My wife bought a 1997 Pontiac Firebird before the two of us met, and I tell you what...just the car alone was enough to fall in love. T-tops, nice alloy WHEELS, not hubcaps like the pre-1997, and SPEED.

I was crushed when I found out that it only had the 3.8L 3800 series engine under the hood. Although this is the case, it is not reason to get all upset. This little rocket will get you from 0 to speeding ticket fast enough. This 3800 has a lack of low-end torque that you normal find with a sports car, yet is about 5-7K less than the Trans Am or the Formula. I didn't think that it was going to be enough to make me happy, and boy was I wrong.

The car for the most part is really stable and been a great car. We have had the car in the shop 5 times for the same problem, fault code 1441, which is the Evap. switch. There were containments in the lines, and the dealer replaced the switch every time under warranty even though it had run out. It was the standard 3yr 36k mile warr.

Ours has the CD player and the standard stereo installed, and I feel that this is MORE than enough. The stereo is really good sounding. Yes there is a difference when you are talking about the difference between aftermarket and factory, yet this is not to shabby at all.

A major problem is that there is a severe lack of space in the rear of the car. The rear seats are not large at all, and the truck doesn’t hold too much of anything. It's alright for day trips and cruising around town, yet not much more than a couple of things at the local shopping market.

Gas is really great in this car. We were getting 33mpg @ 80mph between CA and WA. Not too much of a hit on the wallet on that one & not to comfy on long road trips.

As for the recommendation, not those with a family of any size. The baby seat will fit, yet your passengers will feel the pinch. If you are over 6'1, kiss this good bye without having to fold yourself to get in and out of here. You get tired of rolling out of the car when you exit as well.

If you can take the car for the weekend at the local dealership, I think that it is a great idea. Go through your normal routine, and then decide for yourself.

If you like to see what I've done to my own Firebird, and see more pics of it as well, you can drop by my personal website: http://www.angelfire.com/dc/mcaanda/

If there are any questions, feel free to E-mail me at mcaanda@yahoo.com

Mcaanda


Amount Paid (US$): 21,500
Condition: New
Model Year: 1997
Model and Options: 3.8L Engine, cruse, T-tops, pwr: win, locks, basiclly fully loaded