I'm talking looks wise of course! We honestly can't compare performance too closely. I want to hear your opinions. What makes an 82-92 F-body better than a 93-02 F-body.

I think that even though they are not classics yet they still posess classic lines. A clean 3rd gen nowadays will get many looks. A 4th gen looks to generic and it blends in too well with all of the cookie cutters out there.

I was very close to getting a 2002 Trans Am WS6 6spd but then I changed my mind in the effort of avoiding a crippling monthly payment. So I'm in the process of fixing up my formula to separate itself from the crowd.

Just my 0.02

 

for me its about memories -- I have only ever owned one car before my current. It was a Black '87 Firebird V6. I had so much fun in that car before I had to sacrifice it when I went off to college. Once I graduated and found a good paying job I knew exactly what I wanted and went right back to what I knew.

Besides I really dislike the 'squished jellybean' look of the 4th gens.

 

The fact that they are older, look better, more fun to drive, give me more of a muscle car feel.

 

Depends which 4th gen is in question, I personally think the 98-02 WS6's look AMAZING...but in all honesty I think 4th gens in general are too pointy looking, and don't have much shape to them.

3rd gens have alot more lines, while still maintaining a aerodynamic look.

IMO you can't beat the style of a 91-92 Z28 or Trans Am:hail:

 

And my favorite 3rd gen birds-

 

Here's one for ya...

My brother saw a 95ish TA drive by us on the way home from school, and he thought it was his computers teacher's car.

His computers teacher drives a '99 Cavalier.

I was like..

 

Thirdgens look better, and are much easier to work on, 4th gens however make great parts donors. Especially for drivetrains.

 

I think they can look equally as good. I am sure most people would take a nice 4th gen over a beat up worn out 3rd gen and vica versa. Both can look perfect.


My 3rd gen


My 4th gen


Best buds SS

 

i love the lines of thirdgens, they got a nice shape to them. Flow real nicely. boxed shape with gentle curves in all the right places. LOL Real attractive profile from the side. I love how the rear hatch glass comes sweeping down over the rear on flattens out on the deck lid and the flip up Iroc spoiler just sets it off.

the front end its also good looking with fog lights and turn signals in the nose fascia, just offset with the foglights. I headlights inside those pockets are also sweet looking to me. the Iroc hood is real nice too and the broad hood flows nicely with the car. Gives a muscle car look/feel to it.

Interior is also great. not too modern but not to old either. Not a cheap feeling but it doest let you forget your driving a sports car and not a luxary vehicle. Its a perfect sports car interior, really goes good with the purpose of an Irocz.



4th gens are also nice. I personally think 98-02 Fbodies are the sickness!! T/A WS6 cars look mean, and LS1/SLP loudmouth certainly backs up the profile. If i dont own a SS some day, i will own a LS1 motor in my thirdgen. LOL I love the new camaros headlights and body curves. With a mild body kit and a grille, those cars look amazing.

I would love to own any 93-02 Fbody if it was black. Especially the 96-97 SS

 

well...othe rthe fact that they're cheaper..lol


it depends on which models of each your talking about...

like who would take a '85 berlinetta over a '02 SS?

but say a base model 93 camaro or an 89 gta?

so it depends

 

I like them because they are basically the muscle car of my era being 17 i cant afford a 4th gen and 3rd gens were alwasy the car ud see driving around when u were a kid and ur eyes got big ve always wanted one

they also give a good balance between mucle car and sports car they have decent handling and drive nicley and then u can take em to the track n kick some *** hen drive it home


i love my 89 blown trans or not i wouldent trade it for anything

 

the first car i ever bought was an 88 lo3 sport coupe. i fell in love with third gens as a child and i dont think ill ever lose the exciment i get when i see a b4c or a gta. ive wanted my current gta since i was 18. a frind of mine got it from an auction in 1996. it had 25000 original miles and he payed only $2400! he didnt take care of it and eventually sold it to another friend. i tried for a few years to buy it but he wouldnt sell, two of my brothers also tried.in 2001 he finally sold it with 76000 miles to my younger brother for $4000.a year and a half ago i bought it from my brother after it sat for a year with a blown tranny.i was so happy to get it i ran over to my dads house still in work clothes to put another 700r4 in it that night.i drove it home the next day and i havent been able to stop modifing it since. hopefully ill be putting an ls1 in it in the spring.so in essence, my love affair is all about the memories and excitment. i no car made my heart race, like the first time i saw my gta.

 

I bought mine cuz Micheal Knight drove one.

 

I have a 2000 Trans Am to match up against my 1988 TA and 1991 GTA, at least the two it kinda compares to.

