I wonder if the seller (and the person who is bidding) knows that something is not right with this car....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Rarest-find-ebay-just-16-647-miles-1987-Pontiac-Firebird-GTA-T-Tops-1-owner-/331042273014?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4d13a836f6
Vin H (converted to TPI), Flat hood, etc etc.... It sure looks like it was just a regular 87 Firebird / Formula that was dressed up at some point to look like a GTA.

 

It's too bad, it's a pretty looking car otherwise.

 

I saw that also, thought the same thing.

It is a nice car, just not what he is advertising it as.

 

The battery is on the wrong side of the car too

 

From the looks in the pics,the front and rear bumper covers are a different color,I don't think GTA's had the fad dot stripping and theirs after market gauges under the dash and there appears to be some sort of toggle switches were the UQ7 Sound System Gain switch is.I don't know about anybody else but who in their right mind would install those on a basically new car
O,and another thing,it does't have the wraparound spoiler!!!

 

GTAs were solid colors and thus no fade dot stripe. What's on that car isn't the fade dot stripe but are stripe lines.

Clearly is not a Trans AM or GTA based on the 1G2FS VIN prefix.

 

"ALL ORIGINAL MINT" all coming from seller "pristineclassics" LMAO!


Guys we need to report this item to ebay...there is a link on the auction page that says "Report item" then "listing practices" then "vehicle misrepresentation" and finally "vehicle misrepresentation" again.

Sadly some poor sap has bid on it. I hope they really know what they are getting.

 

I like the fuel lines going over top of the motor..

 

The guy probably used a Corvette fuel rail when retrofitting the TPI.

 

Stunning I live the fuel filter just chilling out up there

 

Pretty car, though I didn't see tribute, clone, or fake anyplace in the description.

 

Nice car but definitely not a gta

 

I thought, it was a nice looking car, the interior and paint appeared to be original to an 87 Base Firebird, with someone getting bumpers, emblems, tailights and Gfx from a GTA...

Then you look under the hood... Obviously someone had no clue what they were doing when they got to this point... They went through all of that work of replacing the fuel pump and did not get the fuel lines to???

Look at the bright side, how many times have I said how nice it would be to be able to replace he fuel filter without getting under my car.... more than once I tell you... There it is right on top... Of course replacing anything else in that rat's nest would be a pain, but hey, that filter is right there easy access....

 

I thought the fuel lines on a carbed car come up on the passenger side...Tpi lines are on the left side

 

maybe so, but the lines run to the passenger side of the motor, so it's got to have a Corvette rail.

 

Does anybody notice the dent on the nose?

 

Yeah, larger indentation on driver's side, but also warped on passenger side. the GTA almost always photographs well. I wouldn't go as far to say this car is nice when it is obviously molested quite extensively. This guy has no moral compass to list it like this.

I would prefer a fuel filter where it was designed to go rather than fuel all over the engine in the event of a leak.

OMG, this car and the seller just....

 

I don't see any questions and answers in the listing. Has anyone tried to call them on this? I would but I'm not a 'Bird man.

 

That is correct, the fuel lines on a carb car come from the Drivers side, cross over in the transmission tunnel, and then up the RH sub-frame. This was because the Exhaust went down the Passenger side, and the mechanical fuel pump was always on the Passenger side of the engine. I suspect this was so the exhaust heat was as far from the fuel lines as possible.

Since the TPI no longer required the mech fuel pump, they ran it down the drivers side, Firebirds w/ TPI moved the battery from the passenger side because the Radiator Hose would have interfered with the Cold air box tube, and it was easier to move the battery than re-engineer the front of the car. The Camaro did not have this problem because the cold air box was in front of the radiator, so they kept the Passenger side battery to my knowledge... Interestingly all cars got the brackets for the battery on both side (at least my 83's do). Then later (88) they finally figured out (after 6 years) they could save on hoses by moving the AC pump from the LH to RH side of the engine. This caused another change in the cold air ducting, but much easier than the previous challenges. They also saved on belts, and brackets and simplified the manufacturing process with the serpentine belts.

Of course this is speculation from observation and actually doing a proper TPI install on a 4BBL car...

John

 

My GTA has the battery on the Driver side, with the air box on the passenger side.



I just asked the seller if he can provide a picture of the SPID.

 

I'm thinking John meant the driver's side as that's where all 1985-1992 TPI Firebirds had the battery.

 

The first thing that jumped out at me is the silver "Pontiac" logo on the left headlight door, From what I've read here all GTA's are gold...... Also didn't see the GTA logo on the map pocket......


With everything else mentioned, Guys run'n a scam for sure !

 

Sometimes it's hard to differentiate between a scumbag salesman with no morals and a moron salesman who knows nothing about the car he's selling. Considering that this is a 25 year old car, I'm willing to believe that the salesman simply has no clue that the car is a fake.

 

You are correct, I had my to and from backwards... They moved it from

 

Yea, me too. When I go look at a GTA for sale, that is the first thing I look for and then I go from there. Most clone builders forget about this little detail, so if that's silver-maybe the headlight has been replaced, but 9 times out of 10, all the ones I've looked at were clones if that was sliver. I've even hurt some "GTA" owner's feelings.

 

What?

 

Anything from the seller yet? Doesn't the auction end today?

 

He originally said the battery was moved to the passenger side, when his actually meant it was moved from the passenger side (to the drivers side).

 

seller said I would have the SPID this afternoon


Posted from Thirdgen.org App for Android

 

Seller never responded with the SPID. But, I think I have seen this car for sale a few times before. It will pop up again if it doesn't sell.

 

Did you really think he'd provide the spid knowing it would expose his scam ?

 

I noticed some more incorrect aspects that haven't already been visited.

