Why do you like about Firebirds and how did you get introduced to them.

[Chief Pontiac]

Before I left for Texas when I got layed off in the 80's a friend took me for a ride in his 75 Trans Am with a 4-speed .It had a 1970 Ram Air IV short block with all sort of speed goodies installed.He did things with the car that I didnt know was possible.Well when I got back from Texas I went and visited him.He asked me if I knew anybody that wanted to buy his T/A,I told him I did, me.Well one thing led to another and since then I have owned four Birds. I wouldnt want to drive anything else,Firebirds rock.:headbang: :drive:

[TheSilverSurfer]

Mine looks mean and kicks butt:D

[JMBLOWNWS6]

I dunno but when I saw the t/a in 1998 and then the 30th I was sold. But I had a 1997 ws6 ;) before the ls1 :p

[Xerxes]

The looks. :)

[Constrictor]

I got into F-bodies back in 1996 when I bought a 1989 Camaro RS V6. A friend of mine had a 3rd Gen Camaro, and thats all I knew. I didnt really care for the looks of the Firebirds back then. The V6 wasnt fast, but it had a new paint job, the interior was clean and it had a great stereo in it. I loved that car, but really jonesed for a V8.

I ended up getting a decent job (same one I have now) and I immediately traded it in for a 1994 Camaro Z28. It was the fastest car I had ever driven at the time. So I had that car for a couple months, and then the LS1 F-bodies came out and the first time I saw an LS1 Trans Am, I was in love. I only had the LT1 Camaro for 11 months, as it had a lot of problems, and I wanted to get rid of it.

When I was looking to replace it, I knew I wanted an LS1 F-body, but just couldnt afford a brand new one. I test drove a 99 Camaro Z28 6=speed and loved it, but since it looked similar to my old Camaro, I wanted something a little more different.

At that time, a T/A was $3k more than a comparable Camaro, and I could BARELY afford a new Camaro, so I got discouraged. I mulled over getting the Camaro, but since it wasnt exactly what I wanted, I procrastinated.

One night, I was driving around late at night, and passed a Pontiac dealer that had a row of 9-10 Trans Ams all in a row. I was saddened cause I knew I couldnt afford one, but I stopped anyway, hopped the gate and looked at them all. There they were, one after another, brand new T/As.... All of them were 99s, except the very last one. A Bright Red 1998 Trans Am, with $22,999 painted on the windsheild.

I nearly crapped my drawers because this was exactly what I wanted and it was cheaper than a Camaro. I went back to the dealer the next day, and test drove the car. I did some research on the car, and then the day after that, I came back with my mom to cosign on it (I was only 20 at the time) and voila! I was the proud owner of a 1998 Trans Am with only 451 miles on it. I was told that the car was sold to someone, but the financing fell through and it got caught up in some legal dispute, so the car had to sit for like 6 months.

Nevertheless...thats my story.

[Mullet]

Here is my story, sorry, no cliff notes.
I first fell in love with the TA in 1979. I was at a school dance with friends and was suppose to be picked up by a neighbor. The neighbors daughters boyfriend picked us up in his "new" '79 TA. It was all black with black interior, and sounded mean. I almost crapped my pants when he took us home and he brought it up over 100 MPH with no effort (there was 5 of us in it). I was in fast cars before this. My dad had a '57 Vette with a full race 327 that would lift the wheels, and my aunt had a 67 GTO, but the way that TA pulled really impressed me. I never could afford one though.
When I went in the AF in 85, I bought a 79 Camaro with a 305 for a song (bank repo). I really was turned off by the performance of the 305, but never done much to it because I got married and sold it. After getting a divorce, I picked up an 85 Fiero that I put a TPI small block in, and it ran like stink. I liked it, even though it was a Fiero, but it was a perfect sleeper.
I since got married again, and with 2 kids, decided that a 2 seat was not practical for family outings. In 02, after looking at a used Camaro SS, I decided to sell the Fiero and look for an F-body. Interest rates were 0, and I could now afford one. The local Chevy dealer (Shreveport, LA) had a few new SS Camaros, and a few used ones, but they were marking them up with the excuse of "the last year". I ended up at the local Pontiac dealer, and looked at a few WS-6s they had. I fell in love again, and looked at a white WS-6. When me and the wife saw the dealer owners SOM 01 vert they had on the showroom floor, we fell in love with the color. Not wanting a vert, we inquired about them finding us a T-top, 6 speed SOM with a toupe interior. These clowns came back and said they could not find any, and if we wanted a WS-6, we would have to settle for the white one with the A4.
I did a search on Pontiac.com and found 2 in the Dallas Area. I called Sewell Pontiac, and they said they would hold one for me since this was a Monday and I could not travel there till the weekend. We ended up selling the Fiero (the guy came from St Louis to pick it up) on Thursday, and I took a day off to go over to Dallas. We left with the car that night. I never had to look at the 2nd one at a different dealer because Sewell gave me an awsome deal that I could not refuse.

