Buddy

LS1 tech article, interesting and kinda shows the landscape. This trend happened with the 2nd gens too, they were always fairly cheap to buy second hand then prices went right up. I always figured it would be the same with 3rd gens,
https://ls1tech.com/articles/are-3rd...mpaign=content

Whats your take?

ksr

I think 3rd gen prices will inevitably rise, just as 2nd gens did. As "classic" cars go, 3rd gens are still relatively new. With every passing year, there are naturally going to be fewer and fewer out there. Already, while we all know that there are plenty in existence, actually seeing one on the road is not a common sight. Not every car becomes a collectable, but I think just about every car of this type does. They have legions of fans.

Pontiacs for some reason lag Camaros in value. I've never understood that, but I do have an admitted Pontiac bias. But I think there will be an eventual spike in those prices as any Pontiac of any model becomes more rare.

Bob88GTA

iTrader: (2)

Interesting article. It's all just a matter of time. Surely we're not gonna just skip over the 3rd gens value wise.
It'll happen...when is the question.

dmccain

iTrader: (2)

Hate to see them going up. Always enjoyed getting great cars at reasonable prices.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Thirdgens going up in value? Ya don't say? It's as if the cost of everything hasn't doubled in the last decade where the author exists. It's almost as if someone watched a couple hours of Barrett Jackson and the Obvious Condor landed on their head and started to build a nest. If you've been waiting to pick up your dream Iroc for couch change, you've already missed your window.

ksr

I think maybe the author means that it's about to happen soon. Most people think that with this sort of car, it's pretty much inevitable that it will happen, the question is when. If you're looking to buy or sell, you might be looking for the right window.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

And anyone who has been paying attention knows it already happened. Article is like a weatherman predicting it's going to snow when it's snowing all around him.

885speed

iTrader: (1)

It goes both ways. Nice to know my car is a "little" more valuable than it was a few years ago, even though it being a SC means its rather undesirable regardless..
But it also sucks because I've got the itch to add a Firebird to my driveway, but the chance of getting a well worn yet decent car for $1500 is slim to none. In my area at least.
Rolling chassis with rattle can paint jobs around here usually have an asking price of around $1000 with no title even.
Hell, there's a plain jane 89 Camaro SC an hour and a half away from me posted up for $2k, says it sat in a field for almost a decade, doesn't run, and even better there's a rust hole in the roof that ruined the interior and maybe even rusted the floors out.
Last time I had that itch and was looking for a 2nd third gen, a car in that condition is something you'd have to pay someone to get rid of.

Buddy

LOL, 'bird biased myself, but I do still love Camaros as well.
The Camaros do as a whole, but the nice thing about the 'birds is there were more "special ones" shall we say, vs Camaros. Camaros had the '82 pace car, and Camaro experts will have to fill in others. 'Birds had '84 and '89 Pace cars -'89 being the turbo cars - and to a rarer degree, Firehawks, Bandit 2's, and the early third gen DKM Macho cars. I know I'm missing other rare choices for both Camaro and Firebird... chim in here.
Those rare ones get the bigger dollars - as per the 27 Firehawks and '89 Turbo cars.

2slow5.0

iTrader: (2)

I put about 50 miles on my 3rd gen this summer. 1st time I’ve had it on the road in 4 years. I literally had people complimenting it in the gas station parking lot. Thumbs up at the stoplight “hey, cool car” yelled at me. This is a stone stock looking Maui blue formula. It does sound pretty hairy with a crammed small block pounding thru a 4 inch exhaust. But I don’t think that mattered.
I daily drive my 01 SS weather permitting all spring-summer-fall and seldom ever get a second look. i think it’s just that the third gens are just rarely seen as much. I know of 2 other third gens in my are. That’s it. Hell, I have a better chance of seeing a 1st or 2nd than a third gen, much less a nice one. 4th gens are pretty common though.
I think the numbers are goin up cause they were discarded and wrote off soo easily for soo long. I’ve been offered away more for my formula than I payed for it back in 2003. There’s also I think a group of people that had those cars when they were young, that prolly would like one again. I got my third gen my senior year in high school. I never got rid of it. If I had gotten rid of it, 17 years later I have much better financial means to buy one than I did back then. I’m sure many others are the same way. That’s gonna raise the price as well.
I never had an old timer tell me “boy I’m sure glad I got rid of that cool car I had when I was young”

ksr

I get compliments all the time. People asking me about it, wondering if I'm selling. It's a good feeling. I had two Formulas in the past and put a ton of miles on both (one was a Maui Blue), and even though they were both very high mileage, I came to regret selling both times, even though one of the replacements was a very fast, beautiful, 4th gen TA convertible. They're just my favorite cars to drive and to look at. Rejoined the club after a nine-year absence two years ago (this Sunday in fact) and I can't see ever selling my GTA. It'll never be worth anything, because I bought it to drive it. Had 32K on it when I bought, coming up on 37K now. Not a ton of miles. but it doesn't just sit around either. Doesn't really need it, but I might get new paint, new color someday, but the car isn't going anywhere.

kentuckyKITT

iTrader: (4)

So true. about 6 years ago, I had a chance to buy a red 87 Iroc with 38,000 original miles for $6,500. Being a Pontiac guy, I passed on it. Yea I know now, I should have bought it. I could have tripled my money. It was real nice too. Now, that I'm actually looking for an Iroc, I can't find one that I can afford that's not a pile, so unless I stumble on one, I'm no longer looking.

