I continue to remain completely shocked by what ends up at the donation center for historic and vintage vehicles. This is an absolutely pristine 1979 Pontiac Bonneville, clearly loved by its elderly owners until their dying days, only to end up in the lot of a business that sells mostly beater-grade donation vehicles (but does end up with some very fine specimens like this from time to time.) The Bonneville sports beautiful paint and an absolutely spotless red interior, and the seller notes it runs and drives with cold A/C. Most donation cars don’t even have four good tires on them, so this one is a major outlier. Find it here on eBay where it’s bid to just over $4K with no reserve.
The Bonneville of this generation was hardly a performance machine, and handling, if there is any to speak of, is an afterthought. You bought one of these to cruise in pure isolation and total comfort, and that it was masterful at. The Bonneville nameplate has always been synonymous with generous space and impressive ride quality, even as its reputation as a high-performance sedan has waxed and waned. With this iteration coming at the height of the malaise era, it certainly didn’t set any records for outright speed or engineering achievements, but that didn’t stop plenty of customers from buying one to waft gently down the road. Check out the chrome bumpers, original hubcaps, and vinyl roof – all of these trim elements appear to be in excellent condition.
The interior speaks for itself. This is just stunning. Aside from the off-handed chance it was previously restored, this strikes me as the classic “let’s buy this so we can drive the grandkids around” and then they sit in the backseat exactly two times. The backseat really does look like it’s never been sat in, and given the listing discloses that the rear power windows do not function, I’d chalk that up to lack of use causing the motors to seize up. Truth be told, the front seat looks to have seen about the same level of use, so there is a chance the cabin previously got a refresh, but it seems unlikely given these cars weren’t prized to the level that owners would spend thousands restoring the upholstery.
When I see the engine bay, however, I begin to wonder if this Bonneville has been restored. It’s possible that a longtime owner also just loved the hell out of this Bonneville, and many older owners keep their cars in tip-top shape even as their driving days begin to diminish. Pride in ownership, and all that, a dying art form. The seller does disclose there is some paint fade on the outside and minor wear inside, but honestly, I see very little to write home about. For the current bid amount, you’re getting a hell of a slow-ride cruiser that can double as a nice-day commuter if you’ve got some miles to work. What do you think the story is behind this well-preserved Bonneville?
Donated cars are always a bit of a crapshoot. That’s why the prices are generally low.
This site has featured many cars from this seller. They cycle through some interesting cars. Right now, they also have listed a 1979 Honda Civic CVCC and a 1981 Honda Accord.
Steve R
…with a Buick V8. Didn’t even know Buick was still making V8’s in ’79. I guess you learn something new every day.
Buick made their own v8s until 1980, Pontiac 1981. After that they had Chevy and Olds power.
I had a friend in high school who was given a twin to this by his grandparents. At our 10th reunion he still had it!
If it had the 402 I would cash in my 401k
Nice car. Got the typical Gm disintegrating foam headliner but an easy fix.
What a nice Bonnie. Loaded too….customer order for sure! Cornering lamps, door courtesy lamps, gauges and all power. Surprised it isn’t a Brougham but they ordered vinyl seats so they probably weren’t a fan of cloth (my parents never were). A set of rallyes or snowflakes and this car would look even more amazing! Had to be garaged all its life, the red interior shows no signs of fading. Someone is getting a nice car!
Had This,in a 2 door model..301 CID.. Loaded…Great Car.. Sold It,with a 150k,on the clock.. Lasted another 4 years…
What is in the trunk? fender skirts I assume with the wheel well chrome missing. These looked sharp then and still do now.
What an absolutely gorgeous car in a gorgeous color combination! When the B bodies were restyled in 1977, the Pontiacs came out the best out of all 4 of them. What I like about this is FULL INSTRUMENTATION. A lot of times GM did not do that on their cars. Pontiac was the most likely division to offer that. Temperature, oil, volts, and even a vacuum gauge prominently in the center! How cool is that?? The red interior is a nice shade and is in great shape! The only thing that would have made this car nicer is if it were a Bonneville Brougham with the velour interior. You could still get a 350 in 1979 – I don’t think you could in 1980 or 1981 – the 301 would have been the biggest engine. Fender skirts not installed – they look good on these cars. Someone’s going to get a beautiful car!! Wish it was going to be me, but it’s not…
The 350 was the top engine choice for these in 1979, in three potential versions as I discussed elsewhere. The Olds 350 was available in 1980 in the Bonneville Brougham. For 1981, the Olds 307 became the top V8.
I hope someone snatches it up and loves it before it Potentially becomes a real real turd.
No way! My grandpa had one exactly like this!
For once I believe the mileage to be real.
No one in the family wanted Grampy’s Bonneville but it managed to fetch $6.6k, which is more than I’d have expected. I’d guess the color combo is a big part of the reason.
Anyway, for an interesting bit of trivia, there were three different 5.7 liter engines you could get in full-size Pontiacs and Firebirds in 1979. The fifth digit in the VIN for this one is the code “X” Buick-built 155 horsepower 5.7 liter V-8. You could also get a code “L” Chevrolet 5.7 that had 170 horsepower, though 10 fewer lbs/ft torque than the Buick mill. And finally there was a code “R” Olds-built 350 that also had 170 horsepower.
The auction price is $7,178 with the charity’s fees. Ouch.
That’s a really good chunk of change for a 1977-89 GM B-body, especially for a non-Chevrolet version. Sure it’s pocket change compared to a late 1960s Mopar, for example, but these tend to hover in the 5k range, or less.
Lots of high bidders with feedback of 14 or less. Big red flag.
Interesting how most of the higher bidders in their auctions have very little feedback.
Sold for $6600.
The condition of the car speaks volumes about the folks that owned it.
Very often in life we find the true wealth of a man or woman in the condition of the things they leave behind.
I once worked for a man whose folks always stated they had very little to go on so they ( the kids ) would have to work hard in school, get jobs and become something.
Upon the reading of the parents’ will the three kids discovered the folks left them 19 paid for rental houses an a whole lotta cash.
Like Forrest Gump said: “You never know what you’re gonna get.”
The same is true with a car…
The upholstery is unusual and quite nice. I would have expected this to have the 70/80s era bordello velour. This would make a good movie car and its already in the neighborhood. Rent that sucker out.