Could this be the lowest mileage 1965 Pontiac Bonneville still in existence? Well, the seller thinks it may be. The car is dusty, but the interior looks pristine and the odometer is only showing 7,771 miles. The owner has kept the car in their shop since 1984, but they are getting older now and have decided to let it go. It’s located in Louisiana and is listed here on eBay with an eye-watering asking price.
Here’s a shot of the odometer. Is it 7,771 or 107,771? With only five digits, the only way to verify mileage would be through documentation and assessment of the condition. The seller doesn’t mention paperwork, but it wouldn’t be much help anyway since the car has been parked for the last 35 years. So, we will just have to go off condition.
Apart from being dirty, the interior does look exceptional in the limited photos provided. The gold vinyl appears to be free from cracks and the carpet looks new. The seller mentions that the steering wheel hasn’t even split as these are known to do. There appears to be some discoloration, but that might just be grime?
One good place to look when trying to determine mileage is the brake pedal. A lot of wear could easily discredit a low-mileage claim. For some reason this pedal is covered in cardboard though. The seller mentions that the previous owner loved the car enough to do this and keep the carpets covered.
Unfortunately, the current owner’s storage conditions do not appear to be as loving. There must have been some humidity in the building because many of the painted surfaces are showing corrosion. That is a 389 4-barrel in there and it sure doesn’t look low-mileage anymore. That’s a shame too because that’s a good engine.
That extra pair of doors makes the price tag even harder to swallow. This one would be a real gamble because you can’t tell what’s lurking under all that dust. The body might clean up like-new or it might be rough. This may very well be the lowest mileage Bonneville still around, but does it really matter at this point? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
This pricing is getting out of hand
Its so insane im at a loss for words!
If it was a 2 door maybe half of list?
I wish these money hungry dreamers would go away.
Its a 4 thousand dollar car if i can drive it away
it a $1500 car if it run and drive
i sold my coupe with 12900 miles one owner documented for $12900
and the car was like new AC garage all life
alna-usa.com
they will keep dreaming price wise,
until the car rots away.
Wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the engine seized. Sitting since `84, your chances getting it started are nil.
Someone sure doesn’t know what a 7K mile car looks like and the price also shows, some people got guts. It’s almost become kind of a game for me, see what outrageous of a price they can put on these cars. Reminds me of the show Pawn Stars. These people come in with lofty expectations wanting $12,000 dollars for something, and walk out the door with $700. 7K mile cars don’t look like this, even if they were under water. Can’t blame them for trying.
Holy cow. That’s way too much.
And let me explain why, since we now apparently have to. First of all, when a car sits without being driven for any length of time, anything made of rubber – hoses, belts, suspension bushings, motor and body mounts, tires, etc. will dry rot and will need to be replaced to safely drive the car. And, similarly, gaskets will also dry up and the engine and transmission will leak all over the place like a sieve if all of those aren’t replaced.
That’s particularly true of a car which has been in non-climate controlled storage for nearly 55 years. So right there, you’re looking at a huge investment of time and money to replace all that stuff so you can just drive the car around the block.
Now that you’ve spent all that money, it’s time to make your low mileage beauty look nice! You’ve got to detail the surface rusted engine bay and motor itself right? Might as well since you’ve already taken the engine and transmission out to get to all the gaskets and mounts you needed to replace.
And I’m sure the underside looks similar, so you’ll have to get the car up on a lift and spend many hours cleaning and detailing everything under there (and probably replacing the time-worn springs and shocks too, as well as the rusted metal brake lines, fuel lines, and gas tank). Hopefully you have a lift in your garage because lift time is expensive. $45/hour for the one closest to me. That really adds up as you’re doing a lot of work and frequently stopping to chase down parts (either at the auto parts store or online for difficult to source items)
And once you have replaced that stuff, you’ll need to spring for a $5-10k paint job to get that baby looking like she did when she left the GM factory!
Now, you’ve arrived. You are proudly looking at your nice shiny $85,000 1965 4-door Pontiac Bonneville in your garage. But you hesitate as you flick the keys nervously in your hand. That’s because if you drive it anywhere, you’ll lose an exponential amount of value. After all, all that really separates your Bonneville from one you can get in nice shape for around $8,500 through Hemmings or eBay is the mileage. So why would you risk your “investment” by actually driving your “new” car?
Sadly, I’m sure many people go through the above process in its entirety before learning the lesson. Hopefully they read this first!
Someone is sniffing too much whiteout (remember that from your typewriter days?). They’re turning this one into a parts car at best. The Firebird fender showing in one of the pictures could be much more interesting.
