kept pulling up youtube videos of maros doing burnouts and donuts. It made me want a Camaro even though my entire life I always love 3rd gen birds. I some how sold that pos grand prix for a grand. I searched craigslist. I wanted a v8 but my stepdad told me to buy a 6 cyl for insurance and then we could swap whatever we want into it. Well I saw a nice 87 Sport Coupe (blue which i HATE) 2.8, hardtop, claimed 48,000 original miles. Kid wanted 700. Called him, he wasnt very bright, told him we were coming and he wasnt even awake when we arrived, luckily his uncle was there to wake him. The car didnt run, we tried to get it started, it spun so we knew it wasnt seased and you could smell the fuel it just wasnt getting spark. It had a good amount of rust but not all rotted. We offered him 300, and through some bs we payed 350, it was a grandma car with 48K og miles, the first Camaro I looked at, and I am the very proud 2nd owner of it. Car ran great, never any problems, chugged through a new england winter with bald tires. Now it sits while I restore it and build a 3.4/3400 hybrid for her. I couldny stand the thought of knowing the resto could take yrs possibly. I loved having a 3rd gen and couldnt part with the feeling of driving one. So last june I purchased an 89 IROC with an 86 305, auto, decent condition, minor minor floor rust from leaky t-tops. It has given me some issues because of poor previous ownership, but she is getting better and better with time, as I slowly fix everything the people before me did. Point is I love my 3rd gens, even though I get mad at my IROC alot I get moody after a couple days of not driving it. There is nothing like the feeling of opening those big doors hearing the classic "clunk" as they close, hearing the old chevy starter spin and the rumble of the smallblock(cant 4get the gracious hum of the 2.8) As one other member stated in this post already, I tell people my Sport Coupe is going to be my casket as I want to be burried in it. I love 3rd gens. Always will. James

 

I had been eyeing a 1987 Camaro that was for sale locally for a long time... I mean hell, I was 15, the car was $500... and it was a red Camaro!

Well on my 16th birthday my parents tell me to look out the window... and there it was sitting in the driveway!

The car was a 2.8 T5 car. Zero options... and I mean zero. No AC, radio delete, only one side mirror (paddle mirror like the export cars), no rear defrost... NOTHING!

The car never got registered though... ended up blowing the motor doing brakestands in the driveway lol



I got my 1984 Z28 about a year later when I got my license. L69 T5 3:73 car. Rebuilt every inch of it... was getting ready to have it repainted when I was rear ended while stopped for a school bus. Took the insurance check and sold the car. I think my love for working on my own cars died that day...

 

I never got into my own thirdgen until the year 2000. As a kid I did like to watch the Knight Rider shows, and there were a bunch of people around town who had these cars and it wasn't uncommon to see them laying rubber. In '95, one of my friends received his mom's 1986 LG4 Firebird and later on another friend got an '88 V6 Firebird and then an '87 GTA. Occasionally i'd help them work on the cars in exchange for a drive, or to borrow the car. I wanted one of my own, but every one that I found for sale was rusted beyond reason, or was a summer car that was way out of price range. Plus I was trying to play out in bands at the time so I felt the smartest thing to do was be utilitarian with a pickup truck. But, living vicariously thru my friends was enough to get me hooked on these cars, so fast fwd to 2000 after my wife and I had gone to Florida, and she had gotten her own '91 Firebird, I just had to have my own by that point and she helped me get the '84 that I still have today; better late than never. I didn't even have to go looking for it, found it on my usual drive to work one morning. The first year was rough, the car obviously hadn't been daily driven for awhile and stuff starting breaking. I was lucky to work at a place that had a decent backlot where I could work on the car, and my boss was tolerant of it...usually. It definitely put me on a hell of a learning curve!

 

A familiar thing this thread has with what I've noticed at car shows is that teenagers and especially young kids tend to have never seen our cars before. Makes sense (but boy does it make me feel old)

I never was much of a fan of Knight Rider. I preferred Hardcastle & McCormick (on in the same time slot)

My parents bought an 82 Z28 brand new. 4 speed. T-tops. Black.

When the 85 IROC's came out, I just loved everything about them. Then I went and watched the Player's Challenge races and liked everything even more.

I still remember the day my Dad brought the 89 GTA home. He'd said he was looking for a Camaro or Trans Am and that he might have found one. I was hoping for an '89 IROC, blue, T-tops, 5 speed, with those rear window louver vents (boy have my tastes in F-bodies changed....now I prefer a hardtop auto). I was dissapointed when he brought home a black Pontiac solid roof automatic (the GTA). It was the exact opposite of everything I was hoping he'd buy.

