arejay86

i'm 19 on the 24 of feb, but i've had my IROC for almost a year now. but the thing that got me hooked was like i was prolly 8 or 9 and the guy down the street used to have like 91 or 92 z-28. and i saw that thing for the first time from the front and it kinda looked like it was smilin @ me. like with the headlights bein eyes and the grill , man, and ever sense then, i'd see all these cool high school guys drivin 3rd gens, now that i graduated last year, everyone who had a camaro or firebird, all were 4th gen 6 cyclinders, and i seriously just get off on leavin their *** at a stop light or from a stop sign cause they thought that they were hot ****, and now their lossin to a car thats almost 17 years old. but it was that lil cherry red z-28 @ the end of my block that smiled @ me that hooked me, and ever since then, i've been lookin for just that perfect 3rd gen. found it last year in an 88 IROC-Z with a 305 TPI with a 135 grand on it and a new paint job needed badly. but i saw it, and just fell in love with it. thats my story. now i've got about 700 saved for the paint job and it will be repainted after this summer, hopefully the summer of 2006, it will be go to thirdgen fest in IA and impress.

redraif

I'll never sell mine either! The thing that got me into them I hate to say was watching Knight Rider as a kid! I loved KITT. I'm definately going to be buying more! In fact, as time goes on I like 3rd gens even better. I'm even concidering buying a Camaro if the lady will agree to it. Its a fixer upper! Bad engine been sitting for YEARS. Want it as a daily driver!

I actually really want a convertible. I'm thinking 91-92 Camaro (black)! Another I would love to have is a black GTA to leave stock. I'm debating about a 89 black/black leather GTA T-top 350 car (year I was 15), or a 1988 black/black leather GTA t-top Notchback 350 car (was not 15, but hey an 88 could have still been sitting on the lot in early 89!) Dream car sort of thing that has never gone away! I asked for a Black/black GTA t-top car when my family was discussing it back when I was 15. Course dad said no way to a v-8. Of course I said well there is the TTA, its a v-6. That would have been the bomb! Well you know what he said! Now the emissions test black 89 TTA that Car Motorsports has. Now that I would give just about anything for. That would be the perfect combo of my dreams cars from when I was 15! the TTA being white was the only reason I did not fight for that car, but I really don't think dad would have in a million years agreed!

tilstad

So you're the same age as me redraif My father in the eighties bought a mitsubishi..lol...cause it was "so reliable". He's not into cars at all.

redraif

Yeah dad almost got me a Eclipse. But then we all took it for a test drive and I could not sit up straight in the backseat! I'm only 5foot 7...though I still always wanted a 3rd gen! Had a friend down the street with a beautiful white 2nd gen TA he was going to GIVE me! Unrestored mint! Dad said the engine was too powerful and I could not have it! We also had a Buick wildcat I would ahve loved to keep, but dad sold it. It was like a 67-69 model...gold convertible. the ones they made with the 454 I think! Anyway only 500 ever made...man I wanted it! I totally see me at car shows now with it bagged! I'm plaaning on running a vin search at the DMV and seeing if I can get it back! the guy who had it restored it, so maybe its not been totaled somewhere yet!

redneckT/A

Had to be the bandit, saw that movie and was hooked. Then my grandpa got an 1981 Z28 that just added to it, my parents had a 1991 RS, it was just the coolest looking thing in the world. I had to have one of those cars, now I do 89 Iroc-z.
Thirdgens just are the coolest car ever, especially when your only 17 on a tight budget.

1982TA

iTrader: (1)

I've always thought the Firebirds were awesome ever since I first saw Knight Rider when I was 5 years old. When I was 18 I wanted to get an '80 TA but it fell through. I got an '86 Grand Prix instead...my girlfriend (now wife) hated it. I've always wanted a Grand National and I found one for cheap but that also fell through (Wife thinks they are old "grandpa" cars). After that car got stolen and my other car after that (Chrysler LeBaron) blew the engine I need another. Firebird??. Unfortunately my wife thought Firebirds were not "practical" and didn't want me to buy one. She said she would be embarassed to ride it it anyway because she visions old guys with ******s trying to be young driving them I got an '89 Ford Probe instead

Well, then recently I got some money and still on my quest to find a Grand National my wife was looking in the news paper and found an '82 TA for sale. She told me to look at it. At first I was reluctant cause I really wanted to get a GN, but I always loved the 3rd gens also. I called the guy up and went to look at it. He said I was the first person to call and he was surprised he got a response to fast. I bought it that day...needless to say my wife thinks the car is pretty cool too

Cadillac

r3dn3ck image be damned. I know a good looking car when I see it (and can afford it). I've owned and driven a lot of cars in my life and this one is by far my favorite:

f355bird

iTrader: (2)

