Firebirds and Vettes

I'm planning on buying 3 cars , but only one of 3. Go figure, anyway. The cars:

LT1-Trans Am
LT1-Corvette
LS1-Firebird(Formula or T/A)

The LT1 T/A is the cheapest obviously. I really like the vette with the LT1 6 speed, looks, performance, everything. I was also thinking about an LS1 because of how they sound, amazing. They're all great cars. I'm thinking people won't like the vette much, but I want to see what you have to say about comparing these three. they're all between 300 and 330hp/tq and over 3,000 lbs curb weight. The vette and LS1 firebird are likely to cost the same.

I would take the Vette, I would think it would be the lightest, fastest and best handling of the three. I may be wrong on the numbers but even so, I would probably take the Vette anyway, Trans Ams and Firebirds never did much for me.

The LT1 C4 'Vette would probably be the fastest of the three, but I absolutely love the way the LS1 Firebird looks, so I'd go with that.

1 for the Vette, 1 for the LS1. Need more opinions!!

id go with the LS1, they are so retarded powerful and respond well to mods. plus its newer than the LT1

ls1 trans am. i think it looks alot better than the c4 vette and has great preformnce.

LS1 is more powerfull and gets significantly better fuel mileage. Can't beat that combo.

The LS1 is clearly the engine choice for me, but the 'vette is my first choice of body styles. The Vette is also a complete clean slate design, stiff chassis, inspired suspension, and well-sorted handling. The F-body shares a frightening amount in common with its 1967 ancestors. The unibodies never got much stiffer, and I personally don't like how they look.

I think if you put an LT1 in a 3000 lb vette and an LS1 in a 3000 lb F-body and drove them both, the vette would be a much more fun ride in all aspects.

If you're going to drag race and just worry about acceleration, the LS1/Fbody. If you want a daily driver/canyon carver, definitely hands down LT1 vette. Keep in mind the C4 LT1 is underrated by as much as 30 hp. 94-96 LT1s are a bit more desirable for modification since they are Mass-Flow with Flash PCMs as opposed to MAP with PROM pcms.

LS1/Fbody for a refined engine in a chassis that is hard to stiffen
LT1/Ybody for a refined chassis that can have the engine helped.

Easier to upgrade the engine than try to re-engineer the chassis.

... and don't worry about the sound, you can get an LT1 to sound really good.

You are extremely mistaken if you think 4th gen F-bodies handle like the 1st gens. WHY do a lot of people think this!?!? They handle VERY well as a matter of fact. Wide stance, wide tires, low cg, stiff suspension, rwd...?

Vette for sure. I really dont see how a Corvette can compete with a Firebird/Trans Am. Its on a totally different level...

You are extremely mistaken if you think 4th gen F-bodies handle like the 1st gens. WHY do a lot of people think this!?!? They handle VERY well as a matter of fact. Wide stance, wide tires, low cg, stiff suspension, rwd...?

I didn't say anything about handling, I'm talking stiffness of the car itself. My buddy has a 69 Firebird, an 84 TransAm, and just sold a 94. The unibody on his 69 is by far much stiffer than either of the later ones due to age, rust, and fatigue on the newer ones..... and who said anything about handling? Handling has as much to do with the thousands of other factors involved. I'm talking about unibody stiffness which has a great deal to do with potential. You could put stiff springs on a marshmallow and make it handle. All I said was that the 4th gens share A LOT in common with their first-gen cousins, and that's the truth. Similar unit support, similar stiffness, and similar unibody resonance frequencies. I didn't say anything about handling, springs, shocks, sway bars, bushings, suspension geometries, weight distribution, or center of gravity as delivered from the factory.

I'm sorry you feel the need to blindly defend the factual points of your own car, but I'm not attacking F-bodies at all. This guy asked for a comparison between a Y-body and an F-body so I was charting the differences. Lighten up, man.

Its like I said "I hate steering wheels" and since you have a camaro with a steering wheel you said, "what do you have against Camaros??" Uh... nothing. I was merely stating tested fact. I'm talking body stiffness, you're talking about handling. Sorry if it upset you, but the unibody on an F-body can't be compared by a long shot to any C4, period. Its not an attack, I'm just trying to help this guy make a choice.

LS1 Trans Am for me. always up there on my list for american muscle cars for me.