At the time, lots of kids would ask my parents if the car talked (like Knight Rider)

It didn't take long for me to fall in love with the car. I'd never really seen a GTA before. Mostly IROC's and the odd Trans Am. He wanted to trade the car in for a 2002 Firehawk. Black, auto, coupe, black leather.....basically the same car as the GTA only newer. I knew the dealer would give him zilch for the car and I had grown attached to it over the last decade or so. It had 35,000 kms on it. So I bought it off him.

 

Ive haven't really gotten into my third gen. Its a nice car, don't get me wrong. And I love how lane changes feel like a go cart, and that feeling you get with the t-tops off on a nice ohio day (which there are very few of)

But it hasnt realy prooved itself to me. Nothing major just little things that it does irritate me.

I've started picking up dates in the thunderbird because EVERY girl that gets in the marrow, closes the door, and without hesitation says "did i just shut a tin can?"

It looks dead sexy from the outside, but you can tell its a sports car. Long trips are a no no, and from the 3k miles ive put into it, subframe connectors are on my list. You have to have the radio waaay up to overcome the squeaks of everything.

Most of the things that went bad or broke, are because of its age, and how it sat in 10 ohio winters before I got to it. And I wont hate the car for needing TLC.

Ohwell, I guess im somewhat "into it" because the past 3 guys who offered me cash for it i turned down.

Maybe next summer it will be a bit more reliable than this past summer was.

 

The biggest problem with the noise you hear when closing the doors has to do with the latch mechanism. Back in the 80's it was no big deal, basically the design was the same since the 60's or before and there was no thought (it seemed) that went into it.

My Brother-in-law makes latches for the big three and the amount of work that goes into new latch "Systems" is unbelievable. They want quieter latches. I have noticed a shift to the double pin setup in recent years compared to our large pole design...

Personally I have considered getting with him and seeing if there is a design that could be retrofitted in our cars to get rid of the tincan sound. However, if you look at many firebirds after 1987 or so I know there is an extra rubber strip that goes on the bottom of the upholstery that gets rid of some of that tin-canny sound... at least it did on my car.

John

 

Back in 1992, I had gotten back from my first deployment and went looking for a car to cruise around the Waikiki Strip. I came across a Black and Gold 86 T-top IROC. I thought the car looked sharp and made the deal. Lesson #1 in car buying, "Don't rush the deal, really LOOK at the car before buying it." After getting all of the paper work done, keys in hand and ready to hit the Waikiki strip, I pulled the T-tops off and found that the center section of the T-top was rusted out!! The rust was so bad that I had to replace the weather stripping and the center section where the glass tops meet together. I drove the car for about a year and half and then sold it. Little did I know at that time, I was hooked on 3rd gens. In 1994, I was home on leave in route to my next duty station when I came across a hard top 87 IROC. This time I looked the car over better, paid attention to the details and made the deal. When I got the car home and started cleaning it out, I noticed the 5.7 next to the Tuned Port Injection badge on the rear bumper. That got me looking even more. I then found the limited slip tag, the 4-wheel disk brakes and the engine oil cooler. I checked the VIN, RPO codes and other codes that I found to verify that it was a true 350 car. It all checked out! So with just dumb luck, I had landed a 1987 350 IROCZ28.
I still own the car to this day.

In addition, to the 86 and the 87, I have owned an 86 6-cly 5-speed and an 89 RS 305 TBI automatic. I also currently own a 92 RS 305 TBI 5-speed car.

 

I graduated in 1982. I was working 1/2 days at a local Chevy dealer. I had ventilated the engine in my '69 Camaro. When it came time for the prom I was given the OK to use a NEW red Z28 to go to the prom. I was impressed even thought there was an obvious lack of power. I worked on lots of these cars as a line mechanic for the general. Even added some performance goodies to them before the left the lot. Fast forward 20 years; while looking roller for a drag car I found an '82 base model. It was priced right, and at the time there was only 1 other 3rd gen running. Since I like being different I bought it.

 

I've been a fan of the thirdgen f-body and the C4 corvette as long as I can remember, though I've yet to own a vette. I remember seeing these cars around as a kid in the 80's and in my dads shop when they were fairly new and thought one day I'd get one, and always thought it would be a Camaro.

As I graduated high school in 1997 I has a '73 Cutlass with a warmed over 350 Chevy that I built with my dad and my friend had picked up an red '87 IROC L98/A4 car and I liked it but it wasnt till he smacked it up and bought a GTA that I found the car I just had to have. It wasnt much, a black 1988 LB9/A4 car with grey cloth interior and 65K miles but the t-tops and digital dash were it for me. Shortly. Shortly after he got it a minor accident put the car in my hands for $700, and a hood, fender, bumper cover, and headlight later it was on the road (along with a little work on the radiator support). Unfortunatly about a year later the engine let go so I swapped in the L98 from the '87 IROC that was wrecked earlier, but 2 days later while testing the new motor a towncar ran a stop sign and ended that car.

