One-Owner 65K Mile Original? 1970 Pontiac GTO
Sometimes a car seems just a little too good to be true for different reasons, maybe the price is low, the equipment options are too good or the condition itself is just that good. This car seems to have a little of all those things. I like this one a lot because I have an affinity for Pontiacs, I like original cars and green is high on my list of favorite colors. If all of the seller’s claims are true, this car could be a very solid deal but we have to be skeptical. Check it out here on Craigslist in New Bern, NC with an asking price of $15,000. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Ikey for the great tip!
According to the seller, what we have here is an all original, one owner, numbers matching 1970 GTO with 65,000 miles! The car runs good and is equipped with A/C, power steering, power brakes, and Posi-Traction rear end. The seller does not go into detail about ownership history other than saying it is a one owner car with original paint and interior. I believe this color is called Verdoro green and it compliments the styling of the car well.
Under the hood is the 4V 400 CI V8 that should produce about 350 HP attached to a Turbo 400 automatic. The car runs and looks overall very complete and original under the hood. The factory A/C system looks intact with the belt still attached and updated service port fittings, functionality is not mentioned.
One disappointing factor is the potential for rust. The seller has made a good effort to show the areas of rust around the car. All over the car rust is starting to show up under the paint. Hopefully, it is not serious but repairing the rust will require compromising the original paint. Spots like this are shown all over the car, possibly because the car is located in eastern North Carolina salt air exposure has contributed to the rust but there is a Virginia inspection decal on the windshield so who knows. Additionally, the seller mentions rust in the trunk floor area.
The interior is in overall good condition, it’s possible this is an actual original low mileage car. The seats and steering wheel show minimal wear for being almost 50 years old but the carpet could use some work. A good in-person inspection is needed with this one, but if its as good as it looks and the seller can prove the cars history, I think this is potentially a very good deal.
Auctions Ending Soon
2002 Subaru Impreza WRXBid Now2 days$333
1975 Chevrolet Corvette ConvertibleBid Now2 days$4,000
1964 Ford F-100 Camper CustomBid Now2 days$2,000
2006 Jeep Wrangler SportBid Now4 days$10,500
1974 Datsun 260ZBid Now6 days$200
Comments
That ’70 GTO looks to have a lot of potential. I miss my ’70 GTO 455 factory Ram Air. Little did I know then how rare the 455 Ram Air cars were.
Wow. Green Pontiac with lots of options. I would have a hard time passing this by, rust issues or not. I’m kind of gullible like that.
In Canada, Bell Telephone Painted all their vehicles this colour in the 60’s. If we saw any car in this colour we referred to it as Bell Telephone Green.
Haha.. Yes. Wow. My grandfather worked for Bell and had a company wagon – was a “bell telephone green” late 70’s Chev – if I remember right a yellow or gold outline of a bell on each front doors.
It wasn’t just Canada, as I worked for Southern California Bell System in the 60’s and the only color they used was this same green.
yup !
Oh no. That car need rust repair all over. Wery minor rust on body, is a big understatement. Rust in: floor trunk dors roof all over…
No so better a dessert car there have burnt paint, but rustfree
Wouldn’t be original paint for long if I got it. The pretty hides an abundance of sins. Just think though… if Joe Mannix had driven a pepper green 70 Goat the car chases on that series would have been a lot shorter.
15k complete and drivable? Surprised it is still available. Yes the rust does look significant, but wow I would have thought a much higher price for an a.c. equipped Goat. But what do I know
At $15K, I’d expect this one to be long gone by now. ‘Original’ I can believe, and it’s been in a garage & somewhat babied for 49 years. The interior fade on the fabric seat inserts looks original, and the rust spots I can understand as they are surface rust spots; nothing really eaten through. Yet. IMHO, I wouldn’t hesitate to have this taken down to bare metal & repainted. I’d also see if I could source a sport steering wheel instead of that standard LeMans unit it has. Even if the engine needs work, it’s worth it. Just try to find a one-owner `70 Goat this complete….goood luck!
It isnt only surface rust. Pick a bit with a skrewdriver an there is hole. Doors roof and trunk when you first open it up its all over. This is only what you can see. Its in seems corners all over.
Why does every one of these seem to have either that obnoxious Judge rear wing, that ridiculous hood tach, or both? The Curse of the Year One Catalog!
Not so fast! Unlike the ’90s, where every fanboy put wings and splitters on everything from Hyundai Scoupes to Honda Accords Pontiac offered these parts from the factory. They actually had a purpose! A “Judge” wing and hood tach we’re inexpensive add ons but made all the difference looks wise to a 70s street racer. If it had Judge stripes in 3 colors of green I’d be trying to figure rust damage and make a reasonable offer today!
I really like the hood tachs, but yeah, it seems everyone these days adds a spoiler and it detracts from the appearance, the Judge style spoiler for the 70-72’s is way too big. If it’s a real Judge, well, it is the car!
