This 1979 Pontiac Trans Am is a true Bandit-era survivor, offered by its enthusiast owner in Lake Forest Park, Washington. Finished in black and powered by its numbers-matching 403 Olds V8 paired with the original Turbo 400 automatic transmission, this Trans Am has survived decades of use without losing its swagger. The seller describes it as a “turn-key, go-have-fun-now” car that has been meticulously revived from long-term storage but retains all the personality of a well-lived life. It’s currently listed here on craigslist. Thanks for the tip, Curvette!
According to the seller, this is an “immortal unrestored survivor” that tells the story of the hard-partying lifestyle Trans Ams were built for. The car sat for 20 years before being purchased as a half-disassembled restoration project, with doors hanging low, the engine partially torn down, and the interior gutted. During the pandemic, the current owner spent nearly 500 hours reassembling and repairing every piece, gently popping dents, straightening body panels, and carefully reviving the drivetrain.
The result is a Trans Am that runs strong and drives straight, still wearing its battle scars proudly. Scratches, dings, and even the blistered hood bird remain untouched, as the seller decided against repainting, citing its authentic “Smokey and the Bandit life” patina as something you simply can’t fake. The black paint is said to be mostly original, with no evidence of Bondo or significant repairs—only a couple of panels appear to have been resprayed, likely for cosmetic reasons decades ago.
Mechanically, the car is described as solid. The 403 V8 and Turbo 400 transmission are original and show no signs of leaks, smoke, or wear. A newer four-core radiator was installed for better cooling in desert heat, and the car has been driven frequently on long trips, including mountain runs to the seller’s second home. The T-tops don’t leak, and the seller even notes getting the occasional approving honk from truckers when cruising with the roof panels off.
The only non-functional components are minor: the A/C compressor is missing, the cruise control lacks its diaphragm actuator, the clock doesn’t work, and the dash pad has a slip-on cover over its cracked surface. The seller is firm about selling only to serious buyers and makes it clear they’re in no rush to part with the car.
As an unrestored, numbers-matching survivor with a colorful history, this Trans Am offers a slice of late-’70s muscle car culture that can still be enjoyed as a reliable driver. Would you leave its story-filled patina as-is, or would you restore it to showroom Bandit glory?
Throw on a Molly Hatchet album 🎶 and go 🏁
21.500 he knows what he has! No joy riders!. AC not hooked up, cruise not hooked up, scratches and dings, dash cracked, seat covers, non original rims. Ugly presentation of engine area, he knows what he has!
And the car has 110K miles
And a 403 with an automatic. Better than a 301, but still pretty lackluster.
Just my opinion, sure many will disagree. So many things wrong with this Trans Am. Wrong wheels, wrong motor, wrong transmission. Too bad they ever put a 403 in a Trans Am.
I thought the bandit car was a 77.
IMO, $15,500 tops. Not a penny more. There’s a lot of work left to pay his price.
This seller sure has a lot to say in the CL ad, but after reading about his “hard driving habits” I assumed that this poor little bird has been abused.
He wasn’t talking about his driving habits, he is making an assumption of the types of drivers who probably owned it before him. Credit to the seller for bringing it back from the dead, but still a pretty heavy asking price.
I guess when the seller said:
“Has a recent 4 core radiator installed for my hard driving habits in eastern Washington hot desert weather.” I assumed he was talking about himself and his driving habits.
Still a very peculiar, rambling ad, I may have worded this ad a little differently.
Acton, I misunderstood that part where he was referring to his driving habits, but I have to agree that it is a strange and confusing ad.
A ITS NOT A BANDIT. B ITS A TURBO 350. GET YOUR NONSENSE TOGETHER
way too much for the sloppy work that was done.500hrs where? the end product doesn’t show it imo
Nice Firebird! Just a note – The 1977 “Smokey and The Bandit” Trans-Am Firebird had a 4 speed manual. This one is nice but….an automatic? Really. ;-)
Never cared for the 79 and up front end styling on these cars. They lost the Pontiac look. Too much money for this car.
Agree completely. Ain’t a Bandit.
Deal breaker for the A/C being removed. A black car in SW Florida with no A/C is like driving an oven. And they drove it in the desert this way???Waaaay too much wrong with this one.
$21,500
Well at least the seller admitted to their inexperience in getting the engine running and the fact they drove it hard and put it away wet kinda wondering how they arrived at the $21,500 asking price but I will never know because I’m not buying it
Is that a laundry vent hose on the air cleaner? I’m retired and admittedly lost a step. That car must have been a hot mess if this is what it looks like after 500 hours?
The author here wants you to click the link so you can view the for sale ad and get full information. If you can click the link to the story, it’s just one more click.
Easy enough, and then you get the seller’s full story. Easier than even posting asking about the price.
In 1972 while in college. I went to work at a Pontiac store. I don’t know if any of you remember. But one of the sales aids they had in the showroom was a small library of film cassettes. (Think very large 8 tracks) The one that I will never forget (and I think the only one I ever watched) was the Firebird cassette. It showed a white Trans Am on a concrete drive with a guy dressed up in a white lab coat and a clip board getting in and starting it up. (It’s an automatic transmission) It shows him shifting into first and slamming down the loud pedal. And an outside view of the rear tires smoking, then an inside picture of him slamming the shifter into reverse and then slamming it into drive and then into drive again. Pan to the outside and you see the tires spinning forwards and then in reverse and then back into drive and back and forth until the car disappears into a cloud of tire smoke. The whole time with the throttle floored. I could not believe that 1, that someone would do that to a car, and 2, that they would show that in a demo film. It’s one of those visual things that I will never forget.
In the Craigslist ad the seller states, “original Smokey and the Bandit 2 – Pontiac production car.”. I wonder what he means by that? I doubt it was a movie car as they used a Turbo Trans Am as the hero car, but he states a Pontiac production car? Wonder what are those details?