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$11,900 or Offer: 1975 Pontiac LeMans Safari Wagon

In the spirit of a lot of recent online car listings, this 1975 Pontiac LeMans Safari Wagon is cut off in most of the photos. But, what is shown is pretty intriguing, especially for wagon lovers. This Safari wagon is listed on eBay with a buy it now price of $11,900 or you can make an offer. It’s located in Maiden, North Carolina.

I believe this color was called Lakemist Green and now it’s sort of 80% that and 20% gray primer. The seller says that the body is in “Great condition, very little surface rust, Some surface spots have been touched up.” I’m surprised at the NADA value of this car. They list an average retail value as being $12,750! I never, ever would have guessed that it would be that high. Maybe $11,900 isn’t such a wacky price after all. Their high retail value? Are you sitting down? $25,800! This car appears to be a quality paint job and a few other tweaks away from being close to that number, but is that what they’re really worth on the market?

It does look good overall, at least as far as not having big chunks of rusted metal hanging off like if it were an upper-Midwest or Northeast car. This one only has 67,845 miles which is an average of just over 1,600 miles a year over the last 42 years. The only real rust that I can see is on the roof, and that’s hopefully just surface rust.

I tend to believe the 67,000-mile claim, there’s a nice sheen to the interior finishes and even to the carpet that might not be there with a 167,000-mile car. The Grand Safari Wagon would be a higher-spec version, but I’m guessing that the door panels would still be vinyl. The seats look incredible to me for being over four decades old. But, there are seam separations to deal with and the seller says that the front seat needs recovering. There are a couple of unfortunate cracks in the dash, one on the very top and one hard-to-repair one on the driver’s side. I’m guessing that a new dash is in order.

As you guessed, the engine photos are cropped, too. Again, why no overall engine photos were taken is mind boggling to me. It’s really not that hard to take a halfway decent photo of a vehicle, is it? But, the snippets of engine photos that the seller has included appear to show a great looking 400 cubic-inch V8, which was the only engine available in the Safari Wagon in 1975. It would have had around 170 hp when new and this one looks great. They say that this car “runs and drives Great!, Car has been on 150 mile trip with no issues; new tires” and that there are “No squeaks, Leaks or Rattles.” What’s a fair price for this car if a person were going to finish the body and paint and fix the interior issues, yet still keep it below that high NADA value?

Comments

  1. Avatar Crazyhawk

    OMG. I had a 75 Safari(blue) my dad gave me when I was 19. It was a good riding car and I remember how low it sat on the road. Sold it for $400. The guy put the 400 in his Firebird and I remember seeing the “heartless” Safari in the junkyard getting smashed a week later. It didn’t have a speck of rust on it….oh well.

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  2. Avatar Steve R

    I don’t believe the NADA valuation reflect real world pricing for one second. This is at least the fifth time it’s been listed on eBay, I guess nobody else realizes it’s true value.

    Steve R

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    • Avatar Peter

      Books do not buy.Cash and people buy cars.These cars were duds when new and could not pull a wheel barow let alone a trailer

      Like 0
  3. Avatar Troy s

    It amazes me how much some of these cars are going for these days. It’s a station wagon from the dark years in automotive ingenuity, not a bad looking car, but come on, 12 grand ????

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  4. Avatar 68custom

    No way anyone will pay anywhere near 12 I for this car! No way!

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    • Avatar Henry Drake

      Take off that last zero, and maybe. Good destruction derby car, that’s about it.

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      • Avatar mike D

        no matter how much you hate the car, don’t even think of demo-ing it ! It ” might” make someone a good car to get started in the “collector” car bug , and while I am at it, I think this is the color you’d see on a National Car Rental vehicle .. tho I think they went for Olds in that year

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  5. Avatar jdjonesdr

    Are there any vehicles from this era that weren’t green????

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    • Avatar Redwagon

      The brown ones!

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  6. Avatar Dovi65

    I’m not seeing a $12k car here, never mind $28K. At best I’d say $5k, as a decent paint will set you back a few bills.

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  7. Avatar fahrvergnugen

    Add a 6.6 and a shaker, paint, and make an ultra rare Grand Am wagon

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    • Avatar Greg

      Did these exist?

