im looking into buying a 97 firebird and ive got a few questions about the engine and such. i heard somewhere that this year came with the LT4 engine or something and i was curious on what this actually is - is it a different engine than the standard LT1 or does it just have some different internals?
also how reliable are these and how long can i expect it to last - the one im looking at has 177--- miles on it which sounds like it could be a problem. the car is around 5 grand so i dunno if thats worth it to get it or just to wait for another one to come along... what do you guys think??

 

No there is no LT4 in TA or Camaro, the LT4 was a engine that came in the Corvette Grand Sport. So there is a LT1 in that TA.
The engine is very good and reliable, but if has done 177k ask if the owner has change the optispark. If not thats the first thing i would change.
5grand is good price if the car is okej but i would not buy a car with 177k on it, i would look for a better one.

Regards from Sweden

 

Wow, 5g's. WAY too much. Keep looking, something else will come along and you will be glad you waited. With it having 177,000 on it, its bound to start coming apart unless it has been kept up.

 

wow 5 g, thats crazy for that amount of miles, not as bad as what a dealer here was sellin, 96 v6 camaro 5 speed 100k and wanted 7k for it, i laughed and left, and got my 98 for 3 with 121k :-D

 

I bought my 99 3.8 from some girl for a grand with only 100k on it. Just 500 miles aftershe put $2500 into it.

 

Ha ha over here 5000 for an f-body is almost free...
I paid $19000 for my 94 four years ago.

 

19k for a 94, ur crzy, that thing better have been cammed, or supercharged or both

 

alright thanks guys that helps out a lot. hopefully i can find another one cuz im not settling for anything less than a camaro or firebird thats for sure.

 

nope sorry the LT4 was only introduced to the Camaro and Corvette family, and yes it is better then the LT1 engine


http://www.grandsportregistry.com/lt1vslt4.htm

heres a link that compares both of them side by side

 

oo i have one more question - what site would you guys recommend to buy from because autotrader doesnt have that big of a selection and they rarely ever have any camaros or firebirds. ive looked at ebay but most cars i see there are like a million miles away