Pontiac Firebird 1967-2002 - So I am getting a T/a this weekend, need some thoughts

So I have a 99 F250 4x4 with a powerstroke and I have 2 guys here in Georgia that are duking it out to trade for my truck. both have gorgeous cars... here is the info on them

2001 Black Trans Am
carbon fiber WS6 ram air hood
ceramic coated hooker long tubes
OR y-pipe
flowmaster exhaust
adjustable torque arm
adjustable control arms
adjustable panhard bar
adjustable air ride coilovers
corvette wheels
241 castings
auto transmission
119k miles
http://images.mautofied.com/adphotos/10234250_2011104154422.22.50.jpg

2002 Dark Blue Trans Am WS6 (yes has the code in door jam)
lid
k&n
corsa catback
241 castings,
ls6 intake (supposedly, cannot confirm)
6 speed
153K miles
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r119/greggk13/956E4291.jpg


so whats y'alls input? i'm not looking for a race car, just a nice daily driver.

Both have too high of miles for me personally, but I would go with the NBM WS6. I think it looks better. And it should have the LS6 intake since that came stock in '02

so you think the blue one is better? what kind of power should i expect out of the blue one? 345 hp at the crank roughly? I was thinking of doing a few mods to get it to the 400RWHP mark. One of my best friends is a guy that goes by Spinmonster, and I was thinking of getting one of his cams, some new valve springs, and having him come down and tune the car using HP tunes. that should get me close to that mark, no? thats good enough for high 11's to low 12's correct?

a few more pics of the 2 t/a's

blue WS6
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r119/greggk13/2CC5DD64.jpg

black t/a
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r119/greggk13/4B391036.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r119/greggk13/98CC3FCD.jpg

6 speed for sure but too many miles IMO.

The black one, while still high and not a real ws6 if I read correctly, has considerably lower miles. And, is more modded and has nicer wheels that you won't have to spend money on later.

drive them both, pick which one seems to be nicer

Both are 5 hours away and both want to come to me. I am just not trying to waste anybodies time. I can't travel to them due to Deployment training and being in a 1 hour recall. I am kind of leaning towards the blue, because it is 6 speed, but the mileage an condition of the black 1 has my interest as well.

Mileage isn't everything. As stated, check them both out and go for the better car.

I have seen the trans am and its a nice car and the owner is a nice guy. I actually went over the car when he got it. The car is not black it is a custom grey metlic which is real nice when you see it in person, also it had weld in sub frame connectors. Thats all i can think off as of right now that is not listed.

If you could i would drive both cars and whatever one drove the best thats the one i would take IMO.

So how is the black (grey) as far as performance? I'm not discounting either one. I aw actually hoping someone here knew about these 2 particular cars.

The '02 WS6 looks better in my opinion. Stock looking, and it's a 6spd.

just because my 14 year old asked... what would it take to get either into the 11's quickest and cheapest way?

OP sounds like you want a 11 sec daily driver to tool around town. It's kinda a paradox cause you can do 11's with either car. For consistency at the track and ease around town an automatic with a good stall and gears is the way to go.

If I had to pick only one of these 2 it would be the 6 speed WS6.

if i had to choose... since im partial to dark blues... the dark blue 6 speed... it will get good mileage as well

your really comparing oranges to oranges on these two, its really your personal preference and it would all come down to weather I wanted a auto or manuel to me, everything else on the cars are mostly the same.

If I do the black with the suspension work and full exhaust what else would I need to get me down there?

The black one looks really nice but I'd have to have the 6 speed

The black one.... has nicer wheels that you won't have to spend money on later.

I beg to differ on that one. I'd take the stock WS6 wheels anyday over those ghetto C5Z's, which COMPLETELY ruin the look of the car.

Out of the two I like the blue one better....real WS6, better color, mostly stock so prob not beat on, and most importantly, it's a 6 speed.

However, I probably wouldn't make the trade because of the mileage. And while the black on has lower miles, it's an auto, so I wouldn't want that.

Out of the two I like the blue one better.... and most importantly, it's a 6 speed. And while the black on has lower miles, it's an auto, so I wouldn't want that.You have an auto. Why would you recommend to him against it?

You have an auto. Why would you recommend to him against it?

For exactly that reason. Pretty much every time I get in the car I grab that auto shifter and feel a tinge of regret.

There are a lot of factors to take into consideration. What do the interiors look like? Paint condition? Etc. That could make or break a deal.

Both are actually pretty equal on interiors. Same color interiors and interior condition.

When faced with a choice between a modded, or a stock vehicle, my choice is always the stock one.

The blue car is a true WS6, and has the stock wheels. It will hold its value better than a regular TA over time. It also has a 6 speed, which is more sought after than the auto. It also looks cleaner and better looked after than the black one.

The black car is a regular TA, with an auto transmission. As such, its not a popular car choice for consumers. It has been repainted (it is actually grey, you say?), and doesn't have its original wheels. The wheels that it has, IMO, are truly ugly, and detract from the overall look of the car. Its also not a true WS6, just a poser car with an aftermarket hood. Pass.