Careful with cars from New Bern for now. They had tremendous flooding several months back, would look VERY closely at the underside of this one!
I had a 1970 GTO that was about the same color. Mine was code 48 Pepper Green. I think that’s what this one is. Mine had black interior, black vinyl top and, a 4 speed. I wish I had it back like it was when I got it not when I sold it.
If I was twenty years younger, I’d take this one on.
1970 is my favorite year GTO, or a 1964. Doesn’t look too bad, I would take it. The aircon added about 25% to the price. My 70 had it. MSRP was 3800$
Ac was just under $400 as an option IIRC, plus the tinted windows and HD cooling system. On a restored car it adds a lot of value.
Looked at the CL ad that car is a rust bucket. Its been through a flood or lived waaaaaay to close to the ocean. Drive it as is only, maintain it, spend as little as possible on it. This car is a heartache waiting to happen.
But if i buy a GTO i wana be proud over my classic. Drive arround in a rusty muscle car isnt fun. All these cool options it has, can almost be the same, if i cant drive it and show it to other classic car fans.
Or is it just me??
I had one as well… 455 HO with ram air. Ironically, same color combo as this one. Mine had tan vinyl top. Numbers matching (block but had matching date code and had been replaced 1yr later–had documentation so was about as good as one could get back then) 20+options as was ordered in summer of 69 by a then nearly retired NASA scientist based in Huntsville, AL. I was 2nd owner. Rust free as had been southern car all its life. Crazy torque. I bought car and 1st time I got on it, I discovered broken motor mount– 20 year old mounts had dried out and nearly 500 lbs ft of torque made short order…. Car had been babied though…Handled better than most due to sway bars and springs. I sold it in 1990 for $22K. Woulda coulda shoulda…
I don’t like to be the rain on peoples parades, but the rust on this one is critical or @ least near critical. That’s not surface rust, that’s cancer. As mentioned in a previous comment, poke around w/ a sc(k)rewdriver a bit & it will get worse. It may not be a rust bucket, but a future owner, depending on intentions, will either need medium deep pockets or welding skills, time & plenty of “patch” metal. Maybe all of those things? Look @ pic 10 in the Clist add. On the left rear of the trunk there are holes rusted through. This is similar to what is lurking under all the visible paint bubbling you see. If you’re plan is to preserve what’s there & enjoy as is, have fun w/ it. Neat car & I like the “Bell Telephone Green” color!
Projekt car. Original paint, ok. But after body work there isnt much org. Paint left. A shame, it wasnt rust protectet, when the rest of the car seems so good maintained. 15,000$ and still for sale. I think we know why.
The valve covers were chrome on the GTO’s. They aren’t on this car might not be the original motor. I had 5 of them, 1970 was my last one. Anti-pump shocks in front, air lift in back to accomodate 12″ tires, Thrush exhaust, modified the quadrajet, 3:90 posi, Mallory dual coil, 4spd. 13:70 @107
The other engine picture in the add clearly shows the chrome valve covers along with the chrome air cleaner lid…
You guys are gonna talk somebody into going and gettin’ this one, after all!
I see daylight by the gas pedal.. NEXT! This is way overpriced.
Whew – safe, again!
I would love To come to new Bern and take a look at it
BE AWARE ! The Seller is a “flipper” to the 10th degree….just google the telephone number in the craigslist ad, and about 30 vehicles come up either for sale or have sold….they are all RUSTBUCKETS ! In a few photos of the other ads, you can see he is running a complete shop of derelect cars ! LIKE THEY SAY, TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE !
Maybe not this car but if a car had a few paint blisters or minor scratches that needed to be touched up, I would not disqualify it from having original paint.
This gto is like that cheerleader that wouldn’t give you the time of day 35 years ago but due to a impromptu FB friends meet up 3 years ago you find yourself talking with Cindy, Candy or Tiffany like old friends. She tells you that she has all ways had a crush on you. So three long island ice teas later you take her home. (She looks better than your ex. ) you spend a romantic evening exchanging DNA and now in the morning light just like Maggie may she is showing her age. So now as she stands naked in front of you toweling her hair dry she tells you she is feeling a deep connection to you and she really wants to take it to the next level and wants to keep seeing you. (She still looks better than your EX. ). Sooooo. 3 months later after losing her apartment her kid unloads the last of her stuff in the last bay of your 4 car garage. She will have to park her 88 IROC Z28 in the driveway and you will tell the neighbors that you picked up another project car. You find out in short order that she starts her day with a hand full of thorozine, 2 prozac and the first of 6 24oz cans of triple strength diet Rockstar. You also discover that she spends her lunch hour chugging a pint of vodka while listening to the Eagles greatest hits vol.1 or whitesnake in said IROCZ. (She still looks better than you EX. ) but wait there’s more she exists on pre packaged Cobb, ceaser or occasionally chefs salad. She will treat her self to one fun size Butterfinger pilfered from a bag she leaves on the store shelf. (Hey it’s like eating a couple of grapes on you way to the checkout). Almost a year later “Dick” a guy you really didn’t like much 35 years ago and his kid finish loading her crap into a Uhaul all the while eyeing your used snap on roll a way and all teary eyed tells you that it’s not you fault that it’s her. As the tail lights disappear down the drive way you now KNOW that you dodged a bullet. That is exactly what this gto is. Now I know that most of you will understand. You guys on the east coast will just have to trust me. What do women and dog turds have in common??? The older they get the easier they are to pick up. Now there you have it in a nutshell.
