While we all tend to get quite excited over survivor muscle cars packing the best options and equipment befitting of an enthusiast owner, there’s something to be said for nicely preserved examples of more mainstream trims and options lines, as this 1984 Pontiac Firebird S/E goes to show us. The S/E certainly has the appearance of a more upscale model, what with its wire wheel covers and white-line tires. But more noteworthy is simply that this is a really nice example of a third generation Firebird, with just 42,000 miles on the clock and under the long-term care of an elderly owner. Find it here on craigslist for $10,000 in New Hampshire.
No Recaros and no manual gearbox – this is a plain-jane interior for a Firebird of this vintage. In fact, it actually reminds me of the rental car-spec model my family once rented in Florida eons ago, wherein my brother and I crammed into the backseat of one of these for a week. That said, this Firebird has clearly been loved, as the interior shows virtually no flaws and the dash reveals no cracks. The backseat and trunk area both look to have never been used, and the front seat upholstery isn’t far off. The Firebird of this vintage wasn’t exactly made of high quality materials, so finding one that’s clearly been preserved can save you the hassle of trying to track down broken or faded plastic trim pieces.
Speaking of faded, no such issues here as the seller confirms the Firebird has been garaged stored all of its life. The original owner did step up to the 5.0 liter V8, eschewing the six cylinder mill despite sticking close to the baseline options elsewhere. No modifications to see here, as you wouldn’t expect to anyway given this isn’t a “hot” model and the owners were clearly more mature than your typical teenager. The seller claims it is ready to go and there are no issues, and that would presumably include rust / rot as well, given the Firebird lived in Arizona before coming to New Hampshire. Presumably, it hasn’t ever seen winter time use.
The asking price may not be unreasonable for a Firebird in this sort of condition, but the bigger issue will be finding a buyer who wants a cruiser versus a muscle car. With the automatic and standard suspension, this Firebird is not meant for hustling, so the next owner is someone who simply wants it for the high state of preservation on display in the photos. The third generation models aren’t particularly collectible in anything other than limited edition form with the higher output engine option selected, such as a Pace Car tribute or a Formula model with three pedals, so I would take the seller’s “or best offer” stipulation seriously if I wanted to bring a bone-stock survivor like this home.
Such a boring car when I was a kid, but pleasantly surprising to see now. I’d leave it as is, but consider changing the rims. I’d save the steelie’s and wheel covers just in case though.
In the ’80s, I really didn’t like seeing wire wheel covers on anything. A car that started out cleanly styled like this third-generation F-body is one of the worst places for fake wire wheels too. That being said, this car is a reminder of a time when you’d see them like this daily. It’s a pretty neat period piece, and having the wheel covers prevents anyone from thinking you’re looking to race in a glacially slow sporty car.
I would put afte market wheels and but a LS 7 in it with twin turbo
Price is probably $3-$4k on the heavy side for a lightly optioned LG4 car, even with the low miles. For reference, I paid $10k last summer for a pristine 59k mile ’87 GTA. Clean as it was, it still needed brakes all the way around and a new A/C compressor. My point is that a low mileage 35+ year-old car usually needs varying degrees of work due to how long they’ve sat unused. That should be factored in before paying premium money for something like this
Glad to see the V-8 in it…by the plain jane looks, I was expecting to see a 4 cylinder perched between the shock towers…and I agree with the tower…maybe they are testing the waters with the 10K price tag…
Agreed…I totally expected to see an Iron Duke when I saw the cover photo!
I saw a Duke in a car like this at a show once, it got a lot of attention. 5 speed I think. Had the looks, not the rest, but still a great car in its own simple way. Just Pontiacs way of making the fuel averages better, but not really a great car in general.
Most of the plain ones had a 2.8 six. A V8 BIRD with low miles in what appears to be fine condition at 10k is close to where it should be.
Elderly owned. That infers a past tense scenario. The old dude didn’t die in the front seat did he? That would leave some bad vibes.(among other bad things). Hope the old fella is okay. Either way, hate to see us old timers leaving the hobby, one way or another. Of course, not a bad way to go, behind the wheel.
I like it. Not sure I would have cared that much for it 37 years ago but it is good to see a plain survivor every now and then. $10k may be a bit optimistic but they are accepting offers. Hard to put a value on this one!
A set of Rally lls, a few tweaks under the hood. And we’re done.
A muscle car with NO muscle, at all!
Looks like something you’d see in a mid-80’s Rom Com with what’s his name from Night Court and maybe pre-Die Hard Bruce Willis.
This would be the car the uptight dude drives.
I would agree, time capsule.
If you are a fan of The Office, Dwight drove his similarly-plain Firebird throughout the show. It may have been a T/A but the boring wheels on it and always-dirty state makes me think of it like this subject car.
An 1984 Firebird SE V8 in #1 condition seven years ago was listed at $6,700 in Old Cars Report. In #2 condition at $4,690. Inflation couldn’t double the price could it?
Located in Dover, NH