I was going to post in response to the Mecum Festival Car post, but didn't want to hijack his thread...so I decided to start a new thread and discussion...and I am sure you all are as fired up and confused about this as me...
I have really gotten into the collector car arena and auctions the last couple years with Velocity and Speed Channel and the Mecum and Barrett-Jackson Auctions and the Market on this car is just mind numbing.
The TTA is arguably the fastest, best driving, most rare Trans Am ever produced by Pontiac. Of all the American cars produced in the 80's, next to the GNX, it is probably the best muscle car GM produced. OK that is not too much to brag about from the 80's, but the car performs (and out performs most) and gets just as good gas mileage or better then the high horse power cars produced today., yet it barely draws $11.5K yesterday at Mecum??? WTF!!!!!!!!!!! The last auction, a mass produced Monte Carlo Super Slow from back in the late 80's sells for $15k + and my car at a car show last summer in my 80's class where there were only about 4 out of 200 cars from the 80's, lost to an ugly, beat up, super slow 85 Hurst Olds..... AGAIN...Where is my WTF button....:explosion:
Two things come to mind why these cars just don't get the respect they deserve....
1... People just don't know what they are and assume they are a normal GTA from the 80's, even though you don't hardly see any of those left on the road either....
2... it just seems to go back to even though there were only 1550 of these cars produced, there are always about 10 for sale...and sell for $10K to $15K.... Just in the last two weeks, it seems about 10 more have popped up for sale....definitely a buyers market....
Every time I am out in mine or at a car show, I get probably no less than three compliments and people comment on the look or even actually have a story about the car or knew someone who had one.... which seems to go directly against my two statements above...
Now my cars are driven and are not museum or top show cars, one is a mostly stock(bought for $13K) and the other is mostly modified(bought for $4k), but even with that said, to me I will not sell either car for no less than $15K at this point.... good thing I am not selling because it doesn't appear I could get that for either one. My first one I bought in 89 at sticker price was $31K and got every penny out of it and sold it in 91 when I got married with 60K+ mileage on it, driven hard, but still looked good for $11K.... I thought the guy was getting it a steal, but I was desperate to sell it....so maybe I have myself to blame for the market on these cars....
Bottom line, a car is only worth what a person is willing to pay for it.... and cars are meant to be driven....so enjoy these TTA's while you can....get them out on the road and to the shows to increase their appeal and value.
If you are going to sell one of these and want top dollar, then take it to the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale in January. People there definitely go there to buy a car and get caught up in the auction frenzy. A Salvaged Titled TTA sold for $20K+ last year....need I say more????
If you want to buy a TTA at a value, just do an internet search and make a low ball offer, chances are in this economy, a desperate seller will take the offer if they need a quick $5k to $10K in a pinch like I did before... sad times for sure for a seller....DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am anxious to hear what my fellow TTA enthusiasts have to say on this topic....
I have really gotten into the collector car arena and auctions the last couple years with Velocity and Speed Channel and the Mecum and Barrett-Jackson Auctions and the Market on this car is just mind numbing.
The TTA is arguably the fastest, best driving, most rare Trans Am ever produced by Pontiac. Of all the American cars produced in the 80's, next to the GNX, it is probably the best muscle car GM produced. OK that is not too much to brag about from the 80's, but the car performs (and out performs most) and gets just as good gas mileage or better then the high horse power cars produced today., yet it barely draws $11.5K yesterday at Mecum??? WTF!!!!!!!!!!! The last auction, a mass produced Monte Carlo Super Slow from back in the late 80's sells for $15k + and my car at a car show last summer in my 80's class where there were only about 4 out of 200 cars from the 80's, lost to an ugly, beat up, super slow 85 Hurst Olds..... AGAIN...Where is my WTF button....:explosion:
Two things come to mind why these cars just don't get the respect they deserve....
1... People just don't know what they are and assume they are a normal GTA from the 80's, even though you don't hardly see any of those left on the road either....
2... it just seems to go back to even though there were only 1550 of these cars produced, there are always about 10 for sale...and sell for $10K to $15K.... Just in the last two weeks, it seems about 10 more have popped up for sale....definitely a buyers market....
Every time I am out in mine or at a car show, I get probably no less than three compliments and people comment on the look or even actually have a story about the car or knew someone who had one.... which seems to go directly against my two statements above...
Now my cars are driven and are not museum or top show cars, one is a mostly stock(bought for $13K) and the other is mostly modified(bought for $4k), but even with that said, to me I will not sell either car for no less than $15K at this point.... good thing I am not selling because it doesn't appear I could get that for either one. My first one I bought in 89 at sticker price was $31K and got every penny out of it and sold it in 91 when I got married with 60K+ mileage on it, driven hard, but still looked good for $11K.... I thought the guy was getting it a steal, but I was desperate to sell it....so maybe I have myself to blame for the market on these cars....
Bottom line, a car is only worth what a person is willing to pay for it.... and cars are meant to be driven....so enjoy these TTA's while you can....get them out on the road and to the shows to increase their appeal and value.
If you are going to sell one of these and want top dollar, then take it to the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale in January. People there definitely go there to buy a car and get caught up in the auction frenzy. A Salvaged Titled TTA sold for $20K+ last year....need I say more????
If you want to buy a TTA at a value, just do an internet search and make a low ball offer, chances are in this economy, a desperate seller will take the offer if they need a quick $5k to $10K in a pinch like I did before... sad times for sure for a seller....DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am anxious to hear what my fellow TTA enthusiasts have to say on this topic....
