Kevin84Z28

iTrader: (3)

Anybody have some loose change laying around? Very nice example but a little pricey... I'm not a Firebird guy, but did 89 GTA's come with a 3.8 turbo?
I couldn't see myself buying anything named Trans Am with a V6, turbo or not.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...-trans-am.html

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

Yes Its called a 89 TurboTransAm pacecar (TTA 4 short) 1,5?? made.

Kevin84Z28

iTrader: (3)

Don't know why the link is broke, I'll try this again.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ponti...m250247528107&

The auction number is 250247528107

RPM WOT L 98

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, 1555 total made. These are the highest priced 3rd Gens at this time. This particular one has 7100 miles and IMO is a bit pricey at $39K. Don't get me wrong though, these cars bring very good to excellent money, and are worth it bc these are collectors cars. They were built in limited quantities and marketed to be future collectors items. And the vast majority of these cars have low to very low mileage. Some were driven and have high mileage but for the most part, high dollar low mileage cars are the norm.

Klortho

Then apparently you've never ridden in the fastest American car of the 80's, was even faster than the Corvette

84ls1_transam

Those cars are sweet. I would like to have one. If I had 40K lying around I would buy it. Especailly with only 7K miles on it.

88 350 tpi formula

iTrader: (9)

really most are high milage or highly altered and range from 7000-16000 ave.

7000 being 150,000-200,000 miles with **** poor paint and int.
16000 are in the 60,000-100,000 miles and usually have some minor flaws and some go fast junk you don't want on a collector car.

every now and then these near mint cars pop up at very very high prices

I used to pay very very close attention to these as I wanted one. looked at getting several but everytime I found one that looked like it was in good shape every stupid part had been "upgraded" so long story short I'm not going to pay more than 16000 for a bone stock car with close to 100000 miles which I would drive anyway

okfoz

What is interesting is I know one of the 3 TTA CONVERTIBLES went for $42,000 not too long ago, I think it has less than 10K on it.

John

lopedawg

If I could and I had a couple other real nice thirdgens, I would buy it no questions asked. Low production numbers, low miles, great shape. But then again, I'm not a collector. I wouldn't even want to take that thing out of the garage and then what's the point?

Alaska Hwy 1Le

Did these TTA's have the same V6 setup as the Grand National buick? I imagine so.

Pyroviking

iTrader: (4)

I went to my ex-wifes house (my ex-house) to pick up my kids yesterday and used her computer to check my e-mail. She had left a window open and was logged on to e-bay. I put in a $20,000 bid on that auction using her account.

(I'm good for it, but she was pissed anyway.)

okfoz

Yup, basically the same engine, there were some differences like the Heads were different to fit between the strut towers and still have an AC compressor...

Intersestingly enough the talk around building a turbo 3rd gen began before production actually started. Pontiac originally was going to use the same turbo engine they used in the 81 TA, and Chevrolet built a 4.3L V6 Turbo Camaro in 1983. As early as 1983 or 84 I have some articles about Pontiac possibly using the buick V6 so it was nothing new.

In the end the price was too high, and they did not sell well. By the numbers the Firehawk should have outperformed the TTA, but with $400 more the TTA would simply blow the Hawk out of the water.

John

1991Formula350

That's why I prefer buying a Trans Am or Formula and putting in your own engine to kill them both. For 10k you could build a Z06 killer with the right planning. It sure beats 40k. Andrew

RPM WOT L 98

iTrader: (3)

LMAO, that is awesome! Funny as hell...

rangersoftail

Here's one....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/6052930...7602608694043/

Of course I'm partial since this one's mine!

It drives me nuts when 90% of the folks who see the car say...who put the turbo in your GTA??

The car is a blast to drive hard but not as much fun to drive "casually" as my formula 350. Both are low milers (under 20k) but much of the TTA is completely irreplaceable and a fender bender or engine rebuild on that car would cost me even if it were done perfectly.