My black '88
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/tta850/blk88.jpg

That led to another '88 GTA, this one a white hardtop with tan leather and an L98 but that only lasted about 2 weeks till another stop sign running driver put me into a lightpole.

My white '88
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/tta850/wht88.jpg

And finally my current '89 GTA, one that I hope to have around for a long time to come, originally an L98 car it now has an LC2 and may end up with something different in the future

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...0/DSC00466.jpg

I've had a bunch of other GTA's and TTA's and currently own 4 TTA's (though one is sold and heading south)but those three are the ones that did it for me.

Steve

 

Dang thats some Bad luck man sorry to hear. Hope everything Turns out great with this one.

 

Well I may as well throw my story in the mix. I was born in 1989 and therefore was not around many thirdgens that I can remember. When i was about 4 or 5 my brothers turned me onto the infamous Knight Rider re-runs. I thought that car was just amazing. Then one evening when I was 6 I was allowed to stay up late and watch Smokey and the Bandit. I was hooked on second gens at that moment. My mother and father are seperated so on weekends me and my two brothers would go spend time with my dad. He always drove either old beater Caprices or pick ups until one day he showed us the car he was looking at, a red 1987 IROC. I was in love. The deal fell through and that was the end of it. At the time my mother had a boyfriend with a Gold 2nd gen. They soon parted ways and her next boyfriend drove a 91-92 Red hardtop Firebird. I was around 7 or 8 at this time and I was in love with it. I knew that I loved the third gen style but wanted to keep the soul of that 2nd gen in Smokey and the Bandit, thusly i decided on a Pontiac. The mom's boyfriend soon traded his 3rd gen in for a 95 black Firebird and I was definately not impressed by the lines compared to the third gen. Years passed and that boyfriend was gone and my 16th birthday was coming so i needed a vehicle. All of the Trans Ams I could find were out of my price range and I also got the standard " you're too young and inexperienced to control a Firebird!" Alas, I settled for a 1991 Grand Prix GTP with 3.4 DOHC and a Getrag 5 spd. This was a really hot car, white with a sunroof and being a 2 door it seemed to make me more popular with the lady folk in school, but it was no T/A. Long story short that car nickel and dimed me to death ($950 to get the timing belt replaced!) and so I sold it and moved onto a 2000 Dodge Dakota for my senior year. I had always wanted to Drive a T/A to my grad and just as life goes it didn't happen. I got to borrow my Uncle's 2003 Mustang Vert V6 5 speed. It was a pretty fly ride for Grad but still, no T/A. I began working at the local GM dealership out of highschool hoping I'd fluke out and a third gen would come on the lot but, no luck. I skimmed through Auto Trader and kijiji and really didn't find too much. i took a weekend off and drove up to David T's in June of 2008 and saw multiple F-bodies from 1st to 4th gen and got to see them side by side and I decided that the 3rd gens were a lot cleaner and flashier than the 2nd gens, and though I will always love the 77 T/A, I was officially hooked on the thirds. I was asked the question IROC or GTA and without hesitation i replied GTA. All of the cars there were rough and seemingly high priced so i put my dream on hold until one night on Kijiji I found it... a Black 1990 GTA 305 TPI w/ T5. From the description it needed some work but that's what I wanted. I drove with my mom and Grandfather the 2 hours to look at it and I walked through the owners yard to his garage and I opened the door and I saw outside the garage the car, sitting in the sun, glistening as though it were almost brand new. It also had all gold accents true to The Bandit and she was kind of rough. I told the owner thanks and went to have some Tim Horton's and then decided to make an offer. He was asking $4000.00 and i offered $3300. It was overheating so the evening of Canada Day i picked it up. Got to calgary at 10 pm and got back home at 1 am and she ran flawlessly on the highway in the cool night air. I think the best feeling I've ever had was driving down the Deerfoot at 100 km/h, windows open, and seeing down the hood with the two lights up knowing that my boyhood dream had become reality. I also noticed that the cute girls in Cavaliers and Sunfires were definately looking twice at me with some very nice smiles comin my way. On highway 2 on the way back home the radio was scanning for quite some time as the antenna is broken off and I said, "Ok girl, what's our song gonna be?" and the radio locked on an oldies station playing their "80's 6 pack" and our first song was My Shironah haha. I have installed a new heater core and rad and done some minor repairs and now she runs like a champ. More work to come like engine rebuild, new rearend etc etc. but still the feeling of cruising down our towns River road with the windows down, t-tops out, and music loud is uncomparable. And I've noticed I get a lot of looks from the women age 35-45 as well as the younger ladies looking for a rebel haha. These cars are definately appealling to the women, hopefully so much they'll be a-peeling their clothes off in the back seat hahaha. So the first day back with the car I was cleaning her out and noticed in the lockable compartment in the rear a duotang with a fairly complete paper trail of the car. After doing research i found the 90 GTA with 305/T5 is an option that only 78 American cars got, so in Canada I Imagine Less. Even now with snow on the ground, I can't help but smile when i look at the mass sitting in my neighbors driveway with a car cover over it. The prev owner swapped out the airbag equipped wheel for a Grant one and rigged a switch for the fans, all will be fixed in time. I'm sure I'm not the only one on the forums but on occassion before I get out of my car I look her over, pat her on the dash, and tell her I love her.
I am now addicted