Anyways, here it is 2 years later,and I love this car more than the day I bought it. I doubt I would sell it, but if the pprice was right, I would think about it. I don't drive it often (3200 miles in 2 years) but I still enjoy it. I had it to the track 3 times and have a ball. I don't plan to mod the tar out of it yet because I enjoy it as it is.

[Chief Pontiac]

Great stories guys.

Well I really didnt like the new Trans Ams till I went to the T/A Nationals in 99.I saw a pair of 30th T/A,one a vert the other a coupe.Well right then I fell in love.But it wasnt till I hear they were going to quit making them that I had to have one.Then after reading an issue of High Performance Pontiac I found out that the rarest ones were the WS6 verts with a six speed .So after test driving one at a local dealer I bought one on line.With in two weeks I had a bright red WS6 6-speed vert in my driveway.

[20hawk02]

When I was 17 I saved up $2K for a car, and of course wanted something fast. I had a lead on a 70 torino with a 429 Cobra Jet, but somebody bought it literally minutes before I got there. On the way home I passed a green firebird formula with a two cool hood scoops that had a for sale sign on it. I stopped to look at it. The owner came out and threw me the keys. Needless to say, after grabbing all four gears with the muncie I went home with the car. A 1970 ram air III formula 400 4-speed. To this day I couldn't be happier that somebody beat me to the torino, or else I may be driving a mustang now. I still have the 70, and have added a 73 Formula, and now the 2002 formula firehawk. I guess you could say I was hooked from the first test drive.

[Dwarf Killer]

For me the year was 1977. I was wandering down the street trying to think of what kind of car to buy. Then down the street I saw this 1967 Firebird 326 and fell in love with it. So I started saving for one. Then I went to see Smokey and The Bandit. A couple months later my sister's boyfriend rolls up with a black and gold loaded Bandit T/A. Shiny as hell. I drooled.

I had been in fast cars before with my buds (Chevelle SS etc.) but then he took me for a blast in his TA. Back then it was the only car you could buy domestically besides the Corvette that looked like a sporty car.

27 years later I still own a 1968 Firebird and I finally bought a new 2002 T/A a year and a half ago. I had to get an unmolested one before they stopped production.

I love them both.

The Firebird Will Rise Again (Ancient Indian legend).:D

[9T8W66]

I Started off with a `78 Camaro Z28 back in `1990 after an unforseen accident the Z was replaced with a `79 Trans Am.
I owned that `79 for 7 yrs and drove it everywhere. And have only bought Pontiacs since
In `97 I traded up the T/A and bought a `94 Formula. After hearing about the new LS1's I ordered my `98 Formula 6spd in Jan `98 and picked it up 10 weeks later.

[O1PewterWS6]

Friend had one and I loved it.

[slow]

a friend came to the restraunt i work in 1998 with a new 6 speed ws6... black on graphite, t-tops out.... DROOL...

4 years later... i had one, but red :D

I also joined www.ls1.com to find out how to keep my steering wheel controls in my old bonneville.....somehow i got. 6500+ posts, and $17,900 later i bought one.

Ryan.

[ZeusJr]

Had to be because of Night Rider... Just loved the way TA's look and have looked over the years... :love:

Got my first TA when I was 17... an 83 M5

second and current when I was 22...

[WRAYTHE]

I saw Smokey and the Bandit and fell in love at an early age. My second car was '80 turbo T/A. Then I had a '72 Firebird, a '78 Trans Am, and now my baby. I remember the first time I saw the new body in 98 and I had goose pimples running up and down my arms. Couldnt get that car out of my mind for months. The proudest day of my life (besides getting married) was driving my black beauty off the lot. LONG LIVE THE LEGEND!!!!!

[SilverZ28]

When I was in elementary school back in the late '70s, there was no cooler car you could get than a Trans Am. I had many different toy models of the Second-Gen TAs. I was six years old when Smokey & the Bandit came out and like all boys my age, was profoundly impacted by it.

