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History / OriginalityGot a question about 1982-1992 Camaro or Firebird history? Have a question about original parts, options, RPO codes, when something was available, or how to document your car? Those questions, answers, and much more!
I know the car and have spoken to the owner. It is as nice as it looks. He has every piece of paper work that ever came with the car. Beyond that, this is the last of the G92 5 speed convertibles. KC4 oil cooler, MK6 trans, 3.45 BW rear and J65 4 wheel discs. He is liquidating his car collection. If ever a 3rd gen was worth 30K, it's this one.
The presentation of his CL ad leaves something to be desired, though. It's been on CL for at least two years.
I was going to say.. If it is what he says and in the condition I can imagine for a low miler well preserved by the original owner with all the paperwork it probably is a $30k car.
I was thinking the same thing though.. If he wants to sell it he’s got to present it like a 30k car.. under hood, interior, underneath shot of the floor pans, etc..
The price seems high.. but this car does have pedigree. You won’t find another G92 5-speed Vert unless it’s an 87. I prefer the 88-90 wheels, stripes and decals.. Though I do like the 87s as well..
I dont think there is another one of these for sale in the country and definitely not in the condition it appears to be in. I never came across an 88 5-speed Vert with TPI/G92 in years of looking.
I think a lot of people interested in Thirdgens know too much about these cars and can’t get around the rising prices. I get it.. You buy this car and you’re surrounded by a cheap plastic interior. Put the top up and listen to the squeaks and rattles. Get beat from stoplight to stoplight by Honda Civics. Meanwhile your buddy buys a Porsche Boxter S for less than this and has a super tight car with a nice power top that is snug and quiet they can drop at a stoplight.. oh and does a 13.4 1/4 mile.. Compare an IROC to a German car and it is admittedly a little sad..
You can get a lot of car for $30,000..
The price is because of inventory.. You can’t find another one of these..
That’s why C4 Vettes are a bargain.. Everyone was babying and preserving those cars. There’s a high inventory of nice C4s so it’s more of a buyer’s market for those..
In another thread someone brought up the Grand National market and I think the IROCs are moving in that direction but definitely held back by enthusiasts. I think there’s better deals on Z28s and Firebirds and maybe those are better investments right now to get in cheap..
chazman, did you even dabble in firebirds? I never have but was always a sucker for a flame red GTA or a Maui Blue Formula 350..
The price seems high.. but this car does have pedigree. You won’t find another G92 5-speed Vert unless it’s an 87. I prefer the 88-90 wheels, stripes and decals.. Though I do like the 87s as well..
I dont think there is another one of these for sale in the country and definitely not in the condition it appears to be in. I never came across an 88 5-speed Vert with TPI/G92 in years of looking.
I think a lot of people interested in Thirdgens know too much about these cars and can’t get around the rising prices. I get it.. You buy this car and you’re surrounded by a cheap plastic interior. Put the top up and listen to the squeaks and rattles. Get beat from stoplight to stoplight by Honda Civics. Meanwhile your buddy buys a Porsche Boxter S for less than this and has a super tight car with a nice power top that is snug and quiet they can drop at a stoplight.. oh and does a 13.4 1/4 mile.. Compare an IROC to a German car and it is admittedly a little sad..
You can get a lot of car for $30,000..
The price is because of inventory.. You can’t find another one of these..
That’s why C4 Vettes are a bargain.. Everyone was babying and preserving those cars. There’s a high inventory of nice C4s so it’s more of a buyer’s market for those..
In another thread someone brought up the Grand National market and I think the IROCs are moving in that direction but definitely held back by enthusiasts. I think there’s better deals on Z28s and Firebirds and maybe those are better investments right now to get in cheap..
chazman, did you even dabble in firebirds? I never have but was always a sucker for a flame red GTA or a Maui Blue Formula 350..
There was another '88, a near twin of this one. It had about 60K miles on it. I was for sale for a while by a member here. By the time I contacted him, he said he was working a deal with a famous Texas collector which we all know. He expected the deal to conclude shortly but said If I wanted the car, I could have it for $10K. I hesitated and the car went to Texas and is still in his collection. This has to be about 3 or 4 years ago. I always regretted not buying that car. A year later I called that collector to see if it was for sale and he said no, but if I wanted it would cost $23K.
I have considered several Firebirds in the past and I'm sure in the future as well.
That's a pretty sweet car, but in his write up it states that you couldn't get a 350 in any third gen vert, but aren't there pre 90 Formula's and GTA's that were 350 verts?
Ive seen this car before.. That is an extremely nice example..
I’m Surprised it doesn’t have a power seat
He is wrong about the 5.7 convertible part.. supposedly there were a few 5.7 IROC verts made and they did make Formula 350 verts as well as GTA 5.7 verts..
