[Tennesseestorm]

Thanks for posting the photos of your 72'. I have not been here in a while and did not realize you had posted it. Your color looks about the same as mine.

In that particular photo of my 73s interior- my carpeting appears to be loop carpeting, but it is actually cut-pile carpet. I need to get a better photo of the carpet of my car.

I agree with you about the Buick- that my Pontiac would have a feature that was not even available on the Buick. I think that is what makes these cars so neat is that you can have a plain, low optioned 72' Buick Electra, or a loaded up 72' Chevrolet Impala, or even Biscayne/Bel-Air.

The door courtesy light option is the only option that my Pontiac has that was lacking on my Buick, except for also having the dome reading lamps- which my Buick also lacked- other than that my Buick had all of the other options and more. My Buick had the following options, that my Pontiac does not have: cornering lights, cruise, power seat, "C" pillar lights, FM radio, and the rare "fingertip" wiper control option- which was a "mist" button on the end of the gearshifter. This was optional on all of the full-size Buicks for 1972. Not sure what all other years it was available.

Here is a interesting 1973 Pontiac Bonneville I found on E-bay. It is a high optioned car and it is neat that it still has the factory invoice. Now I can see what some of my options cost. This Bonneville has the following options: 455, power seat, power windows, cruise, tilt, AM w/8-track, rear defrost, saf-t-track, firm ride package, guage package, bumper strips, side moldings, edge guards, tinted glass, dual exhaust, dome reading lights, vanity mirrors, 2-tone paint, A/C, etc. The door courtesy light also confirms that it was indeed optional even on the Bonneville, as someone mentioned in the past.
If you look at the bottom of the invoice- it shows some written in options- I can see locking gas cap, undercoating, wheel covers, underhood lamp and I think it says alarm. I am guessing these were dealer add-on options?

I have a question about the steering wheels- I may have asked before. Was the "custom cushion" steering wheel optional even on the 71-72 Catalina? I remember seeing a 72' Catalina on E-bay a while back that had a "2-spoke" steering wheel that appeared to be hard plastic, but I have seen other 71-72 Catalinas with the "3-spoke" custom cushion wheel- such as this 71' Catalina has:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...e=STRK:MEWA:IT
It also has the optional cloth interior. The 72' I seen with the 2-spoke wheel had all vinyl seats.

Also- here is a 72' Grand Ville I thought was interesting:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

Here is a 76' Grand Safari- with about every option except for auto-climate control and power windows and cornering lights:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

There was also a 74' Catalina Safari, also with most all options, except for power windows:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...sPageName=WDVW
It has ended - at a good price too....

Here was an interesting Pontiac- look at the questions to the seller:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...RK%3AMEWA%3AIT

[1970cat]

two spoke wheel was standard on most pontiacs 69-72 and tough to find a decent one today. not only do they crack at the spokes , but most people toss them for the three spoke sport wheel

[MPKind]

Had a '71 Catalina Brougham 4D HT in the family years ago (Dad's daily driver). I think the car had 270k on it when he sold it. Body style production of 9001 units. If I recall correctly the car had AM/FM, climate control A/C, cruise control. Nothing special under the hood, just a 400 2bbl. We used to call it "Old Brown".

[Tennesseestorm]

Thanks for the reply on the steering wheels 1970Cat.

MPKind- that was a rare car. The Catalina Brougham was a rare car to begin with- I have not seen one personally in many years. I would say that less than a handful remain. I think it was only offered in 1971 and 1972?

Here is a car some may find interesting- a highly optioned 73' Grand Ville convertible. It has power windows, power locks, power seat, tilt, cruise, cornering lights, side moldings, bumper strips, bumper guards, lower door courtesy lights, etc, but NO A/C.
It is a Canadian car- which may explain that though.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW

In addition- there is a 1972 Grand Ville 4dr- white with black vinyl top that I have spotted in town twice over the past two weeks. This time I was able to notice more of its exterior options and it looks like it has all "exterior" options. It has side moldings, bumper guards, bumper strips, cornering lights, rally wheels and vinyl top. Hopefully one day I will be able to get a look inside of it.

[Tennesseestorm]

I just went through an OLD junk yard and thought I would post about a couple of early 70s Pontiacs I saw. I have been there several times before, but it had been a while.

One was a green 1973 Bonneville 4dr sedan. It had A/C and am-FM radio and that was about it as far as the interior. Exterior- it had side moldings, bumper guards and bumper strips- do not recall if it had a vinyl top.

Another was a light yellow 1971 Pontiac Catalina 4dr hardtop. It had A/C, AM radio- that was it. Did not notice about much exterior options- again- do not recall a vinyl top.

Lastly- one of my favorites was a 1971 Pontiac Grand Safari 2-seat wagon. White with woodgrain. It was so growed up, I could not get to look inside the front seat area. Engine had done been robbed out of it.

