1977 Pontiac Firebird Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The over all body appearance as the former owners tried to modify it, the past several years, and did what looks like a spray can paint job, of a gloss black,the front driver side fender and the driver door gaps, looks like the fender may be an aftermarket, and we all know how some of them mount in,,,they added a 1980 rear bumper, cover, and tail lights, which wasn't mounted right, Big gaps, lots of cracking paint, sun warped, and looks hideous- This was bought reasonable, and I seen that is was a basic easy project,,the body is pretty decent, minor rust, surface bubbling,,alignment issues on the body fenders, door, and tail panel,,but nothing overwhelming at this point- I will take her out driving this summer, as she handles pretty well, new tires, new brakes,,ect, no handling issues,gas mileage is terrible,,maybe 14 miles to the gallon, ,,just far from pretty when you get up close,,but 50 feet and a few beers improves the looks immensely. So keep watch, as I slowly start to get ideas, and she will be taken in our shop late October, and tore down for complete body paint and repair, and the correct doors, fender, and tail panel will be re-mounted, then flares, spoilers, and decals added to customize her into what I want- It has been a few years since I had a project car, and I am glad that I found this one- and I will be able to enjoy it a bit as a driver,, not pretty,,,yet,, but watch and wait to see what happens the next 12 months on it-Jun 02, 2014

My first car was a light blue '78 Firebird Esprit and since then, the '77 - '78 Firebird has always been my favorite vehicle. Whatever review I type will be highly biased due to my attachment to these cars: I own several and do a majority of my own work. If you are looking for a fast, reliable, economical vehicle that seats more than two people, a newer import would be your best bet. Anyway, this review automatically shows a pic of my '78 model despite the "review" being for my slightly rougher '77 example. So I'll just make this a vague generic review. The Skybirds handled reasonably well despite not having a rear stabilizer bar. Acceleration is a bit dismal with the V6 but the 305 2barrel engine available in '78 isn't bad. The 350 Pontiac (1977) and 350 Chevy (1978) are a bit better but are probably in current-Honda-Civic hp territory. Most cars were ordered with the automatic but a few 3-speed and 4-speed cars made it out the door. Ergonomics are just perfect: the floor shift falls right where my hand rests normally & the uplevel Esprit interior is attractive and comfortable...although finding one without disintegrating interior plastic is quite difficult. The light blue plastic cannot survive UV exposure for long. Everything is optional and survivors are spread across the board. The base instrument cluster consists of a speedometer and gas gauge (lights for everything else) and a radio was optional. Every car is rare because all options are ala carte so these Firebirds are like a box of chocolates. May 12, 2014