[NeighborsComplaint]

A buddy of mine (not a car guy) saw this Firebird for sale and is itching to buy it. He showed me the pics on his phone and asked what I thought about it for $12K. I told him it looked like recent paint and the motor is a transplanted Chevy. It has an aftermarket shifter and an old Sun tach shoved in the hole there the factory tach was. I also noted that there were some empty holes where factory gauges were supposed to be. I didn't even see in the description where it mentioned the prior year's fascia and Chevy motor but my buddy insisted it was the original motor. I said OK, it's the original motor to someone's Chevy but it's not from this car.

I also asked if he was OK with the black seats swapped into the gray interior that he hadn't noticed. I told him to just look at the rusty engine compartment and headers and the back seat full of junk looking like it hadn't moved in years. I told him the seller just threw a cheap paint job on the car and likely swapped in a junkyard motor to sell it as a "drivable car".

My buddy's all butt-hurt because I told him I wouldn't pay more than half the asking price for it with all the work it'll take to make it nice. He thinks it's already nice.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...tory_type=post

What's your opinion?

[rolling money pits]

Tach and speedo reversed, lol. Seats look a lot like the ones I had in mine, out of a 75 I think.

If I was looking at it, it would all depend on the rust factor, the other stuff wouldn’t matter to me in the slightest. Well, the non Pontiac engine and how butchered the dash was to cobble that mess together would matter.

[NeighborsComplaint]

I tried to get my buddy to look at this minty '89 Formula that is a really nice car for $3K more but he told me it wasn't "old school enough". What does a 60 year old kid know anyway? lol

I wouldn't mind this one for myself as a driver.

[muscle_collector]

3k for the car pictured or one like it?

[NeighborsComplaint]

Originally Posted by muscle_collector

3k for the car pictured or one like it?

$3k more than the price of the '78, $15K for the pictured '89 Formula (which is a stunning car).

[Charlie Brengun]

I would think with a little patience there are better deals to be found.

Fixing that interior and putting a Pontiac engine back in isn't going to be cheap.

[TAKerry]

May have a hard time finding a 77 in ok condition for less than 10k, but that car is a rat! Im an original'sh type of guy and that looks like a parts car at best. To me the front end swap is a big no no. Although I suppose you could sell that and buy a decent 79 nose. Personally I would not give more than about 6k as that one sits. I agree with the formula, that is a nice looking car.

[Skidmark]

It's all about the rust or lack there of. If metal was nice, I'd be incline to offer 8000-8500 maybe a little more after seeing in person.

[78w72]

I agree with most the above comments, most guys on here care about originality or at least having a pontiac engine in a pontiac car... however, in todays world the majority of guys/younger crowd outside the pontiac community dont care about that, just look at all the LS swaps going on and before LS were popular/cheap it was older sbc's that were swapped in because of how cheap & plentiful they are to build. Doing that hurts the value for those who care but doesnt hurt value for those that dont. Same for other non original things like gauges or seats or even changing noses... i see all kinds of later 2nd gen firebirds with early 70-73 noses/hoods and most people dont like the 79-81 noses so they swap them for earlier years.

So theres a very good chance your friend doesnt care about those things and just wants a old tans am. the car & price is obviously not going to be a numbers matching pontiac engine, and in 79 it would only be a pontiac engine if it were a rare W72 4 speed car... an original engine would be nice if the car was more original, but honestly Id rather have a nicely built sbc than a olds 403!

Theres also a chance this car isnt even a real t/a without seeing the vin#, all kinds of cloned cars out there, very easy to add t/a fenders, hood & shaker scoop to a firebird that could have came with the sbc engine, no tach so they add a aftermarket one.

As mentioned if the body/frame/floor is solid and the car runs & drives good, it could be a decent start to a project or driver for someone that doesnt care about originality... granted I dont think its worth $12k the way it sits but in the current market there is slim pickins at that price range for a real t/a in good shape.