I always wanted to have something with a V8 like a camaro or a mustang all my life. When i turned 16 my dad refused to let me get anything with power so i got a dodge dakota. So when i got a little bit older and came across some money i started to look at what everything was going for. I decided i wanted to stay GM but i had some requirements. I wanted a V8, 5speed,and ttops and something that was not worn out that i could daily drive. I looked at a bunch of thirdgens most of them had atleast 150K or more miles and hadnt had the motor rebuilt. I almost bought a 89 Iroc that was black with silver lettering and it had ttops but it was an auto and had what i think to be something wrong with the odometer it said 450,xxx miles and it burned some oil when it first started but it was in real nice shape paint, and interior wise it looked good. I found my formula in the autotrader the add said
1987 Formula firebird black 126,000 miles
Ttops
new clutch
rebuilt 355 tpi with less than 3,000 miles
5 speed
comp cam
hooker exhaust
24lb injectors
3,900 obo
Plus i am a big fan of nightrider and it reminded me of kit. It had the offset hoodscoop and it was black. So i had to have it even before i went and saw. I fail in LURV
Here is when i first got it

stitchop

I was 18 and the 4th gen was new, and I wanted one so bad. I found a 93 Z28 at the local Chevy dealer, but they would not let me test drive it unless I bought it. I got the loan approved, but I would not sign unless they let me test it out, but they said their policy forbid it, so I bought a 91 firebird from a friend. Best move I ever made. Now I can't stand the 4rth gens.

brandilove

Well, how I got interested in Camaros was the fact that my mom had a 1st gen Camaro. Her and her best friend both had one. She bought it from the showroom floor. She loved this car. At the time she was telling me about her car (and showing me and my sister pictures of it) was around the time the 3rd gens were out. I was like damn...I want one of those. They were just so beautiful. Well her it is 10 years or so later and I'm on my second 3rd gen. Bought the first one in 2003. As for my age I am 29. Hmmm though I dont see too many females behind the wheel of a 3rd gen. Which is okay I guess it just makes me stand out more

redraif

Not the only one...I'm a 30 year old female who is still on her 1st car...a 87 firebird

omnipotentgoku

iTrader: (1)

My first experience...

I had a friend with an 87 IROC Z, and I was ignorant to the difference between torque and HP. He said he'd show me. L98 with a mild SLP cam.. that was enough for me at the time. I still have that friend, but I now have that IROC : ) . May the Torq be with you.. always..

+ Knight Rider + the IROC races + the sound of my buddies IROC...etc.. so many reasons. Including my favorite unrehearsed picture.

(feel this way anytime I get to drive her, someone just happen to catch it on film)




Not only that, reading this often gives me goose bumps and renews my love consistently)



(a friend redid this one)


My reason for keeping it.. Thirdgen.org . I've been through most of the TG gremlins, and so many members have helped me through so much. Not only that, the motivation is unsurmontable when I see someone take a ragged out TG and make it into the hottest ride in town. Even better is those who stand by their TG when no one else would despite its looks or performance. Thats love. My thanks go out to a community unlike any other.

Cozumel

Well, I've been into muscle cars for awhile. owned a 76 Plymouth Valiant, then a '79 Nova. after the Nova started running me rough, i started thinking about what i wanted next. i really wanted an '87 GN, but it was not in my price range, so i started looking at fbodys. then i needed to move. so i sold it and bought a saturn for $200. drove that POS for two years, thinking about what i'd get next. i was thinking camaro or firebird. then my friend's '87 T/A went up for sale, i just couldn't get the money to buy it from her. then another friend was selling their '86 IROC, but it had been sitting too long. then i realized that i don't like camaro's anyhow. so, finally i get the money to buy my friend's T/A, and on the way to check it all out, i see an '89 Formy for sale. asking $1000. the t/a was going for $750 with 150k miles, underbody and low panel rust. looked at the formy again when i went home and test drove it. interior was clean, body was pretty good minus hood rust and a little rust round the antenna. paint was faded. was a beachside car for the first 10 years of it's life. less than 60k original miles. i offered $800, they took it. this car is a beauty. aside from needing to tighten up the accelerator cable and adjust a few things here and there, it's been a dream. can't wait to get a new fiberglass or aluminum powerbulge hood for it. i love my car though. has a shift kit in it... squeels through first and chirps em hard in second. oh well, that's my story.

JungleMan

My friend had an '87 IROC, and I instantly was wowed by the cool factor when he pulled up one day with his t-tops off and his V8 engine rumbling. I had seen people at school in Mustangs and stuff...but nothing caught my attention like that t-top IROC. So I rode in his car a couple of times, and I was impressed. I was convinced, my first car would be an F-body. All of my friends swore that I was insane...me, in an F-body? But, I proved them wrong...

