The clean lines of this 1978 Pontiac Catalina wagon give it a distinct and tailored look even if it was their base model. It’s unmistakably tied to other full-sized cars from Chevrolet and Buick but there’s something cool about a Pontiac wagon. The seller has this one listed here on eBay in Toms River, New Jersey and the current bid is $6,978. Thanks to Tommy T-Tops for sending in this tip-top tip!
I believe this color is Pontiac’s Seafoam Green and we don’t know the history of this car at all other than the seller bought it from the original owner at some point. Whether they’ve owned it for days or years is unknown. They mention that there is surface rust under the spare tire well which they don’t show in the photos and there aren’t any underside photos, unfortunately.
The fifth-generation Pontiac Catalina was made from 1977 to 1981 when Pontiac dropped the Catalina and GM downsized these big cars. Almost four million Catalinas had been built up until that point over the previous twenty-two years. You can see the dent in the left quarter panel in the photo above but the other side looks great. It could use a good cut-and buff on the old paint.
The Catalina wasn’t a high-end model with woodgrain on the sides so this one is fairly bare-bones inside but it looks pretty nice to me. The interior looks good as do the seats both front and back. Actually, all three of them do, even in the far-back cargo area where you’d normally haul luggage or bags of mulch. This wagon will carry eight passengers or nine in a pinch. It appears that the door strikers have been painted, is this one wearing its original paint?
The engine is Pontiac’s 400 cubic-inch V8 with 180 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. The transmission is GM’s Turbo-Hydramatic 350 and the seller says that this car has new tires, new front pads and rotors, new wheel bearings, ball joints, center link, shocks, thermostat, tune-up, and much more. If you’re looking for a full-sized station wagon from the 1970s, it might be worth checking out this Catalina.
The 400 is a bonus. I was expecting to see the anemic 301.
4 barrel 400 👍 helps the 2.56 ring gear
This was amongst the best cars GM ever made. This series of sedans and wagons had quality, comfort, and style. I know it is all malaise era, but could you imagine these cars with some real power under the hood?
Let me show my ignorance if this era and ask a question or two.
Is this car called a base model because it’s a Catalina? Was there a Bonneville station wagon? Was the Safari an option package or a separate model all it’s own.
Help!!
Yup, this is a Catalina. Safari is more like the Bonneville.
That 400 is a huge plus! The 301 boat anchor is a real dog.
That dent on the drivers side quarter panel should knock out easy enough. I wonder why the seller hasn’t done it.
Currently bid up to $6,978? A few months ago I would have said that is top of the market. Now I wonder….
Certainly, I’m open to correction, but I’ll give you my recollection… For ‘78, the big Pontiac wagons were Grand Safari or Catalina Safari. The Grand was the higher level trim (wood grain sides!), with the Catalina as the base level. It’s not hard to see that they were essentially wagon versions of the Bonneville, but Pontiac chose to use the Safari name instead to provide some separation from the Bonneville. (In sedans/coupes, Pontiac offered—from high to low—the Bonneville Brougham, the Bonneville, and the Catalina.)
Thanks a lot Dave! Very helpful information.
that paint colour….. wow… there’s no way a new car would ever have that colour. It’s all silvers, blacks, maybe reds or blues . Sad. You could haul butt and people/luggage lol
We had a 69 Dark Green Safari with the wood grain and a haul butt V8.
Johnathon, I agree they were good looking. But, these were smog babies and gas guzzlers. A 400 cid engine should have at least 300 hp to work well with all that torque. Just my opinion.