1995 Pontiac Firebird Reviews

I absolutely love Firebirds, and this one is a prime example. Though it is a V6, it is still powerful and has great performance overall, while maintaining an astounding average of around 24 mpg. The T-tops are an excellent feature, combining the positive aspects of a sunroof and a convertible into one. The interior is well styled, providing a comfortable ride, although the "hump" on the floor on the passenger's side is quite a bother. The car sits low to the ground, which, although it does making entering/exiting marginally difficult, allows the car to feel incredibly stable around corners and provides for a fun drive. As for the looks, there is nothing i can say that the car doesn't say for itself. The Pontiac Firebird is an absolutely stunning car. I have had no repair costs in 3 years other than routine maintenance.

I'm 42 years old and have owned 27 cars and 3 motorcycles. I've bought and sold cars for just about every reason imagineable, alhough I only drove 2 to the grave.

My latest acquisition was a 95 Firebird Convertible. It had a couple issues and I bought it at a dangerously low price of $2100. Well, after only a few hours I fixed what was wrong with it for about $30 and detailed the car completely. The car is now worth almost 5 grand.

I read another review, complaining that it's noisy. Well, it's a sportscar. They're noisy. As far as a towncar handling better? highly unlikely. The laws of physics pretty much rule that out.

My review:

The firebird's body is made up of a lot of plastic or fiberglass. Unlike metal bodys, there can be more flex if someone is careless and pushes too hard. When this happens, the paint can crack. On the upside, the majority of the panels don't crack and better yet don't dent or rust. Paint, also looks better longer on composite than on metal.

The 3.4 engine was surprisingly far back under the hood, likely improving weight distribution. Space under the hood with the 3.4 V6 is slightly cramped by still workable although some components may be difficult to get at, requiring disassembly of other things to gain access. This can drive up the cost of a repair. Parts, on the other hand are surprisingly affordable for the firebird and 3.4 V6 in particular. Even a replacement roof to match the original can be gotten for $450, including the glass back window with defroster.

The ride is surprisingly smooth when compared to a newer 350Z, which gave my kidneys the ride of their lives. The firebird, on the other hand smooths out medium bumps in a well-tuned manner. Handling? Well mine came equipped with new 11-inch wide Goodyear F1 tires. Cornering feels like a cranival ride. This car can take lateral G's that will leave a big Ford sedan for the jaws of life to open.

The convertible top is nicely fitted, and is raised/lowered with hydraulic rams. The mechanism seems to be well-designed and the fit-and-finish is excellent for any convertible top.

The interior, well sure you need either an amputee or half-pint kids back there. If their lack of footspace bugs them, open up the roof and they'll be entertained. NOTE: A kid's car seat will NOT fit, at least not with a kid in it, BUT the rear seats are practically kid seats anyway. They epitomize "bucket seats". In the front, especially for the driver, the inside is all sportscar. The middle console is high, the shifter is in a nice placement, the gauge cluster has all the gauges expected, the air conditioning vents are durable, nicely directional and visually nice. When the roof is up, there is a blind spot just behind the passenger door window, a wedge mirror applied to the passenger RV mirror can eliminate that blind spot, I install them on all my vehicles. My interior is dark grey leather, the steering wheel is wrapped in leather and has a surprising amount of stereo controls. The driver's seat has an adjustable lumbar and other controls. The stereo has poor bass response. I plan to swap out the speakers, which are in the doors (2 each) and on the sides in the rear. The dashboard is a vast plain, but that is because the windshield is so shallow, it's about 4 feet from the front (bottom) edge to the roofline. A benefit if having such a shallow windshield, aside from aerodynamics, is that over the life of the car it will encounter fewer permanent pits (ever see all the imperfections in your high-mileage windshield when the sun is low?) less of that with a firebird. Oh, and the wipers work well.

The center console boasts a covered storage bin and a cupholder. The shifter has no gear display at the steering column in the gauge cluster, only at the middle console (unlike my Grand Prix GT). The front seats are comfortable and there is ample leg room for a 6' tall man such as myself. There is a hump in the passenger-front floor (probably for the catilytic converter), but it dosen't seem to cause much trouble except to get the floor mat to conform well to that part of the floor.

Visually, this car is stunning. It's bold. It's sleek. It has attitude. Sure, it's not a corvette, but for what it is and what I paid for it, I am extremely satisfied.

Brakes go out alot on these. Squeaking, bumping... weird grinding noises in the back .... just odd. Fun to drive, has a lovely "start in 2nd gear" button which i loved... t-tops...gas mileage sucks though.. but thats probably because of the way i dove it.

fun to drive with a cam,intake,exhaust etc. and a trans that will hold up and mild 2500 rpm stall converter. wish it was a 6 speed but had the trans went through and stronger aftermarket parts put in.

It was a fun car to drive, specially in the summer with
the targa top. Surprisingly comfortable for a sports-
car. But the V6 only looks a sports-car, go for the V8
Formula, or the Trans-Am if you can stand the ugly
nose.