I think he’s a little off on the hp as well.. I’ve seen the LB9 Auto reported at 210-215hp for 88 and the G92 at 220 with the 5.7 at 230. 86 was the year the LB9 was under 200hp as far as I knew. It’s strange that the auto has more torque reported than the G92 but less horsepower. I always thought horsepower was torque/time.. Torque feels good but I guess doesn’t always win races..
I think a lot of these 305 TPI cars were under rated on HP. My 91 auto Z28 was rated at 205 yet it would turn 14.7s stock. I think the L69 cars had more than 190 also. I'd rather have a TPI 5spd 5.0 than a 5.7 auto car any day.
I think he’s a little off on the hp as well.. I’ve seen the LB9 Auto reported at 210-215hp for 88 and the G92 at 220 with the 5.7 at 230. 86 was the year the LB9 was under 200hp as far as I knew. It’s strange that the auto has more torque reported than the G92 but less horsepower. I always thought horsepower was torque/time.. Torque feels good but I guess doesn’t always win races..
the 88 iroc 305 tpi auto had a measly 195 hp .. 5 more than the 86 iroc tpi .. what was gm thinking when they built these motors
the 88 iroc 305 tpi auto had a measly 195 hp .. 5 more than the 86 iroc tpi .. what was gm thinking when they built these motors
I think they underrated the horsepower for whatever reason.. either that or you can’t really feel a 25 hp difference..
The TPI 305 feels substantially quicker than the non TPI, however my G92 felt about the same when stock as my 305 auto. I also didn’t notice much of a difference in my friend’s 87 5.7L.
A lot of sources have the 88 TPI auto at 215hp. Maybe they just got confused at all the damn different 305 setups Chevy had as well.. I’m not buying 195hp. If it is, those are healthy horses..
Last edited by 88IROCvertZ; Nov 17, 2018 at 11:10 PM.
I think they underrated the horsepower for whatever reason.. either that or you can’t really feel a 25 hp difference..
The TPI 305 feels substantially quicker than the non TPI, however my G92 felt about the same when stock as my 305 auto. I also didn’t notice much of a difference in my friend’s 87 5.7L.
A lot of sources have the 88 TPI auto at 215hp. Maybe they just got confused at all the damn different 305 setups Chevy had as well.. I’m not buying 195hp. If it is, those are healthy horses..
My buddy's 92 is a G92 G80 N10 and pretty much is an ac delete away from the 1LE and his 305 5 speed is rated @ 225hp. I can tell you it feels like a hell of alot more than that,
I have the no performance package and an auto in my vert which I believe was 205HP and it feels every bit as strong as his 92. We each drove the others cars and could not feel a difference. We then had our drag race...we kept it safe on a less traveled road and I took him by about a car length. Both mostly stock cars with some miles on the both. I do have a 3'23? posi rear end., he has the 3.08 posi option. .I think GM HP rating leaves something to be desired and all the TPI cars just performed better and That the difference in the HP rating was probably just marketing.
I have read that the numbers were reported low because insurance companies were making it hard for people to buy these cars for whatever reason. I’ve heard many stories in person and otherwise that people would try to buy a brand new IROC and the insurance payment would be more than the car payment. They were considered dangerous cars and high theft.
I don’t think that happens now. I’d bet they sold more 305s by keeping the horsepower under 200 on paper. I feel that the horsepower now is exaggerated or overrated in some way since things have changed. 200 horsepower is common and cars are not as easy to steal so insurance prices are lower.
I do have insurance for three cars and a trailer and I think it’s only $60 more than my insurance on my 87 IROC was back in 93. My driving record is much better as well..
I heard a story from one guy that he couldn’t get insurance at all when trying to buy a brand new 89 IROC out of a showroom. I don’t think that happens now. I don’t hear about people getting denied insurance on Camaro SS, C7s or Hellcats.
The mechanic that checked out my 305 Vert when I got it shipped here said it was “pretty quick” and actually asked if it was a 5.7. I was surprised because you just hear over and over how slow the 305 auto is. Also because he drives mostly new cars which are all pretty quick these days.
I dont go go around bragging about how fast my car is, but I also don’t think it’s so slow it needs to be taken out back and put down either..
. .I think GM HP rating leaves something to be desired and all the TPI cars just performed better and That the difference in the HP rating was probably just marketing.
They had to keep all the numbers much lower than the Corvette too.
the 88 iroc 305 tpi auto had a measly 195 hp .. 5 more than the 86 iroc tpi .. what was gm thinking when they built these motors
They were thinking that these 195 hp, 2.73 geared cars will help with CAFE. We will load new car lots with them and most people will buy them because they are unaware of the higher performance versions.
