1994 Pontiac Firebird Formula V8. Should I buy it?

BlazerLT · 09-11-2005, 04:28 PM

1994 Firebird Fomula V8
LT1 350
6 Speed
98000 miles
Aqua Green
Good shape minimal rust underneath.

Seems to be in pretty good shape and there isn't any scatches or dents or anything. It looks nice but it has those horrible base swirl wheels I fuckin hate. Those can be fixed.

Should I buy it? They want US$6400 for it and the nice thing is the 18s on my 1995 Blazer will fit perfectly on it.

How good is the fuel economy at 55-60mph which is what I usually drive on the highway?

Just took it out for a testdrive.

OMG!

This thing is mint and looks better than yesterday. It was washed and done up and sitting in the sun and this thing is absolutely perfect barring a few small imperfections in the paint.

The owner is a GM mechanic and that is why I saw it initially in the back parking lot of the dealer. He was nice and really firm on his thoughts on it. He knows what it is worth, he is NO pushover. There are very few of these cars in Ontario, Canada market and the ones that are there are either high mileage or priced out of this world for only a V6.

This car is worth something and I think it is worth more than the $5952 (yes, he lowered the price but AS IS) with taxes included.

What has been done within the last 5k.

- New clutch and pilot bearing
- New plugs and wires
- New waterpump

I took it for a test drive and it absolutely hauls ass and just pins you to the seat. No hesitation, no pissing around, just plain goes like a raped ape.

There is a tiny tiny amount of play in the steering wheel but I don't think it is anything that won't pass safety. He said all it "might" need is front brakes. It brakes perfect, the clutch is perfect, the paint is great and my god does it look good clean.

My GF is absolutely pissed off about this but from what I have heard, these are getting rarer and the value is going up on them.

What do you think guys?

**third_shift|studios** · 09-18-2005, 08:10 AM

its an LT1...no.

OH GOD! it's green! are you NUTS?!

**seppburgh** · 09-18-2005, 01:11 PM

Look up the Blue Book or any price guide to see if this is in line. Go onto E-Bay Motors (EBAY.COM) and check the listings there for a quick idea of what a 94 is going for.

Things you want to check:

When was the water pump and OptiSpark Distributor replaced? The 1994 OptiSpark Distributor for that year are prone to failure due to moisture, IE leaking water pump. If the water pump goes, so goes the OptiSpark. In 1995 this was fixed by adding a vent to the OptiSpark itself. But, the two are not interchangable as the cam shift are different. If they have not been replace, this is coming due shortly from age and miles.

Other "pink bunnies" to watch out for are:

How well do the headlights go up and down. The drive is a plastic gear subject to wear. Listen for grinding nose.

How easily does the windows go up and down. The drive motor has a circute that is prone to failure. Note by the window stopping, then continuing on after a 30 second to a minute wait. Just replaced the driver side window motor/regulator assessembly on my 95 for $ 300 US at a dealer. If you get this LT1, you want to clean the relub the tracks ASAP! Old harden grease is a killer.

The other thing to do is take it for a drive that will bring it up to operational tempatures while someone is following you to observe what comes out of the tail pipe. After warm-up, there should not be anything coming up as you upshift/downshift speed up/slow down.

BlazerLT · 09-19-2005, 07:58 AM

Well, he must have been having problem with it seeing he just had the water pump replaced and the plugs and wires done.

He said you can clear out the Optispark by blowing brake cleaner through it and then compressed air to get rid of the moisture.

He also wanted $1000 down so he would safety it, no way am I going to put a deposit on something that is not a sure thing.

How smooth do theses LT1's idle when you start it up? It was idling a little rough but that could be normal seeing the tach was not jumping at all.

**FlyinLow89** · 09-20-2005, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by dipherentdesign

its an LT1...no.

OH GOD! it's green! are you NUTS?!

I dont know...I kinda like mine.

BlazerLT · 09-20-2005, 01:21 PM

Trust me, the green is the light teal aqua color and isn't as dark as yours.

Plus it had the standard hood and no t-tops and those hideous spiral veggie cutter wheels from that year.

Yours looks great BTW, huge props.

**FlyinLow89** · 09-20-2005, 01:24 PM

i know which colour it is...and i dont mind it. Mine had ugly wheels and a regular hood when i bought it too

BlazerLT · 09-20-2005, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by FlyinLow89

i know which colour it is...and i dont mind it. Mine had ugly wheels and a regular hood when i bought it too

Ok, then you realise that the one I was looking at was not the same color as yours then.

**FlyinLow89** · 09-20-2005, 03:44 PM

yes

edit: BTW....Im in Ontario too. (didnt read all your post at first)

**1 badblack transam 01** · 09-20-2005, 03:50 PM

I dont know man I wouldnt buy it, it seems like way to many miles and to much work. But its you man so go for it if u want.

BlazerLT · 09-20-2005, 04:48 PM

Well the one thing that had me really start to question this is that the clutch had to be changed after only 90,000 miles.

That means this car has been pounded on.

**1 badblack transam 01** · 09-20-2005, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by BlazerLT

Well the one thing that had me really start to question this is that the clutch had to be changed after only 90,000 miles.

That means this car has been pounded on.

So true,.. I dont know man. Before you buy a car you should of course go drive it (u know that). But when your driving just stomp on it and see if it changes smooth as your going thru the gears, that will tell u alot of what u need to know about the clutch.

BlazerLT · 09-20-2005, 05:35 PM

I did test drive it and everything seemed to be good.

The clutch was replaced recently.

the only thing I am worried about is the rest of the car.

**XtinKt** · 09-20-2005, 05:53 PM

ROFL. That should be your first clue not to buy it.

BlazerLT · 09-20-2005, 06:08 PM

Originally Posted by XtinKt

ROFL. That should be your first clue not to buy it.

What do you mean? What do you think it means?

Not being rude at all, just want to know what this will mean about the car.

**LT1Gun** · 09-23-2005, 07:29 AM

It's a 96, has 87,000 miles, t-tops, LT1, 6spd, posi rear, cold air intake, new exhaust, new water pump, passed strict NYS inspection. I'm only looking to get $5300 for mine because I have a baby on the way. Also I get 26mpg driving to work everyday and that is all on 2-lane country roads.

Let me know if you or anyone else on here is interested. I'll probably post in the classifieds also.

**SeVeReDiStOrTiOn** · 09-23-2005, 10:43 PM

badass formy flyinlow...looks really clean.

blazin...any 11 yr old car is gonna have some probs, if you can afford the car and future repairs...and also "love" the car, not just "like" the car cause it's gonna take some love to be able to put some sweat and blood into the repairs and not care. Also 98000 miles is really low..that's less than 10,000 a year...which makes me wonder if it was sitting a lot, usually from a accident. You also seem put off by the color...if it's not what you really want...don't get it

Tx_Rice_Hunter · 09-24-2005, 01:34 AM

Originally Posted by FlyinLow89

I dont know...I kinda like mine.

What kind of wheel's are those? I want a set but I dont know what they are called.

**SeVeReDiStOrTiOn** · 09-24-2005, 08:56 PM

they look like the torque thrust wheels

99ta92rt · 09-25-2005, 01:13 PM

In one of my local area auto sales magazines, someone is selling a 94 Formula for $10,000 with just UNDER 10k miles. He also claims to have 2 sets of wheels included in that. Well worth the extra $4,000, imo. That's practically new. I'm in Chicago btw.