My first TA ride was in my uncle's '83 Cross-Fire, back in '86. It only had 175 hp, but it felt fast to me (compared to my folks' New Yorker), had T-tops and looked and sounded the part. I loved that car. My uncle traded that one for an '88 WS6 which to this day is the best-handling F-body I have ever driven.

I ended up owning a series of 5.0-liter Mustangs in the late '80s through the mid-'90s and enjoyed them. However, I always wanted a TA. In 1996 I finally bought a new black TA. Since then it's been nothing but F-bodies for me--a '99 Z/28 and my current '99 TA, plus an assortment of Second-Gens (my childhood dream car).

My ultimate goal for a car collection would be to own a pristine example of every generation Trans Am. I would probably own a few Second- and Third-Gens since those are the ones that really got me hooked.

[RedPhoenix1998]

Well, when I was young, my uncle had an 86 T/A and I loved it. A friend of mine had a 71 T/A and I loved the raw power she, yes she, had in that sucker. My buddy in 97 got a 25th and a few of my other good friends got 3rd gen Maro's. In 98 I saw the 98 T/A commercial and fell in love with the new 4th gens. The next day I saw a red one fly by with the dealer plates still attached and instantly I knew what I was going to get. :D

[Chief Pontiac]

I dont think their is a car that inspires so much passion as the Firebird.:cool: and you guys show it.

[BirdDogZ28]

My wife wanted a Trans Am since she was eighteen.
With two kids and a mortgage a real nice car just wasn't in the budget. Had to stick with a subaru an escort, even an explorer in 92. Thank God we never did the minivan thing.
In 97 we test drove a brand new TA, I went up the on ramp and hit 100 before it merged on to the highway . The salesman said hey there might cops around.:D It brought back memories of my single days when I went through alot of muscle cars. But again, we just couldn't squeeze the thing into the budget.
Early in 02 the wife and my oldest daughter pull into the driveway in a red 00 TA, with the salesman riding shotgun of course. She jumps out of the car and says something like "i want to get this". End up working out a deal, I wasn't real happy with the interest rate of 9.99%, but what the hell.
Then at the end of the summer GM had the 0% interest offer and one Saturday morning I went to the Pontiac dealer to have another key made for the 00 TA and there sat a brand new red WS6 still in shipping trim. AS I was in the service area having the key made the wife was in beating up on a salesman about the 02.
We ended up getting just under a $100 more in trade and a 0% loan.

[TPX18]

Originally posted by ZeusJr
Had to be because of Night Rider

:lol: Me too. When I was young, maybe 4-5 years old, I used to watch Knight Rider. For a year or so I thought all TA's talked. That's what started my love. When I was a senior in h.s. (97) I test drove a 96 TA and couldn't believe how cool it was, but of course the insurance rates killed any shot I had at that. When the 98's came out I was blown away. I wanted a WS6 more than anything else in the world.

Then in 01 I was away at college all depressed because I knew my chance at owning a new WS6 was coming to an end. I came home for Christmas break and my dad said he was running out to get some milk. Five minutes later or so I hear a car horn outside and my mother tells me it's my sister's friend and would I run out and tell her my sister wasn't home. So I went outside (it was dark) and saw the headlights and immediately knew what it was and I thought "oh damn this is so unfair, one of my sister's idiot friends has a new TA". So I go to the driver's window and it rolls down and there is my dad. I was shocked, I asked "who's car is this" and he goes "yours". I didn't believe him at first but once he convinced me it really was mine I couldn't stop shaking. He helped me by making half my car payment for the first year, but now it's all mine, the payments I mean ;)

[02 TransAm_Ky]

I started with a 95 Quasar Blue Camaro & then I saw the commercial for the 98 Firebird and the I had to have one. That was the year of the GM strike and Birds were hard to find, but finally I found a new 98 Black/taupe A4 Formula and the love affair was on. We got a 3rd Place trophy at the TA Nationals in 2001 with it. Then we got the 2002 WS6 A4, Black of course. This one is a keeper. LAST OF THE BREED
Would love to have a 67 so I could have a first and a last.

[Chief Pontiac]

Originally posted by 02 TransAm_Ky
I started with a 95 Quasar Blue Camaro & then I saw the commercial for the 98 Firebird and the I had to have one. That was the year of the GM strike and Birds were hard to find, but finally I found a new 98 Black/taupe A4 Formula and the love affair was on. We got a 3rd Place trophy at the TA Nationals in 2001 with it. Then we got the 2002 WS6 A4, Black of course. This one is a keeper. LAST OF THE BREED
Would love to have a 67 so I could have a first and a last. Congrats on the T/A Nationals.Ya I have a friend that has a 67 Firebird 400 Vert and I want to get a pics of ours together.