Oh almost forgot the best part. My Girlfriend was vacationing in BC at the time so when she got home it was SURPRISE!!!! I bought a T/A hahaha.

 

well i was always into cars and the first car i remeber my folks having was a blue gto.don't remeber to much except that it sparkled in the light.they also had a black chevette with louvers on the back window and mag wheels,real week car but looked mean to me,i was like 8,so i'm really crazy about those cars too.what turned me on to 3rd gens was my moms,i think 91 z28 that she bought new.it was teal,t-tops,tpi 305 i think.she wrecked it though like 8 months after buying it.then she got a 88 formula,blue,no t-tops,and tbi 305(boo),but a bad car.late one night i was up watching movies and caught smokey and the bandit and was in love with trans am's ever since.at 15 the first car i ever got behind the wheel of was moms 88 formula.a dream come true to learn how to drive car,in one that you loved so much.i went thru 2 cars before i got my first bird,a 87 firebird 2.8l,auto,no t-tops(hated that part),and it was purple with chrome wheels.i loved it great times till it blew up,but being 17 and having it was awesome even though it was the v6.i've been hooked for a long time,i'm now 26,still haven't got a 77 s/e but i'm working on it.i have a 88 trans am now and a 79 z28 and i love them.
one thing that mad me sick was when i wanted to get my mom's formula from her,she gave it to my sister who had no licsnce for dwi's and she had a kid,she wanted to give me her blazer.last i heard of the formula it was sitting where my sister last lived with all the windows busted out,and rotting into the ground.probably in the junkyard by now.i still give my mom a hard time about that.but she does let me keep my trans am in her garage.
KEEP THIRD GENS ALIVE

 

i was born in 90,but the first time ,i really noticed a 3 rd gen was when i was 4,and my dad is pushing the 86 iroc up our driveway bc of snow,and then i really got into Camaros around 12. and ive been into 3rd gens since.

 

Amen on the crackless dash my friend you know... One day at work I had the worst day ever, I had just begun apprenticing and I got it laid into me for buying a car instead of more tools and I started to believe it. Why did i buy an old car instead of tools. I looked out the shop door and saw her sitting there looking tired and alone and I honestly thought I should turn around and sell her. And then I got in after work, turned the key and listened to her rumble and as I drove away from the shop with the T's out I realized it. This is why i bought her. She's my escape from everything. No matter how much the world may **** (pardon my language) on me I know that she'll always be there . Sorry to jack the thread there

 

Well having grown up in England to say that 3rd gens (or any American car) are a rarity would be an understatement! I remember watching all the old TV shows back in the 80s as a kid and decided that I wanted a Firebird. Most people thought I was living in a dream world and that there'd be nowhere to get one from. So I soon showed them by going out and getting one. Just about everyone has to stop to have a look at it.

 

I am surprised that the old Knight Rider show influenced so many buyers. For me, I used to love Simon & Simon on CBS. It featured an awesome Dodge Power Wagon and --- surprise!--- a targa topped 82 Z28 in bright Red. As I recall, the Z had a powersliding sequence in either the intro or ending credits of the show. It was an lg4 auto as far as I remember. Simon & Simon was a detective show, and it was partnered up with Magnun PI in the CBS lineup. Magnum PI had another super cool car of the early eighties-- a 308 Ferrari. Thanks, Oldtimer.

 

i have a post somewhere in this thread, so I won't go into the whole bit again, but I did just trade my 1987 GTA that I mention in it for my friend's 1988 GTA, digi dash, t tops, it has the 305 TPI that came out of my 88 Camaro I parted out, and he did a swap to a BW S-T10 4 spd. I just figured out what was wrong with the clutch last night so I took it for a drive, manual TPI thirdgens are fun!

