Mar 28, 2018  •  For Sale  •  43 Comments

Pampered Grand Prix: 1977 Pontiac With 2k Miles

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Not very often do you find a survivor that’s been driven a sum total of 48 miles per year. But the 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix LJ found here on eBay has racked up only 1,965 miles on the odometer over its pampered 41 years.

Perhaps one of the greatest examples available of a third-generation model (made from 1973 – to 1977), this LJ edition features a light lemony “Cream Gold” exterior with a velour inspired plush interior very similar to their Mojave Tan tones. With a “Buy it Now” price of $24,700 – you’ll certainly be paying a premium for this low miler, but not outside of all reality since an 11k grey 1976 Grand Prix is being offered by Hemmings at nearly $19k.

I am a bit less of a fan of this third generation, compared to its preceding design made from 1969 to 1972, and spearheaded by controversial industry legend John DeLorean. The Grand Prix redesign was a way for DeLorean to lead the development of a smaller scale luxury car that could compete with the Ford Thunderbird, Buick Riviera, and Mercury Cougar. It worked, as sales starting in 1969 quadrupled over the previous year.

The nimbleness of the Grand Prix disappeared in 1973 with the introduction of this generation, much in part to the new safety bumper crash standards now in place. Still, the Grand Prix’s had large power plants – exampled by the 5.0L 301ci V8 Engine this LJ edition featured. The seller notes that this car spent it’s life in California since 1981, after being originally purchased in Willoughby, Oh. It’s interesting to note that had it originated in CA, it would have featured an Oldsmobile-built Lansing’s 350 cu in (5.7 L) “Rocket V8” since Pontiac engines could not meet the more stringent California 1977 emission standards.

Comments

  1. Michael
    Mar 28, 2018 at 4:34pm

    Had the exact same car in black/red. Bought it in Ohio in 1986 a few weeks before I left the USAF. Drove it to CA where I kept it for 3 years. Sold it to my brother who drove it for another two. Best car I’ve ever owned. Never, ever had a mechanical issue.

    Like 0
    • Leslie M Lane Jr
      Mar 31, 2018 at 10:23pm

      The first new car I ever bought was a 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix!!! It was black with red pin stripes and had red leather interior!!! I loved that car!!!?

      Like 0
  2. L.M.K.
    Mar 28, 2018 at 4:35pm

    Remembering when these were new and the fun trips a group of us had in a 1977 red GP….

    Like 0
  3. DayDreamBeliever Alan (Michigan)
    Mar 28, 2018 at 4:43pm

    Had a ’78 Grand LeMans with the 301. Not a high-performance motor, but it got decent mileage, used nary a drop of oil, no leaks, and ran great past 100K when I sold it to move into something different.

    Like 0
  4. Gregory Locke
    Mar 28, 2018 at 5:43pm

    My very first new car was a triple black 74 G.P. I took delivery just weeks after the oil embargo. The dealer put five whole dollars in the tank!

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    • CJ
      Mar 29, 2018 at 2:06pm

      You were lucky to get 5 gallons……

      Like 0
  5. Redragula
    Mar 28, 2018 at 5:46pm

    Looks more like lemon meringue to me, but a nice color nonetheless. Only thing I would do is swap out the wheels for Pontiac rallyes and keep the whitewalls

    Like 0
  6. fish56
    Mar 28, 2018 at 5:46pm

    Classy looking car. Friend had a 1975 GP in burnt orange. The doors seemed like a foot thick. His car had a 400ci engine with a 4 barrel carb. He flipped the air cleaner lid over, trying to up the power. Probably got just about 10mpg.

    Like 0
    • CJ
      Mar 29, 2018 at 2:06pm

      The doors were also a mile long……

      Like 0
  7. CanuckCarGuy
    Mar 28, 2018 at 6:26pm

    Why did automakers ever stop offering these fantastic colours? Owners could display their personality years ago, but now we’re relegated to four shades of bland?

    Like 0
    • Ken
      Mar 29, 2018 at 7:55am

      And exactly what is wrong with 19 shades of gray, silver all with black interiors? Hmm? Oh! And don’t forget, you can polish the crap outta silver and gray, you know what you’ll end up with? Silver and gray lol

      Like 0
      • Tim S.
        Mar 29, 2018 at 8:21am

        We’re in an age where seeing a medium blue car on a lot has the same effect as seeing day-glo orange 25 years ago. “Oh wow, look at that pop of color!”

        Like 0
    • Zapp
      Mar 29, 2018 at 3:48pm

      Just bought a new Kia Soul Plus…in Wild Orange! If Kia can offer cool colours, why can’t the Big Three?

