Satveer

Hey everyone! Here's My situation ... I lost all of my manliness when I bought a scion. For those who dont know what scions are, theyre these feminine cars Toyota makes for High School Kids. Anyway, now im thinking about selling it or trading it in at a dealership, and getting a ''real'' performance car under 20k . Ive saved almost 7k working my *** off, since I was 16. Im 19 now. Im willing to add my saved money to whatever the value comes out for the scion(probably 14-15k). Im pretty sure i'll have somewhere around 20k altogether. Here are some of the cars im thinking about:

Lexus SC 400(which is a v8) - swap with supra 6spd manual. Lots of potential.

1998 -2002 Trans AM

I am leaning more towards the T/A because there are a few guys where I live that own them, and those things are scary as hell . I have never owned a domestic, and I wanted to know what I could expect quality wise from the T/A. Some of my friends who are somewhat ''ricers'', claim that domestics and T/A's in particular breakdown at 80k, leak frequently, etc. If I do buy the T/A, it will be stock for a while, since I'm a student, so reliability is a huge necessity. Please give me any advice, and thanks in advance.

p.s. whats a WS6? how is it different from a regular T/A?

JD_AMG

Very cool car, but part prices and matainence will probably be high, and I would assume that isnt a cheap swap to do.
If you want a swapper, I would suggest a LS1 RX7 FD.
Very solid and reliable cars, many here have seen well over 100,000 miles without serious problems.
There are two common things though, the window motors go out (overheat and stop working) and the headlight gears (inside the motors) strip out. Both are a very cheap and easy fix, $55 for window motor, and $45 for a metal gear (wont strip as long as motor housing is tight). Other than that these are problem free cars.
Never heard of any leaks before, nor of an engine breaking down, reguardless of miles.
Performance package, fiberglass hood (T/As is steel), suspension bits, bigger/wider wheels.
Read the stickies in the T/A forum:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/pontiac-firebird-1967-2002/440546-miscellaneous-fourth-gen-bird-info-read-before-posting-questions.html

angel71rs

I've owned 4 fbods, the 3 that I left basically factory stock, I never had a problem more serious than a bad alternator. Cheap fix. You can buy a nice, low miles 98 for < 10k. That leaves you w/another 10k as an emergency repair fund. You probably won't use much of it, so when you are done with school, you can use that cash for some serious mods, or trade car + cash in on a new Camaro with the rumored 450 hp engine right from the factory.

In the mean time, it will be a reliable daily driver that gets decent gas mileage (if you can keep your right toe light), and can whup on the vast majority of cars out there... at the track of course.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

Get a TA, of course, as new as you can afford. Execpt for the rear, they're built solid and will last forever (if you don't beat the **** out of it, but nothing will hold up to that). Many cars on this site have gone 140k+ with no major problems. With the money you save on a TA over a lexus, you can get some nice mods without sacrificing any reliability, ie: lid, k&n, cat back, appearance bits, etc.

kevin1109k

obviously anyone you ask here will say buy the T/A.....but they are right. while the lexus is really nice inside and out. it will be expensive to maintain if you ever have problems. fbodies are generally inexpensive to maintain, but performance parts arent cheap.

i would also say get the T/A, or a camaro, they are the same except for their appearance. the ls1 is the most desired motor out there right now. even first gen guys wanna put them in their cars. not only do they come powerful out of the box, but they are also starved for airflow. so a lot of potential is there too, but that aint cheap.

if you do decide to go with a T/A, get the latest year you can afford, with 02 being the best. its not that the newer years are that much better, but there are fewer parts to replace as you get to higher horsepower.

as far as reliability, i have 105k and have had only the starter go out and the wheel bearings went bad, the bearings were only like 5 bucks. that is about it except for normal maintenance for any car. the drive train is kinda wimpy, but it is mostly because of the power these cars come with stock. fuel economy isnt that bad either for a v8, i get about 26 on the highway, but only about 17 in the city.

besides all that, the T/A is more badass looking anyway, especially in black. and you can see all of your friends in your mirrors while they just see your honeycomb taillights.

like the view?

