Parker Duofold
NES Member
I don't like Trans AMs. But that's why there's chocolate and vanilla.
-
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
Q for Brain Trust - Want to buy specific "classic" car. Looking for resources...
- Thread starter ThePreBanMan
- Start date
Abe Froman
NES Member
If you want a 1998, you can have VIN #0001:
bringatrailer.com
No Reserve: 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Coupe #00001 "GM Project Gold Rush" 6.3L 6-Speed
Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Coupe #00001 “GM Project Gold Rush” 6.3L 6-Speed at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #176,432.
bringatrailer.com
ThePreBanMan
NES Member
No thanks. Don't like the color...If you want a 1998, you can have VIN #0001:
No Reserve: 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Coupe #00001 "GM Project Gold Rush" 6.3L 6-Speed
Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Coupe #00001 “GM Project Gold Rush” 6.3L 6-Speed at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #176,432.
I found a few online, reached out to 5 different sellers now. Exactly one of them got back to me. That one - in RI - didn't want to show me the car because it's put away for the winter with other vehicles... WTF are you listing it for then?
Dealing with half ass unserious sellers right now, it seems... Which is kind of surprising if I'm honest. I've delt with plenty of tire kicker unserious buyers in my time..... but sellers.... That's a new experience..
Abe Froman
NES Member
That's because the wife is making them sell their "silly high school toy."
Your post got me poking. Found this on Hemmings: https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/listing/1978-pontiac-firebird-olathe-ks-2812032
I was never a Trans Am fan, but loved the look of the Formula. If it were a manual, I'd be seriously considering it from a nostalgia standpoint, but the auto transmission brought the 180hp 400ci L78 engine instead of 200hp W72 (the 'T/A 6.6'). Almost bought one nearly identical to this one (silver trim instead of gold) in the spring of 1979. Asked the salesman what they wanted for it and he quoted more than the original sticker price for an 18-month-old car, maybe $2000 above what it was worth. I countered with an offer $2000 below what it was worth and told him it made as much sense as his offer. He told me to come back when I was serious. I drove up to the place a week later in a '78 Corvette I had just bought, but it was his day off.
Now, granted, 200hp is weak beer these days, but in the late 70s it was about as good as there was after the EPA put the squash on the HP wars of the 60s.
EDIT: Dammit, no T-Tops. That would sink it. If you're going to go old school, go all the way.
I was never a Trans Am fan, but loved the look of the Formula. If it were a manual, I'd be seriously considering it from a nostalgia standpoint, but the auto transmission brought the 180hp 400ci L78 engine instead of 200hp W72 (the 'T/A 6.6'). Almost bought one nearly identical to this one (silver trim instead of gold) in the spring of 1979. Asked the salesman what they wanted for it and he quoted more than the original sticker price for an 18-month-old car, maybe $2000 above what it was worth. I countered with an offer $2000 below what it was worth and told him it made as much sense as his offer. He told me to come back when I was serious. I drove up to the place a week later in a '78 Corvette I had just bought, but it was his day off.
Now, granted, 200hp is weak beer these days, but in the late 70s it was about as good as there was after the EPA put the squash on the HP wars of the 60s.
EDIT: Dammit, no T-Tops. That would sink it. If you're going to go old school, go all the way.
Last edited:
ThePreBanMan
NES Member
East Bound and down.... loaded up and trucking... We're gonna do what they say can't be done.
Last edited:
lowbuckbob
NES Member
DO NOT send any money for a vehicle sight unseen. A friend of mine was looking for a certain Porsche. He found one on Craigslist from a person who claimed to be a college professor on sabbatical in the UK and the car was stored in a barn in PA. The party forwarded a webpage for Escrow.com for him to deposit the money. Turns out the Escrow.com page was phony (even Escrow.com investigators couldn't tell the difference) and he lost his money to Nigerian scammers.
Uncle Buck
NES Member
This for sure. Before I bought my 64 Riviera I paid to have it inspected. They inspected it, drove it, and sent me a report with their appraised value. Made the deal at about $5K less than the appraised value. Me and a friend flew down to Virginia and drove it home to Massachusetts without incident.
Attachments
ThePreBanMan
NES Member
If you don't mind my asking, what did you put it on it for plates when you did that?
I would think there are 4 options:
- Transfer the registration from an existing car to the new car and use your old plates during the 7-day grace period.