      My last car was an ’11 Chevy Cruze in Silver Ice. By the time I traded it in, there were two more Silver Ice Cruzes in the employee lot where I worked. Bah!

      Like 0
      • 'Cuda 440
        Mar 29, 2018 at 10:22pm

        Chrysler offers wild colors….Lime green,orange,purple,b5 blue,yellow and even dark green…Chrysler 300,Dodge Charger & Challenger have wild colors..

        Even some of the RAM trucks come in yellow and orange and lime green..

        GM/Ford are the boring ones…

        Like 1
  8. 77Vette
    Mar 28, 2018 at 6:37pm

    Had a 73 with a 400. That was a powerful engine! I like the interior with the bucket seats better.

    Like 0
  9. Dirk
    Mar 28, 2018 at 6:39pm

    No word I guess as to why the mileage is so low???

    Like 0
  10. JW
    Mar 28, 2018 at 6:44pm

    Nice Poncho except if it were mine I would ditch the 5mph bumpers and move them closer to the body which would be a great improvement.. The price of this feature car is a bit high IMHO for a mainstream car rather than a musclecar.

    Like 0
  11. TomMember
    Mar 28, 2018 at 6:45pm

    Love these cars but same old story, put it away, low miles, incredible….what is with the color? Didn’t anybody put away cars in various shades of red or blue even black….sorry….one of you commented you like the color. UGH !!

    Like 0
  12. Joe P
    Mar 28, 2018 at 6:48pm

    Bought a ’77 GP new & loved it.Berkshire Green wht landau top.Great Pontiac!

    Like 0
  13. SC/RAMBLER
    Mar 28, 2018 at 7:04pm

    Had a 71 G.P. much better looking car. To each there own. Everyone has there favs.

    Like 0
  14. LAWRENCE
    Mar 28, 2018 at 8:58pm

    Nice….and nice when new also……

    Like 0
  15. Howard A Rube GoldbergMember
    Mar 28, 2018 at 11:07pm

    Looks good to me ( self-appointed mileage guru) Last of the “big” Grand Prix’s. I believe, this was one of the most popular GP’s. I read, when people heard of the down-sizing for ’78, there was a buying frenzy, and they sold 288,000 of these, so it’s not exactly rare, but an important car, none the less, and in this condition. Not cheap, but what you going to find new today with this kind of class. Couldn’t for twice the price. Nice car, but for the record, Pontiac had such nice colors, this is kind of bland.

    Like 0
  16. JACKinNWPA Jack in NW PAMember
    Mar 28, 2018 at 11:20pm

    One of my all time favorite cars,I bought mine in 1980 with 29K mi. and it had every option, 400/400 combo full gauges, console floor shift all power and even those leaky Hurst Hatch T tops. Drove it nine years till the NwPa rust ruined it. I like this one but not my color, silver over charcoal w/ red cloth. miss it and keep looking.

    Like 0
  17. Bobby Morgan
    Mar 29, 2018 at 1:17am

    The 301 was a dog of a motor. 0-60 maybe ten seconds. No way do I see 24000+ even with the low miles

    Like 0
    • BOP_GUY BOP GuyMember
      Mar 29, 2018 at 2:44pm

      Totally agree Bobby. I am a HUGE Pontiac fan and owner, but this just doesn’t do anything for me. And the price just seems crazy! The one on Hemmings is even a little better with the bigger 350 engine, but still? $25k for this one, $19k for the Hemmings? I could find much more exciting Pontiac places to spend that money 💰

      Like 0
      • tmpd4u
        Mar 29, 2018 at 3:04pm

        I agree with both of you; obnoxious color, obnoxious engine, wrong interior, wrong front end…not desirable. But there’s an a@@ for every seat I suppose :)

        Like 0
  18. edh
    Mar 29, 2018 at 5:58am

    $24,700?

    Can’t blame a person for trying.

    Like 0
    • BOP_GUY BOP GuyMember
      Mar 29, 2018 at 2:44pm

      HA!! Very true.

      Like 0
  19. Ken
    Mar 29, 2018 at 7:51am

    I tend to shy away from older cars with lower mikes. Non usage or no usage can add up to pretty big problems. I’m not gonna lie though, she sure is pertty 😃

    Like 0
  20. Cattoo
    Mar 29, 2018 at 12:16pm

    I had a ‘76 blue vinyl interior, bench seat, column shift, ac 400x4v with the turbo 400 transmission. Blue paint and blue vinyl on the roof. Great car and drove it daily and even got all four tires off the ground for a good thirty some feet once going over some railway tracks crossing the road I was unaware of. Landed like a champ and not bad at all for not being a stuntcar.

