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Indy Pace Car: 1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am

1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am

If this Pontiac looks familiar, that could be because we featured it just the other day. One of our readers, Dan, shared a few photos of it then to see what everyone thought and has since listed it for sale. He also went ahead and replaced the Pace Car stickers before taking more photos. This thing has the same turbocharged engine as found in the Buick Grand National GNX and, if that doesn’t get your attention, this one only has 34k miles on the clock! This thing is fast and seems like a relative bargain at $16k. Take a look at the craigslist ad here and let us know what you think.

34 Mile Interior

The interior looks just as you would expect to find in well cared for car like this. Just check out those buttons on the steering wheel! It looks like a nice place to be, but with the mileage so low, I doubt the next owner will use this as their daily driver.

V6 Turbo

There’s the turbocharged V6 that makes this car so special. Ok, so it’s not exactly like the one in the Grand National, but it’s pretty darn close. You can read more about the differences and what all made these so special here on TurboBuicks.com. We wish Dan luck on the sale and hope the car goes to a good home!

Comments

  1. Avatar Blindmarc

    A little knowledgable tuning and suspension work and this would fly…..

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  2. Avatar Mr. TKD

    If I had the cash, I would definitely be interested. I Irby just put this on the drag strip.

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  3. Avatar Tranny Tim

    Hot ride!’
    And better handling n brakes than GN
    Always check tires
    Poncho GO!! Power

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    • Avatar the chucker

      As a former GN owner…agreed. GNs are fast, but only in a straight line.

      Like 0
  4. Avatar MountainMan

    Nice looking T/A
    GLWTS

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  5. Avatar Gary I

    Good luck restoring cars of this era to this kind of condition. It seems like a lot of money to pay for one until you realize the difficulty involved in finding and fixing all of the plastic parts and wiring during a restoration. Maybe $16,000 is fair for a nice survivor.

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  6. Avatar Ryan f

    It always concerns me when someone makes an excuse for thinning out a collection or vehicle for financial reasons then states they will trade for other vehicles that’s a big red flag for someone unloading a problem child in my opinion lol

    Like 0
    • Avatar Larry Morello

      My version of this car was a lemon, fast and pretty, but ALWAYS in the shop.

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Fred

    Yes, please. While daydreaming about the Powerball in recent days, I decided this would probably be the fun car I’d buy. I’ve always thought these were cool cars.

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  8. Avatar the chucker

    $16K is pretty reasonable for what is likely one of the most collectable and capable 3rd generation F-bodies produced. One caveat on this one is that it appears to have been the subject of some engine mods-not necessarily a bad thing, but I’d want to know more.

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  9. Avatar piper62j

    Sweet

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  10. Avatar HeadMaster1

    I used to own one and they are fun cars on dry pavement. be warned about the handling though, a V8 Trans Am GTA is much BETTER to drive fast. These turbo TA’s have a throttle like a light switch…no boost=no power, then the boost hits 4psi, from there it hits 16psi in under a second and if that occurs in a turn……well lets just say it will swap ends quicker than an old 911 after you lift off……Don’t get me wrong, they are VERY fun cars, and the midrange power is awesome, off the line can be a challenge…….BTW- at this mileage, be ready for a tranny rebuild…….the tranny was barely rated for the 245hp these cars were claimed to have……being that they had just over 300hp out of the box, the trannys did not last…..Lastly, the motor is a GN bottom end with a GNX intercooler, but has the cly heads from the FWD 3800, which flow better…….NOT very refined, but very powerful :-) I’d buy this one, try for $14k, they aren’t worth anything (yet)……

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  11. Avatar DENIS

    Seems like a fair buy needing some repairs…I wanted one of these bad when they were new..had several GNs…Pontiac had sent quite a few of these to auction after they were used for display vehicles..they were fairly low miles but rode hard. Quick cars.

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  12. Avatar Chad

    I personally own one……mine is a hardtop. Which their was only 39 produced. The rest of the 1550 were t-top. Very fun car to own and drive. When it comes to a complete restore it maybe difficult to find the tta specific parts one might need and when u find them they will be $$$$.

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  13. Avatar kenzo

    no matter what they do to this body style of trans-am it is still undesirable (fugly) IMHO

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Chad

    Yeah their undesirable that’s why some bring 25-30k

    Like 0

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