- Borrow a dealer plate if coming from a dealer then FedEx the plate back to him (I did this one time).
- Borrow a repair plate from a mechanic you have a good relationship with (also did this one time), because with a car that old you will absolutely need a relationship with someone.
- Stick a plate from one of your other cars on it and drive REALLY carefully. If you get ticketed, transfer the registration and go through the hassle of re-registering the other car.
Uncle Buck
NES Member
I used a dealer plate from work to get it home from Pulaski VA.
ThePreBanMan
NES Member
I have a lot of friends who are mechanics. Good ones too. I have no concerns there. None of them have repair plates for their shops though - surprisingly.
ThePreBanMan
NES Member
The search continues. I have had conversations with a couple of sellers. One, was telling tales about the condition and state of the car. His claims of the condition were not aligning with the photos. So I've disengaged from that seller. I could look past what I saw in the pics if he was honest about it. But when he tells tales, now I can't trust anything he says, and that has me wondering how well cared for the car was.
Another, closer to home has been unserious so far. "Hey, I want to buy your car." "Okay, cool". "When can I come see and test drive it? If you have the title in hand and it's as described, I'll show up with plates and a bag of money." "Well, umm, it's put away for the winter, packed in with other cars... I'm not around a lot..." Well, do you want to sell this thing or not, dude? OR should I just wire the money to you in Nigeria?"
The search goes on..
Another, closer to home has been unserious so far. "Hey, I want to buy your car." "Okay, cool". "When can I come see and test drive it? If you have the title in hand and it's as described, I'll show up with plates and a bag of money." "Well, umm, it's put away for the winter, packed in with other cars... I'm not around a lot..." Well, do you want to sell this thing or not, dude? OR should I just wire the money to you in Nigeria?"
The search goes on..
If you want a 1998, you can have VIN #0001:
No Reserve: 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Coupe #00001 "GM Project Gold Rush" 6.3L 6-Speed
Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Coupe #00001 “GM Project Gold Rush” 6.3L 6-Speed at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #176,432.
Too bad:
"The title is branded Scrap/Non-Salvageable, and the vehicle cannot be registered for road use. It will be sold on a bill of sale."
I ahd the Z28 Camaro flavor of this car 1995. I paid I think $24k out the door and sold it 3 years later with 30k miles for $13,000. The six speed had a shift knob the size of baseball and gobs of torque. As one acquaintance I had said after driving "Great car, but going over railroad tracks it was like 1969 all over again"
Don't often post here....probably been 10 years maybe. Stupid question, have you ever driven one of these? The reason I ask, is I own quite a few vintage American vehicles, and back in 2000 I purchased a brand new Red WS6 Trans AM 6 speed, T-top from Columbia Pontiac/GMC in Hanover MA, at the time coming off a 1993 Black LT1 Trans Am, this seemed like the only route for my next vehicle. I can say this was by far the worst muscle car I have ever owned or driven, it looked great and that's about it. I'm 6'2 and on top of owing many muscle cars I owned a fleet of trucks, by my opinion I can drive, this car drove awful, you can't see over the hood, blind spots glore and a madrid of mechanical issues. The rear differential blew up on multiple occasions, the power steering would amazingly lose all its fluid, the t-tops fit like garbage, etc etc. If this is your dream car don't let my opinions sway you, as these are one of the best looking muscle cars out there, but they drive like crap. My 2c, good luck with the search. Your on the right path with bring a trailer
ThePreBanMan
NES Member
Yea I had one before. Maybe 20 years ago now. I had a 2000. I sold it and got a Terminator Cobra. I feel the same way about that car that you feel about the F-Body. Rode like crap. The independent rear suspension was a hack into a chassis never designed for an IRS. It shifted like crap despite having the same T-56 gear box. Different synchros. Wheel hop galore. Uncomfortable to drive. Shifter and seat position were just uncomfortable, a steering column that kept hitting my knees. I wish I kept the Trans Am.
Palladin
NES Member
There's a '99 WS6 with a 6 speed on BaT right now.
bringatrailer.com
not completely stock, bit looks pretty good
1999 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6 Coupe 6-Speed
Bid for the chance to own a 1999 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6 Coupe 6-Speed at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #179,016.
bringatrailer.com
not completely stock, bit looks pretty good