WildCard600

The geriatrics that drive the Barret Jackson machine aren't getting any younger.

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

Well the good news for all of you 3rd gen wannabe's is that Firebirds will always be cheap and affordable.

I guess that's good news anyway. Not sure.

Linson

I think there needs to be a “Third Gen Market” forum for these kinds of topics.
This kinda stuff is practically all they talk about over at the “History & Originality” forum.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Before this kind of thread it was all about the buzzword "RARE!". Then it was "1LE" everything. In the grand scheme BJ and other high end auction and collector topics aren't that bad, but really all of those topics belong in the trash. It's the same **** over and over and over, to include updates about the same cars going around and around as they circle the drain of prospectors and crack smokers. The worst part is that a subforum that was supposed to be about restoration and history, has turned into Craigslist/Facebook/Barret Jackson wanking. Anything that's actually useful doesn't have a chance of staying relevant since it'll be pushed down the board and off the first page by "Look at this car I like. Do you like this car? What do you think it'll sell for?"

Linson

So it sounds like you couldn’t agree with me more.
A sub-forum for all those sorts of topics and discussions you described would create a logical space for such topics, and free up bandwidth on the “History & Originality” sub-forum for topics in keeping with what the name implies.

ksr

I really doubt this. They may have taken longer to go up in value, but it seems to me from what I see for sale that they are increasing in value. And if just seems unlikely that they wouldn't increase. Pontiacs and Firebirds have a lot of fans. Looks at the increases in 2nd gen prices. And with Pontiac no longer around as a brand, I think that at some point you will see a sharp increase.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

It's an uphill battle. First we changed the description of the History/Restoration forum to specifically remove "what's it worth". Next someone switched "Restoration" for "Originality" because all the "restoration" topics seemed to fall under the appearance and detailling forum with lambo doors and Rustoleum paint job threads, instead of the car washing, waxing, DETAILING topics. Much easier to just use the forums with complete disregard for their titles and descriptions than trying to moderate and move threads around, or educate people where things belong.

Kind of a moot point any way since the sub-forums seem to have some rather glaring overlaps, and some subforums are deader than hell. A person can use the "New Posts" button to see what's new on all SIXTY+ subforums. Because clearly there needs to be an Aftermarket Product and Aftermarket Vendor review forums, couldn't possibly consolidate those two. Or Detailing/Appearance, Body, and Interior, because obviously those topics couldn't be combined. Or Member's Camaros and Member's Firebirds, surely those topics couldn't be combined. Guess what I'm getting at is the Forum itself is a victim of OCD over-organization to a point the average idiot looking for how to change the fuel pump relay in his 2019 Jeep can't figure out where to post. Sadly our Internet Brands overlords don't give a rip as long as we keep clicking, so they can sell ad space.

0

Second gen Pontiacs were the Irocs of their era. All those sick Bandit movies ring a bell? Second gen Camaros from 73-81 were a pariah for the longest time. It's plenty obvious that the average geek off the street doesn't know a Formula from a Trans Am, but that GTA badge looks interesting, what does that mean? Pontiacs in thirdgens play second fiddle, it's been that way for a LONG time, and they probably won't ever catch up. The nice thing is it keeps the nicer car, more affordable.

ksr

You may be right, but I think there will be an increase in Firebird prices as the availability of them and all Pontiacs continues to decline.

The IROC thing is always kind of funny to me. Not that I wouldn't buy a nice IROC convertible, but it wouldn't make the slightest difference to me if it was a Z-28. I have this mental image of me trying to sell a Camaro and getting lowballed. Then I pull out some black electrical tape,spell "IROC" on the side, and getting $10K more.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

People are dumb. Dumb dumb dumb DUMB. People go crazy for stupid obvious stuff like giant door decals and 5.0 fender badges. Just look at the 'import tuner' world with their Type R stickers and emblems.

Pontiac brand loyalty hasn't been a thing since the 70's. Ever since GM went corporate, 'Pontiac people' aren't the least bit interested in a Firebird because it ain't got a Pontiac engine in it. Blah blah blah... Just they way they think. Pontiacs in the thirdgen era included things like the FWD LeMans, the T-1000, the Pontiac 2000, FWD Grand Ams and Grand Prixs that littered the highways and byways of america with trash build quality.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Collector condition IROCs and GTAs will go for good money as they already are but the rest of the Z28 and birds will stay at average levels for older sports cars. I think LS equipped 4th gens, especially manuals, will shoot up in value. Thirdgen are slow by today's standards while the fourthgen is still quick enough. A collector who seldom drives the car won't care but a normal guy who will drive it won't want to sink $10K into buying an old car that gets beat by his wife's V6 Camry.

Monteman71

Or 4 cylinder Turbo Honda Accord!(As in my case) lol