Looking to buy soon

[armyguye4]

Hello my name is Jon and I would like to start off by saying I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I am a die hard Trans Am fan I have owned two in the past but I am down to one now. Long story short I am currently deployed to Afghanistan and will be back within the next couple months. With that being said I cannot buy one at the moment but I am trying to get word out for anyone who would like to sell down the road. Should be about 4 more months when I can purchase. So what I am looking for is a 2002 Trans Am Firehawk in the color Red with T-tops and any color interior. SLP Options I am looking for but can work with are the Iroc Spoiler, any rear end auburn or torsen, 1LE suspension, car cover, floor mats, rear deck mat, and all the documentation pieces i.e. birth certificate and portfolio. The car must be in great condition and I would like it under 30,000 miles. Price is open to the vehicle and the options on the car. Just for some peace of mind if I do buy one of your vehicles it will not be used as a daily driver and it will be sitting in a garage. If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I look forward to any responses. I am honored to be a member of this website and look forward to being a proud owner of one of these beautiful cars. Thank you for taking the time to look at this post.

Jon

[PontiacFan]

That 4-month period puts you right about a week before the Firehawk Rally during the Pontiac Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
One way or the other, if you have a new one by then, or if you need to look at a few firsthand, ..., you should consider attending since it won't be that far down the road. Okay, 255 miles, ..., a hop, skip & a jump, ...
http://www.pontiacnationals.com/

Welcome a'board' & good luck in your search.
(Check LS1Tech.com for a possible resource on Firehawk's for sale.)

[BLACK-HAWK]

Welcome Fellow brother in arms!! Firehawks Rock! and the Firehawk Rally is awesome! Grab some friends and make the trip and you can also hit up Cedar Point for the roller coasters!!

[armyguye4]

Well I would like to say thank you for the welcomes. I would love to go to the firehawk rally but it just so happens that I have my wedding(renewal of vows) the day before. I think the wife would be pretty pissed if I left to go to the event the day after our wedding. Lol Great idea though.

[BLACK-HAWK]

Okay okay... The wife can come too!

[armyguye4]

Ok I have found three Firehawks for sale at two different car dealerships at the moment and was just wondering what you had thought about them. The 2002 white firehawk and 2002 Red Firehawk on ultimaterides.com. Maybe I might start looking at some white firehawks as well lol. This one looks like it might be overpriced as well but never the less awesome. Just wondering about some of your input. Then there is a second one listed at Silver Auto Sales. They do not have the build number listed. I was wondering if anybody had any info about this one for sale. If any advice could be given I would appreciate it on these three cars. Thanks in advance.

[BLACK-HAWK]

Www.firehawkowners.com is your best friend. Also getting the Vin number and either calling SLP direct or make an account on www.slpcamaro.com to verify firehawk authenticity.

[dwhess504]

A guy around me has a 20k miles 2002 with EVERY slp option silver m6. he wants 19 for it. look on autotrader.com your best deal will be from a private seller,,,, I still dont have one yet, but I probably wont go for a super low mile one. maybe 50-60k. still can get minty condition, but less money!

[BLACK-HAWK]

If you want a 'hawk with documentation I would look into private sale over dealerships.

[Firebrian]

A guy around me has a 20k miles 2002 with EVERY slp option silver m6. he wants 19 for it. look on autotrader.com your best deal will be from a private seller,,,, I still dont have one yet, but I probably wont go for a super low mile one. maybe 50-60k. still can get minty condition, but less money!

The M6's are not bullet proof. Neither are the rear ends, especially the Auburns. And there can be a world of difference between a mint-looking car with 50-60K miles and one with 20K miles. Those extra 40,000 miles tend to be expensive....figure they will only reduce the price of your FH by about $4K vs. a 20K mile car. That's a lot of years of driving for only $4K. Everyone who owns an M6 will say they "babied" it. But, who knows for sure. I wouldn't want to be the guy that has to fork over $3K to $4K to rebuild the transmission and clutch....another side effect of those extra 40,000 miles. If they are already just rebuilt, then great. The extra money you "invest" in lower miles will mostly come back to you down the road if you still have 1/2 to 3/4 of them left. The silver 2002 on Autotrader with 19K miles and all SLP options sounds very reasonable at $20K. A few aftermarket changes but nothing major. I saw a pair of black 2002's optioned that same way but with under 10,000 miles fetch in the $23's this past summer (asking prices were at $25K to $27K). Should you ever had to get out from under your car quickly the lower miles will make it more liquid. Dealers and private parties seem to be in the market for cars under 40,000 miles and preferably under 30,000. Once these get over 50,000 and especially over 60,000 miles they lose a lot of demand, especially having had multiple owners.

Your original thought of a <30,000 mile car was a good one. You should stick to it unless a no-brainer 1 owner cream-puff with higher miles comes along. Be very fussy when buying an M6. If it were me, I'd pass on anything with noises coming out of the gear box, input/pilot/TO bearings. While it's true a lot of T56's came from the factory with rattles and pops, it doesn't mean you can't find one that doesn't have those issues. Keep the car totally sealed up and quiet inside for the test drive. That's the only way you'll hear some of those noises. Engine piston or valve train slap and rear end whine are two other issues I'd pass on as well....even if the cold engine "slap" is not that uncommon on brand new LS-1's.

[armyguye4]

I appreciate all your input so far. Firebrian I definitely agree with you on the being picky part. Especially if it is a car that you want to collect and have as part of a group. Yeah I have heard a couple risky things about things about the M6's. It is either a hit or a miss from what I have researched. Hopefully the right one will pop up within the next year or so.