First off. Lexus or any other newer car wont have cheap performance parts. Second off the lexus will cost more in maintanance than any domestic car. Thirdly ls1's dont have leaks and simply dont die. You can pick an ls1 up for around 10-12 thousand at a dealership. With your 20 grand that leaves you with 8 to invest in your car.

You are looking for value go for the t/a. It will knock the socks of the lexus you are looking at, cost less and get you laid. IN the spring i will be building a low 12 sec ls1 with less than 14 thousand. That includes buying the car. I will probably buy a 98 but for you i would suggest a 2000-2001 as the 2002 are generally overpriced as they are the last year of the f-body.

With 8 grand you can do full bolt-ons, buy a rear end, beef up your tranny and do a head cam swap.

The most expensive maintanance for any f-body is tires. I would suggest nitto 555 for the front and nitto 555r for the rear as they stick and last around 15 thousand miles a pair.

Satveer

WHAT!!!! 450 HP ON THE NEW CAMARO'S!!!! but, where does that leave the corvette, which is supposed to be Chevys real sports car. That is crazy, but I was dreaming about owning the new Challenger. MmmmmmMmmmm Challenger. Maybe Camaro, we'll see.

Satveer

Thank you guys for all the advise. I was also wondering, how much HP I can expect on the T/A with average mods like like headers, full exhaust system, cams, intake? How much $ will these average mods add up to? Im pretty sure there's s supercharger out for the T/A, but is there a Turbo as well. I would sure like to strike fear into the hearts of the local ricers, lol.
(like the view?, thank you, you have pretty much answered my question about the full potential of these beasts.)

Sorry for not searching these questions on the forums, its just school and work are a bitch, so my spare time to do research on T/A's is extremely short. Again, I thank you guys. God bless you all.

like the view?

turbo kits from sts run about 4 thousand and will put you at about 415 hp on 5 psi.

Full bolt ons
head cam package around 1600 (texas performance)
headers are around 400 for pacesetters coated
intake manifold is around 450 for a new ls6
tsp true dual exhaust 430
off road y pipe - 100~200
nex wet kit 580 (summitracing.com)


With 8 grand my suggestion would be
9" Moser rear end 2200
sts turbo 4000
custom grind turbo cam 400
nex wet kit 600
some sticky tires (nitto 555r's in the rear nitto 555 up front)

That should give you around 420 hp and you wont have to worry about breaking your rear end.

staringback05

iTrader: (8)

dont test the GM gods...theyll come down and strike you dead

the vette still makes more power, and for sure would rip the challenger a new *** hole anyway....

staringback05

iTrader: (8)

with the fbodies themselves....the blocks and internals are pretty strong...the lsx series was a breakthrough for gm...the few things you need to worry about are rather small....oil pump,springs,water pump....in comparison with things like the pistons and rods...which you wont have to worry about until you start making real power....

close to 400rwhp can be achieved with full bolt ons and a good tune....trannys do need to be built when you get in the 400 plus range just because of heat,rpm change, and power issues....

Satveer

damn!!! I cant find a t/a (6speed) anywhere around. Not even a z28.

JD_AMG

Where do you live?

bsf

iTrader: (7)

I thought they were everywhere. Try cars.com, autotrader, eBay Motors, and the Vehicles For Sale forum here. Take your time. Figure out what is available and what you want. Good deals are out there. If your upper limit is $20k, the field is wide open for you. That will even get you into reasonable mileage Hawks, if that turns you on. The best bang for the buck are probably Z28's, followed by Trans Am's and Formulas. The more exclusive (pricey) cars would be SS's, WS6's, Firehawks, and the special edition cars (Bergers, Blackbirds, etc). Excluding some of the special edition cars, performance is very similar. Use the search function. Every question you can think of asking has probably already been asked and answered at this site.

5_02ls1

iTrader: (20)

You Can Probably Find An Ls1 Car For Under 10k Ive Got About 9k In Mine But Ive Not Seen One At Adealership No Cheaper Than 12 Id Look Around On The Net And Ebay They Were A Few Fast Cars On Here 4sell Also Ls1 All The Way