is this a decent deal

**jefff82** · 02-23-2014, 09:47 PM

looking to get my first firebird. its a 99 auto 1 owner with 128000 miles. I test drove it seemed to run well. ac worked all stock. owned by a 83 year old man. Always been a Honda guy had a 97 mustang was pretty weak stock so sold it so not too sure what to look for with this specific model. guys asking 5200. I offered 4700. any helpful input will be appreciated.

***SMWS6TA*** · 02-24-2014, 07:19 AM

Welcome.

Here are a couple of threads that can answer most of your questions.

http://www.ls1.com/forums/f6/differe...y-years-27512/

http://www.ls1.com/forums/f6/guide-buying-fbody-118628/

**0rion** · 02-24-2014, 10:03 AM

IMO if the car is in decent shape that's a great deal. Still a lot of miles left on that engine if it's been maintained properly. Read those 2 threads and go over the car really well looking for all the common issues like a leaky rear and things like that. You could buy that car, put money in it, and still be to the good.

**jefff82** · 02-24-2014, 11:29 AM

so pretty much check everything. I didn't check wipers. the pass window made some creaking put went up normal. guy lived down a dirt road so figured lube the tracks would help with that. asked about last tune up, said around 30k ago at 95k. is it due for much more than plugs and wire im guessing. and fuel filter most likely

**jefff82** · 02-24-2014, 11:30 AM

also I think the lca made a sqeak when pushing down on rear struts. will the dusty roads do this. can u lube those as well or replace only

***SMWS6TA*** · 02-24-2014, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by jefff82

so pretty much check everything. I didn't check wipers. the pass window made some creaking put went up normal. guy lived down a dirt road so figured lube the tracks would help with that. asked about last tune up, said around 30k ago at 95k. is it due for much more than plugs and wire im guessing. and fuel filter most likely

passenger pwr window is a known issue. long story short - there is a $38 kit that fixes the power issues with the passenger motor. Not hard to do but will take an hr or so to do. The issue - GM ran the hot wire from the drivers side first then all the way over to the passenger side. By the time it get's there the voltage is weaker and over time burns out the window motor. The kit I talk about fixes this.

Originally Posted by jefff82

also I think the lca made a squeak when pushing down on rear struts. will the dusty roads do this. can u lube those as well or replace only

Only way to be sure is get under and look at the bushings. Vehicle of that age might need new ones. Go poly last longer and other then getting suspension upgrades. Also our cars have shocks all around. They may look like struts but they are shocks. Rear are easy to swap out, front = PITA.

All of those are minor issues for me. As long as the drive train, body and interior check out that price isn't too bad. Being it one owner you can see how it was taken care of.

Plug & wire changes are ok with the exception to #8 cylinder. There are few ways to do it, most common is remove the coil pack and that will open enough room to to get it from the top. Others go from the bottom, that sometimes makes you remove the starter to have better access. Best answer is get Long Tube headers. Get's the CATS out of the way and really opens up the space.

but that is for another time.

If you get it and decide to "tinker" with it trust me we can recommend a ton of stuff to do

**jefff82** · 02-24-2014, 11:48 AM

shocks. so use to saying struts with my Honda/imports. the owner has 2 lil notebooks full of fillups with mpg ave and. oil changes that were semi synthetic since new I think. I just skimmed through but seems like a decent amount of care. just seems like it needs a good detail from all the dust. the motor on pass side went up fine just made a squealing noise like dirty track I hope.

**Firebirdjones** · 02-24-2014, 01:50 PM

Driving a car in Arizona will do that over time

If you drive on dirt roads, it will eventually create squeaks and groans. Probably needs a thorough cleaning and powerwashing underneath and a good lube of everything in general. Not something I'd be too concerned with unless he went balls to the wall down a washboard road all the time.

Sometimes I think Arizona is about 50 years behind the times when it comes to roads.

**opie** · 02-24-2014, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by jefff82

shocks. so use to saying struts with my Honda/imports. the owner has 2 lil notebooks full of fillups with mpg ave and. oil changes that were semi synthetic since new I think. I just skimmed through but seems like a decent amount of care. just seems like it needs a good detail from all the dust. the motor on pass side went up fine just made a squealing noise like dirty track I hope.

Yeah sometimes those ole anal guys keep good records of maintenance, god bless their souls.....

**pajeff02** · 02-24-2014, 06:20 PM

There's actually not a lot of maintenance required when it comes to a "tune up" for our cars. Replace the spark plugs and wires at regular intervals, replace the air filter, and then clean the MAF and throttle body. That's really about it. Your other general engine maintenance items are the same as any other car -- belts, hoses and flush the cooling system.

Does the car have any mods, or does it appear to be all stock?

**jefff82** · 02-24-2014, 08:30 PM

the car is all stock. owner was 69 when he bought it I think. hes 84 now.

