If you’re willing to pay $35 per mile ever driven, then you’ll love the price of the 1978 Pontiac Trans Am Y88 found here on eBay. With 2,523 miles on the odometer, it will set you back a whopping $89,000 – but you ’ll own what is perhaps one the rarest birds available today.
It does look absolutely brand new. You can see in the pictures that this T/A has not only survived, but it’s done so in style (and with pampering). There’s not a nick, tear, stain, even hint of use inside for those 2k miles. Outside it’s as if it came off the showroom floor yesterday – not 40 years ago. Yep – 1978 is 40 years ago.
To add to its price, it’s a Y88 Special Edition – which makes it even more desirable. The Y88 was made for just a few months between November of 1977 and February of ’78. The Gold Special Edition like this was only made for 60 days in January and February. The seller can confirm since they still have the original build-sheet of this beast with its 6.6L engine, factory T-Tops and covers, power windows and locks, and the Special Edition wheels and tires.
Honestly, the price of the best of the best of these birds is just astounding – with special editions breaking into the 6 digit range recently. If you’re willing to rebuild, there are still lots of late seventies in the low teens ready to purchase. None of these, however, will have the pedigree or provenance (or price) that a factory fresh, less than 3k miles, collectible like this has!
Whew!
If there are any investment folks here plug the MSRP into Morningstar & see how much money a guy or gal could be sitting on compared to this car. Beautiful car & a Trans Am owner here myself but wow on price.
Curtis, yeah this was a bad financial investment of epic proportions. Sticker on such a car would have been north of $9k in 1978. If you’d have invested that money in an S&P 500 index fund and had dividends reinvested, it would now be over $800K. That would be if it were in an IRA with taxes deferred. But even without reinvesting dividends you’d still be well above a quarter mil.
If I won the Powerball, I would buy this and drive the snot out of it. Being such a nice car, it would be a shame to do that to it. I would have a great time though. It’s out of my price range so I hope someone takes real good care of her.
Nah, this is a show queen, thats all. Ever drive one? A new Camry would run circles around this. If you hit the Powerball jackpot, a lot more by far better cars to buy right now that would rock your world. If you are looking to make a statement, this isn’t it. If you have a personal connection, maybe, but as an investment or to actually drive, many better options.
Mark S. Iwould say YOU don’t have any kind care for such an amazing car. Barry L.K.
If I hit the PB I’d reinvest in a 68 Firebird…having this wouldn’t suck to!!
Maybe I’d get on for every year & model!! 😃
I would buy this too if I had the spare wedge. Impressive find.
Sweet.
Hemi 4 speed money. Trans Am automatic smog engine, not so much.
Sure is a beautiful car. I’d say it’s worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.
This ’79 Trans Am only has 1,864 miles on it… Currently bid to $13,000
https://www.copart.com/lot/28681668
Yeah But why is It on copart? that’s generally for salvage vehicles.
maybe a flood car
Shouldn’t the shaker on the 79 with the 403 Olds say ‘6.6 Litre’?
Either a repaint at 1864 miles or a hangover day at the factory…
It does read: “T/A 6.6”
What do you see?
Depends…..The 4 speed cars still got the Pontiac 400 while all of the automatics got the Olds 403. Needless to say, the manual 400 is a great deal more special and not to mention fun to drive.
With 1,864 miles where are the original tires? I have a 77 Trans Am 400, 4spd with 11k miles – still wearing its originals…
Its fine having 40 year old tires on a car you dont drive, but on a car thats actually driven on a public road, its utter stupidity regardless of how good the tires may appear on the outside, they can degrade on the inside, and first warning you get is when you hear them go bang on the freeway!
I actually check the date code on new tires I buy because some tires sit in warehouses for years before they are sold.
Bidding for the 1979 T/A has ended- does anyone know what it sold for?
The estimated value was shown as $85,000. Yikes.
Derek F – The car hasn’t sold. There’s no bidding, either. It has a “buy it now” price of $89k. Perhaps you’re looking at another auction?
