[getmygoat]

The expertise on this forum far exceeds mine, thoughts?

Thanks!

https://www.mgmclassiccars.com/detai...ns-am/70462112

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Didn't really see anything particularly wrong with the car itself in the pictures.
Its not full fluffed but its Very Nice

The odometer reading alignment is wacky
It doesn't show if the gear shift knob medallion is Gold

The 45k price seems way too jacked up for a 79 with 403 , even on a Black SE.
The underside, jambs and engine bay could use right much more elbow grease to be in that price range.
I'm not even exactly sure if an immaculate 403 SE would pull 45k unless it were a time capsule car.

The money on 79's is with the 400 4 speed cars - any 79 400 4speed car.

['ol Pinion head]

Quickly scanned through the pics. Overall appears to be a fairly nice refinish w seat cover replacement. few things stuck out:
-dlx door panels have lost the Mylar finish off their "tracks". This was common when new, the LH door panel in my Y84 Turbo car I had replaced during the warranty period due to the Mylar peeling off in one area.
-one pic, looking at the passenger side C pillar, it appears the striping is not die cut, but pieced together.
-Wheel finish... wheels appears to have been "restored" by polishing the "veins" of the snowflake wheels, taping off, & repainting. One way to do it but having been in the position to provide the alternative, the difference is night & day. A professional restoration though the strip/paint/remachine/clear process yields a much more factory correct appearance with the machined lines present on the surface of the exposed "veins" of the snowflake wheel.
-SE dash bezel has weathered some. What I'd expect to see in a 40+ year old bezel that's seen a lot of sunlight. Gold bird emblem on the Formula wheel cap has seen better days. I'd carefully remove & buff/polish or replace.
-Nice to see the "TransAm by Pontiac" decal in the correct placement on the '79 nose, so many times, those are not evident or replaced in the wrong spot
-Todd noted the appearance of the under carriage, agree it would need a lot of work to show well.
-Also agree with Todd's Oldsmobird valuation, 45K is reaching some... more like d#mn nice numbers matching '79 W72 territory. Have to disclose, 403 powered T/A's & Formulas have never lit my fire. In the summer of '78, for my Mom, my Dad special ordered a solar gold/camel hobnail interior '79 403 hardtop. It was a strikingly beautiful car, but NOT being Pontiac motivated was a big reason the '79 was kicked down the road a year later.

[TAKerry]

I like when the adds prominently post 'Original' ........
BUT it has a new paint job
BUT the wheels have been refinished
BUT it doesnt have the original radio
BUT the exhaust has been replaced
BUT.........................

That being said, it does look like a pretty decent car. The expensive part of a restoration has been finished (newer paint). Trunk lid has the usual rust on the bottom lip that wasnt bothered to be repaired when repainted!
Under side of car looks great to me, no rust to speak of and IT does look original.
Odometer looks a bit odd, I have heard that when the numbers are askewed like that, something doesnt jive, but I dont know?

Bottom line is, if you are comfortable paying the asking price then go for it. My 2c which means nothing, is that I think its priced a bit high. I have no problem with a 403 (though Ive never owned one) but do agree that motor trans combo is the least popular for the 79.
I think the asking price is ok, maybe a bit on the high side for a low mileage ORIGINAL car, which IMO this one isnt.

If I were buying I would start at $30k and stop at $35k.

[necdb3]

I agree with Baron, nice car but the 403 is a deal killer for me.

[grandam1979]

Things I see that have not been mentioned the one quarter picture you can see rust coming out of the wheel well. The other picture from underside rear you also see rust on backside of quarters I would give that area a better look. You need to look at the area between trunk and bumper very prone to rust but no pictures to look at.

[Ben M.]

Ditto the rest of the comments. It's not so much "original" as "nicely refreshed" which is fine, but it's a difference (especially in pricing). Combine that with the 403 and relative lack of options (except for WS6 and Y84) and I would say that asking $45k is a stretch.

[Firedup6975]

That’s a lot of money for a 403 in my opinion, over all looks very nice, but as mentioned there are a few things that are questionable and if you’re gonna try a purchase it I’d make a list and present it to the seller.


I myself have my eye on a TA right now, and the members here have helped me by spotting things from the pictures that I did see some but not all the things to look for. I’m able to go in person to see the car and will be tomorrow, and have made a list of questions and concerns. If you cannot go see it in person, make a list to talk to the seller on the phone about before making an offer.


