“Driven only a few blocks to church on Sundays by a diminutive Grandmother…” Oh wait that’s another story, but this 1977 Pontiac Catalina, offered here on eBay has a Buy-It-Now price that will make you spit out your Shasta, $19,500. Is anyone from the Pontiac-Oakland Museum watching? If not then the ideal buyer may be someone who owned or fondly remembers a nearly identical car. Thanks to Louis E. for spotting this brown beauty.
Looking much like a Buick LeSabre of the same vintage, the Pontiac was differentiated by… well, not much, but some people just like Pontiacs more, and why shouldn’t they? The seller says this Catalina was stored “in a climate controlled garage,” started monthly, and even wears its original tires! The new owner can depress an air valve and instantly be swept back to the ’70s recalling the sweet smell of the inside of a tire from back in the day.
Check out the wood-grain compass! From sometime in the mid 1970s until the 1985 Ford Taurus came along, American car design eschewed the use of circles, and this Pontiac is no different. With some functional exceptions such as steering wheels and tires, and the occasional knob, circles were apparently old fashioned, and square headlights, grilles, instruments, etc. ruled the day. If you appreciate this style, Pontiac’s 1977 Catalina does not disappoint, offering a plethora of modern-looking rectangles. Another potential buyer might be someone with plans to relocate the car at its namesake, the California island of Santa Catalina. Nothing is more romantic than listening to the virtual silence of a stock 301 cid V8 while cruising a beautiful island… in a brown sedan with a tan vinyl interior… You adjust your gold chains, wink at a girl half your daughter’s age, and admire the rectangles. What’s your daydream for this 70’s cream-puff?
Wow, hard to imagine buying a new car and parking it. Harder to imagine is why anyone would have picked this to preserve, a boring “taxi-cab” like sedan. It certainly appears to be in perfect shape. I am at a loss why anyone would want to cough up 20k, even as nice as it is.
A dreamer in my eyes. Can buy a pristine ZR 1 1990 for not much more.
Everyone knows what great investments cars are. Particularly the run of the mill 4 doors with no redeeming value when they were new. Pretty savvy financial strategy if you ask me.
I hate car speculators more than the next guy but to be fair, I doubt this is that kind of situation. Probably some old lady owned it and drove it like 2 miles a week. To her credit, at least she kept it and didn’t replace it with a new one every three years like everybody else does.
Well kept “Grandma cars” like this are not even that hard to find . Bet I could do a little research and find another similar one, maybe not quite as pristine, for 5K. Maybe right here on BF.
Edit: took about 30 seconds to find a ’78 wagon, similar miles for $7995, and a mint looking ’87 Caprice for 5K. Lot of wishful thinking going on in the classic car market.
I thought it was insane to see the 1978 Pontiac Catalina Station Wagon on BF with 22,400 miles with an AM Radio, Crank Windows and NO air conditioning for $7,995. After seeing this, now I am not so sure. Somebody please shed some light, I really and truly do not understand what is going on here.
In one word……….greed.
Four words, If it was yours.
I think what you’re seeing here is the “I don’t want to sell it” price. I have one myself. Mine’s not for sale but, if someone came up and offered me three times it’s value… I’d sell it.
Whenever I see these ultra-low mileage cars, I think of the common practice of rolling back the odometer. It’s was an easy procedure back in the day and it’s still being done with digital odometers today.
Rolling odometers? Sorry Stu..No way. I’ve seen it done back in the day (did it myself too), and can’t be done to have the numbers align perfectly on the viewing window. If there is a question of Kilometers/ miles run on the odometer, just looking at how the #’s line up will tell the tale.
Disconnecting the speedometer from the transmission….way easier. And easier to disguise that it’s been done. (Pulled mine for a couple years too). Of course any Chev with a low odometer reading is a swap out as well…lol
But I believe the milage claim on this one. It’s too low key of a car to bother…and the state of the auto bears low use. I like it.,,
I can understand the low miles why would you want to drive one of these anyways?
That dash looks like a cheap Chrysler.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice … wouldn’t pay that much either. 🙄
Nice Chevy.
I’m more impressed with Todd’s dissertations than this boat. Very creative Todd!
I’m sorry, but I hate people like this. No idea of the market or value, peddling their vehicle with breathless puffed-up ad copy, selling it on non-existent merits. Original tires? Fuel sending unit that YOU get to install?
I had the ’77 Caprice version, and it was a good DD at the time, even at twenty years old. Now they are 40-year old cars. I’d roll this for $2-3k but highly collectible? It’s a brown sedan from the malaise era.
It would be interesting if car titles, like houses, let you see what the previous owner really paid.
If you must have a minty malaise Catalina, here’s one at less than 1/3 of the ask:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1979-Pontiac-Catalina-TU-TONE-V8-CLEAN-PARISIENNE-STYLE-SOLID-4-DOOR-/263026368322?hash=item3d3d97df42:g:s58AAOSwnHZYStGk&vxp=mtr
Not a bad looking 1979 Pontiac Catalina Tu-Tone sedan, but the seller (Cherokee Auto Group in Canton, Georgia) states that while the odometer shows 34,489 miles the real mileage is most likely 134k miles. Gotta appreciate the seller’s honesty and hope that the asking price of $5,990 is not firm as this is a classified listing rather that an EBay bidding auction.
At least this one is interesting, as far as a decades old FOUR door, automatic, with/without functioning A/C can be. I really do not comment much and certainly not on ones that defy reality! But this vehicle, seller, and most of all PRICE take “total disregard for reality” to a never seen before level! And in the last lines of the description, the seller reinforces the fact that they are extremely serious about the price?!?!?!?!?!?
Wow! Just WOW!!!
Maybe just let them dream and put her back in the garage when no takers come. No winning in insulting or being insulted. I only detest when I’m approached about selling my car and when I say I’m not but if I was this is the price, I’m told I’m asking too much. No, I’m not asking too much since I’m not selling but you apparently have eyes for it. Don’t disrespect the owner. Mines a 78 Mark V. 48,000 460.
wow you guys are cruel. and perhaps a bit nuts. yes I can see it’s a plain jane 4 door sedan from the 70s but come on, can you find ANY car from the 70s or 80s of any make or model with less than 2,000 actual miles that’s not in a museum??? Plus if you do find one there’s no chance it’s worth the few grand you guys think. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send me all the 70s and 80s cars with less than 2,000 miles you find that are for sale for such tiny prices as you say, I’ll buy every single one of them and give you a grand as a finders fee !!!!
I saw that vehicle at the Hershey, PA AACA Car Show in 2014! It only had 1070 miles on it! Amazing!!