There is a guy I know that has one that he bought new. It’s the same gold color, I don’t know if it is the 60 day option or not. I don’t think it’s ever been in the rain and never sat outside. Last I new it had about 12,000 miles on it. He has a 1985 Chevy 4×4, loaded with less miles then that.
Man, a lot of people who could do better in the stock market. Of course, this is better to go peek at once in a while, but to not be able to drive it? Torture. Invest your money elsewhere and drive your cars. That would also make them more affordable for us all.
East bound and down loaded up and trucking were going to do what cant be done….
Okay I luv the car… but I buy it I cant drive it… .
OR DID THE CAR GET DROVE WITH THE SPEEDOMETER UNHOOKED…
BACK IIN THE DAY ONE COULD GET AWAY WITH IT….
I AM NOT SAYING TONS OF MILES BUT MAYBE AN EXTRA THOUSAND OR TOO WAS SNEAKED….. :-)
Sweet car!
Sorry , its a nice car, but its NOT 90 grand nice, not yet anyways, and automatic? Jeez someone is not in his right mind
In addition to why you say it’s not worth $90k, You can see from the pictures the HORRIBLE PIN-STRIPING that is misaligned in several body panels. The door cards look and present ugly and cheap, the chicken on the hood is off a “tick”, in general it was a bad time for American car manufacturing quality. Honestly with that kind of money in my pocket I’d be looking at a brand new Demon, even if I’d need to borrow a few bucks to close the deal.
What is the Y-88 package?
Y88 meant special edition solar gold. Y82 was the more familiar black special edition.
It’s a nice car, but for $90,000 you can have your choice of at least one, probably two muscle cars. This one wouldn’t even register on most people’s wish list if they had that budget.
Steve R
This car wouldn’t register on my wish list for half that price.
I just bought my Y88 for less than a quarter of the price of this with 25K miles and although not perfect it is super sweet. I have extensive history with these having helped restore 2 in high school so yeah its a bit nostalgic for me. I will say nothing like a screaming eagle on the hood and a Pontiac 400 under it. A Camry? I will try and contain my laughter.
Coworker bought the twin to this car new, It was fast but I hated the gold and I preferred the black but it wasn’t mine. When he took me for a ride it rattled a lot when you hit bumps in the road, my 78 Ford F-150 4×4 was quieter. He totally beat that car to death within a year then bought a truck exactly like mine.
Really your Ford pickup please! My T/A was solid as a rock and didn’t rattle at all and I got mine 5 years old.
69goat … Yes really, it was a fact not meant to hurt you or anyone else’s feelings.
Ridiculous price. The gold ext/gold int getup is ugly and you can almost smell the cheap looking plastic interior. This is the kind of car purchased back in the day by people who worked in factories and shopped at Sears. Too bad the owner didn’t just enjoy his car (well, as much as you can enjoy an automatic) instead of wrapping it in plastic.
Sheesh! And I got flamed for calling a Juke ugly! Color is always a matter of personal preference and it’s grossly elitist (and equally stupid) to judge someone by how much money they make.
There’s a good definition for some people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Unfortunately this site prohibits profanity.
Love the gold Y88 T/A, and would drive the heck out of it. And the Juke is ugly.
Another statue with a set of fancy casters. Seems to me that there where plenty of gold TA’s around back then, guy around the corner had one when I was growing up. Personally I like it better than the black for the sole reason that black shows every little spec of dirt, chips and dings.
If you’re into original, low mile unrestored, second generation Trans Ams, this TA is it. But if if you want to drive the wheels off of it, buy a restored y88 ta and drive that one instead. The value in this CA is its condition. You could also build or buy a similar car but built to pro touring specs with 600 + hp, much wider wheels and tires and upgraded suspension for the same money.
Further proof car collecting may lead to mental instability. $89,000? Best of luck to the seller. I suppose they can always drop the price.
Well I’m a Trans Am freak, I’ve had over 20 TA’s most were black never a gold one, but my brother had a 80 model gold with the 403, was beautiful, if they still made them a new one would be around $50k, so it’s all in what you want, the price is a little steep, but you don’t find that quality of a Trans Am very often…. There’s a company that will take a new RS/SS camaro and turn it into a Trans Am, after buying a new camaro rsss and retro it ,final product would be 85k, but it would be brand new…. So I’d do that before paying 80k for this beauty….
