I found a 88 Trans Am GTA for sale near me and I'm considering buying it. I was wondering how reliable these cars are? . My dad says that they weren't, but he's never owned one, or any American car for that matter. I know it won't have Toyota/Honda/Nissan reliability, but it's a price I'm willing to pay. The car in question has 200k on it but the guy says it has a GM Crate engine with 15k miles on it and claims that the transmission and the rear end have been rebuilt. I haven't contacted the guy yet, so I can't confirm whether the work has been done. The seller wants 2500 OBO for the car, I would probably offer 1500 and work from there.

Thanks in advance.

 

I hate it when people say only hondas and such are reliable.
ANY car can break down, no matter what make or model.

But if he is legit about it being a crate motor and having been rebuilt, I would say it will be pretty reliable. Price on the other hand i dunno lol

 

I own an 87 GTA and when everything iss set up right on these cars they're plenty reliable...and as you know the car is only as good as the maintenance provided by its owner...Youd have a ton of fun with it and def turn some heads around town...Don't be afraid to join us third gen fans after all I dont think anyone on this site would steer you away from buying a GTA

 

It's an insult to say "it won't have Toyota/Honda/Nissan reliability". A GTA is essentially the same as any other 3rd gen, as far as basic build.

My 87 GTA just crossed the 200,000 mile on the original engine & rear end (tranny was rebuilt a few months ago). It takes less than 2 seconds of a key turn to start. Still gets 20 mpg on the highway/16 pg in the city. And I still have the power to roast the 315 rear tires (stock width was 245).

It is all in how you use the car & especially maintenance, in how reliable it will be. Drag race the car every weekend & you've "killed" its lifespan. I enjoy my car...Some spirited driving, but I never go to the dragstrip....Just doesn't interest me.

Treat a car right (any car) & it will treat you right back.

I'm sorry to hear that your father has such a narrow minded outlook on American cars & you have never enjoyed an American car

 

I agree whole heartedly with above posters. I've owned nothing but american cars . Every car or truck I've owned has gone well over 100K. Many of the trucks I've owned were bought with well over 100K and then driven for another 100,000 miles. Currently my '99 Chevy work van has 175,000, my wifes 2000 Bonneiville has 130,000 and my IROC has 135K. Not ready to get rid of any of them yet. Only my '69 Firebird has less than 100K (70,000)and that's because the last owner would rather pay for storage than enjoy the car. His loss, my gain. If the GTA looks and drives good and you can get it for a good price, grab it and enjoy.

 

Lot's of 3rd gens get beat on badly, or hacked up by people who think they know how to make it better, if it's pretty much original then it should be pretty reliable, but the wiring and lots of parts are still 20+ years old. I know my 92 RS has never left me stranded, just had to replace a few parts here and there, I would jump in it today and drive it cross country.

 

My camaro has been the most reliable car i've ever owned. The only time it is ever not running is when i've taken it apart to do an upgrade!

 

Also a good thing to know is that if something does go wrong, parts for are cars are CHEAP!

 

There's nothing more reliable than a small block chevy. (Did you notice the period at the end of that sentence?) Period.

 

The small block is nearly indestructible, it will run and run and run and run and run and run. My 74 Nova I had a little while ago had 452K miles on it with NO rebuild on the engine (I had mileage records to prove it). Even the 60* motors aren't bad, my 2.8 maro has 170K and starts first crank every time. Japanese cars are NOT more reliable than American cars, I've had a hell of a lot more trouble with imports than domestics. My step-father used to hate American cars, then he bought a 92 Camaro. Nuff said

 

Thanks guys.
One other thing I need to ask is how well do tall people fit in the 3rd Gens. I'm 6'2 or so and have a long torso.

 

You might want to take it for a drive before you pay the man. I'm 6'1" and I fit, but I'm more legs than body. My head clears the roof just fine, especially with T-tops.

 

These cars are very reliable, but again, keep in mind that a lot of the parts are getting to be 20+ years old. If it hasn't been ragged on, or hacked up, you won't have many problems aside from normal wear and tear. Thefuel injection systems (TPI and TBI) are both very reilable, and not all that difficult to fix when they do break.

My 91 Z28 vert has somewhere between 115k and 180k miles (due to gauge cluster swaps by PO, not sure of actual mileage). Even before I did head gaskets and a cam swap last summer, that car starts every time, and runs so smooth you could balance a nickel on the intake. It only marginally improved after the head gaskets. That car let me down ONCE, when the original 19 year old IAC valve took a crap last summer, 10 min fix and BAM never left me stranded or given me any problems.

 

With 200k, you're looking at more maintence than a 20,000 mile 2002 Trans Am.

Struts wear our, springs, bushings, driveline components, heater cores, radiators; parts will fail. In flordia you won't have to worry about rust, which is nice for the underbody.