The bio on my 1999 WS6 Trans-Am

There were 3 cars that led up to the WS6; a 1976 Chevy Malibu that I bought in non-running condition for $200, a 1975 Firebird the ended up being a basket case that cost me $1650, and finally a 1992 Firebird that I bought in 1997 for $6100.  I bought the first 2 cars with my own money, and I was able to finance the 92 Firebird with the aide of my father as a co-signer.  I eventually got the Malibu running, drove it through most of my Sophomore year, and then sold it.  The 75 Firebird ended up having a fair amount of rust and an engine that was very near it's death.  I drove the car the majority of my Junior year, and finally started an engine rebuild (my first one) during the summer before my Senior year.  A few months after I started my Senior year of High School, I convinced my Father to co-sign a loan so I could get a decent car.  I selected a 1992 Firebird with a V6.  It was 1997 at the time, so the car was only 5 years old, it also only had about 60,000 miles on it.  I drove that car all through my Senior year, and in retrospect, it was perfect for me.  It was new enough to be reliable, old enough to be affordable, looked flashy enough to satisfy my 17 year old ego, and most importantly was slow enough to keep me out of trouble... for the most part.

In the summer of 1999 I enlisted in the Air Force.  After about 2 months I found myself at Sheppard Air Force Base in Witchita Falls, Texas.  I was nearing the end of my training at Sheppard and I was making preparations to move to my permanent duty station, Hill Air Force Base, Utah when my Father called me.  He was curious what I thought of the new Camaro and Firebird cars.  I liked the slightly revised styling that happened in 1998, and the relatively new power plant (the LS1) seemed to offer great performance.  After talking at length with my father, an arrangement was made.  He would cosign the loan to buy a brand new Firebird, I would make $300 payments, he would absorb the rest of the payment, I would be on his insurance, but I would pay the premiums.  We also discussed color combinations and decided that the car must be red, blue, or black, and must have black or Grey interior.  It also had to be a 6 speed manual transmission, and have the WS6 performance package.  After what seemed like a lifetime of looking, my father found a Red, 1999, WS6 at a dealership about 400 miles from my home town.  He drove to the dealership, made the necessary arrangements, and brought my new car home.

Once my tour at Sheppard was up, I took some leave before heading to Utah and went home to pick up the car.  It was October of 1999.  The car was amazingly powerful, looked awesome, and turned heads everywhere it went.  I loved the car, and couldn't wait to put some miles on it.  The 700 mile drive from my home town in Montana to Utah couldn't of been more enjoyable.

It didn't take me long to find the local street racing scene in Utah.  I had no money to buy modifications for the car, but in stock form I was still able to win the vast majority of my stop light encounters.  Everything was great, the car was awesome, I was winning races, the insurance was pretty cheap because I was on my fathers policy, my father was making his share of the payment without fail, and my credit was improving dramatically every time I made a payment.  Well, as all good things do, it came to an end...

Eventually, in 2003, I totaled the WS6.  I was street racing, and lost control.  I put the car in a ditch and hit a chain link fence.  The car was totaled.  I was disgusted, horrified with myself for doing something so stupid, and I have still not forgiven myself for doing something so stupid.  After a few weeks the insurance money came, and for the first time since I was 15 I was debt free.  It was neat feeling to not owe anyone any money.  I went a little crazy and bought some extravagant things for my home, but for the most part I spent the next 6 months enjoying having extra money to throw around.

I still regret wrecking the WS6, it was an awesome car and I have many fond memories of cracking cocky Mustang and LT1 owners with it.  I hope some day to own another one.