1978 Trans Am - Sell it or Keep it?

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Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.

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Just received an e-mail from my buddy Mark, he's the helicopter pilot that was here last weekend taking Wayne Carini for a tour of South Florida.

Mark's wearing the green jacket next to Wayne....

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Mark owns an all original black, 1978 Trans Am. Here's a picture I took of it at a recent Cars & Coffee show.

Pictures: 5th Autogeek Cars & Coffee with Dennis Gage


Mark's all original 1978 Trans Am

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Mark's thinking about selling it in light of the astronomical price a 1977 Trans Am owned by Burt Reynolds just sold for at auction.

What do you guys think?


:)
 
Love the car BUT...any car would be for sale for the right price!
 
Here's some specifics about the car....

36,000 miles
Pontiac T.A. 400 6,6 liter engine
4 speed transmission
Fisher T-tops
L72 performance package
A/C
Electric Windows and Door Locks
No rust
Signed be Bert Reynolds
Have notarized proof of authenticity of Bert's signature


And I'm going to polish the original single stage paint for Mark regardless of whether he sells it or not


:)
 
If you can get about $60-$70K for the car....sell it. The Maintence on keeping a car like that "Show Room" for a long time is mind boggling.

Unless he has a climate controlled space for it, and a automotive bubble ( think about the "boy in the bubble" ) to keep the elements from destroying the car, its best to see it in a museum.
 
He can always refuse to sell it if he doesn't hear a price he wants. If he is even considering selling it i would probably want to see what i could get for it. Especially after a Mike Phillips detail!
 
The Smokey and the Bandit car sold for what it did because of who owned it and although your buddy's car is STUNNING, its not going to get a fraction of the $450K price Burt's car did but he surely knows this.

If you REALLY like a car, why would you ever sell it? I know this, if I had my dream car, I would NEVER consider selling it unless I absolutely had to, but that's just me.
 
It would probably bring a higher value than a typical one due to:
1-Bert's signature
2-Mike's signature ;)
3-Low miles & condition

He may still be able to push it through the Barret Jackson's big event in JAN if the deadline hasn't passed,
anyways they'd probably be the best resource for him as to price etc.
 
Very nice....if he does decide to sell....how can I contact him? I know several people that would love a shot at owning this car
 
Hard to make that call. I love that car and have always wanted one.
I would keep it, drive it and enjoy it. IMHO, if you want a car to collect, go buy a Hot Wheels version and save your money. It's a LOT cheaper and much faster to detail. Cars are made to be driven.

I don't pretend to know all about cars, but I do know there were quite a few LESS of those made with the Pontiac 400/4spd (W72) than there were with the Olds 403. (Hence the T/A 6.6 decal on the shaker, vs the 6.6 Litre decal that you would see with the Olds 403.) That makes it a bit more rare. The astronomical prices you see at auction are not to be taken seriously, unless your car is THAT rare, THAT famous or belonged to someone THAT famous.

I'm sure Mr. Carini would be a good indicator of how that vehicle would perform at auction. Yes, the popularity of that generation of T/A is increasing, but...what would you really get out of it? Again, hard to say. Real world prices on that car will most likely rarely be close to auction prices.

Again, if it were me, I would enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of everything that car would have to offer, just like I do with the cars I presently own. Each generation of car has their own idiosyncracies that make them special and unique. That car is one of the best that the 70s had to offer. Think about a time where vehicular performance was so bad and someone, somewhere at Pontiac was trying to hang on to a tiny shred of it, while blasting Van Halen I on 8 track and a big fat porn stache!

Tell him to keep it!
 
The 2nd gen F Body's have definitely gone up in value. I think the condition and or rareity of the model has more to do with the value then Burt Reynolds signature. He is still alive, therefore his signature probably does not have the same value as it will after he dies. Having said that, that might cause the value of this car to go up at a higher rate in the future.

There have been a lot of these appearing at auctions. He can look up the history of how they have done at Mecum and Barrett Jackson among others as an indicator as what it would sell for.

Adding a professionally polished finish by Mike Phillips certainly will make it one of the best looking fire chickens out there!

Truth is they are horrible cars. They look great, they sound great, but aside from maybe the first couple of years in 1970 and 1971, they were big, heavy and not very fast. Build quality was poor at best. But in the last several years, the value of a well preserved 2nd gen F body has definitely gone up.
 
If it was mine I would sell it in a heart beat. However, I like to buy cars, work on them until they are nice and then get rid of them. Keeping a car like that and not driving the wheels off of it would bore me.
 
Nope, nope, nope. That car is on my bucket list, along with the '02 ws/6.
 
Mike, if you want to know the value of his Trans Am you need to call Rick McLaughlin from the Trans Am Museum here in West Virginia. Rick has been collecting Trans Am cars for over 20 years and he also is a regular at Barrett Jackson. I would call Rick and ask him to put a value on the car. I am sure he would glad to talk to you about the car and he may even want to purchase it. You can contact him --- Rick McLaughlin 304-865-0865 at the Trans Am Museum in Parkersburg WV.

McLaughlin Trans Am Museum Classic Cars For Sale Parkersburg Belleville Belpre Antique Vintage Cars Parkersburg 26101
 
Klasse Act said:
The Smokey and the Bandit car sold for what it did because of who owned it and although your buddy's car is STUNNING, its not going to get a fraction of the $450K price Burt's car did but he surely knows this.

If you REALLY like a car, why would you ever sell it? I know this, if I had my dream car, I would NEVER consider selling it unless I absolutely had to, but that's just me.
Click to expand...


I agree.

These have been selling on Mecum's Auctions typically anywhere from $25,000- to tops $40,000 ish. The signature may add some intrinsic value.

I'd personally keep it as the value may continue to rise.

Mecum's Kissimmee auction is in February 2015, he could always consign it, set a reserve and see what he can get for it there.
 
Man what a beautiful ride!! I think with enough $$ he could part ways. Burt Reynolds TA sold for $450,000 not bad for a car that was bought for around $4,000 in the 70's.

All I know that was a car that I wanted badly! I also had a FULL head of hair when they came out...oh well, I digress!!

But if it was me sell it and by a new ZL-1, new Corvette or omething equivalent or just enjoy the $$
 
I'm a car guy. I would hold on to it as long as possible. I have watched these things go from cheap to expensive (relatively) over the last 6 years. It has the style that baby boomers still want by making them remember seeing the movie and then wanting to BE Burt. Gas Monkey Garage did a show on one recently that was great. It made me almost go get one until I remembered the 1977 Pontiac Sunbird my girlfriend had that the drivers side door completely fell off after 6 months.
 
Disclaimer:
I know first-hand that it's difficult to be advised to keep or sell any personally owned vehicle by even the closest of friends and family members. Then there's: What's the selling price I would need to put on the For Sale tag if I decide I truly want to: let it go.
_________________________________________________

•There had to be certain reasons why this Gentleman
originally purchased this vehicle:
-Emotional and Financial, comes to my mind.

•If he is now suggesting that he's willing to abandon
any emotional ties and: Go for the Gold...
-What's his asking amount...The selling price he wants to put on the For Sale tag?

•The ball will then be in the potential buyers' court...
-Not in the hands of detailing forum advisors.


Bob
 
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