Faults:

MAF was bad when I bought it.

Hood struts needed replacement.

Headlight motors needed replacement.

Factory CD player needed replacing.

General Comments:

I had owned several rear drive V8 cars in the past. I had sold them and gotten a Honda Prelude as a daily driver for work and school. I wasn't really looking for another car, but I had money in case something caught my eye.

I came across a black Firebird Formula that had just been put up for sale. It has the WS6 package, Borg Warner 5 speed and 9 bolt rear, 4 wheel disc brakes, Tuned Port Injection. The car was all original down to the factory CD player. I knew it was a steal at the price and mileage, so I jumped on it. I now remember why I loved American Muscle.

To my surprise, the Firebird outhandled my 2001 Prelude with the large front and rear swaybars, tight suspension and 4 wheel disc brakes. This may not be true with regular 3rd gens without the WS6 package.

The 5 speed manual is notchy with a heavier clutch, which took some getting used to with 300 ft/lbs of torque. It's not the fastest car on the road, but quick enough with its rather subdued appearance compared to the Trans Am GTA to surprise a few unwary fox bodies and similar performing cars.

Gas mileage is decent with fuel injection and gets low 20s on the highway. However, around town driving drops it into the teens. While it's comfortable to drive, and I have no doubts about reliability, it's not a car I prefer to drive every day of the week everywhere. It's not a quiet car, and it takes more attention to drive than some others. All in all, it's a great weekend car, and has plenty of room to carry luggage.

Parts are cheap and plentiful and it's easier to work on compared to a 4th or 5th gen. The only disappointments I have is that after 4500rpm it seems to hit a 'brick wall' in performance. This is mostly due to the TPI intake design. The factory clear coat is peeling, and the pop up headlights are a hassle. The hatch lock mechanism is also an inconvenience and I wish it was just a regular latch that you could just slam shut. It also has no cup holders!

Faults:

Tires were a wreck when purchased, and is was a pain in the ass to find cheap tires (I had WS6 suspension on my Formula Firebird and the rim size is 16). Rare for an 89.

Brakes were a nightmare, even after I had them repaired (probably replaced with the wrong set up, because no one knew it was a WS6, despite my constant reminders).

Brake lines exploded and were replaced.

Old WS6 suspension package is more of a headache than it's worth.

T-top seals started to leak one month before I sold it.

Light motors WORKED.

Trunk motor WORKED.

General Comments:

I loved this car and still do; the problems for the most part are routine maintenance.

The person who owned it before me made a mess of it, and I still loved it, and was proud to drive it despite the 3 different colors it was.

It was fun to drive and a fast car.

Will have another one eventually.

Long live The Bird :)