1999 Firehawk
1999 Firehawk Looking to get into my first LS1 and found a 1999 Firehawk I'm interested in. It has about 39,000 miles and looks to be in pretty good condition. I spoke with the guy about it and he says he is the 2nd owner. He's asking 13,000 for the car which seems to be a pretty good deal.
A couple things I'm concerned about.. I'm fairly new to getting into the mechanics of cars so I wouldn't be able to determine if something is wrong unless it was major and obvious. Is there anything you should look for when buying one of these? Can you take them to a shop and have them checked out or anything like that? The guy wasn't sure what build # the car was and I thought that was odd for a Firehawk. This car is pretty far from where I am so I would be making a pretty lengthy trip to get this car.
The pictures look good and it appears to have all the right stuff on the exterior of the car that a Firehawk should have. I don't believe it's a fake and I'm pretty sure the VIN would be a good way to verify that. Just nervous about throwing 12-13k at a car and possibly end up with something to fix...
Anyone have any suggestions for a new buyer? Thanks!
A couple things I'm concerned about.. I'm fairly new to getting into the mechanics of cars so I wouldn't be able to determine if something is wrong unless it was major and obvious. Is there anything you should look for when buying one of these? Can you take them to a shop and have them checked out or anything like that? The guy wasn't sure what build # the car was and I thought that was odd for a Firehawk. This car is pretty far from where I am so I would be making a pretty lengthy trip to get this car.
The pictures look good and it appears to have all the right stuff on the exterior of the car that a Firehawk should have. I don't believe it's a fake and I'm pretty sure the VIN would be a good way to verify that. Just nervous about throwing 12-13k at a car and possibly end up with something to fix...
Anyone have any suggestions for a new buyer? Thanks!
The car should have no problems w/ that many miles on it so i say you should be good as too if its a real Firehawk get the vin# and go to the Special Vehicle section and PM Dave Hamburger the vin# and give you the build # and what options it came with.
TECH Junkie
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,911
Likes: 675
From: Western North Carolina
You MUST take the car to a GM dealership or a very reputable shop with GM experience for a PPI (pre-purchase inspection). The reason why I am saying this is due to your lack of experience with these cars. It will be the best $100-$200 you ever spend. They will verify the Firehawk designation, run the VIN through the GM system and see what has transpired over the years. They will tell you everything the car needs, from repairs to maintenance (fluids, etc...). Whatever the dealership is unable to provide, the owner of this Firehawk should be able to tell you with documented repair records and maintenance history. If the dealership records or owner records are seriously lacking it is a crap shoot for you and I personally would PASS. You are very smart to ask the right questions before you buy. This is a buyers market in these times and you will have many choices if this car doesn't work out. Good luck!!
Thanks for all the great advice guys. I think I am going to pass on this one. Just a little too far distance wise for me. If anyone is interested, I found this on autotrader.com in Illinois. I found a WS6 near here I think I'm going to check out on Wednesday so hopefully I'll be in something mean here real soon 
Thanks for all the great advice guys. I think I am going to pass on this one. Just a little too far distance wise for me. If anyone is interested, I found this on autotrader.com in Illinois. I found a WS6 near here I think I'm going to check out on Wednesday so hopefully I'll be in something mean here real soon
All it really needs is an A/C charge. I was shocked he still had it.