Sorry 007 This car has style, a new Camry has 00 style, as far as Camry being faster….what if you unchoke this 6.6 car (the only Camry that would touch it would be Kyle Bush’s) and that’s not really a Camry now is it…….78 trans way more fun to drive.
Paul, I couldn’t agree with you more
Give me a Formula 455SD 4 speed any day. My preference is white.
With the price of muscle cars being what they are, I get the faster older Trans Ams like the above mentioned Super Duty being a highly priced RARE collectable car, few of those incredible machines were actually made. But nearly 85 grand for a late seventies version? These things were all over the place, hardly rare. Not knockin’ the car, just the price tag for admission.
When was the last time you saw a 30 year-old automobile that didn’t even go through dealer prep to have its shipping plastic removed. It’s a real shame that some people would rather have a piece of Jap crap Toyota Camry. you obviously have never driven one of these automobiles. I loved mine wish I still had it what a solid ride handled really well had plenty of power and was a real blast riding around through the curvy mountains in Vermont during Peak fall color. And what a shame some can’t see the value in the common man’s automobile not all of us have been privileged enough have the kind of finances to go and buy $140,000 Porsches or $250,000 Ferraris. That is a beautiful Trans Am and I personally would rather pay the kind of money that they’re asking for this car over some Raged out Corvette, Mustang, cuda or any other so-called sought-after vehicles that are mere piles of parts that need years of restoration with 50000 + in additional parts on top of a $75,000 purchase price for the pile of junk. I personally don’t agree with the prices of most of these vehicles. I reiterate another average person’s hobby hijacked by the wealthy!
I don’t agree with the “Jap crap” statement. Toyota has assembly plants across the North American continent, employing regular Canadian, American, and Mexican workers like you and I. A lot of people put food on the table and support their families because of the Camry. Thousands of North Americans can be proud, because they build a quality product. The Camry is your average family car, which suits the average family. People who buy a Camry aren’t likely to have any desire for a car like a Trans Am. I own both Japanese & American cars, and I’m partial to both depending on my driving mood of the day. Classic car, new car, Japanese car, or American car – sometimes I feel as if I have a small dealership. I do agree with your other statements. The general mentality seems to be if something is old, it must be worth a small fortune. I’d love to own another classic car or two, but refuse to pay the astronomical asking prices.
Brad, certainly no offense meant towards Camry owners it was a reference to a comment made earlier in this chain my personal thoughts are whatever floats your boat. I have worked on rebuilt owned sold junked many makes and models foreign and domestic, you go where you can and do what Suits You I’ve worked on escorts to Ferraris and driven most of them. My apologies if I offended you definitely not meant that way. I just wish that some of the comments that are made on this site be a little bit more realistic and not take potshots at people’s income or taste.
True that. My Honda Accord is more American than a new Chevy Malibu, which is one reason why I bought it. Made in Marysville, Ohio with mostly U.S. sourced parts. 2nd most American content of all new vehicles, behind the Kentucky-built Camry naturally. I’d have gotten one of those but no manual (good luck finding that on a new American car, LOL!).
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2016/07/09/1-honda-among-best-in-us-content-ranking-for-vehicles.html
Meanwhile, Ford is going to start building the Focus in China, where some Buicks are already made (GM can thank us for our taxpayer bailout any time now).
Anyhoo, I’m surprised no one’s mentioned the panel gaps on this car. Is it just me, or do the panel gaps, particularly between the doors and front fenders, seem way off? I know quality wasn’t the best in the late-1970s (part of the reason why the “Jap crap” was able to take hold as it did), but still, that looks really off to me.
I’ve owned one POS import in my life, a Toyota 4 Runner that in the 6 months I owned it, spent more time at the dealership than it did at my house. That was mid 90’s. Never again, I don’t care where they are made.
“And what a shame some can’t see the value in the common man’s automobile ”
$89,000 “common man’s automobile” ? Interesting point of view.
