1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula 5.7 V8 from North America
Summary:
Pay your insurance and buckle up for the best ride of your life!
Faults:
When I got the car the transmission went, the radiator was corroded, and the rear axle broke all in the first 400 miles. My dealer was great and fixed everything around $3500. I got a steal of a price for it...plus fixed the typical issues.
The problem with the Formula cars is that they get hot too quickly in slow moving traffic (Atlanta traffic will over heat your car) and 17 miles to the gallon (real driving) stinks. There is a feature called "skip shift" that forces you from 1st to 4th if you don't have your RPM's high enough. This can be turned off by removing the middle cable off the transmission going to the engine.
General Comments:
My T-Tops do not leak like my friend's Camaro. 6-Speed manual is the coolest thing in the world... a lot better than all those 5-Speeds.
I've only had the car 2 months but it is the best car I've ever driven except the 300ZX (but the new ones don't have T-Tops). Key note to anyone driving in the rain... start in 2nd gear and you will not spin in place.
Be warned if you get this awesome bird that you will not be alone on the road... I pass daily about 25 to 30 Camaro's and Firebird's. At least 5 of those are the same color and one of those is same exact year as mine.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 25th July, 2001
3rd Jun 2001, 00:20
How was headlamp motor fixed? I have one that keeps running when closed, any help would be nice, can this be adjusted?
Thanks,
Aaron.