1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula review from North America

MAF was bad when I bought it.

Hood struts needed replacement.

Headlight motors needed replacement.

Factory CD player needed replacing.

I had owned several rear drive V8 cars in the past. I had sold them and gotten a Honda Prelude as a daily driver for work and school. I wasn't really looking for another car, but I had money in case something caught my eye.

I came across a black Firebird Formula that had just been put up for sale. It has the WS6 package, Borg Warner 5 speed and 9 bolt rear, 4 wheel disc brakes, Tuned Port Injection. The car was all original down to the factory CD player. I knew it was a steal at the price and mileage, so I jumped on it. I now remember why I loved American Muscle.

To my surprise, the Firebird outhandled my 2001 Prelude with the large front and rear swaybars, tight suspension and 4 wheel disc brakes. This may not be true with regular 3rd gens without the WS6 package.

The 5 speed manual is notchy with a heavier clutch, which took some getting used to with 300 ft/lbs of torque. It's not the fastest car on the road, but quick enough with its rather subdued appearance compared to the Trans Am GTA to surprise a few unwary fox bodies and similar performing cars.

Gas mileage is decent with fuel injection and gets low 20s on the highway. However, around town driving drops it into the teens. While it's comfortable to drive, and I have no doubts about reliability, it's not a car I prefer to drive every day of the week everywhere. It's not a quiet car, and it takes more attention to drive than some others. All in all, it's a great weekend car, and has plenty of room to carry luggage.

Parts are cheap and plentiful and it's easier to work on compared to a 4th or 5th gen. The only disappointments I have is that after 4500rpm it seems to hit a 'brick wall' in performance. This is mostly due to the TPI intake design. The factory clear coat is peeling, and the pop up headlights are a hassle. The hatch lock mechanism is also an inconvenience and I wish it was just a regular latch that you could just slam shut. It also has no cup holders!