4th gen drivetrains rule... well, LS1 and T-56. The seats are great, but not all that much better then GTA seats. The downsides: they don't handle as well, they are heavy, and their build quality blows. The 98-02 Firebirds I love, but I still don't think they are more anything more "stylish" then a 1992 Camaro Z28.

3rd gens: the TPI drivetrain sure is fun to drive, just the way it feels, much less refined then the LS1. The T5 isn't half the tranny a T-56 is, but it can get the job done. Appearance wise, the a clean Thirdgen is really a thing of beauty. A clean 1993 Camaro I wouldn't look twice at.

Just what I have observed from driving a 4th gen daily, and buying a 88 because I truely missed driving a Thirdgen.

 

Cuz there better looking, and have more muscle and sport to em

 

Me too. In '82 a guy on my street got a new Z28. I was 12 years old at the time. I remember seeing it for the first time and being mezmerised. I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. In my early teen years the IROC was the badest **** on the street!

I finally got my first 3rdgen in '90, a bone stock '82 SC with the absolute minimum options, but in excellent condition. Since then I've owned at least one of each generation Camaro; '80 SC, '83 Z28, '85 Z28, '94 SC, '91 RS, '68 SC, and '84 Z28. Out of all of them, I loved my 3rdgens the most.

 

I don't really like even nicely done up, perfect condition 4thgens that much. They are simply misproportioned. The nose is too short or something (yet still managing to be too pointy) with the super sloped windshield and then on the Camaros the integrated spoiler makes the rear look super bulbous from the sides, and the side mirrors that blend into the fenders look absolutely horrible. It takes a SS with it's more aggressive hood and slight upturn on the spoiler to start looking decent to me for the Camaros...

The 'Birds fix both the blended mirrors and the integrated spoiler problem so they're much better in my opinion. They're still just a little off though.

The relationship between the length of the front end, rear, and passenger compartment/windshield is just all off on the 4thgens...

I will never own one most likely. If it wasn't for the drivetrain (mainly the LS1/T56 combo, the LT1 isn't that special...) I wouldn't consider them worth two sh*ts. ('Birds are alright but I want a Camaro not a Firebird...)

A nice looking thirdgen is a thing of beauty though. The proportions are just right, nice long front end, rear hatch and all looks just right...

Something like a 92 Z28 or nicely updated IROC or older Z28 or TA, etc looks really really nice.

Of course you take a old Berly or Sport Coupe and we're talking pretty ugly too so....

If they ever build the rumored 5thgen and it looks nice I think it highly probable I'll flat skip right over the 4th generation completely....

 

I actually love both because I own both. I love the lines of my 86 camaro but I love the aggressive look of my 00 WS6.

 

I too like the lines and styling of the 3rd gens. Especially the 82-84. I think they look much cleaner, lighter, and more nimble. Even though they are not. The later years would definitely "take them to school". The 85s and up seem a little too rounded for me. ..and the 4th gens look like someone blew hard on the exhaust pipe.

I believe that the styling of the 1982 z28 can fit in with any current cars. If you go back and look at magazines with pictures of cars from the early 80s (mustang, dodge daytona, etc,), the 3rd gens were light years ahead in styling.

 

Exactly Can't make Kitt out of a 4th gen. Although it's been tried:
Or if you want your thirdgen to look like a 4th gen:

 

because i can see my hood

 

thanks for posting that picture TunedPort 335! I've been looking for it!

Well, I like things about 3rd gens....and 4th gens. I think it's great that atleast some of the parts will fit in/on third gens...with little of no modifications at all to get more updated look. You can make a 3rd gen look old school, meaning big slicks with 15 inch wheels....or you can make a 3rd gen look totally aggressive....meaning, 17 inch+ wheels, lowered, fiberglass aftermarket parts (hoods), stereos systems....stuff like that. Plus, the 3rd gen aftermarket parts are usually a bit cheaper than the 4th gen aftermarket parts.

Also, by using the right parts, you can make a 3rd gen just as fast, or even faster than a 4th gen too. I like the fact that the 3rd gens are very very capable of many things....especially when fuel injection was introduced in 1985 with the first TPI system

 

plain and simple, they look like mean cars, great bodylines. 4th gens look like they should be holding a door open

 

nothing can beat the looks of my 3rd gen, but I love 4th gens too
I actually have another 4th gen 01 SS not in picture (it's a new project I acquired)


The 97 Camaro is an LT4 SS

 

Thats the same reason why i stick to thirdgens. Driving a 4th gen, all you can see is that 3ft long dash.