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  8. Avatar Paul Hudson

    I’d say $2500 as is. Only because it’s a wagon. These were a low mark for quality. I remember my uncle buying a 4 door version of this new and only keeping it for a year or two. He said it was junk. They bought a new Maverick after that and kept that for years but it was not a great quality car either. I think gas mileage was becoming a factor back in that period too.

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  9. Avatar rustylink

    ha, this guys a riot. I am just going to leave this right here..

    http://www.craigslistadsaver.com/view.php?name=1978ChevroletCaprice

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  10. Avatar Del

    This car may be worth 5000 grand because of its really neat body style.

    But the asking price is ridiculous

    Like 0
  11. Avatar JagManBill

    I’d love to find a 76 or 77 one of these and do a Can-Am conversion on it. Be like building a W30 Olds wagon….

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  12. Avatar Bruce Fischer

    I love station wagons but that one is just plain UGLY!Bruce.

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  13. Avatar John C Cargill

    I’m sure the NADA value has to do with rarity. Also, these Colonnade GMs are becoming popular as the prices of 60s cars are getting very high.

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  14. Avatar petet

    I guess there a buyer for anything.Alays thought the tail gate of those models were ugly

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  15. Avatar peter

    Vista cruisers were always a better value

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    • Avatar mike D

      yes!! even in these years! tip out sunroof.. ( not sure it is the right word) Olds had more ” pizzazz!”

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  16. Avatar Poppy

    You are correct at the power output. R code 400 is a 2 bbl putting out 170 hp at 3600 rpm and 315 ft-lbs at a low, low 2000 rpm. I had both a ’77 Vista Cruiser with the Olds 350 4bbl THM 400 as well as a ’73 Cutlass with the Olds 350 4bbl THM 350. The Vista felt much peppier off the line with the Turbo 400 tranny’s lower first gear plus a lower rear end than the Cutlass. My guess is this car will have sufficient grunt off the line and cruise nicely at 70.

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  17. Avatar Ed

    In 62 Dad had a Manual shift red n white version for a few hundred. I remember it as being solid like new condition for the price.

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  18. Avatar Brad

    Maiden. So THAT’S where the drugs are coming from ? $25 large. I mean, come on.

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  19. Avatar Gray Wolf

    This is a great car for swap meets, hardware store runs, etc. put some good looking wheels on, a decent paint job and give it a good stance. You will be surprised how many thumbs up and good comments you will get!! It’s different and it’s clean. Small changes give the car a good look. This car could be a good start for someone who can’t afford early vehicles!!

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  20. Avatar Jubjub

    Haha on the price. Cars aren’t going anywhere at prices.

    The Grand Am or Can Am wagon conversion would be a cool direction to go. Personally seeing it with Polycast honeycombs or Rally IIs, a NACA hood and a Grand Am nose and dash.

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  21. Avatar Alexander Member

    Lots of examples of these being turned into Lemans/GTO/Can Am stunners. I almost bought a 72 Lemans wagon a few years ago that was done well. Rally IIs, Radial T/A, lots of goodies under the hood, Judge stripes and bucket seat interior. It will set you back, though, with the starting price for this damned machine!

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  22. Avatar David Ulrey

    Car yes. Price no. NADA makes me laugh. Last year I had a pretty darn clean 73 Suburban. NADA listed it as a little over 12 grand. I got a good laugh out of that one. I listed it for sale when it was time to move on to something different, listed at $4000.00 and waited patiently until I got a $3300.00 offer (very fair price) and took the money. NADA makes real car people laugh and inexperienced car people think they are sitting on a gold mine.

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  23. Avatar PRA4SNW

    That price is definitely a pipe dream, and I think he would have been better off leaving the faded paint spots exposed and the engine bay not oversprayed with blue engine paint.

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  24. Avatar mark

    That car is not worth even close to half what he is asking for it. If it was painted maybe 2000 bucks, the way it is maybe 1500. Not a big demand in my opinion for a 1975 (one of the worst years for American cars) big clunky under powered station wagon that gets 12 miles to the gallon.

    Like 0

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