I am 45 now and have been fortunate enough to own several Firebird's during those years. I thought I might share with you what the cars I owned were like,starting with the first one.

1979 base Firebird. My dad got this for me and was my first car. It was yellow with rally wheels. It had a 301 2bbl,auto,and was bone slow. That's probably good cause I drove like an idiot. Several times I had the speedometer down at the MPH letters it just took a lot of road to get it there. I street raced it (lost mostly),did wide open neutral drops,and abused that poor car but it never did break. Looking back I wish I had been more responsible and took better care of it.

1980 T/A. 301 4bbl and still bone slow. I bought it to sell and make some $$,which I did. This is the car that I finally got to feel what a good handling car was like. It was red and had an auto tranny.

1973 T/A. This was a rough car. It had a crappy exhaust and the steering wheel was gone,replaced by one out of a Catalina or something. I just wanted that body style so I bought it. It ran terrible even though it had a built 389 and TH400 that shifted so hard you would think something was breaking every 1-2 shift. I never did know why it ran bad. I sold it for what I gave for it. Later I was looking at a manual for Pontiac motors and thats when I realized why that car ran so bad. The distributor turns counter clockwise! DUH! I had hooked the wires in a clockwise position. I felt really stupid.

1979 TATA. I had a nice 4X4 Chevy truck at the time when I spotted this car on a used lot here in town. Interior was ok,needed paint,had some nice Weld racing wheels on it. It was a 403 car and it ran quit well. I traded the Weld's for some OEM wheels. It had a cracked exhaust manifold when I got it and I could not find an OEM manifold so I had headers put on with real duals. This was my first car to install a shift kit to. I loved this car cause I could stomp the gas,watch the hood shaker tilt over as the rear end tried to swing sideways. Then it would bark the tires on the 1-2 shift....it was great! I never did run anyone in this car and no doubt it would not beat much. But it was a fun car to drive and it handled great to. At that time restoration parts were unavailable,especially interior stuff. The decal kit alone was over $400 and I could not swing the cost of fixing the car up the way it should have been. I sold it and to this day regret it.

1993 Formula. LT1,auto. It was a salvage title car but you would never know it. It was a deep purple,almost gray color. This was my first real performance car. It ran a best of 14.52 on a hot sweaty day. I'm sure it would go lower but I only went to the track that one time. I shift kitted this one to and it hit pretty hard. Enough that we all know I broke tranny mounts. I went thru 3 lifetime mounts from Autozone before I traded the car. This was my first car I ever did a dry blacktop doughnut in (after a coworker said it would not do it). I had it to 145 mph once coming home from the T/A Nats and it was still pulling strong. The only mods I ever did was the shift kit and a Flowmaster muffler. I've seen it once since I traded it.

1997 Formula. Still have it. It has no dents and is in fantastic shape. I've had this car for almost 10 years and I do not have any intentions of parting with it. This is the car I traded the 93 for. I spotted this on a lot and pulled up to take a peek. Thats when I seen the manual stick! The lot lizard came out and let me drive it. 2 hours later it was mine. I've learned a lot tooling around with this car. Everything under the hood is a nightmare to work on! But,I did it all myself and I'm proud of that fact. I've raced a bunch of people,trophied some local shows,got a lot of compliments,and had a blast with it. I've had this one 140 mph and it had a lot left to. It's now garage kept and only driven on pretty days. I park at the back on any parking lot so no one parks next to it. Ever time I get in the car and start the big V8 up it makes me feel good. Stick it in gear and ease the clutch out and the torque lets you know that fun is just a pedal push away.


Ones that got away.

1973 T/A. I tried to trade a 73 Monte Carlo to a guy for this car. It was ROUGH to. My car was much nicer but that T/A ran like stink! I loved that power. It just never happened.

1973 T/A. Different car. This was kinda rough but straight. It had a 455 with a TH400. I liked this car and the guy wanted $1100 for it. Keep in mind this was around 1983. I did not have the money even though I tried to get it. I dont know what ever happened to that one.

Nice stories Tyler, I wish I could say I had multiple Birds but since I didn't catch the fever till I was older, I've just have had the one I have now. Will never part with her, She's willed to my son! These cars are the best. There's nothing out there quite like them. Dave

Wow Tyler I didn't realize you had had so many Birds.

