Value of a used TTA

[torque2]

I currently own an '87 GN and am looking at buying an '89 TTA w/ 150,000 miles from the original owner. Car is complete, but needs paint and a new spoiler. Owner claims he has taken very good care of it. Asking price is $7,500. Does this sound reasonable? I'm having no luck finding values for these cars.
What does the investment future look like for the TTAs?
Thanks,
Tim

 

[ChrisK]

Its only going up!!!!

Hows the interior? seems like a ok price...
I just bought a GN with 90,000miles for 10k

 

[torque2]

The guy says the front leather seats are showing wear, particularly the drivers side, but the rear are very good. I'm requesting some more pics in the morning.
I can't believe how the GN values are jumping! I bought my '87 w/ 150,000 miles for $4,000 two years ago, and the blue book was $7,500. Now it is at $17,500!!!
Unfortunately, there is no blue book value for the TTA, so I'm not sure how the guy came up with the price.

 

[Jan Larsson]

I say it's a good price. You can recover the front seats Jaxseatcovers sells a set for I beleive $800 or so, I have that in my car and am very pleased with it.

I paid around the $7500 mark for mine with 85k miles or so on it back in 2000.

Make sure there is no missing interior parts, engine parts, check and see if the original exhaust tips are there etc. As anything missing specially the TTA specific stuff (emblems y ou can replace at a decent price today) is hard to come by. All interior stuff, except for the gauges, are the same as any 89 GTA (and many of the interior beechwood color interior panels were used 88-91 on all f-bodies except for door panels and the seats). Rear seats are TTA and GTA Notchback only items. But all the beechwood interior bits are hard to find due to age.

Suspension, engine etc you can always redo or rebuild but any missing parts is where it might cost you alot of money to replace stuff.

 

[PhillyTurboSix]

I'd have to say anything under 10K is a good deal for this car. The value keeps going up and it don't take a lot to bring one back to it's glory without loosing your shirt in value. As long as it was taken care and it sounds like it you should be fine. Get some pictures of it and post them up and we'll be able to tell further but I would think if you can pick up a TTA for under 10K your doing well. Figure 1555 of them made I'd say there can't be much more then 800 left of them. I myself know of 6 of them that were wrecked and or destroyed over the last 4 years alone!

As far as the GN's. You can't really compare them to the TTA's value at all. Low mile mint 100% stock 87 GN's are brining in some decent money but you'll never get $17,500 for a GN with 150K on it. Kelly Blue Book blew the value up and it jumped the cars up a bit in value. A car is only worth what someone will pay for it at the time you sell it. I just looked at a GN yesterday with 110K on it and the guy wanted $8500 for it. And it was a pretty decent car. So yea.. that Kelly blue book is pretty much just a "guide" at best and not an actual value thing. They also bumped up their value's on the GN's because people are insuring them for more money and it was impossible to insure a car for 18K when kbb said it was worth 7500. So I think that had a lot to do with the recent GN bump as well.

 

[dtridente]

NADA has values for the TTA

 

[PhillyTurboSix]

Is it me or can you just look up the 89 TTA without adding miles and condition? I see it there on NADA but I could not find a place to put miles and such in. Came up..

1989 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Trans Am Pace Car (*)


Base Price$10,700$15,275$18,725

 

[DaveGershon]

I currently own an '87 GN and am looking at buying an '89 TTA w/ 150,000 miles from the original owner. Car is complete, but needs paint and a new spoiler. Owner claims he has taken very good care of it. Asking price is $7,500. Does this sound reasonable? I'm having no luck finding values for these cars.
What does the investment future look like for the TTAs?
Thanks,
Tim

Seems like a decent price to me.

The ultra low mileage original cars will lead the way, but all the TTA'a have been going up over the last few years.

- Dave

 

[TurboJoe89TTA]

Its only going up!!!!

Hows the interior? seems like a ok price...
I just bought a GN with 90,000miles for 10k

----------------------------------------------------------
You stole that GN. Nice price. Have a great night.


Joe

 

[PhillyTurboSix]

I paid 6K for my GN 4 years ago and it's got 93,000 on it! Repainted in 2000 :clap:

 

[torque2]

Fortunately the guy in line before me on the GN low-balled the owner and pissed him off. The guys wife drove it most of it's life (picture a 45 year old realtor showing newly-weds property in a GN!).
I've got a mess of pics on the TTA. I wasn't aware of NADA. Thanks for that lead. The car is pretty clean, with original exhaust, and an unopened motor.
No luck yet on documentation. He's digging through paperwork for it. I'll post a few pics as soon as I figure out how.
I've also requested a pic of the RPO codes.
Thanks for the replies,
Tim

 

[torque2]

Here are a few pics. Thoughts? Are cracked spoilers repairable? How are people dealing with the fact that they are so prone to cracking?
Thanks,
Tim

 

[72firebird]

The car looks salvagable but it's definatly going to take some work. For the spoilers there's a couple companies that sell fiberglass replacements and it's about the only way to go. It's about $300 for one but then you won't ever have to deal with the cracks again. Things I notice that are missing or need to be replaced are the intake pipe and dash pocket emblem. Some of the things that aren't stock are the hose from turbo to intercooler, the bolt thing sticking out on the passenger side, the radio, and the red hoses. Overall though it looks to be in decent condition considering the mileage. Most of the things that it needs are easy to come by and can be found either used or new reproduction parts.

 

[torque2]

Here's a few more pics.

 

[89MNTTA]

Just my .02 cents.......

