Are IROCS with either 305 or 350 tpi reliable enough to be my first car ?

 

Yes

No

It depends

Like ANY old car, it's gonna reliably need work as stuff wears out. ALL cars, even brand new ones, occasionally need stuff, are you up for learning what it takes to maintain it?

If yes, sure go ahead and buy it as long as it's been well maintained up to this point.

If no, buy a bunch of Bus passes......

 

I hear ya , it’s because I’m in between an IROC and a thunderbird SC 3.8 sc motor 1992, the thunderbird is a one owner well kept car , one of the only thunderbirds ive ever found even though I’ve searched for a while . Posted the question about “which car is best for a first car an iroc or TBird SC” on the Super coupe community forums and they all said that the TBird SC is way more prone to problems than the iroc , so I’m stuck in between . Yes i am willing to learn a lot , pops is a mechanic and im following in his footsteps so I always have the back up from him aswell

 

They aren't unreliable per se, but all 30+ year old machines of sufficient complication have the capacity to be unreliable. A lot depends on how the car has been taken care of, and what has been replaced. Not many mechanics want to work on pre-OBD2 EFI systems these days, so if you aren't planning on doing your own work, you could end up in a bind.

If you are young, and you are not rich, I would advise to get something very boring, and very practical (camry, civic, gmt400, gmt800), until you can establish yourself the space and means to enjoy a vintage sports car as a second car. Then you can daily it when you want, and take care of its issues without them being a burden on your life. Stress zaps all the fun out of the car hobby.

 

For a first car, an ANTIQUE is not usually a good choice, esp not if you plan on depending on it as a daily driver.

The turbo Frod was a known dud in its own day. One of those things that look good on paper but in meatspace was a giant POS. A bad enough choice already for a daily driver in 1992. Isn't any better 30 years later.

The Camaro was pretty decent for reliability in its day. Question then becomes, since the last production of the IROC was in 1989 (GM's contract with the International Race Of Champions series for the use of their name terminated on Dec 31 1989), how has it been treated in the ensuing 33 years (go visit the "Electronics" page on this forum and see what people go through with HACKED wiring to get an idea what you might discover yourself faced with); and how much down time, parts expense, and willingness to repair it (relying on "mechanic" will be ECONOMIC SUICIDE) can you afford to deal with, how well stocked are you with tools, do you have a space you can work on it in, and so on. Never forget, it's an ANTIQUE; things WILL be wrong with it when you get it, things WILL go wrong afterwards from time to time, and if you're tempted to abuse it you WILL tear it up and face some $$$$$ repairs; and on top of all that, it's an ANTIQUE. Many parts you may need, or just want (like interior or body pieces for example), might not be easy to get, simply due to its age. Mechanical hard parts like brakes and things under the hood are mostly readily available, but lots of other stuff... not so much. Some things, like quality tires that fit it, have vanished from the face of the Earth, along with the trilobites and dinosaurs.

My advice would be, if you're at the level of asking on Internet forums about ANTIQUE cars and their reliability, that NONE will really suit your needs, because an ANTIQUE is inherently not "reliable" no matter what brand or model. Just overall doesn't sound like A Good Idea.

Yes I have adult children.

 

if you can,buy the IROC,Thunderbird,and an old pickup truck Avoid getting seen in imports. My '82 z28,owned since 1990,has been the most reliable car I have owned,drove it all seasons for 5 years until I got winter cars.I don't know much about the Thunderbird,but I know earlier versions of the Ford 3.8,aluminum heads,iron block,used to need head gaskets every 70-80000....Get an old pickup truck to use on crappy weather days

 

So there it is, you have the interest, and your dad is a mechanic, now all you need is to answer the all important condition question. Has your father seen the car? As a mechanic surely he'd know a hacked up hooptie VS a well kept vintage car.

And now, , , since a picture is worth about half a million words (I know, I know, , it used to be a thousand words, but inflation & all, supply chain, bla bla bla) why haven't we seen pics yet of the object of your affection?.....

 

I agree with everyone here. My own experience might make you feel better, but TLDR: It'll be a pain in your butt.

I have daily driven my 87 Trans Am that had 89k on it in Upstate New York for going on 4 years now and I am by no means wealthy or an expert mechanic. I park that thing outside and throw wrenches at it when I have to. Get yourself the service manuals, some hand tools, and some bandaids and you might be ok. It really depends on the shape it's in and how well it's been taken care of. Before that, I daily drove a 78 in college for four years that was totally MacGuyvered together with paperclips and zip ties and it let me down constantly, but I learned a lot of what it takes to keep it going and applied it to this. I've been stranded a few times when alternators went out or water pumps started eating themselves, but these aren't that hard to replace. Check the oil, check the fluids, the brakes, the lines, the emissions stuff and if you feel good about it and the price is right, I say go for it. You might get screwed but oh well, who cares, you'll learn. You might not, too and then it's a win/win. If you're young and broke and you got the time to learn, I think it's a good time to buy an old F-Body. They're getting rarer and if you've got the time (which isn't really all that much) to learn how to keep it running I say more power to you.

