1971 Pontiac Catalina convertible: Yay or meh?
 

Not looking to bruise egos here, there is one of those big Cat convertible for sale locally

I'm just curious to hear what experiences you have with those, what to look for and if you think this car is cool or not.

The one for sale is identical to that beautiful drawing from that 1971 brochure, same color and trim, engine is the stock 400 that has bree rebuilt last year. Car has a less than perfect paint job but looks clean enough and is 99% rust free and very clean interior.

Tell me what you think

Peter

How much? Something you want to keep or flip? It's not a cool looking car but could be a lot of fun.

A bit of both, I have a great dane and he loves convertibles. Hes getting old and jumping in my Jeeps and pickups is getting more laborious. So I bought a Toyota Solara convertible sport for him last summer, he can just walk into the car and he has his mattress on the back seat.

I collect ( fancy word for hoarding) old stuff , cars and motorcycles. Being a Pontiac guy I own a couple firebirds but never owned a full size Pontiac.

I would drive my dog around in it and maybe resell the car after a couple years. Just dont want to get stuck with it.

Owner is asking for 5000$ which is why it caught my attention.

Peter

A well rebuilt 400 is worth the $5000. So the car is basically free. It's a big cruiser and your dog should love it.

Worst case scenario, after you enjoy it for a few years, you sell it for less than you paid for it. Doesn't sound like that would be a big problem.

Well that is what I need to assess , the owner said he rebuilt it himself which can be a good thing or a terrible thing...

Peter

Back in the late 80's I had a '72 Catalina 4 door hardtop for a winter beater. It was a nice low mile car that was very comfortable and drove nice.

A good looking early 70's convertible with a good top that you can jump in and drive is worth 5k all day long IMWO.

If it runs ok Nd a good top, 5k is a good price. A rust bucket gto is going for more than that.

George

I always thought they had a Frito Bandito mustache look

Cool cars tho

Buy it and enjoy.

I think they’re oool looking cars myself.

You’re going to fall in love with the comfortable ride and top down driving.

That’s a lot of car for a paltry 5 grand.

I like it...but I'm biased...

Dennis

I'm not a fan of those cars but that sounds like a steal.

5 grand doesn't buy much these days.

No way you can go wrong if you can enjoy it for 5k.

Just had a lenghty conversation with the owner , the car is 2 hours away so Ill go take a look next week.

Based on our conversation:

-He replaced the master, booster, front rotors, calipers and pads... but since he did it it seems like the booster is not doing its job since the pedal is always hard.

-The driver side door panel has rips in it but the rest of the interior is in great condition

-the trunklid besides having a small dent it seems so poorly adjusted like its popped slightly open even if closed .

-Frame, floors, and trunk are solid just the drive side footwell seems to have been previously fixed with pop rivets ��

-Engine the original 2bbl 400, has been refreshed last year ( new rings, bearings, cam, lifters, oil pump,, etc) just no machining because owner said it was all within specs

-new shocks all around. New manifolds and gaskets, single exhaust system.

-Fresh convertible top going up and down smoothly.

-The endura? Nose has a couple cracks at the top and the paint job seems to have been sprayed by a 7 years old.. The car is now white, which is a shame since it was originally a 42 coded car ( Limekist green)

Will keep you posted with my finding when Ill test drive the behemoth

Peter






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Of the model years of these final run of full-size convertibles, I like the early '70s cars because the bumpers are tucked in more cleanly.

Just the fact that it has disc brakes, is a huge bonus.

I don't know when disc brakes became standard on Pontiac full size cars. Chevrolets were 1971.

Those big cars float like Cadillacs...good luck!

One of the cars I have is a 75 G-ville conv. We love that car, rides like a dream and believe it or not, gets compliments from all ages 10-80. More than much more rare cars we have.

Go for it, there cheap and a lot of fun!