Buying a 3rd-gen was actually a very last minute decision...I spent most of my time looking at 4th-gens. Nice cars, but it seemed that every single one I looked at was a piece of junk, operational-wise. I also heard people talking about the Optispark (I could not afford an LS1), the 93 octane fuel requirement, higher maintenance costs, the engine placement (ever pop the hood on a 4th gen?) and the handling and styling differences from older models. So I decided I'd expand my view to look at third-gens, even though I hated the interior (which actually isn't so bad)

I didn't figure I'd have too much better luck looking at OLDER cars, but I just happened to be browsing AutoTrader one day and came across a '91 model with just 56K on the clock, and in great condition (mostly due to neglect, but hey, better than having the hell driven out of it). NC car and garaged so not a speck of rust or faded paint. Really a clean looking car overall. I was reluctant to get it since it was just an L03, but the lack of horsepower has only made me more motivated to actually put some wrench time into this car, learn more about it, and say I did it myself. So here I am $2400+ in mods later and it's still slow, but it handles far better than stock, and the small-block has tons of potential...and this fall I'll show people what this 305 can do.

Today my friend drives a 2001 Camaro SS M6, which is a very awesome car (and way faster than that IROC!)...but it's not a thirdgen, it doesn't feel or ride like a thirdgen, it doesn't look like a thirdgen. It's a very different car. I have briefly contemplated selling my car and buying a 4th, but then I realized I didn't want to blend in with every other person out there. So I've decided to hang on to my car and get some good wrench time in on it.

I do like 4th-gens and would love to own one someday (in addition to a third-gen of course), but a third-gen has that old-school "badass" factor that no 4th-gen car can replace. Not to mention how incredibly easy and cheap they are to work on. A clean and fast (soon!) third-gen is tough to find and I'm going to hang on to mine as long as I can.

Cadillac

Amem brother. Righteous ride there in tarheel country (App State Grad myself).

SchwarzCamaroRS

i bought my 3rdgen cuz it was Damn Camaro!! lol.. too bad it was an LO3

budweiserbeauty

my brother is 12 years older than me and when he was 17 he had a 2nd gen, 1980 Z28, always took me cruising in it. and then i grew up around race cars and at the track, and watching nascar and indy, so i had a love for fast machines!

ever since i started dating my bf (jcurrieirocz), ive wanted one even more cause he has 2 and since he won't share i had to buy my own! now we have our own 3rd gen club starting in our driveway!

SchwarzCamaroRS

It is a Camaro

Ive wanted a 1stgen since was old enough to know what they were

Mine is a convertible, it was V8, it was black, it was affordable

with under 10k TOTAL cost, i can get 3600lb car into the 13 sec time bracket, naturally aspirated and smog legal... and the best part, i still have respect for myself because its not an import.. lol

umm... finally... ITS A CAMARO...

C-an
A-nnihalate
M-ustangs
A-nd
R-icers
O-bviously

LT1guy

iTrader: (1)

Ok, this is a long story...
I have pretty much always been into cars, and remember two brothers who lived across the street from my grandmother when I was a kid (back in the early 70s). One had a red 69 Mach 1, the other had a blue 69 Camaro SS. I thought both were pretty cool, but liked the Camaro the best. The 2nd gen TA was my favorite car, though, esp after Smokey and the Bandit! In 1982, the hottest girl in my school got a dark gray metallic 82 Firebird (305/auto) for her birthday, and gave me a ride in it (lucky 12 year old!)...not sure which looked better, her or the car! I had the third gen bug after that, esp when the IROC Zs came out, and later the GTAs. Decent third gens were out of my price range when I was 15, and I didn't have a whole lot to spend, so I wound up buying a '57 Chevy Belair two door hardtop (ironically, worth far more now than about any 3rd gen!). I bought my first F-body in late 94 (a 95 Z28), then two more (a 94 Z and a 97 SS). I hadn't been around third gens much at all, but when I met Redraif at a club meeting and started helping her with her car, I first realized how affordable they had become, and how easy they were to work on. Plus, the parts were so much cheaper than 4th gen parts! Soon after that I bought my first 3rd gen (an 85 TA that needed everything), and a daily driver 87 TA (which is about to go under the knife). I'm planning on buying more third gens in the next few years: a 91-92 Z convertible, a 91-92 Formula, a Mecham MSE, an 89 Turbo TA, and an 85-92 Firebird convertible (will be a full custom, so it doesn't have to be a TA). The 3rd gens are great cars as is, and have so much potential now with all the great aftermarket (and later GM) stuff available for them now.

BRobinson

I originally only bought mine b/c my mom's friend was selling it for $700 bucks and I was 18 with no car. Now it's an obsession. And now I've just heard my little bro is buying a 91. So he's gonna be on here before too long.

I....I.... *sob* I'm sooo proud of him! Someone hold me.

little P

In 1992 I worked with a guy that just bought used an 89 formula 305 black with lexan t-tops, 5% tint and the rims painted black. He let me borrow it one day and I thought it was pretty fun to drive. Well he couldn’t make the payments and the bank repo’d it . So I went to the bank to check it out. $4200 bucks with 94k miles on it, it had a flat tire, bald tires, a t-top that had a 1 foot triangular chunk out of it, cig burns on the seats and console and horrible factory black paint that was faded so bad white was showing. dog fur everywhere inside and stunk like hell, So I bought it…lol

Turns out it was a factory recall on the paint and I immediately took it to a Cadillac dealer nearby and got a 1500 dollar paint job for free. I didn’t know much about paint jobs, but I rolled up to pick the car up and was like hmmm looks pretty good, The body guy said, you dayum right ! I realized later they had took extra care and done a killer job. I never did anything but change the oil, and the car was the most reliable car I’ve ever owned. Drove it all over the place, through the rain , snow, whatever, even at the beach through 2 foot deep puddles of sea water. Never really respected it to much, up to 195k miles and never broke down… Then 2 years ago I was slack with only water in the radiator it got cold here and cracked the block . the car sat for two years and I contemplated selling it. I looked at the cost of replacement engines and figured why not.