Pa Tina, lol certainly not a common man’s automobile at that price but it was more of a common man’s automobile when it was new and it had a fairly obtainable price especially for a single person or a married person without children as that wasn’t the best car to have with children. Almost everything I read on BF is out of price range for me. So glad I had the opportunity to do all that in my younger years when it was more affordable. the common man’s automobile was in response to a very offencive posting by James S as if working in a factory and shopping at Sears deemed you not as good as he.
MY first and only Trans Am was this exact model. No, I didn’t work in a factory, I was in real estate. This was bought on a whim, and I grew tired of it when the novelty wore off. It was really a great cruiser, both boulevard and highway, but I never felt like I could win a race with it anywhere and spared myself from that indignity. It was never my “only” car. I sold it like 8 months later. I was not Trans Am people. Traded on an ’80 BMW 528.
Superdessucke, again no offense towards Camry owners or Japanese car owners it was a reference to an earlier comment . But just remember even though some of these Japanese brands are made here the money still goes back to Japan. Not that I oppose it after all we live in a global economy as stated before I worked for many years on all of these various automobiles and they are no better than any other and they took hold because of American auto manufacturers inability to create a quality gas sipper in response to the gas crisis of the early 70s. just wanted to voice my opinion on that and I have nothing against people owning whatever they want to own. now as for the gaps on the 78 Trans Am most vehicles have a 2 to 4 mm difference in panel alignment as in the rear of the fender sticks out 2to4 mm further than the front edge of the door and the rear edge of the door sticks out to 2to4 mm further than the forward edge of the quarter panel so on a frontal impact it’s designed to collapse so that the door will open after impact but I do agree the left front fender appears to be badly aligned to the door I’m not sure if it’s camera angle or not the other side looked good.
Oh no worries, I don’t care. I was just pointing that out because I don’t think a lot of people understand that an American nameplate doesn’t automatically mean the car is a U.S. built car, and vice versa. I have no issue giving my money to a foreign company if they are going to reinvest the money in American workers and American suppliers.
Anyway, back to the subject. I agree the right side looks ok but the left side looks way off. I had both a 1978 and a 1979 Z28 and, while their fit and finish and panel gaps were not stellar, I don’t recall the doors looking that wonky. For this kind of money, I’d definitely want to look deeper into that.
I’ve owned TA’s from a 70 to an 88, all stick cars. (I’m still kicking myself for selling the 70 to my brother) I’m currently restoring a 78 Martinique blue car. The gold never did anything for me and the auto kills it. If the numbers are real it’s a nice car but IMO the price is too high.
James, I had a black and gold 77 not a full boat stripe package like the Bandit but it did have some of the same decals that car was so fun to drive and it handled about as good as my 71 Corvette but to be honest with you it was more comfortable than the Corvette. Unfortunately I sold it along with my 41 Studebaker couple of Cadillacs 69 convertible and 65 Fleetwood and a few other things so that I could buy a house . If I had to spend that kind of money on a car it sure would be nice to have something as original and as close too taking it off the showroom floor as that one. I think the price of all of these cars has gotten completely and totally outrageous and unobtainable for most of us. And as far as having an automatic my Trans Am would bark those tires every time it banged 2nd gear. But I do like a 4-speed and wouldn’t have an automatic in my GTO.
the way the numbers on the odometer line up looks kinda fishy to me….like someone’s been in there.
Laugh Out Loud pricing.
Good luck to seller!
PRA4SNW, I would have loved to have gotten three four or five times more for my all original numbers matching Corvette convertible. Like you said good luck to the seller. there seems to be people out there willing to pay those kind of numbers.
Me too, when I sold my ’70 numbers matching Vette convertible. It’s amazing how many people came and were turned off by the less-than-perfect condition of a car that was basically un-modified from the factory.
I told a couple of them that they would be better off buying a Vette with a fresh repaint and carpet set off of E-Bay.
To he11 with the nay-sayers & the stock market smack talkers.If this is a no B-S car,it’s a historic example and should be viewed and treated as such.Thank you to whoever perserved this stunning example.