Reliability: F-Bodies have had a consistently poor reliability history. Along with the usual things that happen to cars over time, many owners say that the condition of their F-Body deteriorates at a faster than expected rate as the car ages. I haven't seen research on this but it is probably true, and I'd guess it has a lot to do with conditions and materials used at the assembly plants where the cars were built, plus a lot of owners tend to be rough on sportscars so this takes a toll. F-Body interiors are also prone to falling apart if abused.

I knew F-bodies were lower than average in reliability when I bought my first F-Body back in November 1997. It is a 1985 Firebird with a 2.8 V6 FI and 5-speed Borg-Warner T5 transmission, had 97,293 miles and a very nice interior. I paid $1500 cash. As of July 19, 2002 it has about 142,000 miles. I have had an extremely good streak of luck with engine reliability and general car aging. Other than routine maintenance, the only things I have had to fix on the car were to replace a faulty MAF and correct the front end alignment. Also replaced the O2 sensor as preventive maintenance. The car is in almost as good condition now as when I first purchased it except for some slight surface rust which I've neglected to fix.. could also use a thorough interior vacuum cleaning and it'd be just like when I bought it almost 3 1/2 years ago. The rust which was there on the roof at time of purchase has gotten pretty severe, although it's still just surface rust. Roof rust is actually very unusual on F-bodys, so most likely you won't run into it.

On July 23, 2000 I also bought a 1983 Firebird with a 2.8 high-output V6 and 5-speed transmission. This car had about 157,975 miles. I bought it strictly for resale profit because I knew it was worth more than the offering price of $530. This car has some rust issues particularly in the undercarriage, and considerable issues with the condition of the interior, some of which may be beyond repair, but mechanically it drives perfectly. For a long time, I could not decide if I wanted to sell it or keep it, since I was becoming a little bit attached. I listed on eBay a couple of times and finally on January 26 2001, a girl from Charlotte NC bought it for $1045. I think she got a good deal. It ran very strong for a V6. She said she primarily needed transportation but also a fixer-upper, and I think this car fit the bill well for both those requirements.

All in all, I have had at least average to higher-than-average luck with reliability of my current F-Body cars which are reportedly poor at reliability. And I'm not all that great with mechanical work, but I'm good at recognizing the limits of a car when driving it, and so I rarely hot-rod my cars, and I hope this is helpful for a long mechanical life.

February 6, 2001: The MAF is acting up again on my '85 Firebird. Has been since early January. I'll probably need to replace it. Last time it was replaced was around summer 1998.

July 19, 2002: new MAF now, in fact I'm on my 3rd or 4th overall, and it's been fine for over a year, but sure enough, it's going out on me again .. !? Especially when having my foot on the gas during decelerations and downshifts, it'll clunk for a split second and immediately the engine light comes on, and the rich smell of gas is thick in the air, noticeably, and the car is sluggish. Cutting it off and starting it again fixes it, till it happens again, usually soon thereafter. Then the car might be fine for 2 more weeks, or it might do exactly the same the next day. The only theory I have, and it's a weak one, is that it's being somehow affected by the broken air dam. Speaking of which, and speaking of reliability, you hear everywhere that a broken air dam on a Firebird is like a seized engine death wish, and that you should get it fixed ASAP at any cost. Hmm.. well mine's been obliterated from the very beginning, and I ripped a huge horizontal chunk off of it and I keep it in the trunk just for reference, so I really have no air dam to speak of, and my car never overheats. Go figure.