Color me surprised: I didn’t know a Sunbird could be considered rare. Through the years, I’ve kept an eye on these things because of a weird affinity I have for the turbocharged models. One of my good friends in high school had one with the factory boost gauge – a fun car. But I had no clue the early convertibles were produced in such small numbers. Find this survivor here on craigslist for an eye-watering $12,500.
To be fair, there can’t be many Sunbirds left that still look this good: deep cherry-red paint, a near perfect white top, shiny chrome and four matching wire hubcaps. But underneath, it’s still a Sunbird, and the seller didn’t even include any interior photos. These early cars represented the beginning of the shift towards front-wheel drive, abandoning the RWD chassis of the previous generation’s Vega-sourced underpinnings.
I’ve never really noticed it before, but here you can see clearly how hard GM tried to integrate the Firebird’s front fascia into the Sunbird’s otherwise homely appearance. I can’t find any data to back up the low production numbers cited by the seller, but I do know that this generation was equipped with a fuel-injected four-cylinder sourced from GM of Brazil, making a measly 84 b.h.p. In this example, the SOHC 1.8L is paired to a fun-sapping automatic transmission.
While I’m sure there’s at least one enthusiast out there who has his or her eye on this car, I’m not sure anyone is stepping up to the plate with the cash to take it home. $12,500 buys a lot of nice projects, and other than the GM collector who has one of everything, it’s hard to imagine this mint-condition Sunbird commanding much more than $5K. It may be limited production, and it may be mint – but I think I’d hold out for a Turbo coupe in similar condition for the money being asked here.
Well not all “Rare” cars are worth a lot of money. some people just do not understand this. They didn’t make very many of these for a reason. they didn’t sell well. its just a disposable transportation car. its not a classic, not desireable, not worth a lot of money, and Definitely NOT a “barn find”
YIKES!!! 12.5K? While I agree from what the seller has shown us it looks to be in well kept condition, is this car really worth that much?
On one hand, I’m surprised but, on the other… does this mean real collectible car prices are on the way up? Way Way up?
I think this should be removed from BF.
12.5K for a Sunbird? That dog ain’t hunting. No way. IDK if you put a big bow on it, and some southern hospitality. The horse isn’t even getting lead to the water. There is a whole list of Detroit muscle that would fill that bill nicely and still have money left over for beer, pizza, and garage art. The hospitality is free. ;-)
According to my copy of the Standard Catalog of Pontiac 1926-2002 2nd Edition, the 626 convertible production number is correct. While not worth 12,500, it is neat to see a Pontiac 2000 (Sunbird) that hasn’t been used up and thrown away. My second car was a 88 Sunbird SE coupe with the flip up eye lid headlight covers and the 2.0 four cylinder. Also had a 1991 Sunbird GT coupe with the 3.1 v6. Both cars were extremely good to me only needing the basic maintenance. J cars were pretty darn good cars until rust gets ahold of the lower door sheet metal and rear strut towers. They make pretty darn good compact demolition derby cars as well.
I must respectfully disagree RJ. They are flaming piles of excrement. I will grant you that a 2.0 liter isn’t bad and a 3.1 isn’t the worst GM engine in the world. But this pig has the 1.8 which even with a manual transmission rowed by a hormonal teenager can’t get out of its own way.
Another good looking but terrible underneath car from GM.
I’ve had a few over the years and thought the J cars were good cars, generally. Not a Toyota or Honda but good from a domestic perspective. My favorite was a ’90 Sunbird Turbo in Black with a 5-speed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_Sunbird#/media/File:90sunbirdgt.jpg
Thing ran great and I beat the crap out of it. Loved the look under hood.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Family_II_engine#/media/File:90_sunbird_engine.jpg
My first car was a 93 Sunbird four door. It does not look like many of the body panels changed in a 10 year period. I nicknamed it the “Gutless Wonder” When I got it there was literally no oil in it. I have no idea now long it ran like that. The only problem I had with it was a starter needing replacement. That car took all the beating a 19 year old could dish out and refused to die.