 

I cought my first glimpse of Knight Rider in 1995 (I was ten years old) on USA network right before MacGyver in the afternoon. Knight Rider was an extraordinary series which i love to this day even though i was not around to see it Originally. Kitt was a awsome piece of work with super pursuit mode where he could go 400mph and Turbo Boost where he could leap 50 feet over any obstacles in his way and get 200mpg. If it was not for Knight Rider I would not be where i am today.

 

Simple, the greatest car ever, i remember forwing up in the 90's (im only 23) and saying i love that car, also knight rider influenced me , its just cool

 

well im younger than the last thirdgen ever made, and my first memory of a thirdgen was when i climed into my aunts 86 sc and played "racecar driver"
i wasnt hooked yet because i was 3 and didnt know what a camaro was. i couldnt read so badges wouldnt help. i went inside and asked her if it was a corvette. she laughed and said "I wish" now im gonna be fifteen next month and trying to convince her to get it running again but she won't she says next year so im gonna use my X-Mas money to fix it

 

right after i sold my 2nd gen and bought a 3rd. hated the 4th so here i am still in the 3rd. come to think of it - the 5th gen is ugly. might as well be driving a honda.

 

Prolly when i was 4 or 5. My Father was a technician for General Motors and was always into buying cars and rebuilding them then selling them. Every year at christmas i would get toys like Plastic trans am and camaro toy cars. Growing up knight rider was my absolute favorite show. I still get sad when i think of the episode kitt got dumped into that sludge and almost died. I got my 1st camaro which was a Black 1990 Rs with a 305 and t-tops in 2000. I loved that car, then i crashed it(was my 1st car) and bought an 89 red RS with a 3 inch flowmaster and that car had so much more power than the 90, the front end would lift off the ground when i stepped on the gas and took off. After i sold that one i bought a 91 Z28 with the 5.7 tpi and a hypertech chip, a few other performance upgrades. that one was a hardtop, which i didnt like but for the price i paid for it, i couldnt turn it down.I couldve easily turned around and sold it for twice what i paid for it. Now ive bought another 91 Z28 with so much power. Ive never owned anything else except a 95 Z24 5 speed. and untill i have enough money to buy the RX-8 or NSX i want, i never will.

 

The first Thirdgen I remember seeing in person, was a white T-top Camaro Berlinetta with the "Swivel" radio pod. it was in the parking lot of the local grocery store. Thata when I decided I wanted one.

Then my buddy totalled the 79 Z28 his uncle had given him for his bday, so he bought a 83 Camaro 4 cylinder 5 speed AM Radio, 14 wheels with Plastic wheel covers to replace it (and keep his mom's insurance man happy), so that was the second Thirdgen I remember, and the first one I ever drove.

I bought my first Thirdgen in November of 1989.

 

It started from day one. January 1982 I was 14 when Chevrolet ran the shadow ad campaign TV commercials for the Camaro. "Sha-sha-sha-shadow brand new Camaro!" I thought WOW what a car!! March 1982 a friend that went to our church bought a White '82 Z28 LG4/4spd car, hardtop with dk blue vinyl interior. I got to ride in this car a few times and thought how perfect this car was. I was hooked!! November 1982 I talked my Dad into driving me down to the local Chevrolet dealer (John Smith Chevrolet) and took pictures of new '83 Z28's on the lot and picked up a brochure on the car. I have enlarged some of these pictures and have them hanging on the wall in my office. 1985 I was a senior in high school taking the automotive class called "Transportation". There were two boxes full of car magazines in the shop that I went through and read every article on the third-gen Camaro. I asked our instructor if I could borrow them and take them home and read them. He said yes but bring them back. I never did and still have them. That started the magazine collection. April 1986 I was back at John Smith Chevrolet taking pictures of new IROC's and filling out an application for a job at the dealer. I got interviewed but not hired. November 1, 1986 I was out that night and was looking at used Camaros when I ran across a Black/Gold '85 Z28 LG4/5spd car. It was unlocked so I opened the door and climbed behind the wheel and was imagining I was driving the car going through the gears. (yes it was goofy) I opened the center console and found a pile of paperwork, hmmm I'll take this home and go through it. This was the first time I looked at an owners manual on these cars, and discovered what a VIN number was. I wrote down alot of information on this particular car and returned the paperwork to the car the next night. Thus started my VIN registry on third-gen Z28's and IROCS, and hundreds of pictures of Camaros.
To date eight photo albums dedicated to third-gen Camaros and hundreds of VIN numbers and details of each car.

