The first thing that caught my attention about this 1969 Pontiac Firebird is the seller’s statement, “This car is in “daily driver condition”. It’s not perfect but not junk either. Perfect for some fun driving or for restoring“. And the more that I think about it, that’s the way to go – you can have fun and enjoy it without the worry of some small bug-a-boo befalling your new $12K paint job.  Oh, and it’s also not a ’69 Camaro (OK Camaro fans, don’t get your knickers in a twist, the first-gen Camaros are still my favorite, but they dominate the GM pony car scene, ’69s in particular, so it’s nice to see a similar alternative). This ‘Bird is located in Aubrey, Texas and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of  $11,500, with the reserve not yet met. There is a BIN price of $15,000 too.

Another attraction is the non-duded-up nature of this Firebird, as in it’s not a Trans Am (I know – really rare and extremely valuable in ’69) or a Firebird 400, it’s just a standard Firebird coupe with a V8 engine and a four-speed manual transmission.  And as a result, it’s not carrying a sky-high asking price. This one appears OK, brown doesn’t really help the cause too much and it looks like it has had a run-in with some .0000 steel wool. It was originally Verdoro Green and someone thought brown was a good replacement – to each their own I guess. The paint has some peel going on and there is also some lower fender bubbling but all-in-all, this car shows as sound – at least via the included listing images. Here’s an idling video for your consideration, it’s unfortunately, not very informative.

Under the hood is a 350 CI V8, married to, as mentioned earlier, to a four-speed manual gearbox. Pontiac offered two 350 CI engines in ’69, the standard version, as used in the Firebird 350, was good for 265 gross HP, while the H.O. summoned a 325 HP version. I’m not sure which one we’re looking at here but I have a suspicion that it’s the former that has been modified with an Edelbrock four-barrel carburetor, dual exhaust, and headers. The seller adds, “This car sounds great with a nice, deep growl“. That’s good to know but I wonder how it runs. A lot of mechanical parts have been replaced but we’re advised that the vacuum brake booster and gas tank, due to leaking, should be next on the list.

The interior of this Firebird shows well, it’s mostly in nice shape. The dash pad is cracked and the original tiller has been replaced with an aftermarket wooden piece, but the environment dovetails into this car’s exterior presentation. Interestingly, there’s no radio and the opening has been blocked off with the appropriate plate. The seller mentions that he has a new replacement carpet but what’s there presents nicely, it’s just a bit faded.

And, a new carpet isn’t the only new part included in the sale, there’s a long list of valuable inclusions, be sure to review the listing for the details. The nice thing about this Firebird is that it can be driven as is, and enjoyed, while small improvements can slowly occur if that’s how the next owner wants to roll. I’d say this Poncho has a bright future and full of many directional options, what says you?