Hi guys,

This is officially my first thirdgen.org post . I'm looking forward to becoming a regular over the next little while! I read through a lot of the forum in the last few days and it looks like the place to be haha. Just a brief intro about myself (for those who might care ):

I'm 21, live in London, I just graduated from the University of Western Ontario (software engineering program), and most importantly: I'm looking to take on a gm muscle car to work on and I think I'm in love with third-gen f-bodies!!

After lots and lots of reading, looking, test driving, etc...this is what I have decided: I need to buy a Pontiac Trans Am GTA (manual tranny) asap. I'm most interested in 'the 87 - '90 model years, but I wouldn't mind a 91 or 92 either (305 TPI motor). New and advanced enough that it will get decent gas mileage, but old enough that it is relatively easy to work on.

I'm looking to buy something SOON, and I have a couple cars in mind, but I wanted to know what you all think is a fair price for the following:

All original 1989 Trans Am GTA, 5 speed, newer-ish paintjob (red, good condition but has some rock chips at the front of the car), clean cloth interior (no cracks or tears anywhere), very clean engine bay, 180000km.

What do you think is a fair offer for this car with a clear title?

There is also a pretty much identical car I'm considering with title branded as "rebuilt". It was apparently in a very minor collision a few years back that required a new quarter panel and paint and had absolutely no frame damage or anything like that. How much less is a "rebuilt" car worth (I test drove it and it drives perfectly fine)?

I just want a rough number or range for what you consider a "good" price on a car in the above stated conditions. Does around $5000 sound about right for the clear title car? Maybe $4200 - $4500ish for the rebuilt title?

I appreciate any input - thanks in advance!!


--Mike

 

Welcome Mike.
I woulndn't ask anymore than $4500 for that car if it was me. I'dd start low, see if the seller wants to deal a bit to see it go. Start at $3500. Go from there. I've seen some low prices for these cars, it makes you second glance sometimes. That being said, I've also seen some totally crazy prices for these cars too LOL. They aren't Shelby Cobras, but to some, they are.
Try looking on the classifieds here too (main classifieds) . You can get a pretty wild deal on cars from the US, and with our dollar so good right now, it makes it even more appealling to search South in your quest.

 

Thanks for the input, I'll keep it in mind.

I'm definately more then willing to get a one-way ticket down south and drive back, as long as the car is in good shape. The problem is I can't find any 87-90 5 speed GTA's kicking around lol. I looked through the classifieds here, and ditto came up (except one seaminly amazing deal, but I called the guy and it was taken already).

Judging by autotrader (which may be a bad reference, I dunno), the going rate for a good condition GTA is like $8g, so I wasn't too sure about my offer. Then I checked these boards, saw what similar cars were going for down south, and I was like . So either way my offer is gonna suck by Ontario standards, but no point in offering more if I can get a killer deal in the states, right? Both sellers need their car gone...so we'll see.

Does anyone know of any good car classifieds to look at? So far I'm checking: eBay, Kijiji, Autotrader (.com and .ca), this, and CCFBG.

Anyone else wanna chime in regarding what a fair price would be?

 

Pricing on the Pontiacs is still pretty week. There is a car similiar to what you described on ccfbg.com for $3000 We are currently looking for an IROC to replace the S/C and finding the prices and condition of cars pretty annoying! Just remember 305s are a dime a dozen, solid bodies are much more important imho Good luck, we are in London too BTW, PM me and I'll show you the 2 cars so you see the good and the bad before you buy???

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "remember 305's are a dime a dozen" - 5 speed GTA's only ever came with 305's, so I don't really have a choice lol. I'd be all over that car on ccfbg if it was stick, but its not .

I saw the pics you posted of the SC (nice restore btw...), but I'm new around these parts and not quite up to the lingo haha - whats "SC" mean/stand for?

I would love to come see your cars and get some "objective" info (a.k.a. info coming from someone who isn't trying to sell me their car lol) about f-bodies in general and what to look for.