Decided to keep the car and got a 350 with an Rv cam and headers put in…..and WOW what a difference in power from the 305.I added the 3” spintech, Bilstiens and sportlines going in now and all the suspension goodies, I’m going to fix everything that it needs to make it somewhat show worthy. My GF thinks I’m insane ! and obsessed with the car. She just doesn’t understand…The body lines on these cars are classic and just plain bad azz,, screw an ugly boxy mustang, this car as it is now turns heads and gets comments and offers to buy it, ..i see few 3rd gens around now and they are all pretty ragged out. I’ve taken it upon my self to get a 3rd gen some respect around here.

I’ll never sell it.

TransAmMike

theres a bunch of reasons really. as a kid, talkin like 3-4 years old, i remember seeing my first firebird and i immediately fell in love with it. my dad told me what it was and it always stuck with me.

on top of that, my father's favorite cars are trans ams (as well as other muscle cars).

i was never really huge on the 3rd gens until i actually got mine. the 2nd gens were always my favorite.

when it came time for me to buy my first car, the only one in the area in my price range was my friend's red 91 firebird. i was kinda disappointed that it only had a v6, and i was hoping to get a manual trans to learn on, but i was happy with wut i got.

my3rdgen

I fell in love with the third gens when I was 15. It was 1985 and we would go to the park district's public pool every day. At 5:00 pm the afternoon swim was over and we would wait outside the gates for our ride.

One of the lifeguards had her husband pick her up every day and he showed up one day in a bran new 1985 5 speed Z28 that was black with gold trim with T-Tops and tan interior. I thought it sounded good too.

She was pissed! He evidently went out and bought it without telling her. She must have gotten over it because we got to see that car every day for the rest of the summer. It looked better than she did that's for sure. lol!

It was the first time I had ever really paid much attention to the third gens and I was hooked. In 1986 I was thumbing through one of my Car Craft mags in metal-shop, and I saw an add for the 1987 Formula 350 Firebird. It was Yellow (just like the one in Keith_Indy's signature). I decided at that moment that some day I would own one.

In 1997 I bought my first third gen, it was a 4 cylinder 1983 Camaro that burned to the ground while trying to get it home the day I bought it. The second one I got was also a 1983 Camaro that had the 2.8L in it. I got it from my brother in law. It sits in a bone yard as of now. I had it for 6 months and never drove it. It was a piece of poo.

Then in on July 26, 2002 I bought my 1987 Trans Am. It had an LG4 I put about 400-500 miles on it that summer and now it sits in my garage waiting to be finished. Its not a Formula, but it will be by far better than what I ever had in mind back in 1986.

codemonk84

At the time I was in the market for a mini cooper S (~$24,000 after I got everything I wanted). My uncle had a Trans Am in his garage sitting since the client who wanted him to work on it for him, ended up not wanting it. So he offered to give it to me (so long as I promised to fix it up).

Let me see now...

4 more cylinders...T-Top (better than a sunroof in my opinion)...looks good, not common (as mini's were getting to be), still fast and fun...way beter price. SOLD!

fordsuks

It was the summer of 88. I was 7. I had stayed at my aunts house for the summer in Pomona, Ca. My mom had called me a day before she was going to pick me up to go back home and told me she had bought a new car. I was like "cool". When she came a day later she pulled up in this (of course i say this because i was 7 at the time and didnt know much about third gens).........



the image wont work but its a 88 Trans Am


I was like As soon as i saw it i jumped in the drivers side and was like i had just gotten a new toy.....So we leave and when we were on the freeway i was all happy. We got home like in 5 hours (pomona to salinas on average is 6.5 hours). My mom jamed through the freeway going about 100-110 mph. Man I was in love with that car. And i told myself "when I grow up I wanna buy a Fiohburd" (i told you I was 7). And now Im a proud owner of a 88 fire chicken and a 86 Camaro z28 TPI. and i tell yah i love them to bits!