    Like 0
  21. ChebbyMember
    Mar 29, 2018 at 12:31pm

    This is the car your aunt in Florida drove, clip-on sunglasses and a pack of Virginia Slims in the purse on the seat next to her.

    Like 1
  22. Howard Scott Brown
    Mar 29, 2018 at 1:41pm

    Umm…the Hemmings link is to a silver Gran Prix…..

    Like 0
  23. Johnathan lee
    Mar 29, 2018 at 2:05pm

    I have a 1977 Grand Prix little / 44000 miles and when I bought it had about 42000 miles about 4 years ago very good running car I did we do the AC ice cold and change the carpet but very dependable car can’t wait to take a road trip

    Like 0
  24. Jerry Brentnell
    Mar 29, 2018 at 2:10pm

    off subject here how come you hardly ever see 58 bonnevilles for sale or my favorite year 1961 bonneville 2 door hardtop?

    Like 0
    • Miguel
      Mar 30, 2018 at 10:44pm

      That is because the 1958 Bonneville was a very very rare car.

      In the past 30 years I only knew one guy that had one.

      He had to retire it from competition in the Pontiac Club because it won every time it was in the contest.

      Like 0
  25. Three Pedal Steve
    Mar 29, 2018 at 2:47pm

    Forget the Delorean with flux capacitors. This thing is a true TIME MACHINE.

    Like 0
  26. John C Cargill
    Mar 29, 2018 at 4:41pm

    Beautiful car, I’ll learn to live with the bench seat, the slick top is rare and great. But that 301 was dog city.

    Like 0
  27. glenn
    Mar 29, 2018 at 7:37pm

    too many variables, the seats look mashed on the corners and with that mileage they should be firm and there are odd welds in the passenger door frame area. i think it may be a good one or it could be a pig with lots of lipstick

    Like 0
    • 'Cuda 440
      Mar 29, 2018 at 10:35pm

      People dont understand that after 99,999.9 the cars go to 00,000.0 !

      I have owned high mileage cars that looked like new and all original,paint shined like new,interior not worn etc…I take extremely good care of my cars and they look like new after high miles.

      My daily driver 78 Dodge Magnum had 290,000 miles on it and the car was pristine in/out..Engine clean and paint looked new on the engine as I cleaned the car every 2-4 days like I did with all my cars that i daily drive…Seats were firm as I dont jump around on them etc..No cracks ,no rips..I waxed the car 2 times per month and washed it 2-4 days ,it was always clean…

      I sold the car in 1994 and in 2002 the same car was up fro sale as a 19,000 original mile Magnum GT !! Car was pristine but 319,000 miles !! I wanted to keep it but my job mad eme move around and kept my 70 Cuda 440 and 69 Charger (RT clone 440) and a new RamCharger at the time..I sold off 6 other cars..

      Yes it was my car,I kept papers from it and the vin matched !

      Like 0
  28. PatrickM
    Mar 31, 2018 at 4:26am

    Did anybody check Hemmings? Different color car. So, which one is for sale? Leaves me to believe we have a problem.

    Like 0
  29. firemedic2714
    Apr 2, 2018 at 9:43am

    My first car was a 77 GP. My grandfather bought it new. It was passed down to me in 1988. Berkshire Green with a light green padded vinyl half top (covered the cabin past the doors). One of the best cars I’ve ever owned. If you look at a side profile picture, the hoods on these cars are half the length of the whole car. Massive. While driving, I couldn’t see the right front corner, but oh what memories. My interior was identical to the car in the ad except I had a console mounted floor shifter. I remember once an 80s Civic wagon pulled out in front of me and I t-boned it. Destroyed the Civic and knocked the front end of my car out of alignment, and that’s it. Not a scratch. I sold it for $2750 three years later with 27k on the clock.

    Like 0
  30. firemedic2714
    Apr 2, 2018 at 9:47am

    My first car was a 77 GP. My grandfather bought it new. It was passed down to me in 1988. Berkshire Green with a light green padded vinyl half top (covered the cabin past the doors). One of the best cars I’ve ever owned. If you look at a side profile picture, the hoods on these cars are almost half the length of the whole car. Massive. While driving, I couldn’t see the right front corner, but oh what memories. My interior was identical to the car in the ad except I had a console mounted floor shifter. I remember once an 80s Civic wagon pulled out in front of me and I t-boned it. Destroyed the Civic and knocked the front end of my car out of alignment, and that’s it. Not a scratch. I sold it for $2750 three years later with 27k on the clock.

    Like 0
  31. Jeff Howard
    May 2, 2018 at 2:42pm

    I had a Black with red Cloth interior — looked like Jonathan Lee – picture , Rust got the better part of it — BUT Smooth, Great highway driver and yes if you hit something — it never hurt the car :)

    Like 0

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