Arizona Garage Find: 1969 Pontiac Firebird 350
When the seller located this 1969 Pontiac Firebird, its nose was all that would have been visible from the carport it had occupied for many years. A close inspection confirmed it was a rock-solid Arizona survivor begging to return to its rightful place on our roads. They have coaxed its V8 back to life, suggesting it will take little to return the Pontiac to a roadworthy state. The seller has listed the Firebird here on eBay in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They have received no bids on an auction that opened at $19,999.
General Motors joined the pony car party in 1967 with its Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird cousins. The Camaro sold in more significant numbers, but with 87,708 buyers taking home a Firebird in 1969, it justified releasing an entirely new model in 1970. The listing suggests the seller is this car’s second owner. They purchased the car from the original owner in Arizona. While the Cameo Ivory paint on its roof is original, they believe the lower body has received a repaint in Matador Red. The presentation remains comfortably acceptable for a driver-grade classic, with no significant flaws or defects in the paint or panels. The new owner will reap the benefit of life in a dry climate because various underside shots reveal nothing but the occasional dusting of dry surface corrosion, typical of classics from that location. There is no evidence of penetrating rust that could cause sleepless nights. The trim and glass look as nice as the paint, and the car sits on a set of Rally II wheels.
Pontiac offered 1969 Firebird buyers a wide selection of engines to power their new purchase. This car’s first owner selected the 350ci V8, teaming it with an automatic transmission and power steering for a relaxed driving experience. The 350 produced 265hp and 355 ft/lbs of torque in its prime. That didn’t make it the most potent car on the planet, but its performance would be impressive enough to satisfy most buyers. The greatest mystery with this classic is which transmission the first owner chose because the 350 could be ordered with a two-speed Powerglide or a three-speed Turbo Hydramatic. The seller claims the Firebird has a genuine 90,000 miles on its odometer but doesn’t mention verifying evidence. However, if it has spent years hibernating, the claim is plausible. They have coaxed the car back to life, suggesting it requires little beyond a tune-up and new tires to be genuinely roadworthy.
The interior shots supplied by the seller are limited, failing to provide an overview of the overall condition. It is trimmed in White vinyl that shows its age via wear and marks. The Black carpet tells a similar story, with more wear under the driver’s feet than I would typically expect from a car with 90,000 miles on the clock. A new carpet set and some slipcovers would be an affordable short-term solution to improve presentation, although the new owner may consider fresh seatcovers to help the interior “pop.” It is unclear what factory options were chosen, but the seller confirms the factory air conditioning system is complete and still connected.
This 1969 Pontiac Firebird shows promise, with the lack of rust and overall condition suggesting that returning it to the road should be straightforward. Those factors will attract many, making it surprising that it hasn’t received any bids. The seller might be slightly optimistic with the listing’s opening figure, which might be why there has been no action. My instinct tells me they should have started lower to generate interest, but seeing if someone takes the bait and starts the ball rolling will be fascinating. Do you think that will happen?
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Comments
Probably 5k too high to Start bidding.
Omg… ONLY 20k as a starting bid?!?!?… that’s a GREAT DEAL!!!!(can you feel the sarcasm? Cuz I’m laying it on pretty thick.). I think we as an automotive society needs to recognize a cash grab for what it is and STOP BIDDING/BUYING cars that are WAY overpriced to start with. Hopefully that will cause sellers of these vehicles to realize that the bubble is too big. We need to pop that bubble and bring cars like this back down to reasonable prices. Honestly, I see this car as a 12k car out the door. It’s a decent driver that needs some much needed love to get back out on the street. But there’s people out there asking this same money for a camaro that is rotted to bits just because it was born with a big block… or a charger rusting into the ground because it was sold new at Mr. Norms Grand Spaulding Dodge. So, whoever thinks this classic car market is ridiculously over inflated… we need to rectify this by NOT buying anything until it begins to deflate.
I have a 69 Firebird Hardtop Coupe , Carousel Red , parchment vin int Cordova top 350 HD 3 speed on the floor 96,000 original miles. 1 respray before I got the car , paid 22 at the time , 2016, but road ready , love this car, they are hard to come by , especially in this shape.3rd in line of 1st Gen. Grab it .
Those don’t look like Pontiac rally wheels on it ? Are they?
RMac…Those ARE INDEED Rally IIs, but sadly have been painted Silver over the black accents that are on those wheels in the center. This car has two things goin for it imo. Factory A/C and a Painted vs Vinyl top, which isn’t as common, and doesn’t rust like Vinyl tops tend to do! Just not 19 grand worth imo…These folks are starry eyed due to Auction results for similar cars…No tellin what they paid in AZ…Better start for a Resto than MANY RUST BUCKETS, dug out of fields, I’ve seen on this site before
GLWTA✌
I don’t know exactly what they are, but they’re rusted.
Pontiac doesn’t exist anymore, Chevy and Dodge do, I’d rather have a Pontiac Firebird, Trans AM, or what Roman Polanski drove, new
The two-speed transmission option in Pontiacs was not a Powerglide. Powerglides were only ever used in Chevrolets. BOP used the Super Turbine 300, also known as the ST-300 or the Jetaway.
Nice original car. Starting bid much too high though…
PASS ! Tatty interior, and missing rear wheel opening moldings suggests rust in the quarters. Keep moving on …
An interesting list of options. I would say it has a PG to go with those drum brakes. I would say (with no real dash pics) it probably has a plane Jane dash (you get a glimpse of the idiot lights. With that said, it would take all of that $20k to restore a usual 55 yo rust bucket to this condition. (Though the price is out of my spare cash range)
Having spent my entire life in the northeast rust belt my opinion of the starting price is not as negative as most. If this car was located in my neck of the woods, you would be spending 20K on quality sheet metal replacement alone. That being said it probably would cost somewhere in the vicinity of 10K to freshen this one up to the nice, clean driver status. Unless there was some kind of sentimental attachment to this particular car, you are probably going to end up under water with it. If it were equipped with a 400 and a 4 speed, it would be a different story.
Auction has ended, with no bids.
The biggest problem with this car is the repaint. The rest of the car looks to be in original condition, but that repaint can be hiding lots of bad news.