 

I had a 83 Camaro in 83 and a 86 TA in 86 and a 88 GTA last year

 

Well, I guess I was a prophet of my own destiny a couple years ago when I said I'd probably buy an IROC over a 5th gen

Anyway, what amazes me as I've come back to this site more and more over the past few months is how much some of us LOVE these cars. Think about it. I'm a die-hard member of camaroz28.com, which as anyone who's been there would know, is a die-hard fourth gen site. There is no history/restoration board even though the oldest ones are now 17 years old. There are very few people that own more than one 4th gen. Yet on here, multiple third gen owners are common...me included!

I don't know what it is about third gens...the popularity when new? The styling that still looks awesome today? The handling? What makes these cars so loved? 4th gens, which are significantly faster and built far better seem to earn nowhere near the love and admiration.

Whatever it is, I love all 3 of mine...

 

I recall the first year of the third gen an 82 z28 passing me on the highway (this is back in 82 and I thought to myself wow what a great looking car,I had my 69 GTO back then) as the years past I sold the 69 GTO got married had kids .........then I got the itch to get another 69 GTO until I saw the prices for them.....so I started looking for other cars and came across the 90 IROC convertible (didnt know they made IROC convertibles at that time) nice car, price was right so I bought it,3 years later saw an ad for the 88 convertible 5 speed 15 min from where I live ( I thought convertibles up here are scarce but a convertible with a 5 speed, I had to have it!)once again price was extremely right.....love the cars! Alot of people up here have never even seen an IROC convertible before!

 

I was in high school when the IROC came out and had a '78 Z28 at the time. I loved the way the 3rd Gen looked with those 245/50 tires However, admittedly, through the late '80s, I always focused more on the 5.0 liter Mustangs. They were cheaper and quicker, in a straight line. But in the '80s, I was too poor to own either. I had a '69 Camaro SS that I worked on and modified.

By accident, I bought an '87 Formula 350 for 3 grand back in '97 or so. No T-Tops, crank up windows, it was a stripper. And I loved it. To this day, one of the best torque curves I've ever experienced.

About a year after I bought it I blew the engine and sold it. At the time, I didn't have a garage or the time to work on it. So life went on. Once I started my career I bought a BMW M3 and haven't owned an American car since, saving for a very short period where I had a '99 Camaro SS (which I didn't much care for to be honest). Still, that Formula stands out in my mind as one of the best cars I've ever owned. Thus, I'm looking to pick up another L98.

 

I always liked the way they looked back when I was a kid in the 80's and early 90's. The first time I remember riding in one, I was with some girls from my high school and one of their boyfriend's (who was out of school) had a 92 B4C. I remember her telling me that his RS was really a "police interceptor engine" car. I can remember thinking back that there was no way, that it was "just an RS". Well, it turned out to be a B4C; it seemed really quick (I was like 16-17 at the time).

When I turned 18, right before graduation, I was looking for a car and found a 92 Purple RS. I bought it fo like $5k with 80k on it and I was in heaven; for about a month. I was beaten by a Dodge Shadow (V6) and began to realize that my V8 powered HOTROD was in fact, not fast. I sold it and bought a '93 Beretta GTZ (which I kept for 5 years and really, wish I'd NEVER sold). Back in '04 I bought my 2nd 3rdgen, a 1987 IROC 305TPI/auto car. Got it on Ebay. Had absolutely NO rust but I lost my job while restoring and had to sell it. We also bought my wife a 1990 IROC (needed work) and sold that to someone in our car club, which he later fixed up.

We moved back to TN in early 07 and I found my next thirdgen, a blue 1991 Z28 on Ebay for $1400. It was a total rust bucket; one look under the car and it scared me. I sold it within 2 months and recouped my money.

Fast forward to 2010 - The Thirdgen bug just bites me sometimes - I can go a few years w/o and then all of the sudden, I HAVE to have one again.

I found my most recent one, a red 1991 Z28 on Craigslist for $1500. It didn't have carpet or seats, but was more or less a complete driver. I've found a bit more rust in isolated areas than I wanted, but its gonna work - I think this will be the car I keep forever.

I love these cars.

 

I've been a fan of the 3rd gen F-body since 1982 when the show Knight Rider first aired. I've always been partial to the Trans Am model, but the first time I ever rode in an F-body was when my cousin's friend bought a brand new red '87 IROC and he took me for a spin. The thing that really stuck out for me during that ride was the exhaust rumble. That car sounded soooo freakin' amazing!