Maybe if it was a 2 door with a 421 4 speed and in mint condition but it’s not. I think it would be really hard to get 7500.
$48,350.00. He must believe in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny. Even in this car had 1/2 mile on the clock, it ain’t worth but a fraction of this price.
The seller is going to have this car for a very long time.
A single picture of its “Barn Find” condition is enough. After that, clean up the car so potential buyers can have a good idea of the car that might be hiding under all that crap.
48k?
I think Paul Lynde and Elton John would fight over a girl before you see that price.
The guy is “outa” his mind.
I’m more interested in the TA next to it!
Chances are really good that the car has 107,000 miles, and the condition is terrible due to the poor storage.
With the brake pedal covered, and no picture of the driver’s seat bottom half plus the air conditioner belt missing makes me suspicious.
Moreover the price is way out of line at over $38,000.
OMG! Previous commentar is correct. Huge amount of work and $ to get this beast in drivable condition. What in h-LL is the seller thinking?
Even if there were some way to guarantee the mileage claim is truly accurate, any excess value is greatly diminished by what happened to it during the decades of non-humidity controlled storage. $38k is well beyond fantasy land for this one.
Neat car. Too bad the owner didn’t find a better place to keep it all those years.
He says “I love it like the previous owner did” … well geez, put it on stand or inflate the tires once ina while. Maybe a car cover?
Well, parts of that car look like they have 107k miles on them…. Too much work needed to renovate… Poorly stored…. It’s worth a few thousand dollars max… Maybe 6k tops….. Low mileage cars are only worth a premium if they look like a low mileage car…. Otherwise it’s worth its appearance which is very rough… I wish the seller luck though!
There is no way this is the actual mileage the older cars could possibly roll over and seare all over or someone could roll back the mileage on these older cars and with the car not running with low mileage don’t make sense buyer beware!!!
I can emagine what kind of guy this seller is…..would not even think of dealing with him.
This seller may have lost his mind. Hopefully someone will offer him $1000. That is all that it is worth.
700…. maybe…tons of work.
I had a 65. Cool car for going parking in.
And ya. Mine had a 421.
389 ???? Hummmm…
Great cruiser…
Amazing, some people pay way too much for a car on a televised auction and this is the result.
When buying vintage cars the milage is of less importance.The overall condition of the vehicle should be a lot more interesting.
This Poncho’s low milage isn’t helping it much , bet most seals and gaskets are dry rotten by now and though interior looks unharmed it has funny smells due to the car’s less-than-optimal storage…
What about the trans am next to it
That’s what we all really want to know.
I have come to the conclusion that there is a parallel universe of barn finds.
the one I’m in where the average guy can buy a decent project car/truck for average means and find enjoyment and fulfillment in accomplishing this goal/dream. then there’s the parallel universe where cars and trucks of a variety of year/make/model/condition have apparently achieved a value of un-obtanium! . the buyers have the wealth of averus, light their cohibas with hundred dollar bills, and have secured their status in the financial hall’s of fame. pricing has gone from ludicrous to insane. granted, if it’s yours you can ask what you want. doesn’t mean you’ll get it. all it does is put cars like this farther and farther out of reach for the average guy in this universe. I read that people put prices like this because they really don’t want to sell them. if that’s true why waste our time with pointless ads or postings? other than a good laugh. that’s why people with ads like this should save it for the sunday funnies! All of you at Barn Finds are doing a great job. I can’t imagine some of the stuff you see or are sent. Keep up the good work!
dyno dan, nice! You should consider writing for Barn Finds, take care, Mike. https://barnfinds.com/help-wanted-write-for-barn-finds-2/
The brake pedal was covered, but not the car? WTH
In a garage, all you need is a couple of p’d up old bed sheets. lol
Another example of the car hobby not being touchable and for me tolorated. It’s ridiculous.
I agree with most post and personally would not pay more than a couple hundred dollars. I’m old enough to remember well what these cars drove like. Nothing compared to cars 10 years old. Thus, just buy a 10 year old Cadillac or Buick and enjoy the ride. Your money ahead, and have a much better ride.
If the seller is unwilling to do any work on the car to make it presentable, why should anybody else even bother with it, especially at that price.
even tho 100k may be pushing it? people really sleeping on the pontiac bonneville! 4drs are just as nice too. everyone wants them but nobody wants to pay. BS! Pontiac is not in production duh. well go get a bowtie! i have a 73 that i purchased back in 08′ w/24k documented mileage 19′ & it’s still under 50k miles. it’ll chew the highway up & fart it out the exhaust.
It was also a 30yr barn find beautiful original & rolled off the line, down the street lol. have yet to see one like it. Runs harder than my newer car