Hey guys. Looking to get into another Trans Am. I stumbled across this one here. All I know is the windshield is cracked, needs a MAF sensor and a few other things, have to pull up the email again. But from the short description and the few pics, what do you guys think? I'm not looking to get into a heavy resto project, but something that needs a little attention here and there and would be a great daily.

"350 L98 tuned port fuel inject. Runs good new gas tank, sending unit,fuel pump. ext. 4 speed auto. T tops fully loaded. Needs Windsheild and some other parts."

 

Looks to be pretty decent for that price. I would make them start it before you buy it though. Wonder how long the intake pipe has been off?

 

Paint looks crap. windshield is at a few hundred. Did you type GTA by accident? Cause its def not a GTA.

Any higher optioned TA at $1800 will need lots of TLC on average. Winshield cracked, MAF needs replacement, paint doesn't look that good...etc. I don't think its worth $1800.

 

Yeah I already emailed them asking if it can be started. It's just the car is a few hours away so wanna get as much info as possible. Looks like it may have been sitting for awhile though. Not sure on the intake, didn't think to ask.

 

Man right on! I didn't even think twice about the GTA part. That's not even near a GTA. Ah, been out of the loop for so long, my apologies. I did however type GTA in craigslist and his popped up haha.

 

Whether it's a GTA or not, it still looks like a decent car depending on what all you want out of it.

I would offer them 14-1500. It has a few things going for it, like the rims and seems to be a straight body, under the hood looks fairly decent. I dunno. Up here in South Dakota I would JUMP on that car for the price. And I would be tickled, haha.

 

you must have an awsome comp to see how the paint looks.....

Too me with that picture he took the paint looks fine... then again, its not a close up, so i dont think anyone can say if the body is nice or not. Picture under the hood looks decent....body wise and paint, but again, theres no real detail. Before you purchase, obviously take a ride to see it. To me, i would go check it out, IF all the gauges work

 

$1800 is not bad, look at cars people want $1200 bucks for, they are rolling rust buckets. This car does not look bad for that price.

 

i think its worth it. I would offer 1500 if really interested

 

I managed to find the email, here's what he said.

"mass air flow senor, windsheild, mufflers front sway bar bushings, and a good batery, the one that is in the car is weak. other then that ready to drive. car runs good has alot of new parts . every thing in the *** end other then muffers is all new. Has ok tires needs some tlc"

 

I got a quote for 375 for new windshield and wiper blades, come to the house and do it in driveway. Muffler are cheap, battery not too much. Personally I would go look or have him take pictures of the rear quarter panels, and front wheel wells for rust, take pic of rust on front pf the frame ( though engine bay looks clean ). Definitely take shots of spare tire trunk area for rust. And under carriage. Make sure floors don't have holes in them, specially by driver and passenger firewall inside the car. If the rust isn't too bad it seems ok, on the high end maybe 700$ add or take little to fix odds and ends. Make sure gauges work. If he can't then drive and check before making the purchase. Or tell him to drop the price little. Few years ago I bought I third gen camaro 5 speed, no rust anywhere, mint interior for 1500$. Id be more concerned on rust then anything for paying 1800$ for a third gen

 

i think it just boils down to rust now as far as worth it. even if it has a little rust, still worth it. it has some pretty saught after parts on it like those door panels, steering wheel, L98, crosslace wheels, (possible disc brake rear)....c'mon now, its "already worth it". but yeah i would offer 1,400 only because i would be lowballin, but if had to, id still pay the 1,800.

 

Offer 1k and meet in the middle. It could be a nice car.
1st, check 4 rust all up under it..

 

I got some pics! And I'm a bit skeptical now. The front looks like it was painted the wrong color or something happened. Possible crash or something? The transition on the driver side fender to the door just looks off as far as the paint goes.

Along with these he said "Their is hardly any rust on this car its body is in real good shape. The inside is nice just needs a good cleaning. The dash has some cracks in it."

Could the stains on the floor be possible T-Top leaks? Is that the common area for them?

 

looks like a $1500 car if its fairly rust free and runs and drives alright. its dirty and dingy and needs a lil love, but doesnt look like anything is missing/broken. (except that center console lid)

a little time, money, and elbow grease and youll have a nice car.

 

I would ****** that up if I lived in FL. It could be a really nice, well optioned T/A with a little work.

 

Well i mean it looks like it could be a good deal. I wouldnt pay no damn 1800 for it though. And like someone before said,its not a GTA. The motor makes me wonder as well.It also looks like he painted the fender and bumper with a can. I would say 1300 max for an offer.

