Between buying an 02 WS6 and a 02 Firehawk, which one would be the best for my dollar? I've seen posts were they'd fall for the "firehawk trap" and should've just bought a kamero or something. Is it true that a firehawk isn't really worth the money or the time spent looking for one?

 

um, did you just say kamero :wtf:

the firehawk is more exclusive, and i like the more sublte looks of the hood over the ws6. but buy whatever the **** you want. cant go wrong with either.

 

Well, hooked on phonics works for some, and not for others. If you like the idea of so called "ram air" and have to have the WS6 or hawk, I'd get the WS6, however I'm a little biased I like the bold styling of the WS6, but like jrp said, the firehawk isn't as bold for lack of a better term. Both great cars/same performance etc., it's up to you dude. FYI it's "CAMARO".

 

When you get a "Hawk" it's like JRP said, you're buying the value of it rarity. Me personally, if money wasn't the issue, I'd go with the Hawk, it's a real enthusiast sort of car (or a wannabee ******** owner trying to look cool).

Best buy for your dollar, well are you talking performance-wise? Or market-wise??? I mean if you get a good deal on a Hawk, relative to it's sticker price or current value why would that not be a better buy???

For instance, I picked up my 2000 TA for 17K after TTL... My buddy got a 2001 WS6 for about 21K after TTL... Mine had less miles on it, granted his is a WS6 but around TX I've seen WS6's go for under 20K with the mileage his had. So you see my point?

Performance-wise, obviously if you go with the WS6, you'll have more $$$ to mod with (if you plan on that). THe Hawk already comes with a small performance package (SLP lid and SLP LM exhaust) but you'd still come out under the price of the car itself if you got a WS6 and bought those parts aftermarket. As far as suspensions, they are both comparable, both have functional ram hoods, both have 17" rims (although I like how the Hawk rims are thinner spokes, almost like the C5 rim), one just looks mean as hell and the other looks sleek...

Your call...

"What choo guys think about them there ku-mair-ohs????"

 

You can't go wrong either way, it just depends on what you like personally and what you want out of the car.

1)Looks are personal. Are you going to change wheels for a thousand or more, or do you like the looks of one's wheels or the others? Do you like the subtle hood or the aggressive hood?
2)The Firehawk is already holding value better than a WS6 if you look in the pricing guides. So it may cost a little more, but it may retain value a little better. So how much do you want to spend?
3)Since the Firehawk is holding value, you may be less apt to heavily mod it or abuse it. So if you want a show type car, maybe it's your ticket. If you want to mod it, maybe you'll lean toward the WS6.
4)Are you going to want to upgrade to a 1LE suspension? Maybe it'd be easier to find a Firehawk already equipped with it.
5)Did I mention it really comes down to your opinion and what you're able to find?

 

If you don't have a visual preference, I would go with whichever has the best price. I fell into a great deal for my Hawk and snatched it up. I like the exclusiveness of the car and how some people react when they see it, but when I have a buddy in a WS.6 behind me I sometimes miss that aggressive hood. Like most have said, it is just appearance and exclusivity. Suspension can be a big difference if you find a hawk that was ordered with the 1LE suspension package which put larger front and rear anti-sway bars and either bilstein or adjustable koni shocks all around. I also like the hawk rims better and I do like the sleek look. See what the prices around you are and look at a few in person. You should be able to make up your mind pretty easily

 

vote for the hawk here. I like the hawk hood better than the ws6, and as mentioned before I like the rims better as well. I like going to shows and have people walk up to me and be like damn is that a real one and they will stop and talk for awhile. its a head turner.

 

WS6 gets my vote. The hawk is exclusive, yes, but the WS6 just looks much more badass..but thats just my take

more money for mods too

 

From the time they came out, I could never figure out why people bash the SLP cars(SS & Firehawk). I suppose it was because they didn't own one. They are suppose to look and perform better and their not overated. I personally like the Firehawk because the lettering on the side,the SLP exhaust, the hood and obviously the wheels are 10x better. Stock for stock, I believe the SLP cars are faster. There is always those people who will say no. There might not be a difference between the Pontiacs but Camaros yeah.

