This 1977 Oldsmobile Starfire is a 2+2 hatchback model that is offered for the dirt-cheap price of just $1,500 or best offer. The seller notes it sat in his friend’s yard for many years before finally getting his hands on it, but that time and moisture has done a number on multiple areas of the car, including the now-seized engine and rusty floorboards. Other parts of the body will need rust repair or replacement as well, so this is a labor of love – but it is a fairly hard-to-find model, and again, you can’t beat the asking price – especially if the seller responds to your best offer. Find the Starfire here on eBay and located in Falling Waters, West Virginia, and thanks to Barn Finds reader Larry D. for the find.
Now, I have to admit there’s a bit of an identity crisis happening with this Starfire that is preventing me from readily knowing exactly what I’m looking at. It appears to have the nose from a Monza, which would make sense given the ease with which the body panels could be swapped round. Now, I could be wrong, as I believe the Monza could be had with both the quad headlights and the single units on each side, depending on whether you opted for the coupe or the hatchback. Regardless, the interior confirms this as a Starfire, thanks to badges on the door panels and on the glove box. The seller says the doors, fenders, and quarters all have rust issues, but they’re hard to spot here.
The interior has definitely seen better days, with rough-looking carpets, a cheap aftermarket steering wheel, and faded fake wood trim. On the upside, the seat upholstery looks decent, as do the door panels, but the seller days it’s nowhere near perfect. He’s installed new door seals to try and keep some of the moisture out, and other new seals are included with the sale. While it’s hard to detect just how much of an impact water intrusion has had on a car from photos, you usually know right away when you open the doors. The fact that the floors need replacing tells you just how long water has likely been getting into this Starfire, along with the partially raised carpet in the driver’s side footwell.
The 350 under the hood may have at one time made a healthy racket when it was fire up, but the SBC has fallen silent. The seller contends that just like the rust in the body, water intrusion caused this engine to seize up. Now, he blames this on the hood being left off, which could lead to water entering the engine in some capacity, but it seems far more likely to have happened if a valve cover was removed and the internals were exposed. Regardless, when you see how the brake booster is covered in yellow paint along with other components that should never be painted, it seems likely this Starfire hasn’t been properly cared for in some time. Can – or should – it come back to life?
Pass
Pass, parts car with less than $1,500 worth of parts.
Steve R
Too bad it got to the point of no return.
Could this have been a manual trans car originally? The brake pedal is too small for an automatic car. Not sure what’s on top of the trans hump.
That has to be a monza nose – not sure what year.
Apparently, different noses from the 4 GM cousin cars are interchangeable.
No starfire came with circular headlites & there was no coupe version with a trunk for olds either …
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Starfire#Second_generation_(1975–1980)
Interesting body comparison with a
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_365_GTC/4
I find it surprising that spark plug access was tuff with v8’s on these cars, considering they have no shock towers & don’t even use front struts!
The minute I saw the car’s nose I knew it wasn’t the Starfire’s original. It definitely looks like it’s from a Monza.
True, my buddy had a v6 auto Sunbird and when I drove it I had to take off my shoes because they were wider than the pedals
Was the Chevette designed for the wankel too?
Look at the brake pedal below – ridiculous on an automatic – looks like parts consolidation to me at the expense of safety.
Bone, you would love the gas(& brake pedal) on a ’76.
http://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/1976-Chevrolet-Chevette-For-Sale-Craigslist-Beige-004-Interior.jpg
lol
Reading about this Starfire’s rust issues reminded me of a YouTube video of an extremely rusty Australian Holden HK Monaro that was rebuilt through the hand fabrication of new body panels, including fenders and floors.
Perhaps this Starfire should be sent to Australia? If someone there was capable of rebuilding a rusty Holden, couldn’t they be able to work on this car as well?
Why? The cost of shipping the car far outweighs its value. Australia is already crawling with 60’s and 70’s American cars, they don’t need this car stinking up the place.
Steve R
Would GM sell a car with a V8 with 4 bolt rims? Total yellow paint job in the engine area too.
Ford did the same thing with 80’s and 90’s Fox body Mustangs.
Steve R
Monzas came with V8 and 4 bolt wheels.
I like this, if the price stays where it is at, not a bad buy at all. Plus it is unusual to say the least. Even the body and paint look okay.
This is the same car that was my very first car only difference mine was a 1976 you can literally hear this thing rusting and the rear shock mounts are made of tin foil and will eventually break. I also have the 231 odd fire engine was a vibration marvel
I got my car which my father bought in used1977 in Flint Michigan my older brother drove it and by that time in 1980 the doors that were completely rusted out I’d say maybe 60% of the car had rust all over it. 100% garbage of a vehicle
My then 17yr old girlfriend, now wife of 36 years had a ‘76 Starfire with the odd fire V-6 and a 4 speed. I found it for her and she grew to hate it. It had a cable clutch and the firewall flexed so badly that you could shift it into reverse at times. She got so mad after work one day that she put it in first and drove over to concrete parking block in front of the car. I fixed it by cutting a license plate in fourths, stacking the pieces up, drilling a hole through them and running the cable through it. Crude, but it worked!
I don’t know what they were thinking with that odd fire V-6, but it was pretty bad. This car definitely has a Monza nose on it
Gmail made ca e s in the early 60s with 4 lug v8 cars. Buick skylark, olds f85, not sure if pontiac was 4 lug or not. But these early 60s a bodies had 215 v8s with 4 lug .
I owned a Chevrolet Monza Coupe which is this car with a different label, with a V-8 which was overpowered and very nose heavy. But the design of the car,
in Black with a Red Interior was striking. I sold the car and don’t regret that but I’ve always liked the design.
They’re asking about $1,485 too much.
That looks like a 75 mona nose,I had a 78 buick skyhawk with a 231 v6,and turbo 350 transmission, it was pretty peppy for a light car like those, it was scary fun in the snow,no freaking traction with rear drive and 7.5 open differential, but heck I only paid $200 for it in 87 or 88,personally I think this should be a parts car,and I’d give maybe 400 for it,just to get above scrap price and not insult the guy too bad,another case of sat out too long and wasn’t looked after properly, the item on the transmission hump looks like what’s left of a b&m quick silver shifter, or one like it, someone probably had plans on hot rodding this car,and ….
Did they take the engine out, spray the engine compartment, then put the engine back? There is no overspray on the engine or engine wires. Just wondering. And wondering why, I suppose.
Very well could have been a terror on the street with a mild 350/350 set up, I dont think it was ever finished. Its just someones idea that fizzled.
To me its no differnt than the primered out Chevy Vega a block or so from me,, small block, shift kitted automatic and noisy as heck.
Jeff, water on a greasy head with valve seals is not so bad if only a few times. I’ve bought cars with no hood & carb covered, but someone left a valve cover off or oil fill cap. Most of the water goes into lifter valley which is greasy & down into pan amongst oil; just don’t fire it up before draining. But just one long rainstorm with water into carb throat, down thru intake manif & into combustion chamber where valve open; the cylinder walls get rusty quickly if water not purged in a few days.