1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula 305 V8 from North America

Summary:

Cheap, fun, nice looking sports car

Faults:

Tires were a wreck when purchased, and is was a pain in the ass to find cheap tires (I had WS6 suspension on my Formula Firebird and the rim size is 16). Rare for an 89.

Brakes were a nightmare, even after I had them repaired (probably replaced with the wrong set up, because no one knew it was a WS6, despite my constant reminders).

Brake lines exploded and were replaced.

Old WS6 suspension package is more of a headache than it's worth.

T-top seals started to leak one month before I sold it.

Light motors WORKED.

Trunk motor WORKED.

General Comments:

I loved this car and still do; the problems for the most part are routine maintenance.

The person who owned it before me made a mess of it, and I still loved it, and was proud to drive it despite the 3 different colors it was.

It was fun to drive and a fast car.

Will have another one eventually.

Long live The Bird :)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th February, 2008

1989 Pontiac Firebird GTA 5.7 Gasoline from North America

Summary:

GREAT GM Product

Faults:

The only thing I've had to have worked on was the turn signal arm, a piece inside of it became bent and was hard to make it touch the contacts to turn it on going either direction. My uncle went in after being told it was shot and found that is was just bent, and he re-bent it saving me hundreds of dollars.

The only other thing is that it runs a little warm, but was told that these cars are notorious for running warm. A Chip from summit racing can be installed to kick the secondary cooling fan on sooner, and so I'm going to have to look into that and see if it fixes the problem.

General Comments:

It is very, very quick to accelerate.

It runs great since it has always been so well maintained.

It turns heads and is admired by many-I know that because I'm always getting asked if I'd like to sell it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th November, 2006

1989 Pontiac Firebird 5.0L 305c.i. from North America

Summary:

GM's (pontiac) are a piece

Faults:

Blown head gasket.

Cracked exhaust manifold.

Trnasmission is shot.

Seats are nearly worn out.

Blows smoke from start or when it shifts.

Drivers side wheel fell off.

Engine dies when turning if gas tank is less than 1/4 full.

Overheats.

General Comments:

I can't stand this GM. I bought it for $1200 because I was in need of a cheap car, but I've now had to put that much into it to keep it running. Next time ill stick with a chrysler product so that I'm not always breaking down.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 16th November, 2005

17th Nov 2005, 20:14

"I can't stand this GM. I bought it for $1200 because I was in need of a cheap car"

Well, it's a cheap car cause it's been abused and trashed! I would think that most of these signes would have been very noticeable before you bought it...

7th Apr 2008, 22:42

Any abused 170k car will have problems, it's a V-8 muscle car that every previous owner has dogged. The 700r4 are pieces, but how did the wheel fall off; poor installation or a very rare case of wheel failure or all 5 studs broke?

Blown head gasket; OK, that's like a 3 hour job, worn seats after 170,000 miles go figure?

Overheats; did you check the thermostat, and is the radiator plugged? When was the last time the coolant has been changed?

You shouldn't be driving with less than a quarter tank in any car; the gas helps the fuel pump be cooled.

Smoke on start; if you changed the head gasket, the valve seals should have been replaced. Easy fix, and a common problem with a lot of these style seals. Every high mileage car should have every common wear and tear parts checked or replaced upon purchase.

I disagree on a lot of reviews on old high mileage cars, mainly because most people don't know what they are doing when it comes to cars. If I wrote a review for the 1990 Honda I bought with 200k, there would be a lot more parts I replaced than this. BTW I would never own a 1200 Chrysler product over 1200 GM of my choice.

10th Jan 2010, 17:49

Firebirds, Camaros and their variants are getting very hard to find in good enough shape to sustain daily use. When these cars were new, they made their drivers feel like superman behind the wheel, so they got flogged regularly. Take any car and beat the hell out of it on a regular basis and see how far that odometer will turn without a few things crapping out. I'm a hobbyist and have owned four 3rd gen Firebirds. I wouldn't recommend using them on a daily basis if there's a lot of mileage, and evidence of heavy abuse. You're better off sticking with something made over the last ten-fifteen years.