Faults:
T-Tops like to leak and squeak.
Strange gas smell entering the passenger compartment every now and then.
Never managed to get the vents to work.
Tuning the engine proved strangely difficult, always seemed to run too rich.
Suspension strangely unhinged at times, possibly due to some inspired off road driving done by previous owner.
To be fair, this car was in rough shape when I got it, and it is actually quite remarkable it worked as well as it did.
General Comments:
Considering its aggressive make-up on the outside, this car is a bit on the tame side when it comes to temper.
Smoky and the Bandit engine sound very real and cool; I loved driving it, even though it always sounded faster than it was, or maybe because of that.
The body is timelessly beautiful, an eternal head-turner that no amount of dust or dents can detract from; this car has a very cool, menacing presence.
I've noticed that driver courtesy is somewhat lacking toward Firebird drivers in Canadian city traffic, so beware; if you's rather be seen as a nice person when changing lanes, consider a Volvo instead.
The car is undrivable in snow, losing all traction immediately with as little as 1cm of snow on the roads, which can get quite dangerous.
The trunk is tiny.
Slushy transmission.
Fuel economy was terrifying, but probably due to engine problems I had; I averaged around 40L/ 100km with very defensive driving in deep winter in Canada; other drivers tell me they are getting about 13 to 17L/100km.
7th Dec 2014, 03:37
A 1980 Firebird with the V6 gets 8 out of 10 for performance? With all due respect, this engine did not rate 8 out of 10 back in 1980, let alone today.