DanTheMan_smlk

just the boxiness...i love it

GodSpeedGTA

iTrader: (1)

I started driving a 91 firebird with 200,000 miles + and i was always surprised at how resiliant and strong these cars are...we've continued to own this 91 firebird for 5 years now and it has never once not started bc of mechanical failure only electrical bc of something we did wrong...

anyways i always wanted a trans am so i decided wildly (a junior in highschool making 6 bucks an hour) to look at buying my own car. I began searching ebay for trans ams and found that you could either have a 350 tpi and hardtop or a 305 and t tops...so i decided i wanted the 350 not knowing anything about GTAs...I HAD NEVER SEEN ONE IN MY LIFE OR HEARD OF THEM...i quickly found out about them and wanted one extremely bad

i searched for 4 to 5 months on ebay and what not and couldnt find one and still had not seen ONE in real life after looking all over the road for months and months...one day i stopped by a buddy's house after school and he said hey man i saw a car that looks like what youre looking for...he showed me where it was...WITHIN 1/2 a MILE OF MY HIGHSCHOOL!!! i left school a different way but same direction and nv saw it...anyways i stopped by and looked at it black GTA in nice condition 170,000 on the odom wanted 2500 for it...i just reached 1000 dollars saved up...

i was kinda depressed but still thrilled about just seeing one and hoping for a chance...the next day i went back to see it again...and someone had shattered the pass side window and put a few dints in it...i called the guy and told him of the damages and he thanked me and i eventually went and met him and got him to drop the price to 1500 after discovering a few more imperfections and saved up just enough money to buy it

i couldnt deny my belief that G0D interveened in some fashion...eventually i hope to put G0D SPD on the lisc plate

DanTheMan_smlk

nice story, it took me 5 months to find a camaro

3.8TransAM

lol

Okay , your all gonna laugh at this one.

First off I watched Knight Rider when it was new on TV so I'm older than a lot here, but not by too much, I'm 28 currently.

I grew up with Thirdgens, they were the shiznit in high school and you knew whos mommy and daddy bought them a new Z or TA since they were 20k with the good stuff even back then. I lived and breath GN's in those days, brother even worked at Precision Turbo when the owner Harry was stilll working for Allied Signal(owned Garrett). That dates me in the performance world.

Loved G-bodies, I was never going to own one of these stupid POS cookie cutter non full framed , pain in the *** to work on piles of F-bodies, unless and unlikely since they are rare a Turbo Trans AM.

Time ticks on and my senior year in high school I get a beautiful white 87 T-top Cutlass. I killed that one a couple years later. Replaced it with a beautiful burg/silver 87 442, which I loved to death. Even got my hands on a wrecked GN for the drivetrain :-)

It never happened, 5 days before I go to Wyo Tech for school, someone hits the guy behind me so hard he hits me and bends the frame. Flash forward to rental Dodge Ram for 3 mths because I refuse to settle:-)

I eventually settle and am actively looking for another car, I'm in no hurry I am at school so it will be stored and I have the $$$ from settlement so I can sit and wait if needed. Down week in Sept I am home and of course buy every single auto trader type papaer I can.

Found a white 89 Turbo Trans AM, stock 96k 3 owner. $9500
Wrong number listed, track it down and finally get ahold of the owner. Three brothers and all own TTA's. We work the deal and I come home with the car. Pure stock from the factor, just a clean high mileage one. That was the first one :-) After awhile of picking on v8's and not wanting to rack up the miles and some samll dumb issues, and saving money from working on Jaguars since I graduated, car number two was closing fast.

Found an add 91 Formula 350 TPI $5500 40k. Went to look and the guy tells me we are asking $5k(hey papaer said $5500, i wasnt going to open my mouth) I do my thing and check it out and he tells me to make offer. I say okay, $4k right here right now(was in my pocket). He cant do that, I tell him to give me his best offer. He comes back with $4100. No' I didnt make this up.
Went to the bank with him the next day and they owed 4100 on the car.

It is currently on its third engine and second rear and complete suspension rebuild along with 12 inch brakes and other fun stuff.

First time I killed the engine in the Formula, I didnt have anything to drive(wasnt making the TTA a daily car ever). About 3:30 am on the for sale board here at thirdgen.org, I caught an add for a 17k mile GTA , 1 owner, $6k and the car was in Salt Lake City. immediately emailed him. Bout a week later I got a phone call from him. One person beat me to the car but he gave him a week to call and he never did so I was up at bat. He was a great guy to deal with and ironically for the prior 4 yrs worked in the town next to me and left the car at home(im in chicago area he was from salt lake city). Only issue the car had were the windshield was cracked from a rock and the AC didnt work. Eventually cashiers check in hand I flew from Midway to Salt Lake Int.(broken plane, 45min layover turned into 10hrs in denver etc)

I made it there, come hell and high water and had to reschedule my meeting with the owner and play telephone tag 1700 miles from home. Was a royal pia but I got it done. He met me at my hotel the next morning at 8am. My first view was out the hotel room door and staring at a busted windshield :-( But after popping the hood and hatch and looking inside the car and driving it I was floored. A little piece of original 17k mile american history was coming home with me. We did the title swap at his bank thru the drive thru window lol. He helped me get some supplies and the like for the trip home and away I went(if u ever get the chance to buy a car long distance, i would suggest it 100%, everything worked out great for me)

Moral of the GTA story is, you havent driven a car until you drive a 17k mile performance F-body thru the Rocky Mountains at very high levels of speed. That was an awesome experience. Drive home took me 22 hours by myself and I had to sleep at a rest area in the car because I could not get a hotel room in the IA/Neb border because of the State Fairs.