There were several other early 70s GM cars, as as well as older Pontiacs. One was a 68 Grand Prix, 70 LeMans 4dr hdtp, etc. Other cars (not necessarily GM) I remember seeing were: 70' Impala 2dr hdtp, 68' Newport Custom 4dr sedan, 68' Caprice 4dr hdtp, 72' Gran Torino Squire wagon, 73' LTD Country Squire wagon, 40s models Hudsons, Mavericks, Javelins, Dusters, 69' Bel-Air, 72' Impala, 71' Impala, 70' Impala wagon, and about 300 more old cars from the 40s, 50s 60s and 70s- also a few from the 80s.

Pretty neat to go out there.

[Tennesseestorm]

Here is another interestingly equipped 72' Grand Ville.

Automatic climate control, power locks, power seat, cruise control, AM radio, bumper strips and appears to have power trunk release. However, it does not have power windows, tilt wheel or vinyl top- just to mention a few of the "more popular" options.

Nice car to say the least:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIte...6386&sspagename=WDVW

Not a Pontiac, but a rare early 70s GM car. Here is a very low optioned 1971 Buick LeSabre - NO A/C, nor any power options to speak of. Exterior also very low optioned. Still a nice car! I really like the 4dr hardtop body style with this roofline, like the 4dr hdtp Catalinas and Bonnevilles also have- as well as the Caprice-Impala 4dr hdtp and Delta 88/ Delta 88 Royale have.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIte...rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Check out this 71' LeSabre Custom convertible. NO A/C, nor any power options, but it does have the speed alert option.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIte...rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Tomorrow- someone on the Buick site is going to send me a photo of a 72' Buick Centurion (stel above LeSabre, step below Electra) tomorrow that did not even have an AM radio as an option.

Check this out!
71' Impala - 4dr, 6-cylinder, 3-speed manual shift. Very rare!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIte...rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

73' Impala- power locks, but no power windows.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIte...rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

[Tennesseestorm]

Here it is - 72' Buick Centurion - A/C, bumper strips, remote mirror and side moldings are its only options. Does not even have a radio! This type wheel was optional on these, but not sure if they are original.

Interesting that someone would equip a "mid-line" 72' Buick like this. I guess they liked the "sportier" styling of the Centurion, better than the LeSabre.

[Tennesseestorm]

Exterior

[Tennesseestorm]

Another interior

[Tennesseestorm]

Another interior.

Note no "woodgrain" trim on the door panel.

[Tennesseestorm]

Seating

[Tennesseestorm]

Engine

[Tennesseestorm]

Another exterior photo

[Tennesseestorm]

Last one!

[Stuart]

That's a pretty interesting Buick, and it's in really nice shape. Maybe the original owner was someone like my dad - he was pretty frugal (he graduated from high school in 1929 so he lived through the Depression), and he didn't care much for listening to the radio. He never bought a new car in his life, but if he had I wouldn't have been surprised if he bought it without a radio...why spend extra money for something he would never use. Then again, he probably wouldn't have spent the money for A/C either.

[Tennesseestorm]

Yeah, I thought it was interesting too. Like someone on the Buick site said- they probably wanted the 455 more than anything and instead of getting a LeSabre with the 455 option (since it would come close to the price of the Centurion) that is probably why he/she went for it optioned like this. It was confirmed that the Buick wheels are not original. They were added.

In comparison- here is a photo of a very nice 1972 Buick LeSabre Custom 4dr sedan that was for sale on the Buick forums a while back- it was for sale. It is also interestingly optioned. It has auto climate control A/C (rare for LeSabre) and light monitors to mention a few of the rarer options. I think it also had tilt wheel. Also had some other exterior options as well. I really like the color on this one. I think it belongs/belonged to someone in New York or Pennsylvania- which is where the photo was taken back in the winter.

http://www.buickpartsdirectory.com/l...lesabre001.jpg

I just thought I would post these, as I posted them on the Buick site as well a few months ago. These are the base retail prices for the 1972 full-size GM cars in "4dr hardtop" body style, unless only sedan was available- then it was posted.

