2nd Mar 2002, 13:14
My name is Susan and I'm from Texas. I have a 1984 Trans Am, black and gold with a V-8 5 speed. I have had this car for for 18 years now and I love this car.
I was offered a 1998 Trans Am but wouldn't part with my old one. It has 120,00 miles on it and I have wrecked it twice, gotten it fixed and still drive the hell out of it.
The only problems I have ever had with this car is the power steering leaking.
In my opinion this was the best car ever made. I do like the the new ones with ram air and 6 speed. I might just get one of those to add to my collection, but I still won't part with my 1984 Trans Am. They'll have to bury me in it.
3rd Jul 2002, 17:43
I happen to disagree with some things and agree with others. I have two Trans Ams. One is a 76 and the other is an 84. The 84 is a little harder to work on... but with proper care, can have as many miles that mine has. It has over 200,000 miles on both the motor and trans, the trans just went out on me. I have never had any problems working on the car, I just think that the "competence " of some mechanics are questionable. That is why I prefer to do all work myself. as for exhaust work, of course pipes are going to be hard to find, these cars are getting old! I can't find any parts for my 76, and many parts for the 84 have been discontinued from GM. I actually would rather have custom exhaust, might cost more, but with the proper know-how they can unlock some restrictions from the factory system and boost a little horsepower, plus you have the choice of getting aluminized pipe, so you won't have to worry about the system rusting out again and have to replace.
11th Feb 2003, 01:55
I have recently gotten a 1984 tran am and the only thing thats gone wrong with it was the transmission went out on me as I was driving home one afternoon. Besides that, the body needs some work, but I'm happy with it. I always wanted a trans am and now I have one. I'll let you know how it turns out.
3rd Jun 2003, 09:31
I would have to disagree with the owner of this car. I currently own an 84 TA with 220,000 miles on it, and besides the leaky T Tops and general maintenance, the car runs great. I race it every chance I get with www.autosportsnorthwest.org. You can view the my car in the picture gallery there. It's the only 84 TA in the circuit.
For as the rating the car received, the review it is all wrong, the car handles better than my 82 Vette ever did with minimal suspension adjustments. Handling does not even compare to the rating that was given in this review; for instance when a car with minimal suspension adjustments can hit 1.25 G's in the corners, it's great handling in my book!!!
I would disregard anything that this review says, because when you can't even maintain your own vehicle (letting a mechanic tune it up?), you probably shouldn't own a high performance car such as a TA!!!
16th Jun 2003, 22:48
I also disagree, with the review above, I have an 84 trans am with manual transmission and rear disk brakes, and the way to adjust the e-brake is to park on a hill and let the car roll slowly and pull the e-brake tight and then release it and do that over and over again about 100 times, and that is supposed to adjust the e-brake.
But anyway, I love my t/a and I wouldn't trade it for anything, it has the special appearance package, ws6 package and t-tops and it is the most fun car I've ever owned, not to mention the fastest.
29th Jul 2004, 17:55
I have a 84 trans am and I love it also. The only thing that scares me is that it seems to be running hot 220-235.
Is this normal> If anyone can respond with advice I'd appreciate it.
Thanks.
26th Jul 2006, 12:34
We just bought an 85 T/A for $350, we drove the car home and now it cuts off everytime we stop at a stop sign. And for some reason the engine keeps overheating. If it was up to me I would get rid off it, but my husband instist that he is going to fix it. Does anyone have any idea what might be going on with our car?? And for previous comments I'm not lying when I say that "THIS CAR IS FAST".
12th Jan 2008, 02:08
Hey I have no idea if you're ever gonna check this.
But about the over heating situation, I was going to suggest get the rad flushed and make sure there are fluids in the rad. Check the thermostat too, replace it, most likely. Anyways, it's not that expensive.
14th Jun 2008, 16:40
Another disagreement here with the above review. Any older car, Trans Am or not, is not something that you want to try to depend on for daily service without any mechanical knowledge or a good mechanic who knows the particular car. It sounds like the reviewer got ripped off and didn't know any better. I'd only recommend a car such as this as a recreational investment (or any other 20+ year old car)
I've had my '84 T/A for eight years and I can identify with each of everyone's issues with the car. However, with some patience (and yeah, a small pile of cash dropped on parts and stuff) I've also been greatly rewarded with a car who's timeless good looks and tire-shredding performance still will turn heads even today.
I found the best thing to do with one of these is to seek help from familiars. There are enthusiast groups that have members who could probably fix these cars in their sleep. Many are also professional mechanics with a wealth of knowledge to share. Any Firebird/Trans Am (or Camaro) built from 1982-1992 is commonly called a "thirdgen" by these folks. Search that term and see what you find.
10th Feb 2002, 15:40
I purchased a 1984 T/A H.O. in 1985 with 8,500 miles.
The car now has 287,000 miles.
I agree with a lot of the things you stated, especially the rear wheel disc brake set up. I have meticulously gone over my system with new e-brake cables calipers and lubed all necessary parts. They still didn't hold the car in place on even the slightest incline.
This car is blue over silver and was very well maintained prior to my ownership. The prior owner had the car zbart undercoated the correct way. Door, fenders, quarters etc etc. The car has one little rust spot on the right rear quarter panel in front of the tire. The car was made in CA and had a waterbase environmentally friendly paint job with durability right out the window. I had the car painted (same color) with a nice clear coat finish in 1996 and it still looks beautiful. I left the stripe kit (although purchased) off the car because it just looked so sleek w/o it, a real sleeper.
The car was only just recently (within the past 2 years) garaged. I can imagine the rust might have been non existant had the car been garaged the entire time.
I have just had a Jasper remanufactured engine installed in the last six months. It is now broken in and runs great. Headers, hi-per ignition, intake.
The electrical system was done by J&L auto electric in Newington, Va. The entire cost of this project was about $5500.00. It's a toy, like a boat is to boat lovers. You'll never get out what you put in financially except a whole lota torque and fun. Everyone has to have a hobby to maintain their sanity. Some are just more expensive than others, don't you agree.
Hey man, do with this what you wish, just keep it real, OK. have a good one and see ya down the road.