 

I really appreciate all the insight guys! I've been out of the loop for awhile and think I started to lose my touch a bit so glad you guys could help me out. I sent him a email back pointing out a few things and what not. Not in a real negative way but just trying to see if he'll move on his asking price much. This car has been up for months now and he may be getting weary so we'll see. I'll keep you guys updated!

 

Its worth 14-1500$ fairly easy. So the fender hood and bumper look like they have been painted? Big deal, As long as it wasn't a major crash (doesn't look like it) it can be a very nice car.. Snag it, paint the parts correctly, clean her up and enjoy!!! !!

 

Lol the guy is such a tool! Like I said, trying to get as much info as possible before i make a few hours worth of a possible blank round trip. He told me the whole front clip is from a 86 Trans Am. So that raises sispicion. Also, he tried to say that it was infact a GTA cause the VIN said so. And then replied back and corrected himself. I guess it's worth a look but i'm not holding my breath.

 

Many VIN check sites report TransAms as "TransAm / GTA" even though all GTA's are TransAms, but not all TransAms are GTAs.

GTA was simply an option package on a transam, not a separate model unto itself.

If you ran a VIN check on a 91-92 firehawk it would come back as a Firebird.

 

hydrolic, in post 14, first pic. look at the header support, esp the area infront of thet air cleaner. it looks a bit tweeked and the header support looks like its bent looking from L to R.

 

I bet there's alot of rust on inside of car on front floor boards and fenderwell. All quarters look nice tho. And the wing seems in good shape. 1800$........no. .....1400 possible with taking personal look over the car in person, not pics

 

I am guessing you mean the radiator core support, looked at that picture over and over, I think it is the angle of the picture, There is a small possible dent there. If you want to check the front end look down both sides of the aprons and see if they are kinked along either rail. Look for a weld spot where someone would have cut the apron or core support to fix it. Just bring a tape and check from coner to corner on the front end, long as it has been fixed correctly there is not a problem. Remember what is for sale here, a 24 year old car that is priced at $1800; you want a perfect car look further but at that price I would check under the carpet and car for rust. If you dont find any rust give him $14-1600 and start your project, cause any car at that price will be a project

 

Assuming everything that looks good is. I would say it would take at least another $1000 to make that car a respectable street/ strip car. On top of that it would take many hours. If you have the time, money, skill/ experience and the place to work on it to make it what you would want to drive, it is worth it. keep in mind that first assumption is a big one.

 

oh wow, i was looking at this one before i got the 86 firechicken

 

Hi I know this thread is older but figured id ask here to get some opinions do you guys think this 1989 Trans Am GTA 350 ttops is worth 2600? The Console lid, horn button, and wing are missing. Everything else is there, and in good condition except paint obviously. 160k miles

 

nope, not worth $2600. Needs a full repaint, that paint can't be saved

If the paint and interior look like that, I doubt the mechanicals are in good shape.

 

Well thank you in your opinion what do you think I should offer for something in this condition if anything? They "say" it runs good but yeah you never know. It does look like it wasn't taken care of very well =/

 

That is a $1500 car at best. Assuming it runs well and the accessories work.

I've bee there, done that. 10 years ago I bought my GTA for $1000, and while I've learned alot and I'd like to think I have a pretty fun car, its not a show car, never will be, and I'll never get even half of whats invested into it should I sell it.

If my GTA were totaled today, i would never consider another $1000 thirdgen unless the body, interior were rust free, solid, and with great paint. I could care less about the drivetrain as I'd end up upgrading to a LSx power plant, and the suspension would all be upgraded too.

The only cheap thirdgen's one should consider are rollers with excellent body and interior. Everything else with failing paint, rust, or other body related issues should be parted out or turned into race cars. The only exception to that is unless you have about $10,000 you are willing to set aside to restore that car to factory condition.

 

Thank you very much for the info very helpful yeah obviously I am newer to this and this will be my first 3rd gen I have been dreaming of having one for a while now and yes restoring it if needed. I am also looking at this 1987 Iroc Z 350 5.7 TPI with brand new tires all around, new brakes, new rotors, brand new radiator, full service done with synthetic oil, new battery, new cables, new hood and trunk struts, new locking lug nuts, brand new sway bar links, full alignment and a mean sounding flowmaster exhaust.
I know the paint and dents aren't perfect but I have a friend with his dad who paints vehicles, bikes etc for a living so would get a fair discount on it. What do you think? 57,000 original miles for $$2,600

 

That Camaro is WAAAAAY to beat up to have 57.000 miles it. It probably has 157,000. It, like the GTA will still need a lot of work, but its in a little better shape than that GTA. Itll still need a full paint job to look decent though, and thats not cheap unless you do it yourself. That being said, its still not worth $2600. Maybe $1700 depending on how it runs. Take it to a mechanic to check out before dropping any cash though. Paying a little bit of money to have it checked by a professional can save you a ton of money if it turns out to be a lemon.