1972 Cadillac:
Fleetwood 4dr sedan - $7637
Sedan DeVille 4dr hdtp - $6390
Calais 4dr hdtp - $5938

1972 Buick:
Electra 225 Custom Limited 4dr hdtp - $5757 (seems like a big jump)
Electra 225 Custom 4dr hdtp - $5060
Electra 225 4dr hdtp - $4890
Centurion 4dr hdtp - $4508 (convertible - $4616)
LeSabre Custom 4dr hdtp - $4168
LeSabre 4dr hdtp - $4079

1972 Oldsmobile:
Ninety-Eight Regency 4dr hdtp (still searching for $)
Ninety-Eight Luxury 4dr hdtp - $5098
Ninety Eight 4dr hdtp - $4807
Delta 88 Royale 4dr hdtp - $4238
Delta 88 4dr hdtp - $4060

1972 Pontiac:
Grand Ville 4dr hdtp - $4507
Bonneville 4dr hdtp - $4293
Catalina Brougham 4dr hdtp - $4062
Catalina 4dr hdtp - $3874

1972 Chevrolet:
Caprice 4dr hdtp - $4076
Impala 4dr hdtp - $3745
Bel Air 4dr sedan - $3538
Biscayne 4dr sedan - $3408

WAGONS for 72 (top of the line models - base MSRP)
Chevrolet Kingswood Estate (Caprice) 3-seat - $4423
Pontiac Grand Safari (Bonneville) 3-seat - $4721
Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser (Delta 88) 3-seat - $4834
Buick Estate Wagon (LeSabre) 3-seat - $4589 (this was a base model price)

Here are other "top of the line" 4dr hardtop/sedan cars in other makes (including imports).

72' Ford LTD Brougham 4dr hdtp - $4074
72' Mercury Marquis Brougham 4dr hdtp - $5034
72' Lincoln Continental 4dr sedan - $7302 (hardtop 4dr not available)

72' Plymouth Gran' Fury 4dr hdtp - $3987
72' Dodge Monaco 4dr hdtp - $4216
72' Chrysler New Yorker Brougham 4dr hdtp - $5358
72' Imperial LeBaron 4dr hdtp - $6778

72' AMC Ambassador Brougham 4dr sedan - $4002

IMPORTS (highest end 4dr models):
72' Mercedes 300SEL 4dr sedan - $13863 (high $$$$$ auto for 72'!!) 600 sedan price not listed)
72' BMW 3.0 4dr sedan - $5555
72' Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 4dr sedan - $28700
72' Toyota Crown 4dr sedan - $3049
72' Mazda 808 4dr sedan - $2295
72' Honda 600 sedan (2dr) - $1415
72' Nissan/Datsun 510 4dr sedan - $2456 / 610 4dr sedan - $2995 (240Z - $4106)
72' VW 411 4dr sedan - $3275
72' Jaguar XJ-6 4dr sedan - $7683
72' Volvo 164 4dr sedan - $4370
72' Audi 100 LS 4dr sedan - $3855
72' Peugeot 504 4dr sedan - $3735
72' Subaru 1300 4dr sedan - $2138
72' Renault R12 4dr sedan - $2295
72' Saab 99 4dr sedan - $3795

"other" U.S. wagons (top of the line 3-seat models - "4-seat" Ford/Mercury wagons)

72' Ford Country Squire (LTD) - $4318
72' Mercury Colony Park (Marquis) - $4550

72' Plymouth Sport Suburban (Gran Fury) - $4466
72' Dodge Monaco Wagon (Monaco)- $4756
72' Chrysler Town & Country (New Yorker) - $5139

72' AMC Ambassador Brougham wagon - $4437

*In conclusion, it seems as if the 72' Fleetwood 4dr was the highest priced U.S. built production car for 1972. There was also a Fleetwood 75, as well as the Fleetwood 75 limo for 72, but I do not think they were high # production cars. The "75" sedan was $11748 and the "limo" was $11880.

[Tennesseestorm]

I do not remember who it was, but someone had asked me what exactly the "Custom" option actually added on the 73' Grand Villes. I finally looked at my 73' Grand Ville sales booklet and according to it, the "Custom" option added the following:

- cut pile carpeting
- pull strap on front seat back
- lighters for rear seat passengers
- deluxe seat belts
- "special" interior trim

I was thinking it added lower door courtesy lights, but it did not- they were a totally seperate option.

I am guessing this was an option on other years of Grand Villes as well, because I have seen some 72' Grand Villes with cut-pile carpeting and I am sure that some 71's probably have it as well.

[Stuart]

This should probably be posted under cars for sale, but I noticed a '74 Pontiac ambulance for sale on the local craigslist. It's about one hour west of Minneapolis:

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/car/83958288.html

1974 Ponitac Hearse - $1000

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: anon-83958288@craigslist.org
Date: 2005-07-12, 10:58AM CDT

1974 Pontiac hearse with 71,714 on it. 455, 4 barrel, auto, posi rearend. Starts and runs fine. There is som rust around the rear wheel wells. The body is not perfect. Pictures upon request.

[dedsleds]

hey, i have a whole bunch of misc 71-76 FULLSIZE parts in my ebay store. CHEAP! = shipping. just tossing that out there.

Grateful Parts

eric

[SpartanMSU]

I have some production figures for '69-72 stuff, if anyone wants to post their options. Can't delineate among cars, so it'll be for all big cars.

Also have some Buick stuff, but it's not in my possession at the moment.