 

I still stand by my earlier post. If someone can mistake it for a Cavi, That ain't good lol

 

Well maybe not a Cavi, but the 4th gen camaros do share a weird similarity to a Chrysler Sebring

 

I haven't been impressed with the 4th gens I've rode in or driven :thumbsdown:

 

At first I just disliked the way that 4th gens looked (tho I do like the TA's with the r/a hoods alot) , but when I was looking for my first camaro I decided I didnt like the way they drove either.... too disconnected. I guess its just me but I prefer a little bit harder steering and feeling it shake a tad when it goes over bumps There also a whole lot less around, so when you see a nice one on the street it really makes a much bigger impression. The second camaro I bought, I passed up a 96 Z with rims and engine mods and spent the same amount of money on a mint 92 RS with an L03

 

That was an influence on me too (13 when the show came out), but riding in an 82 Firebird with the hottest girl in my school who had just gotten it new for her 17th birthday REALLY did it!

I drive a 97 SS everyday, and have owned two other 4th gens (94Z auto and 95Z 6 speed), but to me the third gens just have more character. Plus, in my experience they are more reliable, easier (and cheaper) to work on, and best of all, ANY GM engine you want is a bolt in away!

 

I like the third gens more myself. The fourth gens look fast but the third gens have that mean look like they'll kick your *** and take your wallet...or something like that.

 

Personally the 87-90 IROC, 87-90 GTA, 91-92 Z28 Are the best of the thirdgens, possibly the best of the 80's designs for sure. Even with faded paint, I think my gray 5.7 Iroc / with black and blue accent stipes is one of the coolest, best looking cars IMHO, I'll usually take a second look at it as I walk away (man that sounds gay) but true. I have a pristine Navy blue SS with chrome zr-1's and silver insert letters, get's alot of attension at car shows, but to me the Iroc looks soo much better.

Who ever said that fourthgen's don't handle, doesn't know what their talking about. My SS has the SLP optioned susp, + sway bars+ BMR lca's, phr,Global west upper front control arms. The thing handles much better than any thirdgen ;unless the thirdgen'ss been heavily modded with quality compoenents. yes the 4th gen is porky, and the third is much more nimble. the SS is refined, with a ton of HP, the thirdgen feels like a muscle car. Long live the camaro!

P.S the Iroc is more fun to drive.

 

I would only agree on the 98-02's. The 93-97's do not. Thats the one drawback about them I dont like. From a distance they are hard to tell apart. It's the sebrings headlight area that is shaped similar to the camaros. I do like the 4th gen T/A's. They just reek of pure muscle with all those bulging body parts.

It used to be that when I was growing up only the firstgens appealed to me. When the secondgens came out I thought they were ugly. As I got older, I thought thirdgens were a little better and I didnt like 4th gens much. Now, the only ones I would never own are some of the secondgens (74-81). Just dont like the body styles, especially the flared fenders on the 80/81's. I am talking of course only camaro's here cuz I never found T/A's or firebirds to be very appealing to me. Just my preference.

 

Amen. Sometimes I see headlights on me and think "hey, this could be interesting" only to find out it's a sebring.

But this was from the side and back that my brother saw. It was the same colour as the cavi, and it was a Firebird. like I said, it was an early 4th gen. Then I explained to him how manufacturers often maintain similar design cues. But still... man...

 

Its not really that one is better than the other
Rather what you prefer
Do you like straight lined muscle
Or do you prefer the curvy sleek look

In my case If I could find a decent priced 97 or later SS Camaro
My 90 would be up for sale in a minute
3rds are great cars but they need a lot of money and attention to really shine and that is something I cant give(The money part)


Well there you go


and oh yeah Fatal I hate you....................... J/k..............

 

yikes! every time i go into a store, or i am walking in to work, i always take like 2 or 3 looks at my gta. this sounds stupid, but i park at the top of the parking garage at work(becuase i cant stand haveing people park beside my car) and every once in a while ill walk up the drive going thru the garage so i can see what other people see as they drive up to my car! i swear to *** im not a frickin nerd, i just really like the lines. i did have a second gen once, it was a red 1973 firebird with 15x10's on th rear and 15x3.5's on the front. the car looked awsome. i traded my 88 sport coupe for it, and within a month i talked the guy into tradeing me back. it had 256 gears and about 320hp, with a stock tq converter. it ran like stink on the freeway , but was horrible from a stop.

 

I don't know how to explain how they look better, but they have a more muscular look than the 4th Gens.

LT-1 Camaros are ugly.

LS-1 Z28's look a bit plain.

LS-1 SS, now there'a a beautiful car, one I plan on buying soon!:hail:

 

Lol, sometimes I like to touch my 88 IROC... wtf, i don't know why, LOL. Sometimes other people see me do that, unaware, and I feel weird ppl watchin me molest a car so then I try to make it look like I'm cleanin it or something. And damn yes, I am straight (and have a girlfriend.)