 

i agree, way to rough looking to not be over 100k miles ... bad thing about an odometer that don't show 100k on it, but i just can not see the car being in that poor shape and that low of miles

 

Yeah I understand its probably rolled over once in mileage but that's ok I do plan on fixing it up and know an auto detailer/painter (friends step dad) and ill get a good price on the body and of course ill be getting a car fax soon to really see how much mileage has been clocked on it and I do plan on having my buddy an air force mechanic hopefully coming with me to check the car for problems if not I will ask him to let me take it to a shop. I mean if anyone knows a better deal on a Camaro or firebird for under 3k with a 350 in it let me know thanks all =D everything has been helpful. Honestly my goal is for under 2,000 for a car so yeah if anyone knows Id appreciate a link thanks. =D

 

whats with you guys??!! its a 3rd gen .for christs sake. $1800 for one that you can drive away in??!! look at it this way .when was the last time you saw one for sale at a car lot?? id buy it ,full price. BUT ONLY if it has no/minimum rust.

 

I can find a hand full of them in my area for $3000 and under in about half an hour.....they made tons of third gens. Theyre out there to be had in decent shape for a decent price.

 

You've clearly never had a thirdgen in that condition then, and tried to restore it to good state.

I have. And If I wanted I could explode this thread with all of the pictures from ALL of the things I have had to fix. If you NEVER care about fixing it, then its fine.

But if you want a good looking, good driving thirdgen then you NEED to start with a better one. Spending an extra $1500-2000 now on a car saves you 2-3 times the $$$.

I have nearly $10,000 into my car not including LOTs of other stuff. Thats just a price I came up with if I took the initial condition of my car, and counted the $$$ needed to put ALL of the current items into the car. And its still just a single stage Maaco paint job that won't last forever. Its going on year 4 and the paint actually still looks great, but you can tell in the little things thats its not factory paint, and won't wear as well.

 

To me this a botch job of selling a gta, something ain't right here.

as far as that gta, there are a few things that seem very off... The Front fenders have the ta scoop behind the wheel and are missing the placards that state "GTA Trans Am"....To my knowledge, NO GTA had scoops behind the front tires (Trans Am only, not even firebird had it). Second, the emblems on the sail panel...GTAs' had gold placards, not silver paint. Silver paint is direct for t/a.

a) Look at the map pocket for an embroidered gold bird emblem, or "GTA". This year could be either or. b) Next look at the rear tail lights, the panel between would have a gold bird...Silver is firebird or t/a. c) look inside the center console or behind the dummy tire for the rpo sticker, list of 3 digit assembly codes. (Match the vin # to the car)

The only two ways to tell if its a certified gta is the option code on the rpo sticker, or send the vin # to either phs or chs and get the window sticker indicating the GTA option code.

 

That was already noted within the first few posts of this thread.

Its clearly a TransAm. Many people call it a GTA because VIN checks will pull up ALL TA's as TA/GTA. All GTA's are TransAms, but not all TransAms are GTAs.

There is nothing to suggest its a GTA, its simply a case of the owner not knowing what it is and calling it a GTA. Not intentional, just ignorance.

But thats them. To us, a Camaro is a Camaro, a Firebird is a Firebird and we get upset when people confuse the two. I correct people constantly on it.

 

I agree. I have a GTA. That is NOT a GTA.

My GTA is in decent shape for a 63k mile car. But its still showing its age at 25 years old, and I've done a lot to it to correct all the problems. Its still an ongoing thing. Maybe next year I'll have it done to the point where I want it; a decent, nice daily driver. I'm going piece by piece on the car, removing, replacing, reconditioning or repainting. It takes a ton of skill, time, money and patience. Find a decent one to clean up and drive, or adopt someone else's headache and deal with the fallout. Unless you can buy a prestine garaged time capsule as an example, there will be work involved one way or another.

This is comparing it to my iroc-z, awaiting complete restoration. It needs the same thing, but the car has been literally stripped of every last nut and bolt in an attempt to restore it. It will cost a lot more in the long run. This is considering I'm doing all the paint, body, and drive train work. That's an easy $10k in the end for a 'basic' restoration using a stockish power train. Build it up, and it can double quickly. In the end, the more you spend to start with, the less you deal with later on. Headaches for a bargain are great as long as the work, time and money aren't a deterrent for you.