1986 Pontiac Firebird 2.8L V6
Summary:
A great choice for any American sportscar enthousiast!
Faults:
When I bought the car, I knew a few things had to repaired in order to make the car fully functional.
First I've had both the rear shocks replaced with new ones as they were almost worn out.
After this, I replaced the cables on the spark plugs with original ones, as the previous owner put the wrong type of cables on it.
The red paint is bad and the car could use a new paintjob. This will happen next month.
The ignition copper spool broke down en was replaced with a spool from a Citroen BX.
After 4 months the fuelpump began to fail which concluded in a stuttering engine. I've had it replaced with a new one.
Seats started to wear out after one year. The seats were already in bad condition when I bought the car. I refurnished the seats with leather.
The automatic trunk won't stay open. When the trunk is opened and you let loose of it, it falls down and closes itself. I have not yet dealt with this problem, but it's a minor nuisance since a Firebird's trunk is quite useless anyway.
General Comments:
I am really in love with the Pontiac Firebird. It's great to have a third generation Firebird in Holland because these cars are hardly seen here. My car really turns heads! In short, these American sportscars are great to look at!
I think the small V6 engine is fairly quick. It's not a Trans Am though. I plan on building a V8 TPI engine in my Firebird next year.
My car handles like a dream as long as you don't take turns too sharp as it may cause the car to spin. This can be very entertaining, but it can also be dangerous.
My most recent problem with the car is that the engine suddenly quits running while driving the car. The engine just shuts off without giving a warning or without making a sputtering sound. I think the electronic ignition module is to blame for this and I will replace it this week. This problem can put you in great danger as you will lose both powerbrakes and powersteering until the car is put to a stop and restarted.
Fuel isn't cheap in Holland. If you plan on buying a Pontiac, keep in mind that this car has fairly high running costs (if you live in Holland that is) and you will find yourself driving to the fuelstation for a refill on a regular basis.
The Firebird offers plenty of space for the driver and the front seated passenger. However, the back seats aren't very comfortable and you won't make friends if you let people use them :c) As mentioned before, the trunk is very small and practically useless.
I have owned this car for 2 years now and only a few things have gone wrong with the car; the malfunctioning fuelpump being the biggest problem. You could say this car is pretty reliable. I've never had problems starting the engine on a freezing winter morning.
All in all, I think this is one of the best sportscars an "average man" can afford. I plan on making this car even prettier than it already is and never want to part with it!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 18th April, 2004
10th May 2006, 09:00
Thanks for your advice. A lot of other people warned me not to mount a TPI engine, but go for a carburated 5.7 engine instead. A lot of work has gone into the car since I wrote this review. The car also has a new paint-job (black). By the end of the year, I plan on mounting a carburated Chevy V8 engine.
17th Oct 2007, 20:11
I love my 86 Firebird as well. It's a V6 but still can be a lot of fun to drive. I live in Detrit area so after college I would like to fix the small surface rust it has and put a 5.0 or more, V8 in it, eventually.
18th Feb 2005, 15:47
I also agree with that comment. for price and tuning the carberated engine is the way to go. I own a 86 bird with 305 carberated engine. to modify mine I take it in the back yard to do it. and it doesn't require a garage or a lab top to tune. good luck I hope she works for ya.