Hello all, i'm Chris. I have been lurking the forums for a few months, just reading for general information and such about a car I did not even own. As a teen, my first car was an 86 firebird with t tops, all black with the v6 in it. Who ever owned it prior to me had added all the trans am ground effects, chrome solid drag rims and a dual flowmaster exhaust. I drove that car all thru high school and beyond, until the auto transmission finally died, and really loved firebirds in general because of it. I have always wanted another but never seemed to find one when the time came to get new cars, and soon I was driving SUVs due to living in the Upstate NY area, currently a Nissan Xterra. Recently I had paid off my current car loan, as had my wife, and she wanted a new car. She had a subaru legacy 3.6r, which is in very good condition, but as we now have a 1yo child and 2 dogs, she wanted a bigger taller car for the winter snow and lugging around of said new child with said dogs, and just a new car in general because, well just because. She ended up with a brand new Subaru Forester, which she loves. During that purchase, the dealer did not want to give much for the 170k mile Legacy for trade, so I ended up keeping it and driving that to save gas money, and keep miles of the Xterra which is at 60k. A few of my coworkers also recently got new cars, one of which got a 2016 Camaro SS and started to upgrade and tool around with it. That got my interest renewed and I started to look around for local Trans Ams for sale. The only car I found semi local was 100 miles away, a Red Maple 2002 Trans Am with only 24k miles on it. I was not in love with the color or the price which was at about $22k for it. That car then went up for an auction but at $18k it did not get past reserve and I remained without a Firebird. After more looking around, I came across a black 2001 trans am with 43k miles on it for sale for $18.3k at a dealership, but It was in Louisiana. After checking out the photos, I noticed it was actually a Firehawk. I remembered seeing a Firehawk while on vacation in Lake George as a teen, and I thought it was the best looking car I had seen. After checking out the ad like 20 times and a little research, it was a 10th anniversary model and appeared to be in good condition from the photos, but was about 1500 miles away. I eventually talk to a salesman about the car. It was for sale on consignment by the owner and they did not know much about the car other than it seemed to drive well and was in good condition. After alot of back and forth, sending photos and video of the car running, ect, I decided to throw an offer out. The salesman got back to me and said the owner counter offered. I decided I wanted the car and if it came with some issues, I would deal with it. Set up a transporter and within a week, I had it in my driveway. I have driven it twice, and it drives great. After washing, the car also looks great. Also on a lift, the underside has zero rust, which I was psyched to see. I dont know what kind of life it had or any maintenance that was or was not done, so I dont want to drive it too much until i change fluids and check some of the internals better. I have never had an LS1 so any help as to the best oils, filters, maintenance, ect, would be appreciated. I don't think it is 100% stock. I am not going to race or track the car, just want to keep it nice and running great or as long as possible. I will only drive in on sunny days to work and around town, garage kept thru the winter months. Car also came with 2 extra rims and an extra what i believe to be an axle back SLP exhaust. I am very excited to finally have a Firehawk, and look forward to keeping it for a long time!

 

Congrats on a beautiful and rare Firehawk! One of 139, I think. I would flush the fluids and change the fuel filter first and then enjoy it.