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A 1993 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is running to a no-reserve close on Hagerty Marketplace, part of a sprawling collection sale out of Alabama, and it doubles as a good excuse to check in on the fourth-generation F-body market. Finished in black over a graphite leather interior, this Trans Am wears polished 19-inch Corvette wheels and shows 106,800 miles, with bidding sitting at $2,100 as the auction heads into its final hours.
Under the hood is the LT1, Pontiac's 5.7-liter V8 borrowed from the C4 Corvette and good for 275 horsepower when the Trans Am debuted this body style in 1993. This example pairs the V8 with a 4L60-E automatic transmission and rides on the factory FE2 Rally Suspension package, along with a limited-slip rear axle and the Y83 Trans Am equipment group. Like many cars pulled from long-term storage, it shows worn paint on the upper surfaces and some interior wear, the kind of honest condition issues that come from sitting still for years rather than being driven.
This car marked a turning point for the Firebird nameplate. After a decade of increasingly boxy third-generation cars, Pontiac reinvented the Firebird for 1993, trading the old car's sharp edges for a rounded, aero-focused shape with hidden headlights that felt like nothing else in the lineup before it. Underneath the new skin, the Firebird shared its GM F-body platform with the redesigned Chevrolet Camaro, which arrived the same year with its own Z28 trim and the identical LT1 V8. For nearly a decade, these two cars defined GM's take on affordable V8 performance, right up until both were discontinued after the 2002 model year.
The fourth-gen F-body kept evolving throughout its run. Pontiac introduced the WS6 performance package partway through, adding a Ram Air hood, firmer suspension and more power, and by 1997 that package was available on convertible Trans Ams as well as coupes. A 1998 facelift brought a new front fascia to both cars, but the bigger news was under the hood: the LT1 gave way to the LS1, the aluminum V8 borrowed from the C5 Corvette that also found its way into cars like this modified 1998 Camaro Z28. The LS1 cars are generally quicker and lighter than the LT1-powered originals, a distinction that still matters to buyers shopping this market today.
So what does that market look like right now? According to Hagerty Valuation Tools, a 1993 Trans Am like this one carries a number 3-condition, or Good, value of $8,100, with a range between roughly $7,000 and $10,900 depending on options and condition. That figure is up 2.5 percent over the past year, though it remains down nearly 7 percent over three years, suggesting the segment cooled from its earlier highs before finding some renewed footing. Hagerty's data shows 179 fourth-gen Firebirds changing hands in the last 12 months for an average of $25,300, a number pulled upward by rarer WS6 and Firehawk variants.
The Camaro side of the family tells a similar story. Hagerty's price guide for the 1993 Z28 puts a number 3-condition example at $10,100, edging out its Pontiac cousin, with values up 1 percent over the last year but down more than 14 percent over three years. Both trends point to the same conclusion: fourth-gen F-bodies had their moment of rapid appreciation, and the market has since settled into a steadier, more buyer-friendly phase, especially for automatic-equipped coupes like the Firebird crossing the block now.
For now, that means opportunity. This particular Trans Am is being sold at no reserve as part of a broader Hagerty Marketplace collection, a reminder that even a historically significant performance car like the fourth-gen Firebird can still be found for the price of a good used sedan, provided a buyer is willing to do some recommissioning work after years in storage.
