Needing a subcompact car to compete in that market, Pontiac introduced the Astre in the U.S. in 1975. It had already been sold in Canada since 1973. The good news/bad news for the Astre was that it was a rebadged Chevrolet Vega, which had teething problems in its own rollout. The seller, the second owner of this 1977 Astre wagon, parked it a few years ago after struggling to find a mechanic (a Chevy or Pontiac dealer wouldn’t do?). Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this project is available here on craigslist for $5,000 OBO.
While the Vega sold more than two million copies over seven model years (1971-77), Pontiac delivered less than 150,000 units across three turns of the calendar. With numbers this large, you might think more of these vehicles would be left today. But the fact is they really weren’t very good cars, although they were far better by the time the Vega and Astre were retired. The good news for the seller’s wagon is that it has Pontiac’s 151 cubic-inch “Iron Duke” I-4 instead of the Vega’s troublesome powerplant.
As far as rarity is concerned, Pontiac sold fewer “Safari Wagons” compared to the hatchback and notchback sedans. The seller’s transport was one of 10,000 or so peddled in 1977 but has been parked for several years. We’re not told what ills sidelined the Pontiac or what it may take to get it on the road again. The odometer reads 20,000 miles, but could it be 120,000?
We’re not sure how many cosmetic issues may need addressing. Since the Vega was prone to rust, the Astre would be just as susceptible. No photos are offered regarding the interior, so is it good or a mess? The same goes for the engine compartment, so are the Iron Duke and automatic transmission complete and intact? This may be a decent project, but is a “Vega” project worth the asking price? BTW, thanks for the tip, Chuck Foster.
Not going anywhere fast w the iron Duke and the autobox. Good looking wagons. Thanks Dixon.
Ah, the Astre, I think Detroit grossly underestimated the want for Vega look alike Pontiac, with such poor reviews from the Vega. Obviously, GM panicked, quick, get a then respected name, Pontiac, and for Gods sake, put a pushrod motor in it. Too late, as most buyers couldn’t tell you the difference anyway. The Iron Duke, was an okay motor, conventional in every way. They were so sure, the Astre was even $200 less( $3595) than the Vega( $3795). Didn’t matter, as there just were such better Asian cars coming up, with innovative features, not old pushrod motors. I read, get this, this is great, the Astre had the “100 year old man” syndrome. Fixing one problem caused 5 more. A shame such a great car name had to be riddled with this. I read, Astre production numbers by ’77, were under 10,000 units, and it was goodbye Astre.
Here’s a funny thing, out of the “much better Asian” cars in that era, there’s next to zero survivors on the road today, but there’s hundreds of Vega’s and H bodies, you can see them all on Facebook.
Toyota’s from then were run into the ground and rusted here in the northeast. They are worth a lot now unlike these. My mom had a 78 Corolla. Good car but it was starting to rust when we sold it.
4.3 V6 or any small block swap and be done..
It sold really well in Canada as Pontiac was the main GM brand here over Chevrolet,am guessing GM saw how well it sold in Canada that it would be a hit in the U.S…I remember a bright orange hatchback with black stripes the 4-spoke “mag”wheels and an orange interior cruising around..slowly in our hood in my youth.
I don’t know where Mr. Dixon gets the idea, “they weren’t really good cars”?? Sure the initial Vega’s needed some refinements, but they became very good cars, and morphed into the H body models that had terrific sales all the way to 1980. Look at Sunbird production, each year huge increases in production up to 1980, probably kept Astre sales down. But with a sophisticated SLA front suspension, torque arm engineering, greatly improved rust resistance by 1977, these were good cars. The addition of the near bullet proof Iron Duke was a finishing touch. Don’t forget the Iron Duke was radically revised for the GM products by 77. Check out the Facebook fan groups for Astre, Vega, Monza, and all the H bodies.
The best way to lose my interest, in your vehicle: Craigslist.
Where would you recommend selling a vehicle that will get that kind of exposure?