[renips]

http://www.fototime.com/{1E6E8749-F16E-4B9D-8BA7-F99D93764599}/picture.JPG

This is what I like.

[03ToRcHrEdVeTtE]

i used to drive a 99 eclipse and then one day my best friend bought a 2002 trans am and i took a ride with him in it. needless to say that was all i needed for within 6 months i sold my shitty eclipse and got the car of my dreams :jump: my 02 CETA

[RicksWS6]

I had a LT1 and was looking in the market for a newer Supra and when I went to the Pontiac dealership for fun and saw the hood on the WS6.....I drove it home 2 hours later and never regreted it since!!!!!!:D

[JoeJ]

well i've always had fairly fast cars. I started with a '92 5.0 mustang when i was 16, modded that and ran some decent times. From there I went to a '98 eclipse gsx, modded the shit out of that, 16g, fmic, supporting mods, ect, went 13 flat all day and I thought I was a god. Had the fastest car in my HS and would consistantly knock off just about anything on the street, especially from a dig. Then one night i see this SS fly up in my rear view, i had never run with one before. Needless to say i got rocked, HARD. Turns out the car was actually and H/C/I car puttin down 450, but i was damn impressed and no longer thought i was the shit. After that I had to find me one of these miraculous LS1's. I looked around for a long time trying to find one in good shape until one day i was browsing through the auto trader and happened upon this nice NBM formie. Looked up a carfax on it and it turned out the car was repo'd and had sat in some storage yard for quite some time. I went to take a look at it and it was damn near flawless, the price was right, and i took her home.

[DrEvyl]

http://lair.evyl.org/MyCars/72Firebird/72Fbird1.jpg

I saw this car on a used car lot in Kent, Washington in the summer of 1988. I thought it looked really sharp, so I bought it for $1600. I'd never looked at Firebirds much, and when I saw it I didn't even know what kind of car it was. I just should it looked cool.

That car kicked ass.... it was in cherry shape, ran like a champ. I drove the hell out of it until some anus rear ended me at 65 mph and totalled it. :mad:

I still want to replace that car one day... it kicked ass.

[99 RED SILVER]

I like them for a long time. Go though car / truck times. Been to PCB to many times and that to look that this. Wanted one and the more I seen going down the road the more I wanted one.
PCB weekend (http://groups.msn.com/oldsraceshoppanamacitybeach/thispastweekend.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=1666)

[02 WS6 TA]

Originally posted by 99 RED SILVER
I like them for a long time. Go though car / truck times. Been to PCB to many times and that to look that this. Wanted one and the more I seen going down the road the more I wanted one.
PCB weekend (http://groups.msn.com/oldsraceshoppanamacitybeach/thispastweekend.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=1666)

:bs: What really happened, Jan 1 2004, Paul and I went on a beer run , and I casually mentioned to him "Hey, you oughta buy an f body..."


Several miles later, after no communication, he replied"ok."


:rotfl: 10 days later he had his WS6...:lol:

:thumbup:

[99 RED SILVER]

That when I decided to go for it.

[landshark9]

I graduated college and was looking to buy a new vehicle. I was torn between getting a 'sports car' and a 4x4.

My friend took me out to the industrial park in his 98 T/A and taught me how to drive a manual. 3 or 4 days later I gave pontiac the check. I gotta tell ya, that's a fun vehicle to learn how to drive a manual transmission on.

Last year I finally got my truck too :)

[Chief Pontiac]

Ya they are and hopefully you didnt damage the trans much.:D

[03ToRcHrEdVeTtE]

Originally posted by RicksWS6
I had a LT1 and was looking in the market for a newer Supra and when I went to the Pontiac dealership for fun and saw the hood on the WS6.....I drove it home 2 hours later and never regreted it since!!!!!!:D

i was thinking of getting a supra myself, thank god i didnt ;)

[Chief Pontiac]

Yep you and me both,their is enough of that fried rice on the roads all ready.:D

[puckerth]

Ever since I saw the two commercials that came out in what was probably late 1997: Boo and Hungry. I was a senior in high school, and decided that I wanted one of those cars.