I actually started out in a `78 Camaro Z28, but in a twist of fate it was totalled after only having it a couple months.
With the insurance money I picked up my first Pontiac F-body

1979 Trans Am Solar Gold T-Top Car with 82k miles on it. After a year the original 403 developed a Knock and I replaced the engine with a rebuilt `77 T/A 400 (W72) mill with a few choice add ons. Edolbrock Performer Intake, Performer plus Cam, Holley 750 VS, JR headers H pipe and true duals w/40 series Flows exiting out to the correct SE splitters. With a hard hitting TH350 and good supertune this car laid waste to most new stock iron built up to to 1992. It was a fun and fast DD for 7 years and it never gave me any problems. In fact like my LS1 it almost craved to be beat on, the more you flogged it the better it ran.
Traded it in for $2k towards the next Bird it's OD read 208k miles.

1994 Firebird Formula Bright Red Hardtop A4 with 25K miles. This car was alot of fun even for the short time I had it. Equally as fast as my Old Trans Am but quite bit more comfortable. But after a choice encounter with a GM LS1 mule car I knew what I had to buy next.

1998 Firebird Formula Navy Blue Metallic Hardtop M6. Orderd it Jan 19th 1998 and 10 weeks later 3/27/98 took delivery. Odometer read 9 miles when I picked it up and boy was it a great feeling to be one of the first people to own an LS1 let alone a Formula which was a rarely seen model on it's own (still is).
In 1998 the LS1 F-body really went to the top of the food chain on the street. It was astounding to say the least because so many people didn't have a clue what hit them. Suffice to say if you didn't have your car setup right or didn't know what you were doing an LS1 car would make you look stupid.
Car has been my primary transportation for 11 years and has never left me stranded except for a VATS issue which has now been bypassed. Fastest and longest owned car, Current Mileage is 135,000+ Current mod list is on the side ->

Oh yeah and it still on the Original Clutch.

Tyler, maybe I am reading the wrong.... You owned a 1979 WHAT????

TATA
Tenth Anniversary Trans Am

That would be it!

I liked it better when he had 79 TATA. That is a lot to go around and a lot more to deal with. No wonder you are divorced! LOL

Matt

Sorry..... mind in gutter..... ROFL

I've had three,
1979 Formula (Blue) SOLD
1998 Formula (white) SOLD
2000 Trans Am (black)

me too

My 97 Formula is the only Firebird I've owned.
Dad did just pick up a 96 TA though.

I dont get it?

1999 Firebird: My first NEW car after getting rid of the hand-me-down my parents laid on me (1992 Chrysler Le Baron, Landau). Had the 3800 performance package, several nice options, inc. T-Tops. Got a lot of compliments on this car in High School.

2000 Camaro: After the Firebird was wrecked by a moron driver when she had only 8000 miles on her, picked up a Red Camaro with the Body Side Moldings. Not as big of a fan of the Red as the white., also not as big of a fan of the Camaro as the Bird...

2002 Formula: As soon as I got the settlement (PI) from the Bird accident, I went out to buy a "Last of the Breed" Formula, and have been driving her ever since! She'd now got about 72000 miles, and is still running strong!

I've only owned 3 cars in my life so far, and all 3 were red firebirds

1991 Firebird 305 Convertible - Totalled by the smoothie people at my college. One of around 700 made. Such a beautiful car..
1995 Firebird Formula Convertible
1998 Trans Am WS6 (current)

I've loved all 3 of them, but i'm ready for a change of color hahaha

My first was a '80 T/A. It had the 301/TH200 combo, and I only paid 100 bucks for it. Main things that drew me to it were the t-tops and shaker hood. I bought it when I was in high school back in '95 for a project, but soon realized it would take more money than I had to fix it right. It ran, but need just about everything else. I sold it a year later.

It was a great looking car though...white with blue graphics (yes, screaming chicken on the hood) and blue vinyl interior. It also had snowflakes with blue insets. I still love that color combo, and owuld love to have another one.

2nd I bought a year later, a 88 GTA L98. It was gunmetal grey with grey leather and digital dash. I used to get a ton of compliments on it, that gunmetal lookd awesome with the gold wheels and badges. I used it as a DD for a few years, and sold it to my brother after putting 35k on it. He wrecked it a year later.