P.S. I know you and your buddy did the paint on the "SC" - I've never painted a car, but say I were to get a car that needed paint, how difficult is it to do yourself? It wouldn't need to be perfect, but I really wanna do everything possible by myself on this car (due to some sense of pride I'm assuming will come from that haha...saving money ain't bad either!). I'm a quick learner and fairly coordinated, and would obviously take a few practice runs at a some chunks of scrap metal.

 

Sorry I meant that the 305 engines are cheap and easy to replace. Most guys pull them out so I sold a nice one last year for $100 for example. S/C is Sport Coupe, a base model Camaro with no ground effects.

 

It can take awhile to find a decent example of the car you want.

You might find one tomorrow but be prepared to hold out because there are a lot of idiots around who think that a bagged out thirdgen is really worth something.

Get one that has no rust and the rest is easy.

 

There is a white gta with a 5 speed in orangeville for sale. if your interested i can snap a picand get a price its on a lot here in town

 

I'm fine with waiting for a good deal to come along, I'm patient when it comes to these things...I guess what I meant to say is that if a good opportunity presents itself, I'm ready to jump on it.

I am most definitely interested...I appreciate all the help you guys are giving the "new guy" lol. I'll be sure to return the favor once I get a car by keeping you all posted on my modding progress. I have biiiiig plans for my project car and lots of time on my hands it'll be a fun time I'm sure. I don't wanna spoil all my surprises just yet though (don't worry, no rice mods haha).

 

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I think that one on CCFBG has some rust on it.It can come with a 5 speed conversion for an extra $500 though

 

I think I rather just find a car thats originally a 5 speed and was done "right" at the factory...seems like a lot of work for something that I can find already done lol...and the conversions aren't as "clean" as an original install - aren't there some parts/electronics from the auto that still kick around and people just zip-tie away? I'm a perfectionist...that just won't do for me :P

On a side note - can the stock 5 speed handle a 350? Unless the 350 is considerably underrated, it's torque/hp numbers aren't that much higher then the 305. If the stock 5 speed won't work, im considering a t-56/lt1 or t-56/ls1 swap in the future.

Also...why the hell didn't GM weld on subframe connectors at the factory if they make such a handling difference? It would probably cost em $50 a car to do at the factory (if that), but from what I hear, it really improves the handling and frame stiffness.

 

Cuz their cheap!

Also probably would blow the crash safety test outta the water and other related issues.

5k is reasonable for a clean stock 5 spd car. The t5 sucks just so you know. Horse them around and they munch behind the 305 so consider yourself warned. Not trying to be a ***** just being straight so you know.

George has it bang on you have to buy a solid car ( no rust ) and the rest is cake. I'd spend more to get a super clean car. 8-10 k will get you something sweet

 

8-10k is definitely more then I am going to spend on a car. As long as the paint will look good until I repaint in 3 years or so, and there's no rust, the rest doesn't matter too much. Fact of the matter is that pretty much everything on the car except the body will be changed over the next few years, starting with a complete interior makeover. I'm thinking I'm gonna do an LSx/T-56 swap anyway. My long-term goal is to make 500 rwhp on a very streetable supercharged motor, and I'm starting to think it will be cheaper and easier to do that on an LSx then on the 305 (factoring in the cost of the motor). Not to mention...an OBD-II compliant computer will also make some of my other plans much easier to implement .

 

You might want to look in the US for a car. I know Frank aka: 1irocz2nv picked up a super clean car (35K) from the US. The body and interior looked brand new! Contact him and see where he got his from. I know he only bought the car for the body and interior as is swapping to an LS1 or LS7.

 

Make sure you know what to look for in a car if its from the states. The rules for odo's change from state to state. The rules for reclaims and salvage also change from state to state.

Crossing the border your paper work has to have all the tee's crossed I've heard of a number of cars stalled at the border for days waiting for proper paper work to catch up. And so on.

I would recommend checking eBay atleast you can buy PayPal purchase insurance.

I looked for my car for a year. Had to fly to Ottawa to get it. But then I was looking for something unusual.

good luck.

 

i just got a car!! woooo!!! going to post some info in a new thread!