Since then, I am an active F-body emember and have been on this site in one way or another for over 5yrs. Founded the NW IN/South Chicago Board(track rental july 9th) and also moderate on the Prom Board as well.

Happy motoring and always remember if you work hard, you can play hard :-)

later
Jeremy

Yossarian14

I was 16, it was a 86 z28, I knew alot about cars but somehow nothing about Camaros, dad asked me if I wanted it for $300, glass all over the place from smashed hatch, no headliner, water had filled the inside so everything was ruined, horrible condition to say the least. My brothers had both gotten very nice trucks when they got their licenses (explorers-auction) but I wanted to work on my car and even at that time I saw it had potential. They are cheap, very cool especially for a first car, and even at my age knowing how to repair cars and driving this was very good for girls. I met my girlfriend right now when she saw the car in my neighborhood and then I popped a dent in her hood from her accident on the way.

Lets see in the end it got: 12 different rust spots repaired, full undercoating, new springs, new hatch glass, rebuilt the engine, took all the panels of the car for repair and rust, paint, wheels, etc

92Three50Z28

I have wanted one sice I was 16 finally saved up enough cash to put a nice down payment on one when I was 18. Paid 16,500 for a 1992 Z28, Annivesary Edit, 350, Leather...To this day she has close to 20k on it. I'm keeping her forever!!!

92Three50Z28

I have wanted one sice I was 16 finally saved up enough cash to put a nice down payment on one when I was 18. Paid 16,500 for a 1992 Z28, Annivesary Edit, 350, Leather...To this day she has close to 20k on it. I'm keeping her forever!!!

92RZ

edit:

SV2

I'm 16 and was on the hunt for a truck but my dads friend had just bought a 92 IROC with 70k miles at an auction for 2400 bux.I talked to the guy and he told me he would sell to me for what he had in it which was 2500. then my dad got a hold of a 99 Toyota Sienna minivan and it just so happend that the guy(owner of the camaro) was in the market for a minivan so we ended up doing a trade the minivan for 4k(what my dad paid for it) and the camaro.So it kinda fell into my lap. but I have fallen in love with it.

Difflock

I've always been into Trans Ams since I first saw a 2nd Gen. Then along came Smokey & the Bandit movies, Shaker Run (obscure 80s movie set in New Zealand with a pink! 2nd Gen) and finally Knight Rider.
My wife and I looked at a 2nd Gen 6.6 T/A with shaker hood a few years ago, but couldn't get the finance. Anyway, at long last at the ripe age of 39, we've got Morticia (3rdGen T/A)

Mark.

soulbounder

My story is not so sentimental as some of the others. Looking for my first car in 10th grade under $5k. Couldn't find a good enough condition C3 vette and came across an outstanding condition 91 LO3 with 100k miles. Price was right and I actually could fit in the car upright. (6'3") I was sold after the test drive.

91blue_fire

i always liked third gen firebirds. i like the camaros too but they were a dime a dozen here. but i always liked the thirdgen firebirds body style. 1st one i really took notice of was a black and gold 82-85?? firebird that was in a headon collision in front of my house when i was little. next one was another black one that swiped my brothers g\fs red 87 camaro when she was leaving my drive way! my friends dad had a 87 v6 firebird i liked too....but... there was a blue 91 v6 firebird taht was sitting outside a body shop for ever. after the previous 2 cars either got old to me or needed alot of work i needed a new one and i got that car. with 124k on it and a new paint job and flawless interior i talked him down from 3500 to 2700. i loved that thing and it got me into cars again (used to be into the hotrod thing when i was little, my dad used to build em at our house) i still have it but i stopped driving it a month ago...because i saw at my dads friends shop had a red formula outfront. one ive been keeping my eye on too because id seen it sitting in the back for a wile...turns out he got it on a trade in for a truck..he wanted alot but since he knew me he said hed work payments....OF 1800!!! its got 66k on it, the whole exhaust is 3 inch exhaust and its got edelbrock headers and a b&m shift kit. also wide american racing outlaw 2 wheels and some kind of aftermarket leather seats. he only wanted that much since he knew me and also that truck was worth 2grand that he traded for it. thats why it was sitting in the back for a month or so. i had no intention on buying it, i love my lil v6! but i couldnt pass it up! i didnt expect the feeling i got after starting it... a REAL firebird .....after i started it i knew i had to have it! im going to redo the interior this winter along with some engine mods, cant wait to dig in

another wierd thing is i kept comming across this car and always got a wierd feeling from it. i remember it had tko real big on the back window (wtf is tko? tko performance?) a few years ago my moms friends son (an old friend too) was selling a red formula and i really really wanted it but i could never afford the 4000 he was asking! he called me the other day and it turns out this was his!! he told me everything about it and everything that was done to it...he did the mods i bought it with. sorry i ramble

BlackSunshine84

I have to admit, I was never really big into the 3rd gen body style until i got my car which really grew on me big time.

