Hello All,

After alot of years away from the scene/game, I am considering purchasing another IROC. Here's the deal. It's gonna be either a 1989 car w/ T-Tops and a 5.7L or a 1990 car with a 5.7L. I know the specs of both cars well and I know that T-Tops were not offered with the 350 engine in 1990.

The facts: This car will not be a race car. It will be a summer cruiser....1989 was the first year the rear shoulder belt was offered in the back seats. Since I'm a Dad, Uncle, Godfather to alot of kids that are 9 years old or less I want a 1989 or 1990. You guys all know that for 1990 the interior is alot nicer than the 1989. But I've heard there are issues w/ the air bag, electronics and dash which all appeared for the first time in 1990. I would also prefer t-tops which is a 1989 option only. If I buy one of these I would not sell the car any time soon if I buy it. You guys all know there were only 12,370 cars produced with the 5.7L engine in 1989 and less than that had the L98 dual cat set up. That being said there were only 2,415 cars produced with the 5.7L for 1990 which makes it about as rare as the 2,575 units of 1972 Z28's........I'm looking at cruising and collectability. I know sometimes it's hard to have both. And I know sometimes the t-tops leak when going through any type of car wash.

All things considered which car would you guys buy if both cars were the same color interior & exterior and in the same condition mechanically, body and interior wise...... I am unable to post links to ads here since this is the tech section so try to visualize this

1) a 1989 IROC-Z w/ 5.7L, T-Tops----cruisin' in style
2) a 1990 5.7L IROC-Z same exact car as #1, same colors, mileage, etc, with no t-tops as t-tops were not available w/ a 5.7L for this model year.
3) a 1989 IROC- Z w/ 5.7L, w/ no t-tops because you guys hate the fact some t-tops leak when you are taking your car through even a touchless car wash.
4) a 1990 5.7L IROC-Z----dude there were only 2,415 of these made withe the 350 engine, forget t-tops this is the car you want.


I'm looking to spend between $4 to $5 and maybe up to $7,500 for the right car. With the economy & housing market $*cking @$$ right now these things are coming down in price and they may go down further after Labor Day & by Halloween. I also posted a poll.


Some guys may say screw the t-tops and get the 1990 5.7L car since it's pretty rare and it's a nicer interior. Others will say give me the 1989 5.7L w/ t-tops since the 1989 car pretty much used the same type of dash as the prior year third gen's.

Thanks!

SSG

*******P.S. I forgot to add that when comparing the 4 cars above and/or in the poll, it would be an all original matching numbers comparison including original paint code for all 4 vehicles.

 

rarity is definietly a factor of future value, but this keep in mind... if you look back into the late 60's and early 70's muscle cars (Camaros, Firebirds, GTO's, Mustangs, etc). rarity is highly dependent of how "stock" the car is... numbers matching, origional color, condition, etc. that is where the cars get pricey in both directions. you will pay exponentailly higher for a numbers matching "rare" car, but you also have to consider that if you want to keep it in a relatively stock form, you are going to pay alot more to do so.

take for example my neighbors numbers matching 1968 Mustang. He has had it for a while, so he didnt pay a ton for it, but his (gauge) cluster went bad causing all sorts of electrical issues. he doesnt want anything aftermarket due to the drop in value, and it needs to be OEM and working. he has been looking for a cluster for several months and hasnt found one for under $500 (that he would put in there).

obviously there are alot more third gens around and extra parts, etc. now, but that has two effects. the more that there are, the lower the value (typically) and the longer it takes to make it worth something along the lines of Barret-Jackson and related auctions. the major factor is how long you plan to hold on to it and how "stock" it is at a later time.


personally i wouldnt factor the rarity into my descision as a primary determinant UNLESS it is VERY STOCK and has COMPREHENSIVE RECORDS and a CLEAN TITLE, without any of those the rarity would not play a major effect.

 

I am a big fan or rarity. I don't care whether it is stock or modified, personally. I used to care ... I thought that since I had 1-of-663 T/A verts from 1992 ... and mine came with just about every option available, I would like to keep it stock ... well, the old 305 with 120k on it decided to go kerplunk, and I decided that modded was the way to go. Why not make a nice car nicer?

Mindsets are changing these days. I saw on a TV auction (not Barrett Jackson ... can't remember what it was called) a 1960s Jaguar that was 1 of less than 3,000 go for over 100k ... and it was a complete hot rod! GM V8, custom interior, front & rear disk brakes, etc. The announcers on the show expected it to go for around 70k since it was not original, but it actually brought more than an original car just like it did!

P.S. Aren't choices 2 & 4 the same?

 

Screw the '90 with no t-tops. It's rarity means nothing considering what it is.

Want a cruiser? Go with the '89 with t's. You'll love it!

