The seller might have the right to remain silent when selling a used car, but it’s generally not a good idea. The seller of this 1974 Pontiac Catalina Safari for sale here on eBay in Hallandale Beach, Florida is more interested in giving the history of the Safari model and the origin of the word than giving information about this particular car. Going to the website on the van parked next to it is no help either because the company that is selling this car sells medical equipment, not used cars.
So we’ll have to make a judgment on what we can tell from the pictures. The first thing that hits me is the dent in the right rear fender. Not bad, but it is noticeable. The next thing I spot is the car has probably been repainted at some time in its life unless it has held up very well. At first, I thought the vinyl woodgrain was removed and had the woodgrain painted on as well, but due to the wrapping around in the clamshell tailgate area, I believe it is a rewrap of the vinyl. What do you think? The car shows a little dirt on the lower front fenders or either a lot of reflection from the ground. I hope that’s all it is and it’s not hiding any rust. There does appear to be a rust bubble on the rear right near the tailgate/window key lock. The tailgate also doesn’t quite line up properly.
The interior actually looks quite exceptional for a station wagon of this age. My guess is that the seats may have been reupholstered. Hopefully, the dash pad is preventing cracks rather than hiding cracks. The door panels have seen a fair amount of scratching and some discoloration which is understandable for a 44-year-old vehicle. Options included are power windows, power door locks, and air conditioning. This also appears to be a 2-seat wagon rather than a 3-seat wagon.
The standard engine for 1974 was a 400 cubic inch V-8. This engine has seen plenty of duty in its 182,000 miles, however, the engine compartment looks quite clean.
If the seller wants to sell this station wagon, there will probably be a lot of questions coming their way. Maybe he/she thinks a picture really is worth a thousand words. In that case, the eBay listing is worth 10,000 words. Is this something that appeals to you?
If one only had a wagon then they could go shaggen or perhaps feel like dragging…
While Remembering Driving a wagon and doing this while trying not to be gagging..is one feat ….
Wagons Hooo!
This rhyme is dedicated to all the wagons out there 😮😏🙃🍺
Brown paint hides rust.
As a pessimist, when there in no description, my first thought is that it’s intentional. Number one reason for negative reviews and returns, other than late shipping is, “not as described”. That doesn’t come into play here since there is no description.
I’ll never understand why a seller doesn’t try and write a decent description of what they are selling. It’s like going to the plate with two strikes when you don’t.
Steve R
This car is not a Catalina Safari. The upgraded upholstery and the simulated woodgrain sides is indicative that this vehicle is a Grand Safari wagon which had the interior of the mid level Bonneville series in this generation (1971-1976).
I didn’t think a Catalina Safari could be ordered with woodgrain, but it’s right there in the original brochure. Darker shade than this, though, so it was probably replaced at some point.
Looks way too clean to have 182,000 miles on it. Lots of options, I just don’t know. One would have to see it in person. Telling us the origin of the word safari has nothing to do with a pontiac station wagon, so I don’t get the non-description of this car either. One must always err on the side of “he’s full of s**t”. Better pictures, a better description, that would all go a very long way towards avoiding hesitant buyers.
When I first found this site (Barn Finds), I had no interest in a station wagon no matter what. I thought they were a waste of my time and I had no appreciation of them. That was 4 years ago and my opinion has gradually changed as my car education has continued. This car however needs to go to the crusher. It’s a beakless Poncho.that does absolutely nothing for me. It has no endearing qualities and is as blase’ as a vehicle gets. As the Seinfeld Soup Nazi said, “Next” !
Nice that someone is saying the real mileage for a change 👍
1974 was the worst year! Lowest fuel economy, lowest performance due to compression reduction for low leaded fuel and government mandated big bumpers for cars not designed for them. This was the last year with points and condenser as 1975 would have electronic ignition and unleaded fuel. 1974 was also the only year you had to buckle your seat belt before starting the car.
He just copied the first two paragraphs from Wiki,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_Safari
The odometer reading has been mis-stated by the seller. It actually reads 18,200.4. So, probably 118,000 miles on this. Lots more life in it, I’d guess.
The upholstery may well be original – that “Morrokide” was very tough stuff and it was not at all unusual for it to still look new at 100K.
I wouldn’t fret too much about the slight misalignment of the clamshell tailgate; what’s more worrysome is the photo where the tailgate is retracted but the window is only partially so. Possibly some work required there.
There is considerable collector interest in wagons in general, and growing interest in the GM clamshells from the 70’s in particular. As with most other collectible cars, they’re touchstones of a bygone era – and a lot of current collectors grew up riding in the back of these land yachts. The poster who said that this really pretty darn nice wagon should be sent to the crusher apparently hasn’t learned nearly as much as he thinks he has.
I,too, love these land yachts. And we complained about $.76 a gallon gasoline, too. The mileage is probably 118,000+, given there were only 5 digits plus a tenth in those days. I like it. It is probably worth the asking price, given no really serious areas of concern.
The dent in the right 1/4 panel is probably going to be worth a couple thousand, plus, because the wood grain vinyl will have to be replaced on both sides of the wagon to get a match. And if the rear molding is damaged, probably all moldings will need to be replaced as well. It looks like a fresh or recent paint job. No rock chips on the headlight panels or front edge of the hood.
Jud, to save that money, get to the inside and push as much of it out as you can, and drive the car.
That would work if you’re not going to restore it to original condition. Fact is, that’s what I would do to a personal daily driver. But if I were repairing it for a customer, I would certainly make both options available.
When I was 15 yrs old, the 1st real love of my life had a wagon like this but it was green with wood grain sides and tailgate. She was 12 yrs older than me, but we loved each other very much. We “spent a lot of nights in this car learning about love”. Lots of memories. This was in 1978. Unfortunately, I lost touch with her for several years and did reconnect with her in 1990 for one date and she lost her life a week later after she was killed in a hit and run in a snowstorm, I was heartbroken to hear of her death. It took almost two years to get over her loss. R.I.P. Kathy.
Check out the website advertised on the van in the background if you need a used colposcope for your house