So in my situation I need reliable transportation to get to and from work. If/When I blow the trans on the 01 or something else happens I need a backup car.....

Current contenders:
1993 SE, Over 200K, body damage, wrong color fender, some dents: $700ish
1997 SSEi: Orginal Motor and trans, a few bigger dents: $2000ish
1994 Bravada: 115k, runs perfect; trans is end of life...$1000ish

Then I found a 96 Firebird for a bit more than the other cars but not much more. It is the LT1 version, non-ram air. Only 90k on it.

How reliable are those cars? I know they have issues with window regulators and headlight motors but I thought they were pretty reliable. The car does have some cosmetic problems it sounds like but is far below the going rate for a V8 firebird.

High Miles SSEi, or a Low miles firebird from the same era for similar prices...Thats going to be a hard choice. I love the 96ish body style with the SSEi-style forlights too.

My insurance is low right now, I have not had an accident or speeding ticket in 5 years so I pay very little.

Any common problems I should look for on the firebird?

You used to have a couple other cars. Why sell them if you needed a backup?

I wanted something different.

There is no point in keeping a mint 93 SSEi or a Perfect Running 98 SSEi around when I only need a beater. I loved the 98 but i was able to get a good price for it. Plus I needed to pay off the 01....

I actually planned on keeping the 93 but I got a decent amount from it, enough to buy 3 non-sc beater bonnevilles....

i like the LT1'* (never drove or worked on them in firebirds, just vettes, camaro'*, and roadmasters), although tune ups are very expensive and take around 5 hours (with a lift, god knows how long without),they do have distributor and injector problems, and the distributor cap is behind water pump and cost around $300, but all in all , they are fairly relaliable (if maintained) and very fun to drive

id say go with the 93 to save on gas against the SSEi, SUV and coupe. gas mileage ftw

LT1'* are very good motor, just have a lot of problems with the opti spark when it gets wet. Can be upgraded very easily for pretty cheap. i As long as you dont beat on them, they get good gas mileage

look up the insurance costs and then post those to help you decide. You did mention the difference between the 2 dr and 4 dr GTP in another thread, so it'* going to be a factor

I had a 97 LT1, 6 spd for awhile, it was a lot of fun to drive but the tune-ups were killer, and spark plugs are a pain to get to. Other than that, it'* just a small block chevy, and they can run forever, parts are plentiful too.

yeah, same here. i had a 97 formula, m6. i loved driving that car. but as far as maintenance/reliability goes, i did half of my plugs/wires and paid somebody to do the other side. eltee juan itself didnt have any problems, i just had to change the radiator, opticrap(distributer), water pump, fuel pump, widow motor/regulator, and rear end gears three times. I'd say the gm 10 bolt rearend in those is really the only weakness. the other stuff is almost routine maintenance(although the radiator was the most PITA thing ive ever done on a car, and ive worked on some tough fixes). overall, id say i would have kept that car if not for the rear end gear problems, and you guys wouldnt have to tolerate a long post like this because i would still just be on my fbody board. :P

They're pretty reliable, but maintainence is a huge PITA. OTOH, you're a scratch mechanic, so it shouldn't be a big problem. Me personally, I'd go for the 97 Bonnie. F-bodies are a bitch to drive in snow, and you did say this would be your beater...