![]() ![]() By the 1990s, horsepower returned in a big way, and following the Camaro’s seven-year hiatus in the 2000s, horsepower wasn’t just back-it was setting new standards for itself in stuff like the 662-hp Mustang Shelby GT500 and the 580-hp Camaro ZL1. 1985 pontiac firebird full#The emissions-reduction era that followed barely slowed the Ford-vs.-Chevy roll, and by the 1980s, both pony cars were back in full fighting shape. Next came an escalating horsepower tit-for-tat that culminated in big-block Camaros and Boss Mustangs, Trans-Am racing showdowns, and drag-night fistfights. Nearly three years after Ford first took the world by storm with the Mustang, Chevrolet brought out the Camaro. Glamorous, this car is not, and unlike its earlier-generation brethren, it’s bound to keep sinking in value.The longstanding rivalry between the Mustang and the Camaro began the minute Chevy realized that Ford's new pony car was a hit-and that Chevy didn't have an immediate competitor. The 1985 design, on the other hand, just didn’t age well-it’s not so much iconic as it is the look you expect to find on a dingy used car lot. And more importantly, this vehicle has none of the iconic styling of the first-generation Firebirds from the 1960s, with their distinctive “Coke bottle” bodies, or the swoon-worthy swoopy styling of the revamped second-gen Firebirds of the 1970s (as immortalized in the classic film Smokey and the Bandit). Oh, maybe there’s one fun feature: the interior does sport a little analog dial that you can scroll through to read “departures” or “arrivals”-sophisticated enough for you? Hardly. But if you’re in the market for a used Pontiac Firebird, looking at the ’85 model in the context of the car’s decades-long evolution, this version just isn’t particularly remarkable. So back in 1985, it probably was, indeed, a more exciting car than, say, the 1982 model. It was a more aerodynamic vehicle than its Firebird predecessors, and in terms of its look, it had a restyled nose and rear bumper, a new hood and tail-light design, a steeper windshield slope, and a significantly lighter-weight body. So, on the one hand, the 1985 Pontiac Firebird did come with some new design features that set it apart from the field at the time. ![]() ![]() It takes a lot of serious tuning to keep these cars driving. 1985 pontiac firebird drivers#If you buy a 1985 Pontiac Firebird, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll have to replace the ECM and most drivers end up throwing up their hands and getting rid of the TPI altogether in favor of a carburetor. But as the mechanics over at Hot Rod have reported, by 2020, the ECM in pretty much every TPI Firebird is inevitably bound to fail. And back in the ’80s, Pontiac must have thought the Tuned Port Injection innovation it introduced in the 1985 Firebird was a great innovation, meant to increase fuel economy and horsepower by 30 percent, thus solving that fuel efficiency problem without sacrificing speed. Also keep in mind that the ultimate goal for the car was to be fuel-efficient, given the high cost and volatile availability of gasoline at the time-the third-generation Firebirds were conceived in the wake of two fuel crises and designed to achieve 34 mpg, which was decent gas mileage for the era. One reviewer compared it to an ancient Atari! To be fair, this was the very dawn of the age of computerized engine management, and technologically not a whole lot was possible. At thirty-five years old, an ’85 Firebird is well into its years as a vintage car, and nearing antique status by now-which might make the cheap price enticing, since soon enough it’s bound to be a collector’s item, and go up in value, right? The truth is, probably not.Īn even bigger problem with the 1985 Pontiac Firebird: its pain-in-the-neck ECM. Mechanics report their garages are full of these clunkers, and a quick Google search uncovers a veritable treasure trove of 1985 Pontiac Firebirds in particular, which in general are averaging in price around $8,650 (the original MSRP was just over $11,000) though Hot Rod magazine points out that these third-gen Pontiacs can be scooped up for as little as $1,000 (as long as you’re willing to put in more than a little work to keep it running). GM might not be churning them out anymore, but plenty of used Firebirds, especially the third-generation models from the 1980s and 1990s, are popping up for resale all the time, because they are affordable (and, well, maybe a little fun, too). And that’s reflected in the car’s current valuation. ![]()
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