The foglight switch panel is completely missing from the dash, it has a delete plate where they should be (I'm willing to bet that's what the toggle switches where the gain slider should be control). Never mind the fact that the fog lights are completely incorrect.

The dash is red, AFAIK, every Trans Am and GTA got a black dash.

The shifter and E-brake handle are unwrapped plastic, almost positive GTAs all had leather wrapped. Steering wheel isn't right either, it isn't for any GTA, the horn button not being the only incorrect aspect of it.

That engine bay is absolutely mickey moused. I'd hate to have to fix anything in there, even factory TPI is a bitch to get working right, imagine when that starts to act up.

 

I knew I wouldn't get a SPID, but "Amanda" said "she" would send it to me, so I was hopeful.

With the way that engine compartment is, this is what it will look like the first time the throttle is pegged:

.

I wonder if I could call "her"...

 

His 8 negative feedbacks are interesting reads, also.

...and, I think Amanda's real name is Peggy.

 

I was looking at the 1 bidder that is there. I will bet you that it is his other account.

 

Anyone really interested in one of these should have stopped at the look of the car, it is actually higher than a regular GTA, it looks like a Base firebird with the ground effects. Then the hood, the lack of the GTA seats, the engine bay is a dead giveaway... Let alone the lack of the Aero spoiler, that if it was a GTA with 17,000 miles or whatever it has would still have. The fact the bumpers are a different color is more obvious than it should be.

 

Well, it didn't sell. I'm also thinking the solo bidder was his other account.
When you start looking at it closely, there is a lot wrong with it, especially if it actually only has 16K miles. I'd have to think that is suspect too. We'll have to see if it gets relisted.
After reading all of their feedback, it appears that they sell a lot of cars overseas where they are more likely to withstand the kind of scrutiny they've received here. It also appears that they are not above a little misrepresentation of what they are selling.
As always, it's a case of buyer beware.

 

What is the deal on the center air vents on the dash? Doesn't look like a factory piece and I've never seen anything like it. Way to many things wrong with that car for it to be a "low mile original GTA" I sure hope someone doesn't get their wallets substantially emptied for it if it ever sells.

 

It appears to be the radar for a missile launcher... Maybe its the Gyro for the artificial horizon.

 

That explains the extra 3-4k he has added to the cars price!

 

Oh yeah, if you have any knowledge at all on these cars, one look will tell you that. Just pointing it out.

 

LMAO, standard on the GTA. Original Condition!

 

I sent the seller a message with a link to this thread, This is the reply I got back;


Me thinks they need to research BEFORE making a bogas listing......

 

I am of the opinion they know full well what they are doing and this is why:

"As full-time enthusiasts, we travel all over the country to find true, low mileage, classic, original cars, convertibles & trucks... to keep, refresh, restore and sell."

The one bidder that bid on this guy's cars did so several times in different auctions: "Bid % with this seller" was "20%." This one bidder has a lot of interest in the seller's cars!

If, as this seller states, he is a "full time enthusiast" he is doing a terrible job! He/She is completely unable to see that this car is molested severely. "Full-time enthusiast" is unable to see the 8th digit is supposed to be a carburetor..? Admittedly, it does look OK IN THE PICS, but you know when you get close it will not look so good to one of us 3G aficionados.

Here are the negatives I read for this seller that are recent and relevant to blatant misrepresentation:
1. "tTHIS CAR IS RESTORED,RUNS DRIVES AS NEW ALL LIES, FRAUDULENT&MISREPRESENTED ADD" ;
2. "car was compleatly misrepresnted , not road worthy at all. You should be baned" ;
3. "Said runs & drives like brand new.Need $2400 suspension&front end work.Misleadin"
4. "Ad was fraudulant.Car in bad shape, seller ignored me, when reached he hung up" ;
5. "They told me it was streetable. It's not. Bad blowby." ;
6. "Some body damage that was not disclosed." ;
7. "Lied 4.2 not 5.0 V8, paint crazed/blistered, swapped battery for dud, no jack." ;
8. " terrible experiance." ;

He clearly has misrepresentation issues.

"Rare color combination"...Where does he get that? There is nothing rare about that jacked up non-matching color combo.

"Mint Original condition" holy ____ ! Look at the coolant over flow tank. Nasty!

If this guy is making these blatant misrepresentations, what else is he lying about? 16,000 miles? Can you believe that...? Doubtful.

No power antenna...never seen one with a manual antenna.

I am confident this guy knows what is going on with this car. I suspect it will pop up with the same line of _____ in the future.

He is the epitome of a used car trash bag salesman.

Alright, I think I have said my piece.

 

my first car was a base 87 Firebird. this has that written all over it.

anyone else notice the 85 MPH speedo? and the no power mirrors or seats?

 

Why do the outer a/c vents look like non-a/c block off plates?
Why only one center a/c vent?

Converted non a/c car possibly?
Can't see the heater-a/c contol panel to see.

 

eBay has it's predictable share of BS sellers and their fraud. Not sure if I can feel too much sympathy for a duped buyer considering this car should stand out as a fake to anyone who has done some amount of homework.

 

I've saved this in my watch list. I'm waiting to see if it gets relisted.

 

It has the outside vents... The panel appears to be an AC unit...

The Intake is from an 85-88, I almost wonder if this was done a long time ago...

John

 

Our favorite car is back up for sale. He still insists it is a "GTA...all original mint"

Click here guys.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pontiac-Firebird-16-647-miles-Rarest-find-on-ebay-just-16-647-miles-1987-Pontiac-Firebird-GTA-T-Tops-/231084375176?forcerrptr=true&hash=item35cdb3bc88&item=231084375176&pt=US_Cars_Trucks