Could this old Pontiac listed on craigslist really have only 18,000 miles on it? For once, it may be true. It’s on Bainbridge Island which is only about 10 miles long and 5 miles wide and populated by less than 25,000 people. This Bonneville was purchased new by a funeral home and only used for funerals. The seller doesn’t say how long he’s owned the car. It appears very original and in great condition and loaded with about every option available in 1968. Perhaps there is someone somewhere willing to pay $12,000 for the car.
It certainly looks nice inside. It may have only 18,000 miles, but it would have had many hours driving very slowly. Hopefully, that’s mud on the heel pad and not wear.
The engine and environs look a little dirty, but still pretty nice and original for 49 years. It should clean up nicely. That could be one of 5 engine choices, from 389 up to 455.
This fourth generation Bonneville is a nice survivor and might really have only 18,000 miles on it. It would be interesting to see if there is someone out there willing to pay anything close to $12,000 for this Pontiac. It does have the extra pair of doors that some folks don’t care for. For the right price, this could be a nice driver. It would get a lot of attention at shows.
Around ’90 I bought a 2 door. For $200. Original black paint. White int. 400 4brl. 4 whl drums . Us foolish kids back in the day. Go like hell, stopped unpredictable.. Good memories, one of those I should have held onto.
Looks really nice, but I always favored the 1967 over the 1968. I always liked the stacked headlights better, and thought the front didn’t look nearly as good as the year before. Someone can get a nice car here though.
I get excited when I see a low mile car of a make I like only to find disappointment when I open it as it is either an ugly color or it is a 4Dr.
This one is both.
good candidate for a 2dr conversion
David, I wish your writers weren’t so opinionated about the vehicle they are assigned to introduce to the viewers. So many times those opinions are so off the wall with regard to value, what should be done, why someone misrepresented it and so on. Just the facts guys. While you are at it, get your facts correct. There was no 389 in 1968 and there was no 455 available then either. Standard motor in the large cars was a 400 cu. in. and the largest option was a 428 HO motor.
If I may, jeff, this isn’t like other “cars for sale” sites out there. I like the authors commentary. That’s what makes this site special, these authors aren’t professional journalists, ( I don’t think) just regular folks, that love cars, and sometimes rely on sellers info. It’s a big job researching all these cars, and if you notice something they said wrong, it’s up to people that DO know the facts, to kindly chime in with them. That’s the idea behind the “comments” section, not to berate the authors. Thanks for the Pontiac V8 info. I happen to know, Pontiac V8’s are the most confusing of all the V8’s.
I really like how the barn finds writers lay out the stories. It is true that they are not professional writers. They are guys just like us, who love cars and do their best to represent them in an interesting way. I think we need to continue to encourage these volunteer writers in what they are doing. It does take a lot of effort to learn about a car they have been assigned and present it in an interesting and honest way. I did not read anything in David’s comments that made me think that his opinion was just getting in the way of his story.
This will be a 400 2 bbl single exhaust. Not a beast but decent performance.
A 4 bbl manifold and dual exhaust would sure wake it up!
The Family’s ’68 Delta 88 had the 455, with a 2-barrel carb.
Somewhere I still probably have the photo of the engine air cleaner sticker I took the day dad brought the car home. As a senior in high school, that size of an engine impressed me. Still does.
Of course, that was an Oldsmobile, not a Pontiac.
The individual is correct. There were 2 400 cu.in V8 options, and one 428 cu in engines available.
In the mid eighties I had one of these, except mine was maroon and was pretty much mint condition. It had a 400 engine, ran great, had 65K miles on it. If you ran it hard the temp would get up there. I think it got about 8 mpg, I traded it to a 74 lemans that was the color of this one, and it got about 12 mpg.
Whew, sorry about the rant ^^^, I forgot all about the car. Nice car, no way on the miles. Again and again, 118,000 miles isn’t really a lot for a 50 year old car, but somebody drove this car. Maybe not lately, but early on, for the 1st 30 years, it was driven. It sure is a nice car, regardless.
If it is anywhere near the truth in description and shots – this car is a bargain – no question
kool old car but not believing the 18k miles.
Well put. Regards
There are a lot of interesting cars on Bainbridge alongside the road. just take a drive.
If everyone loved the cars I do, I’d never be able to afford any of them. My favorites are usually the wagons and four door cars, although my current wagon is a two door. Give me the unloved, the unwanted and the orphans any old day.
I like it, four doors and all. The four door hardtop body style was one of the better looking and most practical styles of all time. No body preserved them, so they are getting rare. To me the color doesn’t matter as that can be changed. I wouldn’t touch it! Just clean it up and enjoy it.
I had a ’68 Grand Prix with the high horse 400. (I don’t remember the horsepower rating) I bought it for $400 in 1974 to have temporarily wheels (one month planned) I had that poor old car for 4 years. Never changed the oil
or did any maintenance. (I was always going to get rid of it the next month.)
I had to pull the secondary link off the Quadra-jet to get any fuel economy at all. As my wife only knew foot to the floor driving. (gas or brakes) When I went to sell the car. I reconnected the secondary and took it for a top end run. It buried the speedo and saw the bottom end of the needle pass the odo! It was a handful at the speed. I used up most of the 2 lane road. The worst part of the car was that you always had to keep the A/C / Heater fan on high to keep the cabin pressure up. That way the exhaust fumes would not come in from the rusted out trunk. It was the Illinois rust belt. And the car was already over 5 years old. It seemed that the Ziebart rust-proofing made the rust worse. (Hold in the salty moisture.)
Not a bad looking 4 door. A nice set of large bolt pattern Pontiac Rally II wheels would look great with some thin white stripe tires. If it was painted black with black vinyl roof it would really look nice. Also, it might appear a tad smaller………
18K ? PIS ! HEY BUDDY, 😎, You want to buy the BROOKLYN BRIGDE.
A few corrections…
The 68 full-size Pontiac’s had six possible engines… a regular fuel 265 horse 400 2 bbl (automatic trans only) that was optional on all models at no charge, a premium fuel 290 horse 400 2 bbl that was standard on Catalinas and executives, a premium fuel 340 horse 4 bbl engine standard on Bonneville and optional for Catalina and executive, a premium fuel 350 horse 400 4bbl was standard on the Grand Prix and not available on other models, a premium fuel 375 horse 428 4bbl and a premium fuel 390 horse 428 HO 4 bbl were both offered optionally on all models.
Both 428’s came with a chrome dress package and all GP’s and any car with the 428 HO came with dual exhaust. In all other cases dual exhaust was available optionally.
This car seems to have the standard Bonneville 340 horse 400 (the air cleaner is the 4 bbl version) but was not equipped with dual exhaust.
It has most but not all options, from what
I see it is missing… wood sport steering wheel, optional engine, duals, 8 track player, gauge cluster, 8 lug cast wheels, speed warning, climate control etc. but by 68 standards this car is very heavily optioned.
As for mileage The only way to really know on a car like this is to see it in person. A 20k mile car is unmistakable from a 120k car, the feel of the door handles, slop in the seat mechanism, wear on the pedals, armrests, upholstery, steering wheel rim etc. the headlamp knob shows its age, as do the wipers, wiper switch, door hinges