What is your purpose for buying this car? If it's for investment purposes, I'm not sure this is the car you want. If it's to fix it up and enjoy it, I think the price is still a little bit high.

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but www.kbb.com usually has pretty good values for cars as well.

They are fun cars and have a lot of history! Good luck on your decision!

 

[torque2]

Well, looks like a done deal! I must admit, I've never been a big fan of the Trans Am body style, but I really appreciate the "curve ball" approach of the turbo V6 in the TTA. It is a nice plus that these cars are maintaining/increasing in value (maybe even the higher-mileage ones?), but I'm not thinking of this as a financial investment. I'm in it for the powerplant, handling, yin-yang GN/TTA look in my driveway, and the uniqueness of these cars.
Thanks for all the feedback! I won't be behind the wheel for another month, but I should know the build # soon.
Tim

 

[89MNTTA]

Well, looks like a done deal! I must admit, I've never been a big fan of the Trans Am body style, but I really appreciate the "curve ball" approach of the turbo V6 in the TTA. It is a nice plus that these cars are maintaining/increasing in value (maybe even the higher-mileage ones?), but I'm not thinking of this as a financial investment. I'm in it for the powerplant, handling, yin-yang GN/TTA look in my driveway, and the uniqueness of these cars.
Thanks for all the feedback! I won't be behind the wheel for another month, but I should know the build # soon.
Tim

Excellent! They are definitely fun cars! Congrats!

 

[PhillyTurboSix]

Congrats on the deal. sounds like for the money and what you want to do with it you are right in the ball park. Just about everything that car needs to come back to a really clean TTA can be had. Just chip away at things and it could be a beauty once again over time. When you pick it up make sure the tiger that ate that seat don't get you! The next purchase you need to do once you get the car ASAP is a Scanmaster. They are very important scanning tool. A local friend picked up a GN and within 3 months he's on his 3rd engine! While these engines can take some beating they must be tunned correctly. A turbo six that is out of tune and someone stomping on it could get you in trouble real quick! I would even get a Scanmaster before you even pick the car up if you can! The nice part is all the TTA pro's in the world hang on this board and we love to answer any questions you may have once you have her home! :thumbup:

 

[89MNTTA]

Congrats on the deal. sounds like for the money and what you want to do with it you are right in the ball park. Just about everything that car needs to come back to a really clean TTA can be had. Just chip away at things and it could be a beauty once again over time. When you pick it up make sure the tiger that ate that seat don't get you! The next purchase you need to do once you get the car ASAP is a Scanmaster. They are very important scanning tool. A local friend picked up a GN and within 3 months he's on his 3rd engine! While these engines can take some beating they must be tunned correctly. A turbo six that is out of tune and someone stomping on it could get you in trouble real quick! I would even get a Scanmaster before you even pick the car up if you can! The nice part is all the TTA pro's in the world hang on this board and we love to answer any questions you may have once you have her home! :thumbup:

This is the best (and friendliest) message board I've ever been on.......it makes it fun again!

 

[VeeSixx]

Congrats!

The car looks good for the price. It will be look sweeter with some TLC. Good luck with everything and post up anything you might need to get it going.

Roy

 

[mr.turbota]

I agree,
Congrads are in order.
Post when you find your number, and then send in the info for the registry.
Hope you don't have to wait too long, before you can have fun with it.

:beach:

 

[DaveGershon]

Congrads on the purchase. Now tune it, run high octane, chip and adj fp regulator and go pick on some corvettes.

- Dave

 

[torque2]

I have a Scanmaster that I can swap out of my GN for tuning. Are we talking the same typical baseline mods that are done for the Turbo Regals (i.e. chip, adjustable fpr, hot-wired pump, K&N cone, 160 T-stat, adjustable wastegate, etc.)?
Any debate over the best tires for these cars?
I'm inquiring with the owner about the "owner's kit", but I don't know what actually comes in the kit. Someone please give me a run-down. I sent off the build # request to Pontiac Historic today. I'll be sure to post when I have an answer. BTW, here are the last 5 numbers: "40934".
I couldn't be more excited about my purchase and I really look forward to becoming part of this community!

 

[89MNTTA]

I have a Scanmaster that I can swap out of my GN for tuning. Are we talking the same typical baseline mods that are done for the Turbo Regals (i.e. chip, adjustable fpr, hot-wired pump, K&N cone, 160 T-stat, adjustable wastegate, etc.)?
Any debate over the best tires for these cars?
I'm inquiring with the owner about the "owner's kit", but I don't know what actually comes in the kit. Someone please give me a run-down. I sent off the build # request to Pontiac Historic today. I'll be sure to post when I have an answer. BTW, here are the last 5 numbers: "40934".
I couldn't be more excited about my purchase and I really look forward to becoming part of this community!

Both door decals, window decal, Firebird owner's manual, 20th Anniversary manual supplement, leather manual holding case, cassette, congrats letter from Pontiac, key chain, 'extra' plastic keys

I think that is all that come with the owner's kit (besides the box!)

Chris/Jim, is it a good idea to make this question a 'sticky'? It seems to be a FAQ.

 

[hdmon007]

I currently own an '87 GN and am looking at buying an '89 TTA w/ 150,000 miles from the original owner. Car is complete, but needs paint and a new spoiler. Owner claims he has taken very good care of it. Asking price is $7,500. Does this sound reasonable? I'm having no luck finding values for these cars.
What does the investment future look like for the TTAs?
Thanks,
Tim

This past FEb. 2007 in kissimmee Fl. at an auction a low mileage Turbo T/A brought $34,500 .........hdmon007
4000 mi. T/A owner