 

for less money I can make mine faster than buying a 4th gen. I get alot of looks in a nice thirdgen more then Ive seen from a 4th gen everywhere I go people stare at the car. I love the lines of the car she looks like a new car yet she isn't alot of people think my 91 firebird is a corvette lol well she does look like one at night I guess. more hood room you can cram just about any engine size you want under there.

 

I own both gens.

I was 14 when the first IROC came out and I loved them. I bought a '91 RS new. It was some of the best times of my life when these cars were still being made.

I have a desire to own a '98-02 LS1 F-body, too, but then I would sell my '97 SS. What I really want to buy next is a '91-'92 Z28 and I will in the next few years.

 

i dont think of my car as a woman like most people, callin it"her" or "ol girl" or give it a womans name like"nancy" or any of that corny bullsh*t. my car is like a frickin fire breathing dragon and it eats virgins and takes a crap on top peoples houses.and my car is not male or female....its like.....uh....asexual...and i love it anyway, and its a frickin dragon...with no tail cause spoilers are for imports,and imports arent dragons. yeah my car is like a car wreck. i just cant not look at it. now i dont like to touch my car. maybe the shifter, or the starter button...yeah maybe the steering wheel, but if its clean then i dont want finger prints on it, and if its dirty i dont want to make one clean spot on an otherwise dirty car. an if i see someone else touch my car.......*** help me, ill try not to stab them too many times in the throat....with a pen...thats on fire. yeah and im not gay either. i have a girlfreind...and shes got huge *****...and shes skinny...and shes not a virgin....shes breathes fire....like my car...only i dont have sex with my car. and i could never have sex in my car on my recaro's...maybe on the rear seats.

 

 

no way.. me too!!!

i wouldnt trade my car for ANY 4thgen.. specially when outrunnign them is a breeze hehe

 

My first new car was an '83 Z28.....and 7 years later I bought a '90 RS. Now I have a '99 Z28 and a WS6 convertible.

Mechanically, the 4th Gen cars leave the 3rd's in the dust....but styling-wise, I still think the 3rd Gen was a MUCH cleaner design.

The suspension calibration from the factory was FAR better on the 3rd Gen Z28/IROC-Z than what I got on the '99 Z28.

The '99 was intentionally set up to understeer (badly) so GM could cover its *** in case Mommy and Daddy bought little Johnny (who learned to drive in a FWD car) a brand new 300+ hp car....so little Johnny wouldn't wrap himself and that shiny new Camaro around a telephone pole. I call the factory 98+ alignment settings the "liability specs".

Anyway, rant aside, I'd love to have another 3rd Gen someday.

 

I can't. Long legs force me to sit all the way back and I have to slouch a little or I'll hit my head on bumps. Result = I can see maybe as far as where the hood curves slightly up, but no further than that.

I prefer mine over a 4th gen TA because to me, the 4th gens looks a little too busy as far as styling goes.

 

My bud has a 02 R/A, and we both agree that there are more blind spots and less headroom in his car, than in my 83 T/A.

No doubt his is a little quicker, but I'm working on that. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for a great looking Third Gen.

And I agree with others here, that the 4th gens do make great parts cars

 

stock for stock a thirdgen with a WS6 or the equivalent Z28 suspension will outhandle a 4th gen any day of the week...providing they are both in perfect factory condition....a 91-92 WS6 car will pull .91-92 on the skidpad...while it will take an SS or a WS6 to get close to that...a z28 will only turn .87 and .9 with the SS or WS6....think about it how many 4th gens you see running in SCCA or the like series compared to 3rd gens? theres a reason for that

 

I like both, so I bought both

 

For the record, out here (CA) you will see a ton of modded LS-1's on any given SCCA day. I agree, from the factory a 87-92 Iroc/GTA/Z28 will handle better than a LS-1 Z28, or SS/WS6. But modded the LS-1 will totally run away from the thirdgen. LS-1's need some suspension set up from the factory. A LS1 with control arms can run 4.5~5+ deg of negative camber. The front end will stick hard in any turn, you wouldn't believe it. Just need to set up the rear(not to stiff of sway bar) to stick. I own both, and my SS has way higher limits. There's a guy named Steve Eguina out here who has a 97 LT4 SS, he's been the SCCA pro solo champion off and on many times. Do your home work Modded LS-1's are more than competitive on a road course ( They also need brake upgrades due to the heft)

 

The 98-02 Trans Am WS6's are the best looking cars.........:hail: :hail:

It takes ALOT of work to put a thirdgen on the same scale as those cars....both appearance and performance wise.....

However, in the end, the thirdgen will look better, granted you have thrown alot of money towards it....