Ok right now im the proud owner of an 87 Irocz. Over the past couple of months iv been looking for a new car. I love my 3rd gen but shes seen better days as i bought her from a police man who had converted it into his own little squad car. Ive been looking at the 4th gen trans am WS6's but every time I look at my third gen well you guys know the feeling..... My question is would it be cheaper to buy a Nice 350/305 3rd gen and get a SDPC crate 350 TPI and start from there along with a 6-speed or go for the 4th gen. Thanks guys, buying/looking for cars sucks....

 

Honestly, youd be so much more happier with a WS6. More potential imo.

 

I'm sad to say that you would probably like the WS6 more. Everything is newer and so there are better creature comforts, plus there is more power and potential like LPG just said.

You can always keep your 3rd Gen around for the love of the game!

 

I was hoping you wouldnt say that but O well maby ill fall in love all over again with a WS6, even as much as right now i doubt it

 

I completely agree. Find yourself a clean third-gen WS6

But man take it from me and Pneumatic Tire; we sold our third gens and COMPLETELY regret it That third-gen can be rebuilt, have completely new suspension etc (in other words outpower/handle a fourth gen) for a LOT cheaper than finding an m6 fourth gen.

 

::slaps forehead:: Lol I need to start being more specific.

Yeah, I guess you could build up a third gen for alot cheaper, but I mean, we are talking a 13 second car from the factory, it wouldn't be hard to get her into the 12s.

I say if you can bag an LS1, go for it. Otherwise, build up the thirdgen.

 

lol no I knew what ya meant; I was trying to show IRCOmustangs the best of both worlds But true, an m6 LS1 could hit high 12's stock, but that third gen build up cheaper (including price of car) and still turn better than a fourth gen for cheaper

 

Oh I know, and there definately is a best to both worlds.

 

So how do I know if its an M6 ls1 or a regular one? And as of now im Lookin for a really clean 3rd gen to put a crate 350 in, Or a Nice WS6 trans am. But then again if i happen to come across a 3rd gen with an LS1 in it were in bussiness!

 

Even the 4th gens will have lots of mileage being that this is 2006, so you need to take the whole budget vs goals into view.

I have worked on enough 4th gens to know that I hate that engine compartment space, and that is the biggest reason that I stay away from them. The ecm is better and the 6 speed if you want a manual, but besides that, I don't see a reason to get one if the 3rd is cheaper. You just have to have a plan before you buy the car. You can find modded 3rd gens around if you look hard enough. Mine already had the 383 and lots of more mods in it when I got mine, so try to find somebody else's project that they didn't have time to finish. The parts added up in my car when I got it were more than what I paid for the whole car.

I don't think you are looking hard enough.

 

Well truth be told I really havent been "looking" hard at all. Im Starting to plan for a car and just wanted somewere to start and other peoples thoughts. But when I do get my car It will hopefully be during or after winter so I can have a bit of time to work on it.

I am starting to lean more towards another 3rd gen mainly for price. But it would have to be in excellent condition, the headaches I had with my current car taught me a lesson

 

i would check on ebay a little and see what you can find if you are comfortable with the whole buying before you look at it in person thing. I have seen lots of pretty sweet 3rd gens go on there for super cheap, the 5 speeds aren't very common but you can almost get a full blown drag 3rd gen before you touch the price of a 4th gen ws6....

 

True true *cough* gas mileage *cough*

 

Hey kbog hows that twin turbo treatin ya, I must say that would be my dream third gen! lol

 

For starters, a 6-speed conversion is $1000 to $2000, depending on quality of parts. Even a good clutch is going to run you $400. I've got $2100 into my conversion. Even more if you want to figure the number of torque arm assemblies I've been through, just experimenting. I'm also on my third retrofit crossmember design. So in my case, there is another $1200 in suspension configurations that I ended up messing with.

So go into a third-gen 6-speed with eyes wide open. It's tricky to get it done for under a grand.

That said, consider the fact that you can buy a running 6-speed fourth-gen Z28 or Trans Am for $3000 to $5000, and you've got your rowing stick.

Unless you are very smart, very careful, and very handy, your budget third-gen build up will cost more than a fourth-gen with comparable performance.
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There's over $20K in parts and paint on my third-gen: It can get out of hand quicker than you think. If the car needs a paint job, instantly say to yourself " $3000 to $5000" to redo it.