My girlfriend in college had a 1985 Sunbird Convertible Red with gray cloth interior that looked just like this one pictured here. It was in incredible shape. Her mom drove it back to Texas from NY where they used to live and turned it in when their four lease was up in 1989. She also had a 85 Red Fiero with the silver ground effects kit and V6 which would haul ass. That went back within a few months of the Sunbird in early 89. her mother then purchased a 24,000 White on White 10 year anniversary edition Mazda RX7 from the local Mazda place here in Poughkeepsie to make it up to her. In the summer of 88 several months earlier, her mom and step dad asked me to dinner with them and when they found out my ambition was to teach secondary English, they pulled her aside and told her to dump me because I would never be able to support her the way she had become accustomed. Her mom then dumped the step dad by Nov 88 as she was having an affair and my gf dumped me soon after for my friend who nailed her on the first date right after Thanksgiving. Mom then saddled her daughter with a 425 a month car payment for the mazda and moved to Illinois hoping her daughter would follow which she only did by August 89 because they offered to pay for the her new BF’s college.
Karma is a behatch though, as things went really wrong for the whole lot of them sadly and my ex became one of the national poster moms for Post Partum Depression when she thought she heard God tell her to murder her 9 month old daughter. Didn’t find out about that one until seven years after when I went to join FB and saw this on Google when I searched for her name.
Anyway, wish I had the money to buy this car as I owned two GM A bodies (84 Pontiac 6000 & 85 Century) and found this with the J Bodies which my Uncle had (81 Skyhawk) to be good quality cars. The dash line in the J cobies was annoying high for me though only being barely 5’7″.
This was theraputic. Amazing what memories a car will bring to the surface.
I see you got a bunch of thumbs downs on this, and it isn’t the most uplifting story, but that’s exactly the kind of memories an old car can bring up, and I found it fascinating!
This car either had a repaint or was buffed to hell. The arrowhead on the front fascia is severely faded.
Nice boulevard cruiser and, who else will have one at a car show? Price is a little steep, but nostalgia sells.
I went car shopping with a girl in high school, she wanted this one, same color, except the valve cover had oil bubbling out of it. The used car lot said, “It’s just a gasket.” She didn’t get the car, I didn’t get the girl, no winners on that one.
Probably a relief on both counts!
Have the 87 turbo version of this car, always wanted one since HS when it was my drivers ed car. Last year I found one on St. Louis Craigslist rust free but needed engine work. Now, just waiting on the nice weather to come back to finish the engine rebuild up and install again. I can’t wait! Love them!
The Sunbird was not low production, GM sold a bunch of them, but convertibles were few, less than 700 built. This is a nice driver , and they were fun to drive, but over $12k? I don’t think so, at half that I might be interested.
Owned 3 or 4 of these. All but one this body style. Bought a 91 Convertable for my ex. When caught her in an affair so when we split told her as long as she made the payments she could have it. She did for about 6 months. So I found it at a bar cut the club, I had bought for it, off and did a repow with a set of keys I ha keept. When I got a girlfried and then moved in together gave it to her to drive. Sure ticked off my ex. When we got married she said she wanted something else not belonging to my ex. Reluctently I traded it in. Really liked that car would like to find another only a GT.
Cowl Shake City. These were not built as a convertible ground up. GM pulled the tops off. Flex Flex Jiggle Jiggle Creak Creak Twist Twist.
VW made them right.
$5000 because it is clean.
Kenny you are a bonehead. I’ve had several coach built convertibles, 83 Cavalier, 82 Dodge and 84 Celebrity. NONE had cowl shake in fact they are built better than factory convertibles. I’d lay money you’ve never owned one.