 

during high school i would see this 81 camaro on the corner when i walked to the bus stop. i thought it was the sickest thing ever (yes an 81, i never saw a 70-73 before that.) i wanted it, my neighbor who is a mechanic came with me and we checked it out. it needed a lott of work.

month or so went by and he told me about this 84 Z28 thats been sitting at the shop. i knew nothing of the style change and so i went to check it out. i was disappointed, it didnt look like a camaro to me. but i came back a few times and each time it grew on me. i ended up buying it for 500 bucks in august of 2007, about 4 months after i got my license.

i love that car. though at this time i cant afford to restore it when part after part keeps breaking, i just got a 2000 SS. at the moment i still have both cars but i'm leaning toward selling the 84. i still kind of hope that someway i could keep it

 

I was born in 1992 so I wasn't alive for any of the third gens except the 1992 model year. My grandparents had a 1978 camaro that was in perfect condition, and my parents had a 1980 camaro that was in horrible condition. It was my dads work car and it got abused. I had always liked the look of those cars even from when I was about 5/6.

Then when I was 11 I was up at my uncles house playing in the snow and saw he had a 1982 Z28 parked outside his house. It hadn't been running for a few years so it just sat but I liked the look of the car a lot. I had noticed these camaros around town, but I didn't exactly get the "Gens of camaros". I couldn't figure out how a fourth gen was still called a camaro when my parents second gen looked way different.

Then when I was 12-15 I went through the "*****" and exotic car phase. After watching the fast and furious and the cannonball run my two favorite cars became the lambo Countach and the Toyota Supra. Once I hit 16 I got my license and started driving my parents 1989 Chevy Truck. It was in great condition, but I didn't like driving the truck and I wanted my own car. So Novemeber of last year I started looking around and found out the camaros I liked were between the model years of 1982-1992.

I called up my uncle and asked to grab his car for free. By this time it was in such poor shape we had to pass it up. After checking out a few cars we saw online and seeing how crappy they were, we finally found one that fit the bill. It took about a month before we could actually get up there to see it, and I almost didn't get it, but in the end we ended up driving off with it.

My love of the camaro started young with my parents and grandparents camaro. I also loved the 1977 Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit, one of the movies my grandpa would always show me when I was younger. In the end it ended up being the obvious first car that I wanted. I have a 1991 Z28 and am loving every minute of it.

 

there were a couple things i told my self i would never do.

i would never own a white vehicle.
i would never work at shoprite (supermarket)

i now drive my white SS to work at shoprite

 

 

I have always loved 2nd gen Trans Ams. My father had a 1979 10th anniversary Trans Am with 60K miles on it in MINT brand new condition. I always used to help him polish it up, and loved driving in it. He sold it in 2005 to buy a new Mustang GT when they came out and to tell you guys the truth a shed some tears when It left. See he always told me that he would give it to me as my first car, and I loved that thing to death. I still have a picture hanging on my wall of me sitting in it when I was about 8 years old. I would really like to buy it back one day. But anyways in 2008 I turned 16 and I knew it was about time for me to get a first car. I only had about a grand in the bank and I highly doubted I would be getting a nice car, so I wasn't very excited. I never really liked third gens at all. I thought most were slow, plasticy, and just cheap looking. I did however always like the way that the 87-90 GTA looked. I didn't know about the interior, but I always thought that it was a badass looking car. I thought just the name GTA was badass! One day I was sitting in the car waiting for my mom to get subs in quizinos. I saw a bright red MINT condition GTA pull into the gas station and I remember saying aloud "Holy **** that is a badass GTA." Then my dad came home and told me the used car dealership had a really nice black GTA. I got on my bike and rode for about 45 mins to go and take a look for myself. from a block away I saw it, it was the best car they had on the entire lot and they had it right out in the front row. I fell in love immediately, I loved the badges, and the crosslace wheels, and the sinister im going to murder your family look the font end has. It had a few little dings in it but the paint was in great shape and the interior looked really awesome from what I could see through the glass too. No sales guy came over to let me look inside. But I came back the next day with my mom and I fell in love even more. A sales guy came over and I got to sit in the tan leather interior, and start her up and rev her up. The digital dash was just cool! I wanted the car so bad that it was all I thought about for the next week. I asked my grandparents for a loan so I could get the car. The dealer wanted almost 8K for GTA so I dont remember how much I asked for. They told me they would think about it. My first day at my first job was the day after that. Even there I didn't learn much because I was thinking about the GTA. My mom picked me up at about 8 o clock and told me they tried to buy the car but someone else got it first. I was so bummed out I almost felt like I was going to cry. And I sat in the back of the van silent the whole way home. We got there and opened up the garage, there was the GTA backed in the garage with the parking lights on. It looked ****in mean, and I couldn't believe it. I still cant believe the car just randomly popped up at JUST the right time. I mean to me its the ultimate GTA, just how I would option a brand new one. Black, L98, hardtop, tan leather, digital dash, in mint condition. Seeing how few nice GTAs are left, and how long people look for nice ones. It was just meant to be I think! Now I have had the car for about 2 years and love it more than when I bought it. I like other people I read in this thread pat the dash and tell her i love her every once in a while, and there is nothing more relaxing to me than washing her after a long week. I LOVE MY GTA! I have had this car since the end of my freshman year in HS, now I am about to start me senior year here in Las Vegas. What a car to pull up to school in, everyone just stares...