[killer01ws6]

What got me into Fbodys........
Well I could make that a book, but I will try to keep it to the cliff notes :D

My brothers are 13 and 15 years older than me, I used to go up to Kentucky where they lived to work with them during the summer, my oldest brother BO had two brother in laws, Gary and Ricky. Ricky had a fast 1970 Nova.... Gary had a faster 69 RS Z/28. It would pull the tires over a milk jug. :eek: :D

Well I went for many rides and loved them all. A few years later my best friend in HS got a 79 RS, nothing like the 69 but I did love the functional louvers on the back of the raised cowl hood. So I wanted a Camaro very badly. Well I join the AF in 83 and need a car to take to my fist duty station Charleston SC, I wound up with a custom 1980 Firebird a girl had wanted a bird and her dad said no to much power so they compromised on a V6 with custom paint, crager rims, kenwood stereo and more...... I was the second owner. I like the look of the car and it was quick for a 6...... but I wanted more So a few trades later I wound up with a 80 T model TA with the turbo 301 replace with a 403 olds motor.. :D :D now this one was fast..

I had others over the years, I have had 8 of them 6 Birds/TAs and 2 Camaros, but when I got my hand on the Camaros , one fast -75 with a 400sb and a S-L-O-W :( 78 with a 305...Well the thing that I had noticed that the Fire Birds Ta or Formulas were nicer cars on the inside, So it did not take me long to start wanting birds instead.
Then in 98 I got a 94 25th Annv TA, and I really loved that car Never had a car that got so many compliments.

Well a divorce helped to take care of that car, I sold it off for attn fees, but wound up with custody of my two boys.. a fair trade. After that when time and money allowed I started looking for a 30th but really wanted to wait for a 35th..... Once I seen there would not be one I got my O1 Ws6 And have never been happier
with a car.

[MassiveAttack]

I was 19 and I was buying a 1989 Grand Am, my first new car. While I was waiting for it to be prepped the salesman let me take out a 1990 Formula. I know the 90's werent the top of the Formula scale, but it was a dream compared to the GrandAm. Took me 10 years to finally get mine. In July of 1999 I took delivery of a brand new Firebird Formula M6 NBM. That felt so good to drive off this time in the Formula instead of the Grand Am.:D

[Chief Pontiac]

Killer those are the cliff notes?:confused: :)

[killer01ws6]

Originally posted by Chief Pontiac
Killer those are the cliff notes?:confused: :)

:lol: :D

I could have went into the story behind all 8........:rotfl: :blush:

[WicketMike]

smokey and the bandit has always been my favorate movie. in 1999-2000 i was looking for something with some power and had no idea what did, did some research and saw the camaro and trans am. decieded on the trans am because of the better look. found one and bought it, like it so much that i went out and bought another one. everybody thinks im crazy lol :D

[Chief Pontiac]

killer why dont you make a forum for Firebird storys then post the storys behind all eight.I could put in some more of mine also.


Mike you are not crazy,the ones that dont understand us Bird lovers are the ones that are crazy.:D

[Mike98WS6]

I got into Firebirds because of Smokey and the Bandit. That 77 TA got me hooked. Then of course then came Knight Rider. My first TA was an 84 with the 5.0 H.O. motor.

[nevrlift]

I was a stone cold Camaro lover and was the proud owner of a 1991 RS vert (305 TBI)....I was lookin for a 98+ Z28 with an M6 and couldnt find a single one in my price range....I did however run into a RED ORANGE metallic 98 T/A at a certian dealership....I drove it and was SOLD...(it had M6 option).....That car was then traded for my present ride 2001 WS6 M6 BLACK....nothing looks MEANER than a late 4th gen WS6.....

[Neil350]

I always loved cars, wanted a Mustang 5.0. Back when I was in High school, the LS1s just had come out, no one could afford one. The next best thing, still expensive was an LT1 TA. I loved the way they looked, just awesome looking cars. Now I have one blah

[Chief Pontiac]

Originally posted by 01Blackar
I was a stone cold Camaro lover and was the proud owner of a 1991 RS vert (305 TBI)....I was lookin for a 98+ Z28 with an M6 and couldnt find a single one in my price range....I did however run into a RED ORANGE metallic 98 T/A at a certian dealership....I drove it and was SOLD...(it had M6 option).....That car was then traded for my present ride 2001 WS6 M6 BLACK....nothing looks MEANER than a late 4th gen WS6..... You got the right Black,mean as shit and able to kick ass too.:drive:

[Stealth89]

Knight rider! :cool:

[BackwardsTraveller]

Knight Rider too :D

[No Moa]

Knight Rider, Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, and another one i can't remember!