it all started about 2 xmas's ago, i was looking for a new car cause my truck was on its way out, so my dad said he had seen a firebird for sale at his work for like $700. so after doing some research on that car, the body style grew on me a good bit and was really wanting to get it. after finding out it was a 6cyl and needed a lot of work, i passed on that one. in the following months i did a lot of searching for a 3rd gen camaro since i have fallen more for its body style. after looking at some really beat up cars, i finally found my 84 camaro L69 in late February of '04. it was at a small dealership and was in near mint condition with 84k on it. when i saw it up close and saw how clean it was along with the how clean the engine was too, i had to get it. talked the dealer down from just over 5k to 4k out the door.

i plan on keeping her for a long time. i would like to eventually drop a bigger motor in her, but the stock L69 in it now runs strong, clean and reliable so i figure dont fix whats not broke. In the year and a half that I've had the car, i have had some great memories in her from first dates to smoking ricers at stoplights.

maroon88iroc

iTrader: (7)

im 16 and ill be honest i wanted a muscle car with a V8 and a 5-speed and i had been looking for a thirdgen for about a year. My parents came home and suprised me with my car which was what i wanted but an automatic. But they figured it was cheap enough that if i wrecked it they could replace it and that if i ended up wanted something different they could more than likely sell it and get back what they paid for it. They didnt expect me to be as into my car as i am and it really is a passion not a hobby for me so im trying to talk them into getting me an old camaro like 69 or so b/c they know now that i will appreciate it and be carefull with it.

92blackbird

I got mine because I had a 70 1/2 camaro z-28, in 1974-75, got married and sold the car when my daughter was born. After 20+ years of driving 4 door sedans, the kids were grown and I could drive what I wanted!!!!!!!!!! Bought it 4 yrs ago w/60K miles. 2 years of sales work in the car and now 2 yrs more daily driving its at 180,000. with unfortunatly the original 305 TBI, 2.73 rear, and 700r4. still driven daily. If I can stay ahead of the rust bugs, I'll never sell it.

ssean92

iTrader: (10)

i would have to say that it started when i was 14, my dad bought a 88 iroc, and of course i was able to drive it once i turned 16. i drove it till i got my own car whitch wasnt a 3rd gen, could afford one. go figure. it took me till i was 30 to actually get one. i played around with vega's for a few years then i had some one offer me a pretty peny for my 72 400 hrse vega, so i started looking for a iroc. that was 3 yrs ago. it took me 6 months to find a car that was actually worth what the person was asking. it wasnt a iroc but it was a really clean car. all the irocs and z's i looked at were way over priced. the 3rd gens just have that look to them that have always cought my eye.

Jazz

Count me in the 'I was a huge Knight Rider fan when I was a kid' group. Hey, I still am (the DVDs are awesome).

Thing was, a British kid from the Midlands like me could never own a car like that, surely. (Kinda how you get brought up over there - like, "This area is your world and it's all you'll ever have" kind of thing.) I've had a lot of different types of cars through the years, never the same thing twice - I had an '88 Citroen 2CV (powered by a 602cc boxer twin), then an '86 Yugo 45 (handled like a rollerskate), then an '87 Skoda Rapid (rear-engined Czech sports coupe, unreliable but thoroughly entertaining) while I was still in England.

I ended up moving to the States when I married an American lady, and went through an '85 Honda Civic (a total rustbucket), an '85 Toyota Van (a rather more reliable but even uglier rustbucket), and somehow found myself able to get a '92 Mazda Miata, which was absolutely awesome despite its lack of straight-line power.

I sadly got into an accident that wrecked the Miata this past June, and found that with the insurance payout I couldn't get another good Miata, or the C3 'Vette I still dearly want, but I could still get something decent, no more ugly rustbuckets here! So I went on the hunt, with the aid of my wife, and it came down to a pair of pop-up-headlighted (essential for me ) machines - an '81 Porsche 924 that needed a fair bit of attention, or this purple-resprayed '89 Firebird with a 5.0 V8.

The 'Bird would obviously be the easier car for me to maintain, had been near-religiously serviced, and the lure of finally having a V8 was just too much to resist, gas prices be damned, and the test drive was great. So I gave the owner (offloading it as he and his wife had just had their second kid and frankly it was a near-useless family car) $2,000 for it, got a personalized plate when I took it to the DMV, and the rest is history.

It still needs some attention on a few things, most notably (at this point) the airdam and the mounting for it and a few things with the driver's side door (I get the feeling it's rarely seen passengers), and it needs a new pair of tailgate hydraulic struts, but it's proved to be a hugely entertaining car that's a more than worthy replacement for the Miata. It's a very different kind of sports car but it's still got that unmistakable sports car blood and soul. I love it.

Life's too short for boring cars!

I need to actually get some more pictures of it but here's one:



And if I ever move back to England for a while (something my wife and I have been considering), I'm going to do my damnedest to take it with me. I'd hardly be able to drive it with gas prices being as obscene as they are over there, but the sheer level of awesome outweighs that. My wife, naturally, disagrees...