I’m partial to J-body cars, my first car was an ’86 Z24 Cavalier and my parents had an ’88 Sunbird sedan that was our family car during my early years of elementary school. The guy my dad sold the Sunbird to in 1995 was able to keep it running through 2010 when he had to junk it due to severe rust. My Cavalier had rust issues too and I didn’t keep it long because of that and a leaking sunroof. This is a really nice car and I would love a 1st gen J-body car again just to have as a second car, not to mention this would fit perfectly in my 1 car garage that my daily driver is too large to fit in. However, I will never pay $12k for a J-body car no matter how nice, I can think of several other cars I would much rather pay this much for. $5k tops for this, I rather pay less than that if I’m buying though, plus I’d rather have another Z24 if I’m going this route.
The Z24 was a neat little IROC Cavalier. I recall reading test articles about them. Those and the Dodge Shadow Turbo ES, the Sunbird Turbo were the American option of the hot hatches.
I would pay the extra money for the refinement and often better fit and finish/build/drive-ability of a Corolla FX16 GTS, VW GTI, Honda Civic Si, etc.. but the were cool offerings at a good price. Escort GT was the slower but better looking and still as affordable American optional offering.
I still have my 92 GTI 16v. It has held up great. So I have a thing for earlier sporty hatches.
Kenny, I wanted a mid 80’s GTI or Honda CRX, but that would have been sacrilege in my family at the time. We lived near the Lordstown assembly plant where the Cavalier and Sunbird were built and my grandfather worked there. The Cavalier ended up falling into my lap for free, from a coworker of my mom. It had some rust and the previously mentioned leaking sunroof, needed a new radiator and break lines and I ended up finding a better set of wheels and the fiberglass hood off an 87 Z24 and throwing those on as well. I enjoyed it and ended up making a profit on it when I sold it, the only car I was ever able to do that with. Payed nothing put $500 worth of work in it, learned how to drive in it sold it for $1000.
Had a 84 J2000 4 doors with the carb engine that blew after 1 year. Car was used a lot. Didn’t had the time to rust! It was a plain Jane with plastic door panel.
Then bought a 87 SE 4 doors full loaded, love that car for 7 years! Then a ”lost” women came right to my line on a dirt road with a Mazda 3, car was totalled. She lie to to the police officer saying that I change my line. The police officer never ask my version of the accident at the moment and I just wondered why. I was really upset when I asked my insurance cie why I would not be protected, they send me the police report saying it was my fault… I did learn from that accident, always ask the police officer to take my deposition.
similar sunbird
not mine
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/oshawa-durham-region/must-sell-1990-pontiac-sunbird-turbo-le-convertible/1206204596?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
650 each cdn = 2dollars and bubble gum us
67 Firebird Convertible…..???…oh sorry, 83 sunbird convertible…….why are we still talking about this?
A snoozer, I have no interest in it.
I wish they called the ragtop version a Pontiac Sunburn.
Seriously, the GM J-body is the image that the term “shitbox” conjures up for me.
This is $3,500 nice.
I’ll take a 78 or 79 6cyl 5spd over this any day! But I still would not pay what this seller is expecting.
As usual all the comments from cranky old men that want a bigger engine than their…uh… you know. Some of us like getting 30 mpg and driving a cute small car. I’d buy this I had a 83 Cavalier COnv built by ASC and it was well built no cowl shake in fact tighter than a factory convertible probably due to being hand built. The Sunbird was cute it does resemble a small Firebird. Not all of us want to peel rubber and spend all our money on gas with a 20 gallon tank, this car has a 12 gallon size. I don’t get the obsession with power. Most cities are far too crowded to drive over 45. Plus I got out of HS years ago.
I have this car it’s in great condition 74000 original miles. Mine is silver with a black top and two tone silver gray interior. I have gone years without driving it ( garaged) I charge a battery replace old gasoline and it fires right up every time. I’m pretty sure it was one of 2 built with this option package and as far as I can tell it’s the last one to survive. I doubt it’s worth 12 k but I’ll keep on holding it pulling it out most summers to put 100 miles on it. It is rare as for value who can judge.