This greeted me right when I got off the highway on the way to the cabin.
I checked out inside all the fenders and the underside, it’s real clean. The interior is super nice with the power windows and original radio.
My question is can you option up a Berlinetta to a V8.
you could spec a v8 berlinetta but most i saw are sixes. That's a lot of coin for a non z28 no matter the condition.
Pretty car though.
In reply to Patrick (Forum Supporter) :
9k miles really ups the price. For some reason I want to own a weird not so desirable low mileage car one day.
Oy... this is a case of "barn find" means asking three times what it's worth.
The Berlinetta was a fancy name for "base model." In the 80s they came with an Iron Duke 4 banger.
I suppose if someone desperately wanted a donut-tire, 80-hp version of an American ponycar icon, this is what you would buy. I personally don't see the lure. If I'm going to be spending $18k on an F-body, I would at least want a Z or an RS/SS.
Ok, shutting up my bitchy mouth. I do love seeing time capsule survivors. It's neat to see what they look like in their original form.
Stampie (FS) said:In reply to Patrick (Forum Supporter) :
9k miles really ups the price. For some reason I want to own a weird not so desirable low mileage car one day.
This exact thing is my jam. 73 AMC hornet with 7400 miles, 73 Impala wagon with 58k, and an 87 Cutlass Salon with 60k have all graced my driveway at some point. But they started life as something undesirable, so they don't command the huge price. The 73 Impala had a 454, and I bought it for $2300. The Hornet I got for $1500
This camaro to me is exactly what I wouldn't want. It's a perfectly preserved example of a terrible car that you would feel bad altering. I would have no problem dropping a Hemi in that old Hornet I had.
Honestly, to me, that Camaro is a $5000 car at best. That seller is hoping for a sucker.
*dammit Curtis stop being so bitchy.*
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
if I could get it for 5k i'd LS swap it, throw a 3 piece factory spoiler on, and have a blast. I feel no remorse for un-originalling something that sucked from the factory
As someone involved in the 2nd gen F body world I'll disagree on the value with the posts above. This car looks like the perfect foundation for a pro touring car. The price seems a bit on the high side but I'll bet you could own it for $15,000.00 this weekend. Bolt on the factory hood scoop, front & rear air dams & flares. Replace driveline & suspension and paint your favorite color. Be ready to hit the streets by next spring. Sell off the factory pieces you don't need/want. Even if you paid the full asking price it might be worth it to save years of build time that would be better spent driving. When it comes to these cars "buy the best one you can afford" rings true. It's a 40+ YO car with 9,000 miles!!!!
Typical 2nd gen rust repair & bodywork on currently available project cars can easily get up into the $10,000.00 range WITHOUT paint and takes a LOT of time. And then, you've still got all the worn out window regulators, steering column, dash components, seat tracks, and other wear items constantly failing. A car like this is the quicker AND cheaper route to a better finished project. Take a look at this thread to see the typical restoration work required on a '79 F body. https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/last-member-of-the-silver-fleet-1979-trans-am-ws6/86460/page1/
I'm fully aware of what it takes to fix and build 2nd gens. When i did mine I started with a low mile almost no rust car(albeit wrecked so new subframe and front end required). The next one i bought was rusty and i parted it because rust sucks.
i'm personally not willing to spend 15k on something i will tear apart and build my way
Patrick (Forum Supporter) said:I'm fully aware of what it takes to fix and build 2nd gens. When i did mine I started with a low mile almost no rust car(albeit wrecked so new subframe and front end required). The next one i bought was rusty and i parted it because rust sucks.
i'm personally not willing to spend 15k on something i will tear apart and build my way
But, a lot of other people are.
A high school friends folks gave him a brand new 79 berlinetta. It did have the v8, but I thought it as a mighty lame plane Jane car. Was into old stuff myself, so not much new did much for me, but I remember it being especially lame
In 1979, you could get any of the 3 motor options in a Berlinetta. The motors were an inline 6, or 305 or 350 V8's. The Z-28 package, as it was re-introduced in mid-77, was basically a handling and appearance package, which makes sense since you could get the same mild 350 a Z got in a base model Camaro.
The Berlinetta was also new for 79, basically just a renamed "Type LT." The package was basically similar to what you could get in an "Esprit" Firebird - upgraded interior and appointments but not a real performance package.
Cool car, not worth $17.5k but probably closer to John's figure.
I don’t know gm options well. He was proud of his, and I know it had a v8; don’t remember if 305 or 350. Was there any options less than the berlinetta, or was it the base?
My wife bought a '79 Berlinetta in 1980 - low mileage 305cid that need head work at 25,000 miles - some GM warranty issue.
Quality sucked - she kept it spotless and you'd get in and there would be mystery screws on the floor mat. Seats wouldn't recline so my head was in the roof.
A cool car for the time but as she got older she got tired of flogging around on snowy days. That's a lot of money I guess.
In reply to 03Panther :
In 79, you could get a base Camaro (sport coupe), an RS, a Berlinetta, or a Z28 in increasing level of cost/equipment. So a Berlinetta was actually pretty well equipped if not performance oriented.
In reply to SEADave :
Define 1979 performance oriented. LOL.
I think my wife's 305cid, 2 barrel V8 wheezed out 130hp?
Patrick (Forum Supporter) said:I'm fully aware of what it takes to fix and build 2nd gens. When i did mine I started with a low mile almost no rust car(albeit wrecked so new subframe and front end required). The next one i bought was rusty and i parted it because rust sucks.
i'm personally not willing to spend 15k on something i will tear apart and build my way
Exactly why I bought a 67 LeMans instead of a GTO. In this case, he's selling the equivalent of a Tempest, but asking GTO prices.
The non-parallel tailpipes on those always bothered the hell out of me.
Its been ages since I saw a 2nd gen F-body driving around on the streets. I see first gens all the time and some 3rd gens from time to time, but cant remember the last 2nd gen I saw.
The pinnacle of american performance in 1979 was the 220hp W72/WS6 Trans Am that rolled off the same production line as this car.
To be fair the late 70's were a rough time for everybody. Porsche 911SC 180hp, Ferrari 308 205hp, etc. So we do the same thing the owners of those cars do, add performance parts, updated engines, etc. It wouldn't be hard to do the same to this car, there is a whole industry built up around doing just that.
That's a sweet ride just as it is. People forget that these cars weren't all Z28's and Trans Ams. The Berlinetta was actually a step up from the base cars, and more aligned with the "personal luxury coupe" market than the sticker and stripe ponycars. You don't see these this clean anymore.
If it were mine, I'd do a nice, clean LS swap once whatever is under the hood croaked and leave everything else alone. Sleeper city!
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