I hope the 2010 examples, sold now, are a whole-hearted improvement.

I believe these older pony cars have the same magic about them. Pick one up for cheap, take care of it, and then rip off the tops, crank up the tunes, and hammer the gas.

What better way is there to forget about today’s “cars-as-appliances” and today’s problems?

Give me a late 90’s Z-28 or a Formula Firebird. Black or Mystic Teal.

And a Soundgarden CD.

So anyway, Picky Man comes in and says, “I’m going on vacation for a month. When I come back, it had better not rattle, so drive it until it fixed!”

Well, who could turn down such an invitation? We did drive it. It even had a full tank of gas! Boy, did that thing have power to burn and since it wasn’t ours, we drove the snot out of it. I personally never did hear the dash rattle because I had AC/DC or Motorhead blasting on the stereo but I did manage to burn the entire tank of gas on the weekend and come back on Monday with a sheepish grin. OK, the car was a total POS like practically everything we sold but at least this POS went like stink. I also emptied the gas tank in like 250 km.

We never did fix the rattle because since when we found one, another immediately took it’s place. Picky Man was really pissed but since the car had like 59,000 km on it we knew we would never see him again.

I know, my bad, this kind of thing NEVER happens at dealerships…….The only other time was then I was at Chrysler when our tower operator took his eight year old out in a Viper and crashed into the local Bank of Montreal branch…..

I know its been a long time, but think back some. The ‘87-93 “Fox body” Mustang’s styling had grown long in the tooth by ‘93. Also remember that Ford had a huge fight on its hands as the majority of the company wanted to stop producing the iconic Mustang for the front drive Probe. A viscious backlash ensued, Mustang owners petitioning the company, that prompted the SN-95. The 5.0L soldiered on for two more years until the Modular 4.6L took over in 1996.

I own and love my 1995 Mustang Cobra convertible with the optional hardtop and the last 5.0L made in Cleveland, OH, like God intended. Its got panel gaps so large that you could stick a pencil eraser through and has leather seating designed for durability not for comfort. But I don’t care. I bought an American Icon and Supercar that on its own was able to blast to 60 in 5.5 secs. For a little over $3K, I’ve redone the suspension, tweaked the engine and exhaust and now am a proud owner of a 12.5 sec car. The paint is still in great shape, no cancerous GM paintjob here, a major problem for GM at the time.

Simply put. Ford never lost focus as the Mustang being a pony car. It has always been relatively inexpensive to buy in basic form and for relatively little extra money becomes a fast car with that American V8 baritone that even Europeans envy. The Camaro simply lost its MoJo.

The comments made about “most performance for the money” applies here. My car ran 11.89 with an all stock internal engine. It has headers, intake, catback exhaust, and 4.10 rear axle ratio.

It has been retired from drag racing (with well over 200 passes down the track) and I’ve been taking it to road courses, where it doesn’t get much attention until after the first few sessions.

That is the time that the vette owners, porsche owners, bmw owners come over to ask “what have you done to that thing to make it run so good (or well)?” I must admit that I have made a few improvements since retiring from the drag days, but I haven’t spent over $30,000 including the original purchase of the car. Aside from a problem with O2 sensors blowing a fuse (caused by extended periods at full throttle), this car has been bulletproof, rattle free, and fast as hell. I’m probably going to turn it into a daily driver, as I’m saving my pennies for a lightly used Zo6.

The car may not be for everyone, but I’m sure glad they built one for me.

It’s white, with the black b-pillars, window tint, and factory chrome wheels. I get complements on it all the time.

2nd clutch, 2nd water pump, 2nd thermostat. 2nd driver’s side window motor and 2nd windshield. Oh, and the AC compressor ate itself three years ago. You would think that this car would be a hunk of junk (maybe it is) but it’s held up pretty well.

She burns oil, especially at WOT (so the owner of the other car tells me…that’s the view they get!)but what do you expect, that engine has a lot of wear. Someone once told me that the LS1’s CADD design and manufacturing allowed the internal engine tolerances to be much tighter, and this is why this motor has such a long life.

I was going to get rid of this car, but then I put an exhaust system on it a couple of years ago. The car starts up with a quick turn of the key, and sounds great doing it.

Yes, the live rear axle is a pain. There is more than one story about someone wiping out on a mid-corner bump. BMW-like it isn’t.

It refuses to drive in a straight line any more. Maybe it’s worn bushings or the fact that I’m on the original springs and shocks. Yep, rides like an ox-cart.