Anyway...so it's got 18k even as of Sunday when I showed it. Every scrap of paper since the day purchased.....I won't tell you guys what I paid

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

My GTA was 32,000 cdn brand new. I can only imagine what a TTA would have cost back then.

I know Car & Driver at the time said that the Grand National (or was it the Buick T-type?) had a speed limiter of around 120 mph while the TTA didn't.

But would the Turbo Trans Am actually go past 120 mph? My GTA has the no WOT 3-4 deal that the 700R4's are known for.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

A TTA was good to about 160mph.

As far as parts? Its been discussed many times but TTA's started life as GTA's which were then converted, badging, some interior stuff (gaugecluster, rear seats) 3.8L v6 and some minor exterior differences.

If you want a Vin matching car then its no different than any other f-body any part replaced would be a bad thing. But the TTA itself isn't that much different than the GTA it was built from factory parts options.

auto_cran

Top speed was close to 160 mph I believe. It was fast enough to pace the Indy 500 with no mods!

Both the Grand National (& T-types) and TTAs use the 200-4R transmission.


Chris
----------
1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am #760 (1920 miles)
1988 Chevrolet Corvette 35th Anniversary #1941/2050
1986 Pontiac Fiero GT
1983 Delorean DMC-12
1986 Toyota Supra MKII
1985 Kawasaki Eliminator ZL900

rangersoftail

I'm the third owner of mine and I think I bought at the bottom of the market about 4 years ago - for about 40% of what it stickered at.

As for starting life as a GTA, yeah, you're generally right but here's the rub. Add up the cost of replacing those modest one off parts and you're able to buy a whole car. My press kit and owners kit can fetch 4-500; my original badging sells for nearly that amount, intercooler shroud...ditto....suspension, brakes, lots of one off stuff.

Yeah, if I creased a fender it's the same as any other 89 fbody fender. But you tell me, after reading my car description, which will hold value better...and by a significant bit I'd wager!?

1989 Pontiac Trans Am Pace Car. Every document since new. 3rd Owner. 18,000 miles & never in weather. Full owner history and contact with original buyer. - ok....now, I think based on completed TTA sales recently, [there aren't that many and they're easy to track through the registry] the car is probably worth 18,500-28,000 depending on lots of factors. In 10 years, I'm cautiously optimistic it'll be 40 or so.

Now....add a replacement fender, a partial repaint.....you can see what it will cost me in value in addition to the repair cost. Same issues on my formula 350 (even though it's low mile) and I'm not so uptight.

As for speed....Road and Track tested a stocker at 153 mph - and yes, no limiter like the GN which needed one because of "body instability." - Mine I cautiously cruised to abut 130 before losing my gumption for the reasons noted above!

Xophertony

my 350 GTA with a swapped in 5speed (good bye slush box) has hit 136MPH before i backed off, so i know a TTA could do it too.

i have also topped out the digital dash in Canada. 199 KPH

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Its not hard at all to build a car to TTA specs. The suspension and brakes are no different than a regular 1LE car, the front spring rate is different but replacement springs are cheap, and its not like the springs have a VIN stamped on them. Badges might be expensive if you go for NOS, but there are repro's that are identical to the factory stuff. A TTA's fender is no different than a GTA's fender, and a GTA's fender is nothing more than a firebird fender with ground effects holes. If you had a F41 firebird then your firebird already has the holes.

The only truly difficult interior piece to replace would be the gauge cluster and rear seats. The map pocket isn't hard at all to have redone. As for exterior the only things that vary from a GTA are the badges, and the center tail light section. Badges easy, center piece could be harder to find. The chances of all of the special TTA parts being damaged in an accident are slim, and if it was well you have more than those parts to worry about, your life would be one of them.

My point comes down to this, a TTA isn't all that special when its broken down into its parts. If you had to repair one that was in an accident its not difficult at all to find parts as 95% of the car came from off the shelf parts. Parts easily found on other cars from a TransAm.

TTA's are sweet cars, best f-body of the 80's but unless you are talking super original then its not hard to repair one thats missing a few parts.

