I’m looking at buying this 87 Formula 350 this weekend…. From what I’ve seen between pics, RPOs, VIN it all appears to check out.. BUT would love to get some opinions from those of you with more knowledgeable than I.

76k miles. They want $11k for it.

Any and all thoughts welcome.

 

Well...it looks gorgeous in the pics. Obviously seeing it in-person is ideal...

 

Looks great!!

 

I’m headed out Saturday to get my eyes on it, with check/cash in hand

Owned by older couple… being sold by “family friend” … owners are Pontiac enthusiasts… they also have a 79 TA and a 02 Firehawk… garage kept and they have all the paperwork….

too good to be true? Which is probably why I’m a bit nervous.

 

'87 is my favorite of the Thirdgen Formula. I also like the '91-'92...

 

I have a couple more pics, besides these, that show the door sticks and vin, but that’s it…

any specific pictures I should ask for before I drive out there?

 

Noticed the 16" wheels, is it a WS6 car, or a wheel swap at some point? I don't see that option on the sticker, but maybe its combined with another option on the formula? I am not sure, I know on the GTA its listed separately, However, I personally think both the WS6 wheels & the regular 15" formula wheels are fantastic looking & to find a 350, is very cool. Could always look at the tire size sticker if its still on the door. Price seems very fair if looks this good in person, so not sure that option moves the value needle at all

Chaz has an 87 formula, I am sure he knows the details on the packages listed. Maybe he will chime in.

 

WS6 is part of Formula package. No such thing as 15-inch third gen Formula wheel. 1987 (first year of Formula revival) used the 16-inch convex wheel, as seen on this car. 1988 changed to the concave 16-inch wheel that continued through 1992.

 

I always preferred the look of the convex wheels...

 

Looks like a great car in the pictures, hope they aren't old pictures. The 87 has new roller cam, V-belts, bad rear disc design, worst air induction, and those heavy wheels. 88 got better with the serp belt, a bit lighter wheel but still bad rear disc. 89 pulled it all together, serp belt, great pbr rear disc design with last year for 9bolt, strut/shock updated, trans upgrades, lighter wheels than 87.
WS6 is standard on 87-92 formula, as are 16x8 wheels.

 

screen shot pics, so quality is low. Time of pictures is unknown.

When looking at things I’d want to change the wheels are first on my list, but then again I feel guilty(?) about modding an original car…

thanks for the added info. I’ll have to look into those.

also, there is a Brown with Gold 87 GTA for sale near me… only 47k miles. Looks perfect but they want $16,500. Just Too much for me to spend right now. I wish I could combine the two cars. Or buy both Haha.

 

All Formulas got the WS6 suspension and 16 x 8 wheels.

 

Looks OK from what's posted but need undercar pics to make further judgment. As mentioned above, date of posted pics is in question.

All that aside, an in person inspection by someone with extensive mechanical experience is always required, especially for a 37-year-old car. You'll also need to see maintenance records.

Good luck with what you find out.

 

That's the kind of car you go look at quickly in person with cash in hand before somebody else beats you to it.

 

In addition to under body rust, have a look at the front suspension - idler arm, center link and strut mounts. Look for factory parts. That will tell you if the car has been messed with. at 76K and if it has not been touched in years, those parts may be original and give you a greater sense if you are getting an unmolested car. Idler arm has screw type, multi piece design. center link will have no cotter pins, the bolts are stamped on the sides, struct mounts will have no gaps where mounted, those appear factory in photos. You can also look closer at hood and hatch struts, they will say GM on them if original, and if so, rear hatch probably wont stay up. Carpet mats also have little square plastic sewn on, with GM on them. Not sure what the black box to the front pass side of engine is, not familiar with 87. Factory strut covers are black in 1990, not sure about 1987. you should find some factory checked paint markings here and there, one easy one to spot is on the torque arm, may have to wipe off some grease to see it. all these things you can find searching around this forum. if rear spoiler factory, probably find some rust in the rear.

 

I loved the 87 Formula 350 I had long ago. Unfortunately it was stolen.

 

Red, two tone, 350, Ttops, check. You got all the right boxes as far as I'm concerned

 

It's a hardtop (which is more desireable to me)...

 

Well, duh! What was I thinking. I was looking at a couple cars after seeing this one and then I responded. I confused which one was which. The hard top also checks the box for me as there will be no issues with body flex, sun killing you thru the tops, and no potential leaks. Good luck

 

Were t-tops available on with the 350 in 87?

 

In the North American market only in Canada and only on the GTA.

 

Thank you. There is so much nuance to these cars I am generally hesitant to make definitive statements.

 

Looks great from the provided pics and info! hope it turns out to be everything it looks like in person!

 

I've got this beautiful car sitting in my garage, has a V10 with a carbon fiber roof, 500+ hp dream machine. Perfect condition. Guess what, I barely drive it because why, can't get the wind in my hair !! No T-tops, no sunroof. I feel trapped !! Oh, and I should add, it can only do the 1/4 in 12 seconds at 120ish, and that is scary fast to me. 148 must be amazingly scary!!

