1999 Pontiac Firebird 3.8L V6 from North America
Summary:
Great car if you don't mind sacrificing a little power to save money
Faults:
Following all at 106000km.
Rear transmission Seal.
Engine coil.
Ignition module.
General Comments:
This car is sweet. For a V6 it flies. I have had a few problems, but nothing too major.
This car handles like a dream, and has enough get up and go to get yourself in or out of trouble.
Also in Alberta, since it's a V6, it classifies as a hatchback, and my insurance is no more than any other small car. Plus I get on average 32mpg.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 28th July, 2009
31st Dec 2008, 18:05
It's true. GM made all the six-speed transmissions shift from 1st to 4th, bypassing 2nd and 3rd gears. It's called CAGS, Computer Automated Gear Shift, or something like that. If you read expert reviews on various articles, they will tell you it's not a big deal, and so long as you drive quickly, the computer senses it is a "performance situation" and will let you use 2nd and 3rd. But, it really isn't true. CAGS is a giant pain! Even when I really got on it, it forced me to shift to 4th. But... the good news is, and the reason I wrote this is, to let you know that you can take this to a performance shop and have the CAGS turned-off, and it's inexpensive. No parts involved, just de-programming. That is, I can use 2nd and 3rd all the time now. I don't know about the newer cars, if GM is still making CAGS standard on new Corvettes and the new Camaros coming out, but if they do, you should be able to get it de-programmed / turned-off.