Owners' Stories

1998 Firebird Formula- just turned 136,000 miles. No major problem thus far. Typical maintenance items...waterpump, starter, fuel pump. Nothing out of the norm. It has the LS1 (Corvette) engine in it. TONS of power on demand. I smoke mustangs and camaros all day long in this thing. LS1 engine is a very, very good engine- a hotrodders dream. I absolutely LOVE my Formula and will never sell it. To all of those who got the V6- should have bought the V8, dummies.

has 126,000 on it so far so good, no big problems but now changed out front lights switch in car and worked for a half day and went out again replaced again and went out again. Not sure where there is a short now or what problem is. Any suggestions or same problems, please respond to this. It is a formula style.

My bird has been with me from the car lot with no problems. Until recently and I believe the cat is bad and debating whether to remove the cat and run pipe or get the $ together to fix it like new. Just saying.

I have a 1999 firebird that I paid 2000 for it is a running nightmare the CAR LOT that I bought it from told me it had salvage histroy not salvage title it has a lot of electrical problems such as the radio will change stations by its self the windshield wipers will start doing off like there on and its leaking oil from the timing chain cover the valve lifters need to be replaced the car was involved in a flood I'm honestly thinking of taking the car lot to court due to the fact I live in n.c you have to have your car inspected there is no way that this car could have passed a insoection what should I do. I love it I want to put a ls 1 in it

97 Formula WS6 6-speed. First of all, fix the headlights and replace the power windows. Then, love the car and drive it nice, don't race it around every time you drive it, and it will be dependable and last as long as any good car. You can average 30 highway mpg in these if you are careful. That makes it a practical 4-seat hatchback, only with super looks and super power and handling on tap when you want it.

I love my car! Bought it in 1996 and with over 225K miles on it, it's still running!

Car engine threw a rod after only EIGHTY THOUSAND MILES. I took extra special care of this car. My mechanic was confused as to why it did it and so was everyone else who checked the car. What a waste of money that car was on top of terrible gas mileage I can't believe that the engine failed on me! Careful, and if you absolutely need this car, get some sort of mechanical insurance.

I want to change the distributor cap, and can't get to it. What has to be moved in order to replace that part.

I ran the car into the ground at about 300k. it was a great car the whole time i owned it. i think the first problem i had was at 200k, and the speedometer cable broke...i moved it to a wet snowy area after many years in socal. great car.

Body pieces have gaps. Brakes are excellent. 6 speed drive train is excellent, but have had problems with leaking differentials on two of these cars. Electrical problems are frequent, particularly with the power windows in my experience. LS1 engine is one of the best made. Exhaust sounds great, but emissions system creates problems. A/C is average. Suspension and handling are good, though car tends to be difficult to control in rain or snow. Suspension creaks and groans over speed bumps.

I have a love/hate relationship with my 1999 Trans Am WS6. I love the body styling (especially the Ram Air hood), although the materials used in the interior are cheap, flimsy and poorly put together. The sheer power of the stock WS6 is awesome, and I was previously driving a 1996 Mustang GT. This car makes my old Mustang seem like a mule. The added horsepower from my SLP exhaust and larger airbox lid made a noticeable difference, and the stock exhaust, while fairly loud, was nothing compared to my upgraded SLP exhaust rumble. Literally everything else about this car irritates me, though. I'm the second owner of this ride (with currently 105k miles on it in August 2009), and have owned it since July 2004, yet I have had to replace both window motors, the fuel pump, the alternator (FOUR TIMES), the starter coil, the entire rear end TWICE, the oil pan gasket, the transmission repaired...this list is too long to continue here. The mileage sucks, the steering wheel is too large, the air conditioning is weak, the optional 500W Monsoon stereo system is loud, but all the stock speakers are horrible (I've had to replace the same speaker twice before replacing those twin speakers with Infinity speakers after the 2nd speaker broke). The headlight gears broke on me once, and this car also has unlimited electrical and wiring problems. I just discovered today that my entire air conditioning system needs to be replaced due to multiple leaks and a bad compressor, and both idler pulleys, belt tensioners, and both belts need to be replaced. This car has ended up not being worth the head-turns and positive comments I get at red lights and gas stations. I'd consider covering it with a tarp and getting into a cheap Corolla until I can afford to work on this Trans Am as a project car. :(

I love my car. I look after it and it looks after me. I've had most of the common problems mentioned but she's still the best looking car on the road. If they make one this good looking that is also fuel efficient and better for the environment I'll be first in line!

My girl friend bought a Firebird Trans Am and what a nice car with the 305 cubic inch V8 it got about 20 MPG and was very reliable.

30-45 miles a gallon, what else can I ask for