 

something I just noticed about this car is the blue sticker on the radiator cover. wonder what that is about. if this is an old photo, someone tossed the original plug wires a while back too. And the radiator overflow container is pretty darn dirty.

 

My guess would be the A/C 134a conversion info. Plug wires are a period "upgrade"..

 

Ya, I made that mistake back in the day. Still kicking myself for that one!

 

The pictures in reply #6 posted on the 18th at 5:30 PM have they always been there or am I losing my mind?

I've looked at this thread a dozen times and have even posted a reply or two after post #6 and I swear on my life this is the first time I'm seeing those additional pictures. The reply hasn't been edited. Have I just scrolled down this thread each time and not seen them or did they just pop up today somehow or have I just lost my mind?

 

You are not crazy they were not there earlier for whatever reason... maybe an image hosting glitch. Looks really clean for 11k, as long as those pictures aren't from the day they got it in 1987 ha

 

Thanks. I actually feel better now that you have confirmed they weren't there earlier. It gives me some piece of mind knowing that. I thought I was tripping out.

 

Nope, not you. The post got stuck in moderation. Due to spam on the Internet, we use a few tools to check posts by new members and low post count members for spam. Some are false-positive, like this example, and many are not.

Unfortunately, I missed that the post was in moderation because I can see them inline as if they weren't.

 

i appreciate anything you guys do to limit spam. Thank you.

 

So the guy had a schedule conflict and im
not going to be able to see it this weekend…

a bit of a red flag…. But hey, things happen.

trying to get a weekday to drive out, but it’s in Downtown Columbus, and I really hate driving there during the week.

 

This is a huge problem over at bimmerfest. when i see a first time poster i will give a quick terse answer and if they never reply back it’s usually spam. if they reply with reasonable response then i give full answer.

 

id ask for some specific photos and see if he produces them.

 

These are the source images upscaled 200%

 

 

Looks immaculate...

 

What is on the driver's side lower quarter panel? I also notice what looks to be aftermarket switches below both driver and passenger door switch for the interior lamps. Does it have an aftermarket alarm? The Accel spark plug wires and K&N filter are a bit questionable to me for an older couple owned car but that's not enough to dismiss the car.

 

Real beauty and well worth the price i'd say I am another that likes this is a hardtop. If someone here buys this, look into replacing the K&N filter with a properly fitting conventional filter-oiled gauze filters do not filter the very fine dust as well

 

I wondered that too. The source picture from the ad is only 960x448 so not a lot of detail to work with trying to figure it out. Could be something wrong with the paint there or maybe just an oddball light reflection or something.

In the straight on under hood picture on the driver side above the inner yellow running light and next to the headlight motor is the siren for the alarm system.

Seems like typical old man car mods to me. Yellow (Accel), blue (Moroso), or red (MSD) ignition stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if it has a matching Accel coil, ICM, and tan with brass terminals cap and rotor kit too. Maybe even some Accel U-groove sparkplugs. Alarm system and maybe keyless entry, remote start, and hatch release. K&N filter with all the matching stickers. All old man car mods. Only thing missing is window tint faded purple and a big PONTIAC or FIREBIRD decal across the top of the front window and maybe some extra emblems, Optional old married couple names on the driver and passenger doors and maybe an added pinstripe.

I prefer dealing with old man mods vs young kid r.i.c.e.r mods or even worse trailer park trash mods.

 

That's a small siren. I also just noticed the Optima red top, too.

I guess I never seen those things from old man mods, instead I thought they keep it stock. But you're right, and as I've said, none of those things warrant dismissing the car. Unless they actually drilled into the quarter panel and used some sort of key switch for the alarm was my big concern.

 

I didn't notice the Optima Red Top battery. Technically they might not be old man mods. Probably more like younger/middle age man mods over the years for a guy that kept his baby he bought brand new or almost brand new until he became an old man.

 

I hate to drag you all on with this…. But I still haven’t gone out to see it… His plans changed… Then my plans changed…. And now all this rain…

Seller and myself are still messaging…. he is selling for an older family member. I got a few more pictures too I’ll post…. The small silver “cap” by the driver door and the door pins are part of an alarm system. Picture of their garage with their 79 and 02 track Hawk.
- he has dibs on the 79 already.

 

@JT was right about the alarm thing drilled into the quarter panel. I just went limp. LoL

For me in my eyes $2,500 just evaporated off the value of the car when you also add in the ticking timebomb of the self-destructing Aerowing rear spoiler if it hasn't already been replaced with a quality reproduction.

 

Do you mean a Dark Russet Metallic exterior with Camel interior 1987 GTA like this one?

 

@Dropkick I see that the guy on Facebook dropped the price to $10,000 and that it is SOLD. Did you end up buying the Formula 350?

 

The guy kept that car nice over the years (which is not easy) and then one entirely tasteless mod ruins the value of the whole car. I can't believe they put a hole in the body....

 

True, but how hard is it to weld up a hole?...

 

Job is only 5% done with the weld.