BYE RICE

iTrader: (2)

I bought mine in Oct 1998 on a cold day in south Portland Maine when I got my divorce.
I paid 26K out the door..Which wasn't a great deal in retrospect..But I had negative equity in the wife's Monte Z34...But I still love the car as much as the day I drove it home & it still makes me smile like the 1st time I went WOT in 4th at 70mph.
It seems that most cars on here are on their 3rd or 4th owners & the median age is getting younger & younger as the cars become increasingly affordable..(Which isn't always a good thing,but I'll hold my tongue)..
To most people..these cars were flavors of the week & were sold after a couple of years for something newer as incomes allowed,or life choices like marrage & kids forced something "more practicle"..
I admit..I almost traded for an '02..& later almost went for a GTO..But in the end..I'm too far into it & too attached to it sentimenally to let it go.

BlkBird2000

iTrader: (10)

I was 9 when you bought that car....lol I've owned my LS1 F-body for 3 months now I'm sure there are some people on here with their bought new ls1 f-body.

ae13291

iTrader: (8)

lol that means i was 8 when u bought that car. yup the value has dropped alot, i do remember when i was going i would always go to the chevy dealer by my house and first thing i did was open the hood on lik every single camaro. i do my own work and mods on my car tho. cam soon to come

mr2002ws6

bought mine new in june '02, check out my link for pics, got a couple grand off, and a good deal on my '99 TA. So I came out fine.

WSsick

iTrader: (13)

i wish i could have done that, but im 19 so no chance haha. but i can honestly say the first car i new the name of the "Pontiac Trans Am with the noses on the front" (how i described a WS6 at age 10 lol.)

UNmolestedTA

I am the second owner of my 02 ws6 but I feel like the original owner. I purchased mine in July of 02 and fell in love with her when I first drove her. I too thought about trading in on a GTO but I didn't want to go back to paying a car note. Also, at that time the salesman told me that people were still coming by the pontiac dealerships looking for ws6 trans ams and this was in 06! I was 23 when I bought my baby.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I was lucky. I was able to buy two LS1 F-bodies new. In July of 1999, I bought a brand new Z28, and in July of 2000 I bought a brand new WS6 Trans Am. I sold that Z in March of 2000, and I sold the WS6 in September of 2004.

I'm the second owner of both my current '98 and '02 Z28s.

These cars are getting old, much like their original owners ( ). I've been commited to F-bodies since buying my first one in 1997, and I'll probably always have at least one in my collection. For many buyers of today, these cars are just cheap speed. Not to me though. I even like the things that most people bitch about with F-bodies- the stuff that makes them a 'modern muscle car', and keeps them tied to their roots. Long hood, long doors, short trunk, basic/non-luxury interior, OHV V8 engine, solid axle, aggressive styling, great power-to-dollar ratio, basic options only. It's a manly car, plain and simple. Driving an LS1 F-body is as close as you can get in any modern car to driving a classic muscle car... it's all about heritage & style for me.

Fast Eddie's 02 T/A vert.

I bought mine new 11/2001. I don't plan on selling it, being 6' 1" the car fits me well. The wife and I put the top down and cruise 5000 miles a year. It's very comfortable on the Interstate. No complaints here.

Fast Eddie

INMY01TA

iTrader: (1)

I special ordered mine in March 2001 and took delivery in April. Never thought even once about getting rid of it.

fastvert

iTrader: (4)

This is the best description that i've ever read about these cars. Basically sums up how many of us feel, and the exact criticisms that we receive from other non-F-body car people in one statement.

I cant tell you how many times i've been told that my car is loud, rattles too much, is "old-technology", is a gas waster, interior is cheap, etc... etc... etc... I just smile and say "yea thats why I love it."


I took over on a 5yr lease on a 1999 Firebird convertible in 2001 (it was a steal, the guy just let me take over payments at $299mth, nothing down), and when that ended in 2003 I bought the 1998 Trans Am convertible used for $14,500 w/53k on it. So i've been loyal not only to F-bodies but also convertible f-bodies for the past 7 or so years. I cant see me ever getting rid of this one. I'll give it to my son someday if i have one. Even though gas will probably be illegal by then...


