i am seriously considering purchasing an 82 trans am. it is red with some black stripping along the bottom of the body.
it has 86 000 kms. it has a sunroof, A/C, manual locks, manual windows, rear defrost. no cruise control, no rear wiper. it has these tan leather seats with PMD (Pontiac Motor Department, i assume) badges on them. the interior has tan carpeting and black accents (dash, door handles, console, etc).

the body is absouletly rust free, very good condition. the car has never been winter driven. it has the non-functioning cowl induction hood.

drivetrain wise, the car has the LG4 and the TH200c 3 speed auto. it has a drum brake rear end with a 10-bolt posi. not sure of the gear ratio.

the car is originallly from the states and as a result is has the computer controlled q-jet and distributor, and the smog pump/AIR system.

the guy is asking around 4500 certified. i took the car for a spin today and she drives and stops nice, everythign seems tight. it appears the only thing it will need for certification is 2 new rear tires.

what do you guys think? is the price reasonable. its seems little high to me, but i am cheap. overall the car is in great shape, but slow as hell.

any comments, criticizims, suggestions are welcome...thanks guys.

 

I think $4000 would be good for that car.

86K is nothing and there can't be a lot of 1982s available in such good shape.

T-tops and an ECM would not be my first choice but it'd be nice to have that one around as an extra car for the summer.

 

thanks for the reply,

but actually is a real deal sunroof, not t-tops. and yes i know the difference. hehhe. my 84 has t-tops.


yeah, for an 82 it is in great shape. the real negative for me is the fact it is from the US. i dislike computers and smog pumps.

 

george, did your 83 originally have the th200c before you swapped in the th350? how long did the th200c last?

 

The only desirable thing that I can think off is the body and the seats.I haf an 82Z28 and the TH200 have to be replaced twice before I switched to a TH350 from a 78 Camaro.If you want it as a collector, the sunroof kinda ruined it(IMO)

Pros
mileage
seats
condition(body and interior)

Cons
price
sunroof
engine(not too much)
tranny
no power options

Daz

 

Mine was a 200C and it lasted 160K before I changed it. I abused it a fair bit - downshifted to 2nd at 50mph going into corners and sometimes down into first while coming out of slow corners.

Not a great tranny but I felt it didn't owe me anything at the end. I think 1st in the 200 is lower that 1st in the 350 and my car has 3:23s so it wasn't to bad with just an LG4 in it.

As for the price I tend to think that anything in good shape which has an 8 in it and runs well is worth a certain amount so I might be a bit off with respect to market value on that one.

 

Daz,

i basically agree with you on those pros and cons daz, except that i like the no power options, less stuff to break. i have been reading and the shorttail th350 has the same dimensions, meaning the stock drive shaft will work if i feel like switching.

George,

sounds like you got some decent use out of that original tranny. the guy said it has been rebuilt once, so i guess that can be seen as a pro and a con. i dont plan on doing much to this car if i get it, so hopefully the th200c would hold up for awhile.

keep the comments and suggestions coming fellas

 

well gentlemen,

i just got off the phone with the guy. he will take 4300 cert or 4000 as is. i know it needs to rear tires. probably not too much else. thankfully he still has it licensed and he said i can take it to my friends garage so i can take a look at it.

you guys think 4000 is good price or still to steep?

 

For a car that has never seen winter- and you verify it's totally rust-free by hoisting it and pulling a few trim items out of the way- what do you want for $4500.00?

If it had NO drivetrain- I'd think the seller would have to get less than that- but the fact that it moves under its own power jacks it up a bit- despite the fact it's only a LG4 w/200c and likely lower rear gears (i.e. 2.xx).

You like it and it's drivable and you have the $4500.00? Buy it and start saving your pennies for upgrades- starting with the transmission when it finally blows.

The bigger concern in my mind these days with the older vehicles is the insurance a-holes not wanting to insure anything more than about 10 years old without you having to bend over- and then if you want it insured for it's actual value and not the $800.00 they offer if it's ever written off- you better hope they work it in slow- no lube's gonna hurt.

 

Rebuilt once with only 86K isn't so great - have to wonder why - but there's always some risk and if it shifts OK and the fluid is good then it's probably going to last for a while behind that motor.

TH350 swap is easy and relatively cheap, but as you know, you need the torque arm mount. I think Kevs87TA might have one.

I agree about power options - especially on an older car - they're just something else to go wrong.

 

I replied to the post on SOGM....

And as for the tranny, my '83 was replaced with a TH350 before I got it because the 200 went mush. But a TH350 is basically a bolt-in.

 

You can have my GTA for $2000

 

if you gave me that price before i bougth my 86 i would have taken it

 

I thought I did. Besides, you already have one just like it.

 

no the price you gave me was much higher and i dont mind having 2


Brad its your cash do what you want if you like it get it

 

yeah i have the cash. his original asking price was 5000 cert and 4700 as is, so at least i have got him down a bit. as for insurance, my 84 costs me less than 1100 a year. this is just the basic liability. hopefully the insurance on this thing wouldnt be to much more for full coverage.

 

well i just got a quote from my insurance company.

1053.31 for the year for liability and comprehensive (fire, theft, etc) or 1273.31 for liability, comprehensive, and collision.

so insurance seems to be semi-reasonable for me, seeing as i am only 21.

 

Sounds like a fair deal.
I agree with Daz and others on the Pros & Cons given that mine's an 82 also.
I would only add that modding that thing will drop it's value and you're better off finding a later Third gen for that. It will be a money pit to get the LG4 to perform.
Enjoy as is, just do the tranny if needed.

Pacer

 

I'm personally not a fan of pre 85 thirdgens. Though $4500 sounds like a good deal for a car thats in good physical shape, remember, performance wise, you pretty much have nothing to work with and have to start from fresh.

Though that shouldn't be too hard. I hear your little 355 runs well.

 

jason and i went to look at it last night again and i drove it again, a little harder this time and she shifts crisp and drives nice. as for modding this car, i dont have any plans for that....i have modded an LG4 already...

 

I say you should buy it! Pre '85 T/A's are the best. My suggestion is that you keep it all original. 1982 T/A's in good condition are very hard to find.