Dre Butler

Hello everyone. I was mildly active on this forum years ago when I bought a clapped 98 TA in high school and convinced myself I would mod it to 500whp. It’s been years since that dream and that car died, and now I’m an adult with a real job and I’m looking to buy a car.

I daily my motorcycles anytime weather allows, but I want something fun that will keep me dry in rain, warm in the ~1.5 weeks of snow I get in southern Indiana, and something that lets me choose my own gears.

I found a 2001 WS6 with 94,000 miles, listed at $16,995, and my high school memories flooded my mind. I drove an hour to look at the car, and it’s clean, but has a mild cam and some head work. The dealer claims the previous owner told them it’s putting down 430 up at the wheel. The car not running stock internals gave me hesitation and I’m currently driving to look at a 2006 Mustang GT for about the same price. But I can’t stop thinking that I NEED to have an LS1 again.

It seems like every reason I give myself for not buying this TA, I create a counter. It’ll be driven in snow. But then I remember my daily commute is primarily on well plowed main roads and I can get coatings and sprays to prevent rust. Besides. This cars been driven. It’s not one of those pristine garage queens that need to be preserved for future generations to enjoy. I’m sure it gulps gasoline. But it’s only gonna come out when I need it for something I can’t do on a motorcycle. It’s not practical, but I’m determined to buy a fun car with a stick shift so nothing I buy will reeeaaaally be practical.

I can’t tell if nostalgia and emotion are clouding my judgement or if buying the TA I wanted to build so bad in high school is really not that much of a bad idea. Thank you anyone who read this far. I know nobody can really answer these questions besides me but I really just wanted to vent. Do you daily your F body? In snow? Is yours bone stock or modded? Mild or wild?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I used to daily drive my '02 Z28 in every weather condition you could imagine; heavy snow, unplowed parking lots, ice storms on the expressway, flooding rains, and even on beautiful days...lol. In my case, I found the secret to be dedicated snow tires for the winter, TRUE snow tires...that, plus about 100lbs of extra weight over the axle and keeping the gas tank at least half full at all times. With that combo, the car was as good or better to drive in the snow than any typical FWD car with all-season tires that most folks would consider reasonable for winter duty. This routine did take a toll on the car in terms of cosmetics and rust, but it doesn't sound like you have winter weather that's anything like what we have a bit further north so the exposure would be much more limited. I wouldn't recommend using it in this way if you want to keep the car really nice (any car for that matter) BUT, as you mentioned, at 94k miles any chance of it being an actual show car (sans restoration) is gone, so it's really just a driver now.

FWIW, I kept that car completely stock other than an air lid and muffler, and I wanted it this way for maximum reliability since it became my primary driver at the time. That's not to say that a modded car can't be reliable, but I didn't want to open that can of worms with my daily driver when I had other toys in the garage that I could play with and not worry about actually needing to use as transportation.

Overall, I don't think I'd buy an F-body for the primary purpose of winter use; I ended up using one of mine this way only because I had bought yet another toy and needed to thin the herd. I really didn't want to sell that car at that time, so it got demoted to daily use and I sold off my "practical" car. But to me, these cars have always been purchased with the intention to be toys more than transportation. With that said, a 4th gen F-body is certainly more practical than a motorcycle, so from that angle it's hard to argue against buying it for such a purpose.

Nathan C

I've daily driven 4th gen f-bodies for 21 years. It is possible, including on a V8. It does depend on how bad the weather is. It's your call, but I'd pick the TA over a mustang.

NC01TA

Since I own both I certainly agree the Trans Am is the better choice of the two cars especially if speed is the key factor. The 4.6 V8 is OK but no match for the LS1, and I'm talking 'stock', not modded. The 5 speed manual in my GT is a favorite however as I always felt a 6 speed was one too many gears. That's me, but if you feel the same way, it's something to think about.
For winter driving, both are capable as long as you get quality all season performance tires. I have BFG on my T/A and Michelin on my GT/CS. Both do quite well in light snow as long as you don't floor it.
Hope this viewpoint helped a bit. Good luck with you choice, and just be careful of the T/A with the engine work already done. I am of the opinion it's best to do your own work unless you know the prior history fully. You don't need a 'money pit' on top of the price being paid.

LilJayV10

iTrader: (39)

You could get an F body with a V6.

You get all the styling of the F body, and all the performance of a 06 GT....