Shot of it at the dealer in 2008 (click the thumbnails to see full size)



Shots I took this last weekend

 

dude i had the simlar exepriance with my white phantom (1983 Daytona 500 trans am)

but I wanted a 1970 Oldsmobile 442

 

Well my first car was an 88 Firebird Formula with T Tops, and i loved it it was such an awesone car and i racked up 800 bucks in tickets with it. about a moth ago i bought and resold an 86 camaro original 2.8 with a 350 swap and im now looking at an 88 with a BUILT powertrain for 2800 and once i sell my 2000 firebird im probably gonna buy it. 2nd gens got me into f body cars. when i was about 9 my dad sold his and i was crying to see it go. The end of the third gen and 4th gens were my era plus they just look so sleek. and to be honest i dont see many third gens around me now so they kinda have that nostalgia feel to em especially when you pull up to a stop light and with the cam it sounds like its gonna die out all I can think is Bad ***

 

Knight Rider was the first place I saw one. Then that fall of 82, I went to the brand new Epcot Center and they had a ride about cars of the future sponsored by Pontiac. At the end of the ride was a room filled with concept cars and a couple production models. One of those was a red TA with black interior, PMD seats, turbo cast wheels, etc. I KNEW it was the same car as Knight Rider, and I drooled over it. My uncle bought a brand new gray 82 Camaro right after the 83 models came out.

After that they were literally everywhere. I would play attention to them driving around and I can remember my thoughts as the appearance changed. In 1990 I got my license ad I remember shopping the classifieds for them, hoping to buy one. I remember the 1982-4 style was the cheapest, but oldest looking. $3K could find you an earlier car with manual transmission. They went up from there. A Formula or a GTA was like the friggen grail.

 

when I was fifteen about 4 months before my 16th birthday, my grandpa had me come to his shop (he's a mechanic) and help me pull this little V6 out of a blue '87 firebird. It had the original crosslace wheels and white letter tires, with black louvers on the rear window. In short, even though it was a V6, it was the meanest looking car I had ever seen. He told me he was fixing it for a customer, and he could use some help. We spent about a week tearing it down and rebuilding the engine (he went slowly so I could keep up ) and putting it all back together. After we got it running he told me to take it out and road test it, to make sure that it didn't have any problems. When I got back, he asked me how it drove, and I told him that THAT was the kind of car I was buying when I got my license. Then he tossed me the keys, and told me happy early birthday. I was ecstatic. Turns out he had bought it from a salvage yard for $200. Sadly, I drove that car for about six months, and one day I let my girlfriend borrow it. She managed to catch it on fire and burned it to the ground (oh, the irony, considering it was a FIREBIRD!) I immediately purchased a '92 RS, the one in my sig, and I've driven thirdgens ever since. I even managed to breathe a bit of life into that torched firebird, and it is now a formula clone, also in my sig. My dream car is a '92 Z28 5M convertible, and I'm now (finally) in a financial position that picking one up as a toy isn't a problem, just waiting for the right one to come along

 

Ive been fanatic about third gens since i was 9 years old
I always saw the trans ams driving around,and i always screamed FIREBIRDDDD whenever one drove past
I did constant research for 7 years
I turned 16 recently,and got the surprise of my life at my Sweet 16 Bday party by my parents
I got keys in a box
And then my mom said Hey come look over here!
so i walked over and my cousin pulled up in an 88 Trans am..with ALL the GTA options!
It was soo gorgeous i almost started to cry
its a dream come true!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cilt...layer_embedded

 

Must've been about 3 or 4 years old, someone gave me a remote controlled Silver 1982-84 T/A for Christmas. I thought it (and every other late 2nd gen and 3rd gen) was a Lamborghini for many years until I found out otherwise.

 

OK, I'll play.

I wasn't born till '81, so I grew up wishing I would one day own a Camaro. The newer third gens were my favorite, but I also really liked the late second gens... yes, I could tell even when I was a toddler. The black ones and yellow ones were always my favorite.

My first car was a '69 Impala, by the time senior year in high school came around, I also wanted something a little more sporty. I had a chance meeting with a guy that just happened to be selling a black/gold '86 Iroc, and a deal was struck. I put a lot of work in that car, but it was stolen about a year later. Then I became obsessed and is the reason I own several today.

Oddly, I've yet to own a yellow Iroc or a late second gen Z28.