**jefff82** · 02-24-2014, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

Driving a car in Arizona will do that over time

If you drive on dirt roads, it will eventually create squeaks and groans. Probably needs a thorough cleaning and powerwashing underneath and a good lube of everything in general. Not something I'd be too concerned with unless he went balls to the wall down a washboard road all the time.

Sometimes I think Arizona is about 50 years behind the times when it comes to roads.

I 100 % agree with you about the roads. ive never seen a rock chip job except he in northwest az. if you don't know the city just sprays oil and covers with gravel and lets the drivers pack it down. its lovely. where in az are u located

**pajeff02** · 02-25-2014, 02:16 AM

Stone chips? We have about a thousand of them on our cars thanks to this thing called winter. It has been an especially snowy and icy one this year which means lots of cinders and salt on the roads.

Looks like you and FBJ are basically neighbors.

**Firebirdjones** · 02-25-2014, 03:51 AM

Originally Posted by jefff82

I 100 % agree with you about the roads. ive never seen a rock chip job except he in northwest az. if you don't know the city just sprays oil and covers with gravel and lets the drivers pack it down. its lovely. where in az are u located

I'm in Prescott. Yeah, they call that chip seal around here, we call it tar and chip, but there are a ton of roads around here that use that process. But what ever you want to call it, it's nasty stuff. If they are laying it fresh I'll avoid those roads for 2-3 weeks until I'm sure it's packed down. Then you couple that with all the dirt roads that are still used in Arizona and it just boggles my mind. I prefer real blacktop myself.

**Firebirdjones** · 02-25-2014, 03:53 AM

Originally Posted by pajeff02

Stone chips? We have about a thousand of them on our cars thanks to this thing called winter. It has been an especially snowy and icy one this year which means lots of cinders and salt on the roads.

Looks like you and FBJ are basically neighbors.

Ha, yeah Kingman isn't that far. I go up there for the street drags they were having (if they still do, it's been a couple years) and I drive through there every year during the Route 66 days when we cruise out to Topock.

**79TransAm** · 02-25-2014, 11:43 PM

Sounds like a solid deal but some more details would be nice. Ws6, formula, Trans am, A4 or M6, etc.

Let us know what you find out

**jefff82** · 02-26-2014, 03:56 AM

Originally Posted by 79TransAm

Sounds like a solid deal but some more details would be nice. Ws6, formula, Trans am, A4 or M6, etc.

Let us know what you find out

Its a 99 formula a4 t top .128k miles

**Firebirdjones** · 02-26-2014, 04:05 AM

Just a heads up. I'm not sure what kind of shape the dirt road was in that this car frequently traveled on, but if it was washboard and rough like most dirt roads are here, I'd look real close at the front suspension components to make sure things are still snug. Being an older gent I'd tend to think he probably took it slow, but most people don't.

However, our 1/2 mile dirt road here (which is now paved) we traveled on for about a year. We maintained it (graded it) once a month but it would still get wash board in a short amount of time. I always took it slow and my wife drove her 4th gen on it for a few months. In that short amount of time with only 70k miles on the car, it ruined both outer tie rods, and the horn bracket cracked in half from the vibrations which then in turn ripped the wire harness. And that was taking it easy on the road. These cars just aren't meant for that kind of driving. After new front end parts and an alignment the car got parked, my wife drove the blazer until the road was paved. I actually left the other classics parked back here and didn't go anywhere in them until the road was paved. I even had a radiator crack in another car from the washboard. You almost can't drive slow enough on that stuff.

Other than that it sounds like a pretty good deal, don't think you could go wrong.

**jefff82** · 02-27-2014, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

Just a heads up. I'm not sure what kind of shape the dirt road was in that this car frequently traveled on, but if it was washboard and rough like most dirt roads are here, I'd look real close at the front suspension components to make sure things are still snug. Being an older gent I'd tend to think he probably took it slow, but most people don't.

However, our 1/2 mile dirt road here (which is now paved) we traveled on for about a year. We maintained it (graded it) once a month but it would still get wash board in a short amount of time. I always took it slow and my wife drove her 4th gen on it for a few months. In that short amount of time with only 70k miles on the car, it ruined both outer tie rods, and the horn bracket cracked in half from the vibrations which then in turn ripped the wire harness. And that was taking it easy on the road. These cars just aren't meant for that kind of driving. After new front end parts and an alignment the car got parked, my wife drove the blazer until the road was paved. I actually left the other classics parked back here and didn't go anywhere in them until the road was paved. I even had a radiator crack in another car from the washboard. You almost can't drive slow enough on that stuff.

Other than that it sounds like a pretty good deal, don't think you could go wrong.

well just wondering if you have any extra performance parts since your so close. looking to get a lid and exhaust to start. and a better air filter

**Firebirdjones** · 02-28-2014, 03:41 AM

An air lid and filter are pretty easy to find and available most anywhere.

Exhaust is a personal preference thing with all kinds of different choices out there. I'm selling my Mufflex 4" system but that's likely not something you're looking for on an otherwise stock car. Plenty of nice 3" catbacks on the market to pick from though with about any sound level you prefer.