New LS1 Owners - Newbie Tech - Formula / Trans Am shopping

I'm looking into getting my first Firebird/Trans Am, and am seriously considering a 02 Formula Coupe with 115K miles for 7,000. I would appreciate any feedback from somebody w/ Experience this will be my daily driver car to work and I want to make a good choice. This car looks pretty clean, i got in her and started her up, checked the oil cap and engine bay for anything obvious. The only think i noticed was the tires were pretty slick almost bald. Interior looked good nothing broken, is this a good deal? Shes a V8 5.7L 6speed. Is there anything obvious I should look for, Im going to drive her today.

The car looks clean and fyi thats a trans am not a formula :D. 115k isnt much to worry about on an ls1 they routinely go to 200k or more if taken care of and that one looks like it has. Just drive it make sure everythings good tranny shifts ok no grinding etc. If it feels solid mayb try and bump him down a little bit the price is ok but not awesome but hey if you like it go for it!

Redbird, thanks for the info, how can you tell its a trans-am?

on the door if it was a formula it was so formula or firebird, not trans am

Dont forumula's have a different nose and rear bumper cover as well than the T/A's?

Either way, that thing looks pretty damn clean for having that many miles on it. Just the driver seat in that good of condition surprises me, lol.

I drove the car , it shifts and drives good, A/C , windows, lights all work , but i asked them to pull a carfax on it and it stated it was in an accident in 08 and sold at auction with 'unibody' damage, the only thing i could see was a weld in the back right wheel well, but everything looked straight, should I run from this , they didn't seem willing to come down on the price, also the front left tire was so bald it was showing metal and it was pulling a little to the right, I attributed this to the bad tires. This is a dealer btw, not an individual.

Wow, I would want them to either come down on the price or replace the tires. I believe formulas pretty much look almost the same as a firebird except for the badging and front bumper and dont have the trans am spoiler. I would keep looking.

Trans Ams have side skirts, a different front bumper (fog lights), a different spoiler, and a different rear bumper, and also are basically "loaded" from the factory with leather, power drivers seat, and T-tops if I believe.

For $7000 I think you can do better, but if they're willing to help with the tires or price it could be ok. Keep looking around tho, IMO

thanks for the advice, I'm going to try and make them put some decent tires on there. I'm hoping that past unibody damage doesnt come back to haunt me

Yes definitely a T/A... Looks good i like it and dont think 7K is too bad. I just bought my first LS1 less than a yr ago and mines my sole DD and i got stick but i would definitely reconsider it now being my only DD. just my .02 cents.....

It looks like a good deal, except for the "unibody" damage. I don't know what that means, but could it be related to the left front tire scrubbing off?

These days, I beleive a car can be pulled straight after an accident, but I'm not sure.

LS1 with a 6 speed is a hoot. I promise.

If one front tire is worn way worse than the other, that would indicate front end problems. Don't count on the tires being the only reason it pulls to one side. Tell them it's a safety issue with the metal showing through the tires and it can't be driven home that way. If they put new tires on it, then take it for a drive and you will get a much better feel for the car.

Take it to a body shop and have it checked for straightness. Look at the wheels and make sure they line up in the wheel wells etc. Check all gaps on body parts.... If the body is not straight it can never be aligned and you will wear out tires constantly....

well this car didnt work out, Looking closer at the carfax report I saw there was actually frame damage from the accident, also it said it was a 'fleet' car for a short time, the lot didnt want to deal with the bald tires and I wasnt feeling to good about it. I kept looking and found a 98 WS6, in almost perfect condition with 110,000 miles for 9,600. They let me take it home and I'm going today to sign the papers, hopefully no more surprises. I know the price is a little high, but its a good chance for me to rebuild my credit. The carfax was clean, only two owners

I kept looking and found a 98 WS6, in almost perfect condition with 110,000 miles for 9,600. They let me take it home and I'm going today to sign the papers, hopefully no more surprises. I know the price is a little high, but its a good chance for me to rebuild my credit. The carfax was clean, only two owners

From what i can see the car looks pretty nice. Good Job! Also as long as your happy with the car the price doesn't really matter. I'm sure next week you'll find another T/A for a better price. It always happens that way lol. Good Luck and Hope everything works for you.

I drove the car , it shifts and drives good, A/C , windows, lights all work , but i asked them to pull a carfax on it and it stated it was in an accident in 08 and sold at auction with 'unibody' damage, the only thing i could see was a weld in the back right wheel well, but everything looked straight, should I run from this , they didn't seem willing to come down on the price, also the front left tire was so bald it was showing metal and it was pulling a little to the right, I attributed this to the bad tires. This is a dealer btw, not an individual.

walk, for that price. i'd offer them 4500 because of the prior unibody damage. you really don't want an f-body thats been wrecked.

The wrecked one was the one i didnt get, I got the black ws6 with a clean carfax. Thanks for the advice everyone.

nice purchase, and good choice to not get the other one!!