Test drove a '00 Formula today

[Mighty Thor]

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=181986338&dealer_id=1915462&car_yea r=2000&make=PONT&distance=100&lang=en&max_price=&m odel=TRANSAM&end_year=2006&min_price=&first_record =26&pager.offset=25&certified=&address=92882&searc h_type=both&advanced=&isp=y&start_year=2000&cardis t=0

The dealer is only a mile away from me. The impression I got. I looks great in pictures but the car has alot of scratches and a few nickle size dent on rear passenger side panel.

I popped the hood and the LS1 looked really good in there. It has a strut brace, whisper lid and an SLP logo at the side. I also saw a GM sticker that say that this car has 315 hp. I didn't know such a sticker existed.

The previous owner put a catback dynomax muffler with a hi-flow cat. Other than that everything else looks pretty stock.

I fired it up and it sounded really good. I drove it at low speed and the low end torque feels kind of good. I sped it to 50 mph and it was good. I nailed it and it felt like it lacked the ummff that I feel on my SC V6. I floored it again from a stop and it felt like a slow car. I floored it a couple more times at different speed and I was just not impress at all.

I told the manager that there's something wrong. That he should have it diagnose. Ofcourse he told me that there's nothing wrong with it and even GM gave it an OK. I've driven a couple of modded LS1 before and this one didn't feel like a 300 hp car. But it's been a long time since I've driven LS1 though.

It's either very slow to me or I probably got use to the power of my SC V6. Tomorrow I'm test driving an 01 TA. We'll see how this one compare.

Dang, that's too bad. I was going to negotiate it down to $8,000.

[dashboardrunner]

well that sucks that it was "slow"... sounds like a project to me though... just make it faster...

[vanbibber]

i would never buy a modded car from a stealership. chances are that thing is ragged to hell

[Silv6]

if you go back, check for option code GU5, it is for 3.23's also remeber that the 00 still has egr and the ls1 manifold. i bet the 01 ta will feel more powerful

[navyblue2000]

also remember that the somewhat flat torque curve of the LS1 makes it accelerate well...but it doesn't FEEL fast. First time I drove an LS1, I was like, well, where's the powe...or crap i'm at 65! lol.

[greatsave9]

Ya I build speed really quickly even though it doesn't fell like it. Look down and your easily at 70mph. It could of had 2.73 gears, it kinda kills the cars acceleration obviously since they're the worst. Course the LS1 just has a minor cam and you can always add performance heads and a cam for real power.

[Fred]

Who told you it had a high flow cat? LS1's have two cats. 01-02 LS1's are about half a second faster than 98-00 because of the LS6 intake. The TA is going to be a lot more expensive. I would go with the Formula, but if the TA is a six speed I would get that instead.

[98GREENGLOW]

If you remember when I first got my Vette...

I posted about how how my powerdyned v6 camaro felt quicker down low and I wasnt that impressed...

Then I went to the track an saw that it was 1.6 seconds quicker in the quarter mile than GreenGlow ever was...

The power of the LS1 is just so smooth vrs the impact of 8 pounds of boost kicking in...

It can easily full you into thinking it's not that fast.

[Mighty Thor]

That's right Laron. The SC sort of ruin that feeling all right. The TA was pure stock but run alot more better than the Formula.

Fred, I not a naive about V8's. The Cat is not stock because it's welded and it's Catco.

But I'm leaning towards a '69 Camaro or Firebird. I don't think I want a modern muscle car anymore. The classic ones are easier to modify, cost less for insurance, registration and most importantly, I don't have to smog it.

I'm going to pay off my wife's car (2 more years) before buying one.

[mr_man]

Originally posted by Fred:
01-02 LS1's are about half a second faster than 98-00 because of the LS6 intake.

Not true at all. All LS1's are about the same speed. 01-02 LS1's may have the manifold, but they also have a weaker cam.

You can see my sig for what my Formula ran, only mod was a cu-out, and that was on a 1.9 60', so it definately had some oomph, however, after my first drive in an LS1 with 3.23's, I can say that it definately did not throw me back as much, but is still just as quick, because you spin less [img]smile.gif[/img]