89RsPower!

I had a chance to buy one a few years back for 4,000 (it was repainted and had 90 something k on it) I passed on it and I regret it to this day. That one on e-bay, did they really not have an airbox on those cars? The cone filter just sitting under the hood looks like something a ***** would do..

rangersoftail

I didn't come to argue!! - but you've almost made my point. Sure, 1LE brakes...If I had an 18k original 1LE, some of my thoughts would still apply!

My car is super original (down to the tires).

The original owner put a K&N setup on it and lost the original airbox setup. Try finding that and let me know how it goes. I found one guy building his wrecked TTA into a race car and another guy who parted out his firebombed TTA - still cost me $400. Try the plug wires - check out what they're going for. The shroud. The intercooler, turbo and setup. The wheels are also different. The repro emblems are the ones I was talking about!

Anyway, it is a low miler, it is original and it is worth considerably more unmolested and unrepaired and not filled with makeshift parts that TTA knowledgeable folks can pick out in a heartbeat. You also failed to note that the interior color is different and TTA specific - I can pick out a dye job for an interior a mile away as I'm sure you can.

Anyway, sure you can rebuild it but this is not the same as rebuilding an 89 GTA. Add up what I paid for repro emblems, intercooler shroud, airbox and setup, wires and an owner's and press kit and you can buy a clean 60-70k mile GTA any day around here.

I wouldn't have bought the car if it had evidence of a body, engine repair, etc. Anyway, not sure I have to justify how I feel about my cars!!

When I have that minor fender bender and repaint the left side of the car and disclose that, you can be one of the guys who offers me an unmolested original TTA price

Steve86TA

iTrader: (57)

FYI nothing different about TTA wheels and GTA wheels.TTA interior is beechwood tan,same as the 89 GTA also.

TTA850

I have to agree there are not as many parts that are TTA specific on the car as people think - but the specific parts are getting near impossible to find. Some of the TTA specific are cylinder heads, pistons, headers, crossover pipe, downpipe, upper and lower radiator hoses, fuel lines(rubber lines from frame to engine and metal lines on engine), motor mounts(both frame and engine), a/c lines, engine harness, positive and negative battery cables, instrument cluster, dash harnes for boost gauge in instrument cluster, rear seats, transmission(and I'm told the driveshaft too), trans crossmember, front springs(and there are different springs for t-top and hardtop cars), turbo(was changed to a cosmeticly different turbo after the first few hundred cars), intercooler, intercooler scoop, sway bar bushing mounts(to make room for the intercooler scoop) spark plug wires, air filter box and plastic turbo inlet tube, vent tube from valve cover to turbo, and stainless exhaust tips. I may have missed a few but those are parts that make a TTA that were not from the parts bin as far as I know.

Either way I'm looking forward to see what the market for TTA's does in the future, and based on the offers I've turned down it makes me wonder what one of my hardtops could fetch if they were actually for sale.

Steve

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

I wonder why the Ebay TTA has non stock tires if it's only got 7000 miles on it?

89RsPower!

probably to make it road worthy, old tires tend to get flat spots or dry rot if the car sits on the tires.

3.8TransAM

I got a TTA.

Should clip 10's on pump gas when I get some cash to put a better trans in it.

Then I'm gonna hit it with the alky and see what she does :-)

Then when it blows up, gets wrecked or I get so inclined, I'll rebuild it all and do it all over again.

It's a car............ Between buying it and modding it, there has to be a minimum of 20k there already, so why stop now lol

Seats arent specific either, they were used in the notchback cars originally

Klortho

Plug wires are cheap unless you're going for date specific wires.

Turbo is a standard turbo that can still be bought today, probably around 600-700 or so for a new one (possibly rebuilt)

Standard GTA wheels, nothing different

279 plus shipping from gtaemblems.com that's for the entire set

https://pontiworld.com.au/gtaemblems...9b3c2fcc47efa9

Standard beechwood interior color, rear seats are the same from the '88 notchback

If the car was done back right and not just thrown back together you can still get the same price as if it was original, when it comes to these cars if they're low miles it could have had a little fender bender and repainted people alot could care less.

