Topic: Opinions on this '78 I'm thinking of buying? Need some expert eyes.

[qurtrn10]

Hey guys,

You've all helped me out before with my dad's '78 Y88 Gold, and now it might be time for me to have a TA of my own.  I'm looking at this one on eBay and thinking of making an offer on it next week. 



http://www.ebay.com/itm/332089297575?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Does anything look out of the ordinary to the well trained eye?  The speakers in the side of the console - is that aftermarket?  I know my dad's car doesn't have that. 


I don't think I could ask for a better car - well if it was closer to home that would be nice...
  4 spd is a must
  coupe (no T-Tops) is a must
  I live in FL, so A/C is a must
  I prefer it without the bird, but this car is a decal delete car, so if I remove it, that would be more correct to the car (bonus)
  I prefer manual windows and locks - less things to go wrong
  it has lots of original documentation
  condition looks great

Any advice is greatly appreciated.  If we make the deal happen, I'll fly up and drive it to my parents' place in TN (a day's ride) and line up the TAs (I haven't told him I'm looking at a TA, so it would be a surprise).  Then we would probably load it in the trailer to bring it the rest of the way home to FL.


Thanks all,
William

[qurtrn10]

Just for kicks, this was me in...'86?  '87?  (I'm horrible at guessing ages - I'm 36 now).


And this is dad's '78 Y88 Gold. 

[highway star]

Looks to be a '77 with aftermarket wheels & lug nuts.
The radio & console speakers were later added. Exhaust tips
look aftermarket. Car looks good from the pics. Have you seen
the engine bay? Engine etc. OEM? Also, '77 front grilles had the
honeycomb pattern & '78 had the diamond pattern. Good luck.

[Squirrel]

says its a 77 so most things look good.  make them send you a pic of engine vin stamp and make them send you a pic of trim tag and vin on dash, make sure its all legit.  looks like a 25K car to me.  just not sure if its legit.

[FULZGOLD]

VIN says it's a 77.
Overall, I would say it's a good solid car. Love the white, but don't like the camel interior with it.
Bid away!

[mike85254]

definitions;

"no rust" means rust
"easy fix" means easy for him because he is not going to be doing it.
"rare" means it is the only one he has. 

Rules I have learned and violated at least once. 

1. make sure everything works properly, no excuses
2. grab your kitchen magnets, fiberglass patches over rusty metal seems to be common. 
3. jack the car up or bring some ramps to drive up on, get a good look at the bottom.  Beware of thick undercoating. 
4. missing a/c parts is very common, expect to spend about 2k parts and labor to repair or modernize an a/c system
5. understand that you are an emotional buyer.  Deal in facts.
6. there are lots of cars for sale every week.  be patient.
7. ebay prices can be manipulated by friends and family members jacking up the bid.
8. get a copy of "old cars report price guide"  No shiny pictures, no articles just pricing on condition 1-6
9. checkout an appraisers directory.  An appraiser will go out and look at your car and give you a report

REREAD NUMBER 5 - THIS IS WHERE MOST BUYERS MAKE THEIR MISTAKE. THIS IS TRUE OF NEW CAR PURCHASES AS WELL AS USED. 

APPRAISERS - if and when I sell on ebay, as a seller, i'm going to get an independent appraisal and make it available to bidders. 

Prices right now are way down.  I live 2 miles away from barrett-jackson and I poured over every Pontiac for sale (there was a lot of them)

A '78 trans am In condition 2 (condition 1 being a 95 point non-driven car) is valued at 20,300 with a 10% add for 4 speed and another 10% for an L78 option.