That was classic. As much as I like (a working, decent, ‘sober’ version of this car – without all of the baggage), I have lost my enthusiasm for this particular ‘cheerleader’. Thanks for that.
geez Blowtie ….what a blow hard you are ! I bet you mumble in a corner just too hear yourself talk…
Bowtie brigade! What is wrong with you?
Ha-ha! I thought it was hilarious! Sounds maybe like bitter experience. Talked me out of the car, that’s for sure, though I would have preferred a bigger engine.
It is like you have lived my life (except mine was a ’70 Buick GS)….and you, my friend, should have a career writing country western songs…
Bowtie, that was superb! Too much detail to be a metaphor. I am glad you dodged the bullet (both the cheerleader and the GTO!
Very nice car. It has rust but its complete. You spend your money on body and paint and not trying to source parts. I would take it if I had the room
The “surface rust” on this GTO is anything but. This car is rusting (severely) from THE INSIDE OUT.
To repair everything on it would require total disassembly, cutting out huge chunks, panels and possibly the entire roof.
You could poke this thing anywhere with a pocket knife and perforate it easily.
And yes, the seller is a rust bucket flipper. He might have 1/2 of his asking price in this GTO.
There are so many tempting things about this car but in the end, you can’t polish a turd.
Ha! You guys go,around poking strangers’ cars with your knives and screwdrivers all the time, do You?
Better have TURBO Obamacare!
No, but in thes case we also dosnt need it.
Not really. Potential customers weren’t strangers to us at our shop by the time that we were estimating restoration costs on their rust buckets.
By the time we’d have ‘The Informed Conversation’ regarding the potential need for bushels of cash to properly repair their cars (As opposed to digging out rust from the outside until we found enough solid steel to slap gallons of Bondo in) they were more than okay with us poking away to find out how extensive the corrosion was.
In the real world (as opposed to the cable TV car show world) most owners can’t afford to simply tell a shop owner to “restore it” and leave a blank check for bushels of cash to burn through.
New Bern NC had an epic flood not too long ago… I wonder if the water reached the roof and how long it was under water… that is all.
This appears to be a very nice and completely stock car. I just have to watch from the sidelines on this one. I just don’t have any room for another car! Come spring tho, I am adding on!
If this car was the bargain it seems, at that price it would have been long gone.
One of them cars that look good from a distance. Has bad rust, I wonder what’s under the chrome strips on the sill panel….
Lots of work
One nice car!
I’m not positive of this but it looks like the hood us not lining up real well with the fender. Not sure if this is just not properly lining up the hood after putting it back on cause you had to lift the engine or cause the fender had to be replaced due to an accident. So it could just be my suspicions nature but if Uncle Al is right then it may be another clue to more stuff to be considered against the price.
I’m thinking you’d need to get it under $10k to have room for rust correction, paint, interior overhaul and the unknown only discovered when getting into the restoration. Otherwise you’d be upside down in a hurry if you wanted to fix & flip unless you got the deep pockets of love to have it in your keeper collection. Just sayen…
Hey Bowtie Brigade…have you run into my ex-wife lol? True story, she is living on my couch. I was just reading your post, laughing the entire time. She asked me what was so funny. I told her. She told me it’s not funny & that there is no self-respecting woman who would live like that. She needs to look in the mirror. Thank you for the laugh!
On a different note, here in Milwaukee this car would be considered a nice, solid find. Having spent a lot of time in Phoenix, I know the difference. None the less, I actually like the car. I don’t care if the seller is a flipper, as long as I get what I perceive as a fair deal, I am happy. This car, for me with my desert connections, is really on the fence. Has potential, but not sure it is worth the effort. Have a good day everybody!
It’s a exlent car for preservation not restoration. With work someone could slow the deterioration and just enjoy as a survivor.
In 1974 I went with my friend to look at a 1970 GTO. It was bright red with black interior. As we walked up to the car from the rear the first thing I noticed were rear shoulder belts, yes factory. As we got around to the front I noticed on the air scoop on the hood “Ram Air IV”. I had seen a couple of RA III cars but had never even heard of a R A IV. Believe it or not my friend did not buy the car but that evening I was telling another friend about it and we went over to see the car first thing the next morning. He did in fact buy it and owns it to this day. It is still the only Ram Air IV I have ever seen in real life. I love the look of theses Goats, best of luck to the new lucky owner.