 

I own an 89 5.7. Its an awesome ride that i plan on keeping stock for now. I'm not a big fan of the 90 Roc. The interior doesn't have that IROC feel to it, u know what i mean?? To much digital stuff like the dash and the airbag as well. Plus the 89 is the last of the 80's!! so maybe thats worth something LOL Either way its your choice, hey buy one of each!! Good luck bro.

 

there are definitely situations like that, but remember, its all about the bidders that are bidding.

regardless, there are still so many thirdgens around that it is going to be a while before the rarity will play a big factor. and it would likely be a while before average (non-enthusiest) people and buyers even realize that 1990 5.7 IROC's are relatively rare (in comparison to the other third gens).

 

by the way... the 1989-1991 1LE camaros are where the rarity is at, all less than 500 produced. 1992 there were around 700.

 

I have owned a 1990 firebird and now a 91 formula and have never had problems with the air bags or the electrical components of the dash. One thing to consider is the change from MAF computer system to speed density in 1990. I do believe that the quality of the interior and also the annoying rattles improved in 1991 and 92.
Personally, if I were to consider a t-top car, I would consider a set of sub frame connectors. I have a forth gen firebird as well, and although I have never owned a third gen with t-tops, you can definitely feel a lot more body flex in the fourth gen which has the t-tops. The same could be true for a third gen with the t-tops. Convertibles I think were specially reinforced for the lack of a roof, but GM did not do the same for the t-top cars.
Just my two cents. Good luck hunting.

 

Personally I prefer a hardtop over T-tops. But that's me.

All 1990's and newer seem to have the 1LE gas tanks (less starvation around corners when fuel is 1/4 or less). Interior is your choice.

I hate to say it, but I think the rarity of a 1990 IROC is overrated. Unless it's a 1LE or Player's Challenge car. Otherwise, there were a million IROC's made over the years and very little sets them apart aside from the obvious things. Better brakes in the later years, seatbelts etc.

The dual cat exhaust is a tiny bit better. But if you ever want to put a high flow cat system in, the dual cat Catco runs $370 vs $140 for the single Catco. (#4153 vs #9118)

Either the 89 or the 90 sounds like fun. Can't go wrong with either really.

 

A fun car to ride around with the kids >and< a numbers matching trailer queen investment car, does not compute.
A single car cannot be both.
You should think long and hard which of these you really want.
I don't think the rarity factor will be significant like in the 1st gens. There were too many 3rd gens made.
These cars were built to be fun. There's nothing worse than your friend showing you his mint condition, numbers matching sports car under the cover in his garage and you say "damn, let's take it for a spin". Only to hear "can't do that, it's only got 23,000 original miles and we can't add to it. Besides, if someone ran into us, I'd be out $40,000". He'd be better off owning an expensive painting, it would take up a lot less room.
I say screw the rarity factor, get something you and the kids can enjoy.
Shop for a good body. It's easier to replace drive train parts than body/interior parts. The SBC will be serviceable for decades to come.
The only decision is T-tops. Talk to people that own them.
Half of them love 'em, half of them hate 'em. If you want a 5.7 , ask why the '90 5.7 wasn't available with T-tops (and the '89 shouldn't have been)...

 

finally somebody is thinking straight... lol. kids and a "rare" car definietly do not mix, and there are so many that i agree that an IROC (non 1LE)will not become an expensive car for a long time if ever (sadly).

as far as t-tops and not having them, there is a remote possibility that the 1990 would be less desireable because of no t-tops despite the rarity.

i have had an 87 w/ t-tops and my 85 doesnt have them.

the t-tops were fun for a while on the 87, but after a while i got sick of them for many reasons.

intermittant leaks (after constantly, messing with weatherstripping and fully replacing).
heating up the car faster in Florida
PITA to take off compared to a vert (even though it is doable in a minute),
then if you kept them off while making a quick run into say an auto store or restaurant, you would have to worry about somebody stealing them (or anything else in your car.
i also didnt like that it weakens up the chassis (although fixable by subframes).

but its up to you.

 

I think it depends on if it's a summer only car or if it's a year round year. Also how much do his children know about you only touch the door handle, not the paint. And not to play hockey near where the car is parked.

 

He hit the nail on the head with the short trips and the T's. I love them, but I'm not usually driving for long enough to warrant taking them out. Especially around here in Tucson.

Related, but not thirdgen, note, I was sitting at a Discount Tire down here, and a guy had an appointment, showed up, left his keys in the ignition, ran in to tell the guys that was it, and they were gonna load it in the bay immediately, and the car was gone. Stolen within three minutes. Scary place for cars.

 

If that is your budget, you better stick with the '89.
A '90 IROC around here is going for $15k.

Unless you want the second half '90 Z-28.

 

Good grief!
But then again you have to put it into perspective. A 2000 Sq Ft home around here is $79K. What's a 2000 Sq Ft home in Orange County cost?
(shudder)
I forgot to vote: no T-tops. SFC's are expensive.

 

They have recently dropped but about........$400k- $550k

I actully saw a couple of '90 IROC's for sale the other day for $30k each.
(must want to keep them)