3rd was a '98 Formula I bought in early '01. It was black with ebony leather, and was a M6 hardtop. I looked for that car for a long time, it was exaclty want I wanted (well, except for being a HT). I found it about 2 hours from where I lived after looking for months for a black M6 Formy. For some reason, and I still don't know why, I traded it for a '97 Grand Cherokee about 7 months later. I actually still have the Jeep, it's been a great vehicle, and I've put over 100k on it (146k totaL mileage) and it's been really reliable. It's been a great DD that's also satisfied my occasional offroad urges. And it's great to have in the winter, as it's just about unstoppable in the snow.

4th is my current 'Bird, my '00 Formula. At 16mpg, the Jeep was an expensive DD for my 6o mile commute, and the search for a more practical car ended up with me looking to replace my '98 that I never stopped missing. I looked for months for that one too, and found it about 70 miles away. I love the NBM/tan leather combo, it was love at first site. Only occasional regret is that it's a A4, but when I was looking I told myself that I'd go with the car that I liked that was in good condition and a good deal, regardless of transmission. At the time I was going back and forth between wanting a M6 or A4, so I figured I'd let the car decide for me. Other than that it's perfect, I like it better than my '98 - it has more options, including t-tops.

TATA's are made in India--it's an offbeat little car and with weld wheels, probably means that some farmer welded up a set from an old barn door--you can get anything hand made in India. They also make great lorries.

Only one Firebird for me, but two Pontiacs--a 1965 Grand Prix. A great big land whale of a car with an auto and 389, full power everything. It was a great car! Had the rare factory vacuum/mileage gauge on the center console, even had wood trim throughout. The other, of course, was a 1994 Firebird Formula. I miss it..... You guys are so lucky that you aren't in a position to have to sell yours. But , it's replacement will probably be a Corvette rather than a Camaro or Firebird, but am leaning towards a 2001 Acura NSX???? I know, I know......

Interesting fact. Not what I was thinking of though.

I've owned 4 of them: 1979 Formula, 1987 Formula, 1997 T/A and 1999 T/A. Bought 3 of them before Kevin passed away and one shortly after he passed away. For a while it looked like I might lose a few, but with luck and hard work - I've still got all of them.

I've had two. My 98 Formy, and my 2000 TA.




I am Firebirdless at the moment (the way i go through cars it won't be for long). I sold The TA a few Months ago. My nephew just had to have it. At least I'm keeping the Firebird interest going in the family. I also sold my Cobra last month. I had only used it once in the previous year. I am waiting on the delivery of a car I bought to replace the TA. Will post pics when It comes (and It's not a new Camaro).

I just have one -- my 1997 Formula. My first Firebird, had it since new and immediately started doing some bolt-ons (see signature for details).

This car is not my daily driver, but does get driven on average 100-200 miles per month (can't resist). Currently has 27,830 on the odometer with new tires (BF Goodrich G-Force Sport), and I plan on keeping this car forever (with occasional dreams of adding a 3rd gen Trans Am GTA to my collection).

Have and still own only one.

Man! I want one of those!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll take 2 please one in each hue

Want! *drool*

i have 2
1991 Formula 5.7 auto 4 speed
1996 Trans Am WS6 M6

My 1st car was a 1974 Firebird Esprit, I used that as a daily driver (even in the winter, I got stuck alot)
My 2nd car was a 1979 Firebird, beautiful car - the person that owner it before me dressed it up to look like a Turbo TA
But it had a 6 cyc engine, that didn't like cold weather. ( it couldnt pull a fart out of a shoe box).
My 3rd car was a 1986 Firebird with V-8 (305) dual carb. I totaled that, hitting a farm tractor.
My 4th car was a 1985 Mercury Cougar, nice car, ran great but it was not a Firebird.
My 5th car was a 1991 Firebird Formula with a WS6 suspension ( I loved how that car handled), I added a second garage onto
my house and bought a pick up (Chevy Silerado) and only drove the '91 during the summer. The '91 was getting alot of
miles on the clock and I was having a mid-life crisses and I wanted a 2002 Firebird Formula for sale that was a couple of
states away.
My 7th car is a 2002 Firebird Formula with a 5.7 Liter engine (that can eat up the rear tires). It only has 12000 miles on the
clock.
Had to sell the '91, because I only had a two car garage - pick up a two Firebirds don't work, so the '91 was sold.

So to recap I have a Beautiful 2002 Firebird Formula with only 12 thousands miles and a Chevy pick up.