I'm 28, by the way, if anyone's interested, and at 6'3" I'm glad to say the Firebird accomodates me very comfortably. And yes, it's a daily driver, so it doesn't need to be concours-worthy.

And eventually I'll stop editing this post.

Hexane

Lets see.. What made me want to buy a third gen...

When i was a young young child, my dad owned a '75 Nova and then a '67 Camaro. Those were sold off before i was old enough to remember, but it's in the blood! Then up until i was five or so, my dad had a blue '69 Chevelle.. When he sold it, i cried. Then nothing until a few years ago, maybe 3 or 4, when i was 12ish, he bought a '69 Camaro. My brother's girlfriend got an 87 SC. She wrecked it. His friend got an 84 SC. Brother's girlfriend got another 87 SC, brother bought it from her, then my dad bought it from him when he got an 87 IROC-Z. My dad was going to fix it up, but i decided hey.. I want it! So, he gave me the car and i owe $500 on it yet.. I hate being poor. But now, i own my little 87 SC.


And I'm 16 now.

92RS(real slow)

I bought mine becuase my sisters boyfriend was selling his for 600 bucks. One heck of a deal still laugh everytime I think about how good of a deal I got. At first I was just going to fix it, and sell it, but It just grew on me. I especially loved the V-8 even though its not the most powerful(why must TBI lack so much power) but thats how i got into thirgens, I dont think I could see my self ever driving anything else then a 3rd gen.

Elthesh

We had an 85 or 86 black v6 Firebird originally, new. It pretty much fell apart. My first car was a Ford Tempo that literally had one problem pop up as soon as I got it out of the shop for a previous problem. I got tired of it and went looking. It was a choice of an 87 Corvette or a 91 Trans Am. We, including the salesman, couldn't get the hood open on the Vette so across the street to the Ford dealer I went back to and liberated the 91 Trans Am from them. Next came the special order 94 Trans Am, then came the 79 TA, and now I'm back where I want to be with my relatively new 1991 TA. When I got the original 91 in 93, ev ery single person I met assumed it was the new design 93 up model until I told them otherwise. I may add cars at some point, but I will ALWAYS own a 91 or 92 Trans Am or GTA. Preferably the one I'm driving now.

89Formula3

My dad is a hardcore old school mustang guy but in the late 80"s he purchased an 87 Formula, I was just a kid and fell in love with the car eventually he sold it and I remember saying ever since that one day i'll get one just like it.

I started with mustangs and will admit im a huge mustang fan i have a 65 GT and a 92 LX 5.0. I just recently purchased my first 3rd gen an 89 firebird formula and i love it still stock but have lots of plans for it.

Im 21 and plan on owning several more 3rd gen birds in the future.

Red1991TransAm

B4 I turned 16 I was looking for an older mustang (70's)... My dad drove by the '82 on his way to work and when he picked me up after school he asked if I were interested - He took me to the car and I definately was.. Bought her for $2500 in '95 with a new paintjob and headliner and 96K miles ...

Ever since then I have been in love and turns out my uncle owned almost every kinda of T/A from the early 70's to the mid to late 80's.. Even have an '85 body style bra from one of his cars...
Then I saw the 91-92's and have wanted one of those ever since... So when someone wanted to buy my 94 Ford Explorer with 194,000 miles on it - I looked on ebay, sold the Explorer for $2700 - found the 91 T/A for $2800, bid on it, flew to Delaware, drove the '91 back...

One thing is for sure - I will never get rid of the '82!!

mrpopo573

My father has owned and sold some of the greatest american iron of our time. (He's been a dealer for 30 years)

Growing up I realized that most of all of my childhood photos were in 60's muscle cars.

So after spending time working on our family car lot it came time for me to get my first car.

A 1987 GTA, 350, burnt metallic red. My dad has good taste, and now on my 2nd third gen, I am still hooked.

Simplistic running gear, unbeatable style, extremely modifiable and still oh so American.

I will never be a honda boy. SO what if I'm 20, I am mature enough to understand why third gens are an icon of something purely muscle.

87gtaJOLENE

i was like... 5, or 6 years old when the guy across the street from me just left his 87 GTA in the back of his driveway and didnt even put a car cover on it.. come 2004 I bought me the "piece of junk" as others called it, and made it mine. Hey, it only had 36,000 miles. I geuss the guy just couldnt deal with it at the time... the gta's were very popular at the time. The car was stolen two times in the 80's. The 305's came with T-tops @ 215hp and the 350's with 225hp.

It never breaks down, and I'm happy with it. Cause all it takes is some clean fluids, clean feul, and pre-maintanence. Like every car. These people these days dont know how to do ****! Years ago people used to open their hoods to check everything out... like on holidays when their family is over and theres nothig else to do. But now seems like nobody cares.

fire350tpi

back wheni was 15, had barely any cash and the sight of a 800$ 87 firebird with a 350 was very appetizing, despite when i got it that it had chalked black paint, running on 6 cylinders, potatoskin tires ( still have those lol) and no working speedometer
I just fell in love with it, and have been working on it slowly ever since...