You have to make your mind up what YOU like and what is important to YOU. People on LS1tech should not tell you what car to buy.

 

 

All LS1 Firebirds wheather they were WS6's or regular T/A or Formulas that were ordered as Autos (A4's) came w/3:23's. All that were ordered as 6-speeds (m6's) came w/3:42's. WS6's, Firehawks, and regular birds wheather T/A or Formula share identical drivetrains an LS1 350 coupled to a M6 or A4 tranny. As far as looks goes? That's in the eye of the beholder. The Firehawks have a little more than looks over the WS6's which is mainly options and rarity. Firehawks came stock w/3" intermediate exhaust w/dual-dual tips. WS6's on the other hand came w/2.5" intermediate exhaust w/single-single exhaust with the exception of the '98 WS6 which had single left side exhaust. Firehawks also came with a slightly different designed 5-spoke wheel which you could order in 2 different finishes: Stock flat aluminum gray, or Option triple-chrome plated (real chrome) not a high polished aluminum like WS6's. Now to the hoods. Firhawk hoods are functional Ram-Airs as well as the heat-extractors (located on top corners of the hood) just a different design. Hawk hoods are more of a composite 1-piece that is designed specifically to fit with the front facia of the Hawk. WS6 hoods are a composite 2-piece hood which is just a regular Firebird hood with 2 air inlets molded to the top, thus giving that 4 nostril look. This hood can be bolted to any regular Formula or T/A bird without any fitting problems. Unlike the Hawk hoods which must be fitted with the slightly different designed front facia of the Hawk. Now, everything I just mentioned to you was standard equipment for Hawks. What really separated the two were the extra SLP options that were available for Hawks which were:

-Firehawk embroidered floor mats
-Bilstein Suspension '99-'02 or 1LE '01-'02
-Specific triple-chrome plated Firehawk wheels
-Lower rear-deck SLP spoiler which were standard on Anniv. Hawks

If you're wondering, yes I do own one of these rare exstinct beauties, mine is a '99 T/A Hawk one of only 538 built in 99. This was the 1st. regular production year for T/A Hawks, before that Hawks could only be had in Formula trim since they came into production in '92. And for the record, there were no '98 Hawks, Formula or T/A. Bottom line beauty, collectability, and performance is all in the eye of the beholder, they both have the same drivetrain so performance is not a real big issue it's all driver with these 2 cars. But with the hawk stock to stock you do have a few more performance options.

Sorry it's so long just trying to explain.

 

good writeup, just a couple of minor corrections

some a4's got 2.73 gears, the SS/WS6/Hawk A4's were forced to get the 3.23 performance axle option

the Ws6 gets a 2.75" catback

and the ls1 is a 346 cube motor

 

I like the looks of the Hawk better, the hood fits the lines of the car, better looking rims, etc.

Performance wise there's not much, other than the Hawk will have a better cat-back (`98-`01) and maybe a better air lid (`01-`02). The Hawk could also have extra options: suspension, rear wing, rear diff, etc.

 

Thanks for all the information

 

You're right, I stand corrected on those facts. And yes LS1's are technically 346 cubes. I'm just so used to saying "5.7 litre 350". Thanks for the corrections.

 

I personally like the hawks better also. when I found one they also had a ws6 there and they wanted two thousand more for it so I jumped on the hawk. The seem to hold theyre value better since they only made 1500 the last year and about 12000 ws6 so you dont see hawks very often.mine had 7k miles and the 1le package and I got it for 25k they wanted 27k for the ws6 with about the same mileage and they wouldnt budge on the price, seemed a little high for the ws6. just my opion.

 

Huh, that is really funny...they must not have known the rarety of the hawk.

 

I would chose WS6 m6