kern676

ok so im new here, but i figured i'd introduce myself and give the story of my car and a few pics. first off my name is jordan and i live in amsterdam new york. my other car is a built 98 neon with an SRT4 motor swap. ive always been into cars, and ive especially loved firebirds. the third gen is just so sexy... call me wierd, but id take a firebird over a trans am any day. anyway, i was sitting in the parking lot at my work one day when a guy i work with pulled in in a gorgeous black firebird, t-tops out, car shining like a new penny. i had no choice but to ask him where it came from. he told me "my grandfather bought in new in 89, he ordered it directly from the factory through the dealership my uncle worked at. he passed in 2006, at the ago of 89, and passed it along to my mother."

after talking to him for a while, i learned that the car had only 73k miles on it. his grandfather used it only for long highway trips and sunday roadtrips with his wife, then once in a while the uncle would come along and open her up to blow out the black smoke. "well, if she ever wants to sell it, find me." i told him.

so a few years passed. i checked out a few firebirds, nothing wa ever as good as it looked. i always found filler or mis-aligned panels, all of which turned me away. then a friend of mine bought a 92 firebird, 350 auto. it was a great car, but i couldnt deal with the auto. 350 power was nice, but ive always hated the slushboxes. i was about ready to buy it and swap transmissions when he "forgot" to put the oil drain plug in and made a giant 350cid paperweight... but thats a story for another day.

so time went on. i had a son, and at that point had given up on the idea of a firebird. then it happened. my work associate came in one day... "shes ready to sell."

I was so excited I couldn't think straight. The car had brand new tires, a new clutch, new distributor, rotor, cap, wires, a full tune up, everything was perfect and ready to go. it was like a brand new 1989 car. she hadnt planned to sell, but needed room for her new car. in the last 10, the car had been driven less than 1000 miles per year, so she couldnt hold onto it anymore. after a lot of debate it was decided. i was going to buy this firebird.

kern676

kern676

the car is immaculate. it has a lot of options i'm not used to, like power mirrors, door locks, windows, and rear hatch lift. its got tilt steering, which is new to me. its got cruise, and apparently the rare "t-tops and cloth interior" (this page puts it at 187 '89s with this option). it has locking lug nuts with a spare key and a spare set of lugs, alloy rims with a spare rim and centercap, and all the factory owner manuals and warranty information. it also has about 12 years of service and inspection records. i truly believe i got the deal of a lifetime.

kern676

so thats my story, and these are all pictures of her the day i got her, before a thurough cleaning. i just wanted to share my story with some other firebird fans. let me know what you think!

bakes85

looks real nice man!

92RS(real slow)

looks like a fun project what are your plans for it?

AmorgetRS

iTrader: (6)

Very nice looking car. I totally understand you on the AT. The cars just seem heavy and sluggish compared to the 5-speeds.

The 187 number for t-tops and the cloth interior is for the 1989 Turbo Trans Am, not all Firebirds.

HCR13

iTrader: (5)

very nice bird! how much did you pay if you don't mind us asking?

kern676

plan are to keep it completely bone stock and clean... its too clean to start tearing it apart, i think. mainly just plan to clean her up a bit. i'll probably put in a small stereo system as the stocker is shot, but ill definitely keep an OEM radio and speakers on hand so i can switch back to factory quickly. other than that, i need to fix a crack in a coolant line, fix the headlights so that they will go down, and then id like to figure out why the passenger window is so much slower than the drivers window and whats up with the mirrors only going 2 ways, but thats all little stuff. i know im going to want to tear into it, luckily i have a friend with an 87 z28 hes resto-modding, another friend with an 89 iroc that hes doing a total rebuild on, and yet another freind tearing down an 82 trans am that are always asking for help to keep me off of this haha. as for price it was 2500, in the shape its in it was a steal. i need to get pics of the underbody. the cats are still shiny. the car was maintained meticulously.

kern676

awww... and i thought i was special...haha thanks for clearing that up, tho. it makes a lot more sense.

gio.cortes89

i have the same problem on my 92 firebird with the windows..i thought it may be the motor or actuator going out but i havent checked into it yet

gio.cortes89

beautiful car btw