Used 1996 Pontiac Firebird Hatchback Consumer Reviews
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Firebird of Paradise
CamaroFan13r, 10/03/2009
1996 Pontiac Firebird 2dr Hatchback
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I am the former owner of a 1996 Pontiac Firebird, with the 3800 V6 engine. I miss my car. I was constrained by necessity to sell her in Feb. 2009. But for ten years, this car served me well. The V6 engine had good performance, with 200HP and 225 lb/ft of torque. But what really impressed me was the reliability of the car. I have owned other Camaros and Firebirds in the past. I love these cars, but they are generally not well known for their reliability. But my 96 Firebird was rock solid reliable. The 3800 GM V6 motors are excellent. The fuel economy wasn't top notch (in fact, I think that the LT1 engines were more fuel efficient), but the car was fun to own and drive. I miss it!
Dont know.
Hot Momma, 01/05/2003
1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula 2dr Hatchback
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I have owned this car for a while now and it is awesome. It is liked by teenagers and adults as well. Everyone always has something nice to say about the car. The gas mileage is great! I just hate the air bags system.
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Nice, Fun, and Reliable Daily Driver
CB, 12/30/2016
1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula 2dr Hatchback
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
When you buy one that was cared for and well maintained anyway. I was lucky enough to buy mine from the second owner and himself as well as the first owner were OCD about maintenance just like me, and I suspect also like myself they never abused the car. This is important for any car but especially on one that has the power to break things via neglect or abuse. The LT1 is a great motor and the Borg Warner T-56 is a great transmission, great low end torque and the transmission shifts out smoothly. Engine revs out nicely and the powerband is everywhere. Fuel economy is good shifting out between 2,000-2,500 and 5/6th are .74 and .50 respectively so you more or less idle doing anything under 55 mph, I average mid-upper 20's using 93. Opti-Spark is blown out of proportion with revised versions and can make it 200K miles without missing a beat. Clutch engagement and feel is nice, somewhere between my Miata and Celica in terms of effort. The transmission shift feel is ok stock, but a Core Shifters short stick makes it what it should've been from the factory for $30. The stock sealed beam headlights suck, but a Hella ECE H4 conversion with an upgraded relay harness and you're meeting/exceeding modern halogen setups for around $100. Also I can't overstate how important getting rid of the stock DeCarbon shocks for some Koni, Bilstein, or KYB shocks is, ride and handling are improved immensely with just that. The ride is comfortable and handling is good for what it is with the DeCarbons long gone, of course get into UMI, MWC, and Strano suspension parts and they can be very competent handlers along with putting on some good tires. At times you forget the car has a solid axle but in hard(especially left hand) cornering and/or over rough roads you're reminded but so long as you keep it in mind and drive accordingly it's a non-issue. The car is nice and quiet going down the road, no squeaks and rattles and nice solid feel. Which it's the hardtop but they're all cutout for T-tops in the fourth gen from the factory so no difference in terms of chassis rigidity, but NVH is definitely better as my father had a same year Z28 with T-tops and it wasn't as quiet or rattle free. A/C is nice and cold even in hot and humid climates and the heat works great as well though it rarely gets below freezing here, blower fan output is good to great. The biggest complaint I have and where a lot of people like to knock fourth gens is the interior, first let me say for the time period and for what it was it's actually pretty nice and really no worse than comparable imports of the time. Further adding to the that the carpet and the seats are very nice, the cloth material for the seats is nice and high quality(yet they cheaped out on the vinyl/leather) and the seats are comfortable and fairly supportive. Interior plastic panels are good and standard fare, except for one...the dash. The dash is downright frustrating, mine was nice except for one small crack when I got it and I made the mistake of removing it to reinforce and prevent cracking. Total nightmare I'm still trying to sort, but in their defense NA6 Miatas, S13 240SXs, and some same year BMWs just to name a few also have crap dashboards so it's not just them unlike how some would have you believe. All in all probably the best car I've owned, but I attribute a lot of that to the great previous owners. Find a nice one that's been taken care of and you can't go wrong, well so long as it's the 6-speed anyway.
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- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Love this Car
MiamiSuzanne, 08/07/2002
1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula 2dr Hatchback
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
I have had this car for 7 years & I ordered it in July 1995. I have driven it 3 times up to NJ and back. My Labrador Retriever is comfortable in it. I use it at Home Depot to transport shrubs, plywood, etc. I have not had any problems with it. Just minor things that any car would have. Mine has the Traction Control in it & is a great option have when driving in bad weather. My t-tops are fun and easy to take off & on.
Power and Miles
Cruise, 12/31/2002
1996 Pontiac Firebird Formula 2dr Hatchback
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I've had this vehicle since 2 miles have clicked over on the speedo. Its the RAM AIR edition. I've just rolled the speedo to 203,000 miles. The LT1 is as strong today as when I first drove it home. On the origional engine. Don't even think I took it easy in the car. I've blown the trans twice and the rear once. I've since made modifications to the 1996 standards like a 1999 trans and a BorgWarner rear. Firhawk aluminum drive shaft, SLP headers and a Borla exhaust. With the Hypertec reprogrammer this car still puts out 340+ bhp. Believe me, stock gears and it will out run all the high performance BMWs and other muscle cars at the top end. (160+)