Good luck, FYI.......I looked at that one, but not really into the 403 or that year body style.

[Firedup6975]

Originally Posted by getmygoat

The expertise on this forum far exceeds mine, thoughts?

Thanks!

https://www.mgmclassiccars.com/detai...ns-am/70462112

If you like that car, check out this one for $34k


https://www.restoreamusclecar.com/vehicles

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

They really screwed these cars over when they used the 403 in them.
They are excellent cars and a beautiful body (in my opinion)
Previous years automatics don't take as big a hit in value as the 79

It doesn't make them worthless ... just
worth
less

[1965gp]

I have two 403 cars- and I agree they are not as fun or desirable as the 400 cars. I think this is a little high- I would expect an ultra low mileage example to go for 45-50k. I put this in the 30-35k range.

Keep in mind that the membership here has an amazing knowledge base that will see everything there is to see.

To the average buyer that wants a black and gold Trans Am they will think the car is perfect, look up the value of a perfect 79 SE TA and use that as their starting point. For reference Hagerty values a 403 SE car as:

Concourse- 60,700
Excellent- 45,000
Good- 29,400
Fair- 21,100

The price difference between Good and Fair tells me that almost any shiny black and gold TA is worth 20k

[dhcarguy]

Agree that 35K is tops. Only if it looks better in person, which it never does

[grandam1979]

My 80 t/a was a 305 with air stock talk about slow.

[Firedup6975]

Originally Posted by dhcarguy

Agree that 35K is tops. Only if it looks better in person, which it never does

yikes don’t say that I’m looking at one tomorrow, and expecting it to be better then the pics lol

[Firedup6975]

If you cannot go see the car, get the seller to send pics of every square inch. I sold a 75 TA here to a member who did not come see the car, I sent him over 100 pictures, before he sealed the deal, and the car got a new home and everyone was happy.

[ta6point6]

I am biased because I have a 79 SE 403 but I would say that car is worth it, maybe 40k. I think it has been repainted but as we all know black is hard to hide any imperfections in the body. From what I can see from video and pics the black looks good with no orange peel.. If you can actually look at paint I would definitely take another look to make sure paint is as good as it looks in picture. The body gaps look good all the way around the car from hood to door to trunk. I did notice some chipped paint on drivers door so door gap might be to close there. TA's normally are a bear to get body gaps lined up. The interior looks good with original hobnail seats but of course they are faded but look good. Having a TA with not cracks in dash is rare so that is a positive although I see a little dip in dash opening on the top right, it could crack there in time. People who are down on 403 TAs just dont know much about them. Most 403 TAs came with highway gears like 2.41 in rear end. Change the rear end gear to a 3.73 and that will really wake TA up with the its 325 ftlbs of torque at 2200 rpm. If you want even more from the 403 TA shave the 4A heads. If you can find a 79 SE 400 4spd for 45k then you better buy it and run these cars are fetching 100k plus. There were only 1107 SE 400 4spd Trans Ams built and 9874 SE 403 built so after 40 years there are very few truly original SE cars left. It looks like all the major things are there that you need for a 40 year old Trans Am, engine good, trans good, interior good, and paint is good. The things to check are rust spots that can be hidden like front/rear impact bars, behind front and rear tires (if you can unscrew door vent ducts and look for rust at the bottom of jamb), look under drivers and passenger floor boards t-tops can leak. Otherwise looks like a very solid 79 403 SE.

[Firedup6975]

ta6point6 it looks like he is in California, and the car is in Illinois. So maybe not flying out to see it? Not sure though. Maybe a member here with TA knowledge who lives near this dealer could go check it out or a family member? Tough now with travel restrictions.

[77 Canamman]

Very nice car, but priced as if it were a 400/4 speed.

[SRR]

That odometer is cause for concern and the missing catalytic converters are going to be a problem in California.

[getmygoat]

Yes, thanks all for the input. I am in CA so it would need to be smogged. Trying to smog a 40 year old car for the first time will likely be a headache. The Cats are not available although it appears there is one aftermarket replacement. I'd need to buy a gardner exhaust and then swap in the cat I think. $2k just to get the exhaust squared away.

Not sure if the original passenger manifold that works with the cross over pipe is still there. Looks like he has straight dual exhaust now. Maybe the second opening on the manifold is blocked off.

Also need to inquire about whether the original carb is still mounted, as that could be another smog headache.

Thanks again for all the input, it really helps!