I mean look at the older cars that are collectables now, alot of them don't even have an original piece of sheetmetal on them.

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

My parents have an 89 Vette with 8,000 miles on it. I would assume that the TTA has been stored inside out of the sun in a garage similiar to my parents' situation.

The tires are fine. Still have the little spiky bits sticking out the side of the tire. You can just barely see them in this pic. (look at the driver side tire)

TheScaryOne

iTrader: (3)

Actually, the plug wires all say "Turbo Trans Am" on them. Mr.TurboTA took his off and replaced them the instant he possibly could with a parts store replacement, so he has them in a vacu-sealed bag somewhere for safe keeping.

TTA850

A pic of an NOS set I have, picked up at a parts store from a local warehouse that had them sitting on the shelf scince 1989 for $35 Sometimes you get lucky.

1bad91Z

iTrader: (1)

Not worth 40K ....... It has to many miles and the original radio has been changed and who knows how they hacked into the wiring for that....



My boss has a 1991 Dark Red Metallic 1-LE with 350/auto with 181 miles on it. It still has plastic over the seats and floorboards and the window sticker still on the passenger window. His car maybe worth 35 - 40K .....

89RsPower!

Flat spotting is still an issue unless the car is driven every now and then or unless its on jackstands without weight on the tires. Sitting in the same spot for an extended period of time with weight on the tires leads to flat spots.

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

My 1LE theory is correct. All these super low mile 1LE models are always in Houston or somewhere in Florida. Hot swampy places where you wouldn't want to drive a car without A/C.

Klortho

I was not aware of this, that's awesome.

okfoz

Actually all of our cars came with Special wires from the factory that you cannot replace. Originally the wires were numbered, 1 thru 4 ,6 or 8 depening on your engine for assembly and they would not get them crossed by the person on the line. I would love to find a set of original numberd packards for my 89 Formula 350 Convertible. Unfortunately someone replaced the wires because they thought it had an ignition issue when in fact I have dirty injectors so the idle is rough.

89RsPower!

any pictures of what they look like? I think I just removed a set off of my 89 iroc..

okfoz

They were Gray IIRC like any other Packard Wire but each wire was numbered....

John

89RsPower!

no i ment how were they numbered? With actual numbers or dots?

auto_cran

When I bought my TTA (with 1,400 miles on it) a few years ago, I HAD to replace the tires. Even though the car was kept inside a museum and the tires looked new, the rubber was rock hard. Around corners the rear end was all over the place! This made the car a real handful, especially when getting on the turbo.

Instead of replacing just the tires, I went a step further: I found a set of GTA rims, had them refurbished to brand-new conditon, put some new/fresh rubber on them, and put those on the car. That left me with the original Goodyear Gatorbacks still on the original rims - off the car and they are being preserved. So the car still has the 'original tires' - they are just not on the car!

Once I did that, the car was a lot more fun to drive!

Chris
----------
1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am #760 (1920 miles)
1988 Chevrolet Corvette 35th Anniversary #1941/2050
1986 Pontiac Fiero GT
1983 Delorean DMC-12
1986 Toyota Supra MKII
1985 Kawasaki Eliminator ZL900

89RsPower!

okfoz

If you look at the picture of the Bag for the 20th Anniversary Wires you can spot a 5 and a 1 on the left side, thats what they look like but without the "20th Anniversary" printing...

Basically I am 99% sure that all of the SBC V8 wires from 1982 - 1992 would be the same no matter what they came off of, the obivous differences would be the cars with the remote coil starting in 1987 thru 1992 as there would be an extra short wire...

John
----------
Although I have never driven on gatorbacks, from what I have been told they were not that great of a tire from the get go...

did you deflate the tires that are not on the car? From what I have been told this will help them last longer as they would not be under stress...

John