I wouldn't be particularly concerned about the mileage issue. I would rather a car that has been driven and maintained, than one with low miles, that has sat in a garage most of its life.

I wouldn't even consider the black one. Good luck with your choice!

I find it hard to believe you're getting someone to trade a Trans am for a Ford Truck :confused: :jest:

Don let mileage throw you off. I got my car with 155kamd it drives like new. The blue one is mostly stock and therefor has probably been driven nicer.

Get the original WS6 with stock wheels...

well I picked my trans am today. I went with the automatic, for a variety of reasons.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r119/greggk13/763F7BB8.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r119/greggk13/42CC4B26.jpg

Care explaining?

Wow! You certainly chose to ignore about 99.9% of the advice you asked for. Care to explain why you went with the "black" car? Unless you plan to turn it into a weekend racer/thrash car, I can't think why an original, 6-speed WS6 wouldn't be the obvious choice.:confused:

My wife can't drive tick and while I'm deployed it would be nice for the car to be driven occasionally. I do want to race it occasionally and automatics are more consistent. Plus this came with a full stereo setup

I find it hard to believe you're getting someone to trade a Trans am for a Ford Truck :confused: :jest:

I traded my old 94 k1500 for my car!!

You'd be a fool not to get the blue ws6. 150k miles is nothing for a ls1. I cammed mine at 117k and still runs like a champ. The hood pins are a total turn off, the wheels on the black one are lame too. That blue one looks amazing. Not a color you see often on the ws6.

You'd be a fool not to get the blue ws6. 150k miles is nothing for a ls1. I cammed mine at 117k and still runs like a champ. The hood pins are a total turn off, the wheels on the black one are lame too. That blue one looks amazing. Not a color you see often on the ws6.

I already got the black one man. And I don't regret it in the least bit.

Get a hi-stall converter and Transgo shift kit installed along with some tuning and you'll be all the more glad you went with the auto ;)

Ok before I buy a shift kit, I need to know, from the factory do these cars chirp shifting into second gear at full throttle, or is that indicative of having a shift kit already?

Ok before I buy a shift kit, I need to know, from the factory do these cars chirp shifting into second gear at full throttle, or is that indicative of having a shift kit already?

Mine doesn't do that. But it might not be because of a shift kit. If it was tuned for the other mods they can tune the tranny as well...increase the line pressure to firm up the shifts, as well as decreasing or removing torque management (cuts engine power as car is shifting to reduce stress on trans).

So if those things were done, I'm sure it could chirp second w/out a shift kit.

I had a 88 GTA 350 without a shift kit that would chirp second. I'm guessing that was before torque management came about.

Honestly I would take the 02.

Shoulda gone with the blue one!!

Man tough crowd... Any who congrats on getting the car, most important thing is if you are happy with it.

just doesnt seem like a good idea to trade for a car with higher mileage and less mods just because its a "real Ws6"

I would have chosen the black one too .. :burn::burn:

Thanks guys. I actually love my car an cannot wait for my HP tunes coming in July when "Spinmonster" comes to visit the family. He gave me a recommendation on a cam that he used in his C5. It's this Comp cam. http://m.summitracing.com/parts/CCA-54-444-11 he said that mixed with his tunes would give me roughly 400 Rear wheel hp with my oem LS6 intake, long tubes, off road y-pipe, cat back, SLP lid and K&N. This was based off his old c5 with the ls1 and similar mods. 400rwhp was my goal and this will meet it. Just gotta get a good converter and a set of 4.10's for the rear end. I am also getting ready to buy new motor and trans mounts to strengthen them for the impending power increase, and due to them having 120,000 miles. I am debating between Prothane and Energy Suspension pieces. Any recommendations? Once this is complete I might throw on a 100-125 shot of giggle juice

Is it me or is that a small cam to make 400 hp in an a4 car?

It the same cam he ran in his ls1 m6 c5. He pulled 417rwhp. With an a4 take a reduction of 15-20hp and it's knocking on 400 with good tunes.

That sounds sick! Ive been shopping for a cam that'll put me over 400. I just saw that it was a 224 cam and figured it could be a little small.

he said and i quote..

"Its about 415-420rwhp with the LS1 heads, LS6 intake, and all the other bolt-ons you have....you have an auto so it will dyno a bit less (~20)"

"the 224 is a docile sounding cam, very streetable. just need the cam, pushrods and timing stronger timing chain"

he did suggest though that i get rid of the gay blowmaster catback for a much better flowing exhaust.

Haha nice. I'm no expert, that's why I was asking. Maybe I'll see how it does in your car, before I pick up a cam. Sounds like a sweet deal! Defiantly loose the flow master.

well June 16th i will get my baseline with diablosport predator tunes.

so once that is complete I will give you an update once cam and tunes are completed.