Forget the stereotype, this is a cool car- if you care about looking "cool"

Buying this car was a major leap of faith for me. I came to ePinions many times for advice, and eventually made up my own mind. I was in a very weird place to start. Living in Brooklyn, every Firebird I had seen in the past few years had been either black, red, or white. They were all coupes. I (this is just a personal opinion) HATED these cars. But on one trip to Vegas, before i ended up in a rental Prowler (my ultimate dream car) I had fallen in love with a Trans Am convertible. When I finally started to look for a car, i decided I wanted a convertible. My options (in my 23K to 25K range) were a low-end Eclipse or a middle-level Mustang. I test drove the Eclipse and decided their 4-cylinder engine sucked. My wife asked me why I hated it and I said "Watch this." I then floored it and counted 1, 2, 3, and at around 4 it started to accelerate. I am not a muscle-head, but that is unacceptable.

I was told that a V-6 Eclipse with the appropriate leather and fun would be at least 28K (Manual b/c my wife hates stick, w/leather b/c I like leather) . At that moment I realized we should look at a Firebird. If I was going to spend 28K I wanted it to be my dream car. I was obsessed with a metallic paint and a convertible. I found one in pewter and took a 55 minute train ride to connecticut to test drive it. I fell in love, and from there on it was all a joke, I needed that car and this was the only convertible w/in 250 miles - I paid the asking price..

I have had it for a few days now. I can share the following:

This V-6 may be small, but it is a REAL engine. I have raced Corvettes off the line here in NYC. I don't win (OF COURSE NOT) but I feel like I at least have a car. It is a fun engine for people who aren't obsessed with engines. If you get the V6 you can still afford the insurance. The V8 (Formula or Trans Am) costs about 60% more to insure than a similar CORVETTE).

I have to admit, the Firebird makes everyone afraid they'll look "CHEESY". Personally I have a Mohawk and a lot of piercings, so I'm looking for a car as cheezy as me. But in all honesty, everyone I know said something along the lines of "Wow, I thought It would be cheesy, but that is a nice car." Remember (as much as I like 2nd gen Firebirds) these don't have eagles on the hood anymore.

The convertible top is amazingly easy and amazingly fast. Twice this week I have been at a NYC red light and popped the roof. It finishes w/in 5 seconds- amazing and easy.

The 500 watt Monsoon stereo is GREAT if you are a typical guy. I work in the music biz and for me it is a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. It gets loud, very loud, but breaks up if you push it to 10.

I grew up driving bricks. This is the only car I test drove that made me want to speed up into a curve. It knows how to handle far better than the Mustangs and Eclipse's I drove.

The styling on this car is amazing. My personal opinion is that the convertible is styled far better than the coupe. I also believe that metallic paint looks better. Personally, I think my car looks like a baby corvette (or a 'vette with training wheels), but my point is that this is a car that changes style if you look at the different trims. Shop the trim that's best for you.

Look, the Eclipse is trying to prove that America has outgrown the need for Muscle cars. Dollar for dollar, car for car, the Firebird proves it wrong. If you are a Mustang fan, there are plenty of pages dedicated to that rivalry. Personally, I salute anyone trying to hold on to a muscle car legacy, even if it's me stuck with a V6 Firebird.

As for comfort, I am about to drive my baby from Brooklyn to Las Vegas. I can't wait.


I LOVE MY CAR