[Jay S]

This Firebird has been listed for a while, it is down to 6K, some similar mods to the black IL car, 383 SBC, 700R4

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...ibextid=6ojiHh

A local guy had a 80 Firebird with a twin turbo 6.0 LS, 5 speed with a mark Williams ford 9” and a ton of chassis mod’s, supposedly 750HP to the head wheels. Nice car, no rust, decent paint, nice original interior, I think he sold it for just under $20K. It had an ugly aftermarket dash, and some of the mods he had going on were not street friendly. LOL.. He went thru 3 pretty well prepped LS engines the year he ran it. Got sick of working on it!

[77 TRASHCAN]

Originally Posted by TAKerry

May have a hard time finding a 77 in ok condition for less than 10k, but that car is a rat! Im an original'sh type of guy and that looks like a parts car at best. To me the front end swap is a big no no. Although I suppose you could sell that and buy a decent 79 nose. Personally I would not give more than about 6k as that one sits. I agree with the formula, that is a nice looking car.

Paint looks nice.....in the pictures....How long will THAT last, though???

Looks like something to make into a hot rod??? Too much corn cob engineering to pay even $6000.00, my opinion.

I would pay a friend $2500 for it, to help him out, that is too much, also...

$12,000 is a big giggle. Just another person trying to take advantage of the internet to hit a home run...

[NeighborsComplaint]

I was afraid I might be out of touch with reality on the prices of these cars these days but it appears we're pretty much on the same page being worth around half the asking price.

If you look at the paint with a critical eye, you'll see it was applied right over the dents in the hood. I told my buddy I'd take a ride with him to look at it if he wanted and he acted all butt-hurt saying he didn't want to waste my time. I told him he road with me all the way out to Calumet City to look at a piece of crap Maserati, so I owe him and it's up to him to decide if it's the right car.

[rolling money pits]

There’s an ass for every seat….that car may seat your buddy’s behind. Depends on what he wants, and wants to do with it.

I had an opportunity to buy a rolling 77 or 78 bird way back when, iirc guy wanted 750 or 1K for it. Base bird, had a decent dent in one of the 1/4s, otherwise the thing was rust FREE…..unlike the 70 I was driving at the time.

Would have taken way more than cost of that car to fix rust issues in mine. At least 3 to 4X. I should have bought it, swapped my early 2nd gen front end and formula hood and called it a day. I had already swapped the interior for a 75s almost perfect one, mine was an esprit originally, so “original” meant nothing to me….solid, leak/squeak free drivability ( should have been ) more important.

[NeighborsComplaint]

Originally Posted by rolling money pits

There’s an ass for every seat….that car may seat your buddy’s behind. Depends on what he wants, and wants to do with it.

I love the guy like a brother but if anyone needed turnkey car, it's this guy.

[rolling money pits]

Lol. Understood. My “seat” involves challenges, tinkering, customizing and wasting time and money.

[kingbuzzo]

Whereabouts is Elgin?

I can keep an eye out...lots of cars out there

[Lightfoot]

What does a 60 year old kid know anyway?

The Firebird in Oak Lawn looks like something I'd have been proud to own when I was 17 (young and stupid).

*edit* Not trying to put down your friend. That's just how I see myself when I look back to when I was a teenager.

[NeighborsComplaint]

Originally Posted by kingbuzzo

Whereabouts is Elgin?

I can keep an eye out...lots of cars out there

Thanks for the offer. I apologize for the delayed reply but I knew my buddy would switch gears. He decided a Corvette (C4) was more in line with his idea of a dream car. I cautioned him that they aren't fast (I had a '91 for one summer and got rid of it), are difficult to get in and out of and crippling to drive very farwith the narrow foot wells. I located a yellow convertible with around 60K miles that was just a stunning car (if you like yellow). New top, tires, perfect factory chrome wheels and exhaust, a really nice car. He drove it around the block and we negotiated a deal at $10,800. Later the same day, he decided he should use his car payment money to pay down his mortgage instead. I told him that was smart but a l;ot less fun in the long run.

The silver lining was the seller had a pratty nice stable of cars including a restored 1969 Olds 442, a beautiful black C5 (dyno'd at 700Hp), a 10,000mi '81 Bandit Edition Trans Am (w. the 403 Olds motor though) and a stunning, frame-off restored '67 Grand Prix w. the 8 lug wheels. Cool cars.

[kingbuzzo]

Haha sounds like most of my friends...prolly for the best, a pontipig is a long term relationship around here...