Also, there is something to be said about the members on here that are quite wealthy and could drive and own nearly any vehicle that they wanted. Many of them have *ahem* Vipers or a BMW or two in the garage, but they also have an F-body in the collection. I think that speaks volumes about the mystique and history surrounding these cars.

jrob56

iTrader: (39)

I was 10 when these cars came out so obviously Im not the first owner, I am actually the third owner. I completely agree with RPM WS6 and fastvert, that is the best description of how I feel about my car. Honestly I think I will always have it, Im sure I will move on to a vette or other cars at some point, but I will always have my first real car. A friend got me hooked on fbodies and I worked my *** off till I could buy one. Hopefully it has a very long life and sees many different setups!

RW99

I ordered my silver TA and took delivery in May of 1998; I can even remember seeing the car on the cover of Car & Driver the year before and deciding right then and there to buy it (knowing it would have the LS1).

It's seen time as a simple cat-back/CAI car, as a headers car, as a heads/cam/headers car, and for the last couple of years as a forged LS6 front mount turbo car. I know it's worth much more to me than it would be to anyone else, so I think it's gonna be in my garage for a long, long time.

I daily drive a Charger SRT8 now, but when it's Friday and I know it's going to be a nice day... it's the TA that gets the nod to go to work... because there's something absolutely therapeutic about hopping in on a Friday afternoon, lighting the ignition, and pinging car alarms on my way out of the parking ramp.

I think the look of the 4th gen. TA WS6 is going to be a classic.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

We are clearly on the same page here.

Usually, the people that complain about all the things we love about these cars are the people that would NEVER have an interest in owning an F-body if it weren't for the affordable and impressive LS1 performance abilities.

These cars are at that "middle age" now. When they were new, only the people that really wanted the whole car would pay that price. And when they get really old, much like other classic muscle cars, they will have a loyal fan base that enjoys the car for more than just the LS1. But right now, their availability and price makes them an attractive target for people just looking to make power as cheaply as possibile.

You are 100% correct about the fact that many people could afford more expensive cars, but they still keep and F-body or two around. In the next year or two, I'll be in the market for a C6 or a 5th gen Camaro, but I still plan to keep at least one of my F-bodies. There's a certain rawness and simplicity to these cars that's lost on stuff like Corvettes or other luxury/performance cars. Not to say that some luxury isn't nice too, but I've got room (and interest) for both in my garage.

5SiX1

iTrader: (2)

I wish i could have bought mine new, but i'm only the second owner. to think i was 12 when my car rolled off the lot, crazy. The LS1 Fbody is clearly headed in the same direction as the 302 Foxbodies.

KENS_SS_4

Yea, me too. I'm no teenager. I bought the car new in 01 off a dealers lot for 27k. I plan on keeping it a long time. It gets stored through Chicago's winter because of salt on the roads. The salt ate up my first Camaro that I owned for 21 years. Built the engine in that one from scratch. and kept modding through it's life.

This is the best car I have ever owned. It delivers exactly what I want!

ws6pewter

iTrader: (1)

purchased new in march 2002. I had to drive a few hours to find a WS6 T56 since I missed the deadline to order and everone's inventory was running low. I had to pay almost full sticker too. But in the end it was worth it. I've recenty thought about selling the car since I don't drive it much anymore but I think I would cry seeing it drive away.
Also there are times I walk into the garage and just stare at it and think to myself that is one hell of a good looking car. Once my truck is paid off I think I'll probably have to buy the new camaro or a vette but still keep the T/A.

fs40993

Bought it new, 136,700 miles now.

stockerws6

iTrader: (1)

Bought my 98 WS6 new in August 98. Paid $29.5k and has 95k miles now. It was very hard to find LS1 WS6's back then when they first came out and didn't make many in 98.

deadcities

iTrader: (4)

I was about to chime in that the only person I knew that bought it new and still had it was my roommate, but then I noticed it was you that started the thread. Wait, Bob B. still has his!
I never realized how close together our first f-body purchases were. I got the '91 in March of 99.

cabech984

iTrader: (11)

I wish I bought mine when it was new! I was 17 when the LE Camaro's off the lot, told myself that id own one someday, and here we are 6 years later!