LOL right back to square one.
Anyone for the LT1 TA? I know an LT1 can sound good, I just don't know how to do that yet. I am leaning toward the C4 now...except for one simple fact; i'm going away to college with this car so I'm considering a 4 seater.

Then again, I'm fine not giving anyone rides as I've done that ever since I started driving. I thought about what do RX-7 and supra drivers do when they have friends that go places. I could survive wih a 2 seater, but only 'cause it's a vette.

As for whether drag or road racing, I haven't decided that yet. It has to be legal.

I didn't say anything about handling, I'm talking stiffness of the car itself. My buddy has a 69 Firebird, an 84 TransAm, and just sold a 94. The unibody on his 69 is by far much stiffer than either of the later ones due to age, rust, and fatigue on the newer ones..... and who said anything about handling? Handling has as much to do with the thousands of other factors involved. I'm talking about unibody stiffness which has a great deal to do with potential. You could put stiff springs on a marshmallow and make it handle. All I said was that the 4th gens share A LOT in common with their first-gen cousins, and that's the truth. Similar unit support, similar stiffness, and similar unibody resonance frequencies. I didn't say anything about handling, springs, shocks, sway bars, bushings, suspension geometries, weight distribution, or center of gravity as delivered from the factory.

I'm sorry you feel the need to blindly defend the factual points of your own car, but I'm not attacking F-bodies at all. This guy asked for a comparison between a Y-body and an F-body so I was charting the differences. Lighten up, man.

Its like I said "I hate steering wheels" and since you have a camaro with a steering wheel you said, "what do you have against Camaros??" Uh... nothing. I was merely stating tested fact. I'm talking body stiffness, you're talking about handling. Sorry if it upset you, but the unibody on an F-body can't be compared by a long shot to any C4, period. Its not an attack, I'm just trying to help this guy make a choice.

ok...

LT1 Vette, I have owned 3 C4's and hope to own another one some day. They are great handlers and while I love my F-bodys, the Vette has a true sports car feel to it that a solid rear equipped car just doesn't feel to match to me. I also think that while stock to Semi modified the LS1 is a no question more efficient engine power and economy wise, that in the long haul of engine modifying the strong 4 bolt main Cast Iron block of the LT1 will hold up to some serious power numbers.

LOL right back to square one.
Anyone for the LT1 TA? I know an LT1 can sound good, I just don't know how to do that yet. I am leaning toward the C4 now...except for one simple fact; i'm going away to college with this car so I'm considering a 4 seater.

Then again, I'm fine not giving anyone rides as I've done that ever since I started driving. I thought about what do RX-7 and supra drivers do when they have friends that go places. I could survive wih a 2 seater, but only 'cause it's a vette.

As for whether drag or road racing, I haven't decided that yet. It has to be legal.

BTW: supras are 4 seaters...

just splurge and get a C5 Z06 Vette, but realistically...i still say LS1 Trans Am, they are just mean. on the other hand, C4 vettes are missing the aggressiveness. like a woman's sports car...no offense.

LS1 Trans AM.
You knew my answer.

BTW: supras are 4 seaters...

just splurge and get a C5 Z06 Vette, but realistically...i still say LS1 Trans Am, they are just mean. on the other hand, C4 vettes are missing the aggressiveness. like a woman's sports car...no offense.

I've never seen a woman drive a vette, dunno why but on the other hand, I see girls in fbodies all of the time. What do you mean they lost the aggressiveness??

Didn't know that about a supra...

LS1 Trans AM.
You knew my answer.

I'll tally up the scores:
LS1- 6
LT1- 4

I really appreciate everyone's views thus far. Thanks

I've never seen a woman drive a vette, dunno why but on the other hand, I see girls in fbodies all of the time. What do you mean they lost the aggressiveness??

Didn't know that about a supra...

im not saying women drive C4 vettes. im saying it just doesn't look aggressive. its just bland and not sleek.

trans ams look aggressive. doesnt get much more aggressive than that...and then i look at a C4 vette...and i dont see much. in the 80's when it was designed im sure it was stylish but now it just looks out of date and blah...

my :cents:

This thread hasn't gone to the shredder just yet, I've just been considering my options. Lacking knowledge of both vehicles makes it hard to compare them myself but from what I'm understanding is that despite the C4's outdated look, it's a true sports car compared to the LS1 TA. While the odds are against me, I'm leaning towards the vette right now.