 

Here is the TBird

 

My pops and I are going to see the car and test drive it this Sunday . He’s had an 84 z28 5.0 H.O that he swapped in a 350 4 bolt main , had it about 7 years. He also owned an 89 SC TBird 5 speed for about 2 years so he has experience with both the 3rd gen and TBird

 

Wow that T bird looks great, I really hope the IROC looks as good, and of course if it does look good I really hope you DO get it

I'll be looking forward to seeing pics of the IROC after the test drive !

 

Just my 2 cents as someone who did things the "wrong" way when I was younger and didn't listen to the practical advice of my dad: I got an 88 GTA as my first car right after high school as my primary car, just going to college and working part time at a restaurant. was it fun and did it give me a many good times and smiles? yes absolutely. However when it started having problems, I was a little bit in over my head and budget at the time. (I had basic car repair and mechanical knowledge, but looking back from what I know now, I was still very green.) I did eventually get the problems fixed (main one being fuel injectors replaced before I knew how to diagnose/replace them properly) and I paid a big buck for the mechanic to do it. Gas was expensive, and relatively at the time it was CHEAP, so if it was 2022 with inflation and these prices, I probably wouldn't have been able to keep driving it. Eventually I came to my senses and while I kept the car and used it as a secondary fun summer car, I bought a stick 99 Civic Sedan as a daily driver, which was dead reliable and cheap to maitnain up until someone tboned me. I kept replacing the civic with newer civics to have the economical daily driver and the thirdgen as the "fun project car" and that still holds true, although now I have a truck for grown up life (reliable tundra) as well as my civic SI EM1

If I had to do it all over again, I would have bought the civic first and then saved up for the fun toy as a secondary, where if it had problems I had time to work on it and not worry about needing to get somewhere reliably. That being said all cars will need maintenance and repairs, and it depends on how well it was maintained prior to you buying it. If your dad is a mechanic that does give you an advantage as well.

 

This is the worst! If the Z has what appears to be a a giant bowl of spaghetti stuffed on the engine bay and under the dash, and the seller mentions in passing anything about ANY charging/lighting/alarm issues, RUN!

 

I think both cars are too much for a first time driver. But both are great cars, The T -bird is much more rare and will be more versatile for you. It will give you a muscle car and luxury car. Plus the supercharger makes the best sound EVER! But the Iroc is Classic American muscle. Has the V8 rumble. Being someone that has owned both. Its a toss up. You will have to explain to your friends what the T-bird is. You will not have to do that with the Iroc. The T-bird will be faster with just a little work. Knowing what I know now. I would go with the T-bird. The Iroc will be worth more down the road. Its just such a toss up. SORRY for my first Reply the Step dad in me came out!! LOL! Bought my Step son a 2002 Camaro RS for his first car, 40,000 miles 1 owner car. He wanted a V8 but we did the V6 since it was his first car, He wants a V8 so bad!! We actually looked at a T-bird SC and he didn't like it. Now (7 months later) he wishes he said yes to the third after he saw what you can do to them. LOL! Can't go wrong with either car. Go with what you like better and what one was taken better care of

 

That would depend entirely on the condition and prior repair/maintenance record of the 3rd gen in question. One in top condition that has been regularly cared for would likely be as reliable as any newer car. Conversely, if you buy a clapped-out model that was someone else's cast-off, you're in for a LOT of work and expen$e.The latter will be especially true if you don't have the tools and skills to do the required repair work yourself and have to farm it out to some "shop."

As an aside, buying any 30+ year-old car probably isn't t a good idea for someone with little/no mechanical skill unless he has deep pockets.

 

Danny's answer in post #3, to the same thing I mentioned in post #2, appears to have the maintenance angle figured out. He hasn't posted back so perhaps his father saw something with the IROC that was a dealbreaker...

 

Okay after seeing the SC GO WITH THE THE T-BIRD!!! That car looks clean! You will love the supercharger whine!! As for my first reply I hope you go back and read the edited replay I posted. The step Dad in me came out!! LOL!!

 

I went with the SC , I’m loving it , such a smooth and comfortable ride and when you get on it , it does it’s job with that supercharger

 

you are correct , the T-Bird compared to the iroc blew it out the water with the conditions they were both in , T-Bird was in good/great shape , while the iroc was pretty busted up , went with the T-Bird SC and I’m loving it !

 

Very good, and if in the future you want an IROC, you now know what to look for to get a good one. With Real Estate it may be all about "Location, location, and location" , but with cars it's absolutely "Condition, condition, and condition".

Enjoy your new ride

 

Good choice! The T bird is a bad ride!! You can do so much with just a little tweak here and there. Mine was blazing fast for the time and such a nice car. ENJOY!!