But when I nail it, I can tell that the awesome power of the mighty LS1 is twisting the chassis, because it twists back during the 1-2 shift. I have to steer one way and the other to keep it in a straight line. No one can really appreciate how fast this car is until halfway through 3rd, when it’s pulling stronger than any car they’ve ever been in, most likely. It’s a seriously fun car to drive. In fact, I think I’ll go drive it, right now!

Long live the LS1!

I’ll be in town all week, if RF will let me.

The optispark ignition was modified in 95 models with a vacuum line attached to the distributor to remove moisture. This greatly improved its durability.

The LS1 got a coil pack ignition system which completely removed the distributor and any issues accociated with it.

The older LT1 can be modified with an aftermarket coil pack system for not a whole lot of money (about the same as replacing the optispark distributor). It continues to use the optispark optical sensor but bypasses the distributor attached to it, which was the cause of the problems.

The imsproved 95+ distributor doesn’t fit the older LT1 engines, of course.

My thoughts exactly. I thought it would be a really cool car to own up until I sat in one.

Ended up doing it himself, and wasn’t fit to talk to for a week and a half.

That’s funny! I haven’t replaced a fuel pump, but replaced the spark plugs on the LT-1. What a nightmare. There are a couple that are a major pain in the ass to reach – we’re talking underneath the car and reaching up into positions your arm was never meant to see. It was a multi-hour job at a minimum. I remember getting almost claustrophobic when my arm got stuck once. One of the worst engines to get to in that application.

I have no idea what they were thinking with the 82-up Camaros and Firebirds, with their long front overhang and the front wheels tucked right back next to the doors. Were they originally thinking of making them front-wheel-drive?

Any of you guys with a 80’s or later Firebird or Camaro ever had to replace the fuel pump? My neighbor did – he about fell down when he found out what the dealer wanted for the job. Ended up doing it himself, and wasn’t fit to talk to for a week and a half.

noreserve: I bought a 95 Camaro Z28 new simply because I wanted the fastest thing I could afford at the time…Gotta love that adjustable plate Borla cat-back.

I think I paid around $16k for a brand-new, low-option, six-speed ‘94 Formula. It wasn’t perfect but there was tremendous value for someone that wanted a relatively competent performance car on the cheap. It was simply a modern musclecar that actually handled and braked as well as it went in a straight line.

An aftermarket shifter, opened intake and exhaust (I used the Borla plate with the smallest hole) were the equivalent of what used to be the three H’s in the sixties – Hurst (shifter), Holley (carburator), and Hooker (headers).

A problem with those early LT1 V8 engines was that the GM engineers moved the standard distributor from the normal, above engine location to a crank-trigger magneto underneath the water pump at the front of the engine to keep the hood low. Should the pump develop a leak, coolant would get into the magneto – not a good thing. I believe they corrected the problem with the later LS1 version but I don’t remember how.

It’s power is way to much for a normal person.

Pretty much the fate of every “pony car” in one way or another. I have yet to read a review of a Camaro concluding it to be an “all around good car”.

How about ‘Fuzzy-Dice Firebird’?

A friend’s older brother had one. Black, 5 speed, V8. When he married in the late 90’s he sold it. And regrets it.

Great car, but like you said, ignore the interior.

May I suggest you come to a complete stop before trying to get in or out?

It was horrendous in its interior use of space. Had to be the largest car from the outside that had the least amount of room once in. Yes, the plastics and seats were terrible. If it didn’t make it go fast, I didn’t really care at the time. It had a V-shaped gas tank that left me stranded twice. The gauge would simply drop like a rock below half-full.

I thought it looked pretty good from a styling standpoint. Pretty mean looking from the front, with a space-age rounded rear. I did hate and quickly change out those vacuum cleaner exhaust nozzles. Gotta love that adjustable plate Borla cat-back. It was easily in the 13s at the 1/4-mile with only intake/exhaust.

I was an IT geek who could care less about stereotypes. It was a fun car to mod and take to the strip. It was a stepping stone to a Corvette in 99. I probably should have kept it. Like nearly all past cars. Sigh.

The original owner has managed to hit curbs with all four wheels.He also used to slam the door without retracting the seat belt. Then some moron used a spray can to cover the paint chips on the rocker panels.I replaced and repaired everything .White with a black top,and with lots of TLC it looks good. I get lots of compliments.

The F body sure woudn’t be the choice of everybody.I really coudn’t care,its my little baby and I love it.

God, I miss that Camaro. Maybe next year, I’ll say “To Hell With It All” and buy a heavy, tiny-trunked pony car that doesn’t look like anything else in the parking lot.

Edit: I had an RS model, and yes, the “cowcatcher” front spoiler scraped A LOT!