How Will Historians Judge the Third Generation Camaro/Firebird?

For full disclosure, I have owned 8 examples of these affordable 2+2 coupes since 2000. Design and engineering began in the glory days of Disco, and a new assembly plant was built in Quebec. The tooling that built the previous generation cars was worn out, as was the host of tired V6 and V8 engines offered by Pontiac and Chevrolet.

The die was cast in 1974 when Ford decided to base every car on the Pinto, but it's hard to paint over rust along with the tears of those killed by fire in thousands of crashes. With work on the C4 Corvette well underway, a perfect starting point would be the 5.7L Chevy V8 found in Silverado and Corvettes. But no, we received a 5-liter pig that made 110 horsepower thanks to a Crossfire fuel injection system that worked every other month. To put salt on the wound, base models offered the 2.5L inline four that offered no acceleration when the AC is on.

But wait, there’s more! Transmission choices began with a 4-speed manual from GM’s Saginaw plant, the same place that made half the internals metric while the bellhousing dated back to 1954. Fear not, as the all-new automatic also had four gears. Known as the 700R4, it was not powerful enough to deal with 220 lb-ft of torque.

While the cars built in Los Angeles fared better with rust, the Canadian cars began to evaporate from corrosion while still under warranty. Exploding differentials arrived in 1985, just as my parents decided to buy their first new car. It was in the workshop for over a month until new parts could be sourced. Instead of the normal GM 10-bolt, the most expensive cars were given a Borg-Warner 9-bolt sourced from Australia. This would prove to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, so my parents were forced to hire a lawyer to get their money back.

1984 and 85 were the darkest years, with many infuriating issues. My first Camaro was an ‘87, and I was the second owner. Some screwy dealer had ordered it with electric locks, crank up windows, and drum brakes. Because the 5.7-liter was still forbidden by the Corvette team, my car had the last carbureted V8 Camaro would ever offer. It also had a cooling fan that was only commanded by the computer above 240 degrees, so it was always puking here in Florida.

Because I had taught myself to deal with the BS, I was invincible. That’s why I bought two Third Gen-Camaros on eBay for $750. Both stunk of marijuana and indiscretions, with leaking T-Top roof panels. Yes, they look great from a distance, but the early roof panels were made of Lexan, the same plastic found in commercial kitchen pans. Needless to say, they can be fixed today after you realize the floor pans have been gone since before Bill Gates began playing god.

Yes, these issues can all be addressed for a few dollars, and then you will realize what makes them so addictive. Every example rode on comfortable coil spring suspension, with monotube struts tuned for a healthy balance of civility and grip on the track. The F-Body platform was so ahead of its time, that the only changes introduced in 1993 were upper control arms along with Rack & Pinion steering.

My final experience came with an 84 Camaro Z-28. I sold it to a coworker at Lexus of Orlando for $500, but he never paid the Sales Tax. I found it abandoned after he was arrested, so I hot-wired it and sold it again, this time for $1,500. Nowadays, even wrecked and rusted examples easily command $10,000, so find one to hold onto and stay with us for all your automotive insights.