A dealer near me is selling a 1988 Firebird Trans Am GTA for $6K. Only one owner and 91K miles. They said they could take my shitbox for $2K-3K towards payment for this. Problem is that I'm a poorfag and would need to take out a loan for this. I'm also a retard so anything more complex than fluid changes or single part replacements are rocket science to me. 80s Pontiacs are built like shit brick houses, right? Still waiting on VIN results.
Does this seem like a disaster waiting to happen? I really want a car that screams "Tiny dick and no personalty" but this seems too good to be true.
Brandon Torres
>trading away your dd and going into debt for a 35 year old muscle car.
protip: don't
>i'm a poorfag no shit
Nolan Sullivan
I don't think it would be a disaster waiting to happen, but 6k seems really high. I thought firebirds from this era typically ran like 2k to 4k
Cooper Howard
Bought my '91 GTA last September and I couldn't be happier. It's a five speed and it's incredibly enjoyable to drive.
I'm assuming the '88 that's listed is a 350 / auto? If you say you can't do anything beyond basic fluid changes this might not be the car for you. It's old. It will break and need repairs. Turdgens aren't really a 'brick shithouse'. They're pretty shitty honestly in build quality.
If you could get it for 5k maybe consider it. Don't park it outside, park it in a garage. Don't want to see a nice GTA go to shit condition because some kid can't take care of it or afford it.
Jaxson Miller
Had one in 1988, kept it for 5 years before I sold it for a Toyota truck.
In that time, I had zero problems with it. Like seriously none. But I bought it new. Now it's like almost 30 years old and will surely need maintenance and stuff replaced. Also, it gets shit mileage. Gas back then was like $1.00 a gallon so it wasn't a big deal. If you're poor, I would recommend you stay away.
One more thing, if it has the digital dash, definitely pass. I had that in mine and it drove me nuts after the "oh wow cool" factor wore off.
Matthew Martinez
Even when my dd is costing $500-$1500 each time something goes wrong with it? The fucker is meh teir 02 Acura TL. If my parents didn't work a dealership, it would be even more each time it broke.
I can probably talk it down to 5K. Maybe.
>I'm assuming the '88 that's listed is a 350 / auto? Yuh.
>If you say you can't do anything beyond basic fluid changes this might not be the car for you. It's old. It will break and need repairs. I might have to git gud then. The Acura is a bitch to wrench and the parts are pricey. Is the firebird easier to work on?
>Also, it gets shit mileage The Acura is probably worse. 15 mpg city / 23 Highway.
>if it has the digital dash, definitely pass Is it really that bad? Shid.
Mason Jones
Digi dash was horrible. It was distracting at night. Like driving with a lit christmas tree in front of you. All the different colors and moving indicators. It was hard to tell what your engine was doing. With analog gauges you just glance down and if the needles are pointing where they should be, it's OK. With the digi dash you have to look at the display and see where the indicator is. Sure you get used to knowing where it's supposed to be, but it's not as quick as analog gauges.
If you're hellbent on getting it, a random dude on the internet isn't going to dissuade you. So if you do, make sure to get it checked out and be ready to spend money on it to keep it tip top. This is true of any car that old. SB350 is a good engine. The auto transmissions of that era I've heard aren't very good, but if you again maintain it, should be alright.
Juan Hill
I can find these for $3000 with lots of new parts and shit. That dealer is raping you.
I hope you realize they make about 200whp, are carb, and have a weak manual transmission.
4th gen f-body is better in every way and isn't much off $6k... Do not buy it.
Aaron Ortiz
It's slower than your TL.
Caleb Brown
i have an 89 gta with a 350 auto, when things go wrong, specifically common stuff for old cars like that, rlated to engine, brakes etc. the parts actually aren't that bad considering most of the stuff are parts that have been remanned, and the company selling those parts will usually take your old part. For example I just replaced a power steering pump on mine and it only cost me 50 bucks. It could potentially be a good car to learn how to wrench on, it certainly has for me, I personally would go to the dealer and go over it myself after checking the vin, test drive it and make sure everything is ok with it. You'll hear a lot of people say they are slow cars (which is admittedly true) but for not a lot of money they can be fast cars.
