Pontiac Ninja

Dad paid 12,500!


Info:

1985 PONTIAC TRANS AM ROADSTER RARE: 2 SEAT ROADSTER
1985 PONTIAC FIREBIRD TRANS AM SPORT ROADSTER - 2 SEATER CONVERTIBLE THIS IS A LIMITED BUILD, LOW(13,876)MILEAGE FACTORY PONTIAC FIREBIRD TRANS AM WITH A '85 CUSTOM CONVERSION BY AUTO FORMS ENGINEERING FROM ELKHARDT, INDIANA. SANCTIONED BY GENERAL MOTORS EACH UNIT BUILT RECVD. IT'S OWN SERIAL NUMBER IN THE DOOR JAMB (OURS IS AFC5-0241). IT TOOK OVER TWO WEEKS TO BUILD EACH CAR AND, WE ARE TOLD, CUSTOMERS PAID UP TO AN ADDITIONAL $14,000 FOR THE OPTION. AUTO FORMS WORKED DIRECTLY WITH PONTIAC DEALERS, NOT WALK-IN CUSTOMERS SO, IT WAS A 'CLOSED DOOR' OPERATION. NEW CARS WERE DROP SHIPPED DIRECTLY TO TWO DIFFERENT FACTORIES, AND WHEN COMPLETED, THEY WERE THEN RE-DELIVERED TO THE DEALER. ACCORDING THE THE ORIGINAL WINDOW STICKER, THIS PARTICULAR CAR WAS FULLY EQUIPPED TO BEGIN WITH... IT CAME FROM THE FACTORY CARRYING MACPHERSON STRUT SUSPENSION, POWER STEERING, POWER FRONT DISC BRAKES, HALOGEN HEADLAMPS, FOGLAMPS, ALUMINUM TURBO WHEELS, REAR DECK SPOILER, GAUGES/TACH, SPORT MIRRORS, RECLINING BUCKET SEAT, RALLY TUNED SUSPENSION, FRONT FENDER 'EXTRACTORS', AERO PACKAGE (GROUND EFFECTS), HOOD LOUVERS AND DELCO RADIO SYSTEM HOWEVER, THIS CAR GOT ADDITIONAL OPTIONS OF POWER DOOR LOCKS, TINTED SOFT RAY GLASS (ALL). REMOTE DECK- LID RELEASE, LUXURY TRIM GROUP, CONT. CYCLE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, AIR CONDITIONING, POWER REMOTE MIRRORS, CRUISE CONTROL AND THE BIG LG4 5.0 LITRE V8 WITH AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE TRANSMISSION, AM/FM/ CASSETTE RADIO AND MORE. FINISHED IN BLAZE RED THIS CAR HAS AN EXCELLENT GREY / BLACK VELOUR INTERIOR WITH BLACK DOOR PANELS. THIS CAR IS COMPLETE W/ ORIG. WIND. STICKER, DEALER TAG, WARRANTY BOOKLET,MAINT. SCHED.,OWNERS MANUAL, EPA DOC'S AND LETTER FROM AUTO FORM CORP.


What do you guys think! I think we got a great deal considering the rarity and the mileage!

BlueZee28

iTrader: (30)

I think it's sexy. One of my favorite paint schemes on 3rd gen birds Is your dad considering buying new wheels for it?

Pontiac Ninja

Thanks. I like the color combo alot also.

nah. I think we are going to keep it the original look. PLus we like those wheels! At least they are the nicest optioned wheels for the year.

gcgarner

Dude, I'm extremely jealous. That's the nicest Autoform I've seen.

Pontiac Ninja

I can't wait until I get to cruize a little in it!

soldaustin

Here is mine. It has 14,700 miles on it, tuned port injection. By the way great car. I saw it advertised for sale and thought it was an outstanding buy!

Pontiac Ninja

yours looks awsome also. How long have you had it? I wish this one had the TPI, my old 86 did (and the digital guages). It has the V8 LG4 with 160hp & 250 ft-lb torque.

You know much about this whole Auto Form thing. I know just what the paragraph says and some from this website> Autoform Firebirds Lot#1

I would like to fing out some actual numbers of our cars and where you get replacement parsts if neeed.

Does your top come up well still and fit good? later

soldaustin

I have had mine about 3 or 4 years. I know that my parents bought it about 5 years or so before. The people they got it from had bought it from the original owner. He just drove it to car shows etc. Never been in the rain we were told and always garaged which I believe. The last guy bought it for his son who had cancer. He was pretty young, 15 or 16 can't remember, and they wanted him to have something to drive cool. He drove it only a few times down the street as he was too weak and he died. I am not sure how long the car sat in their garage then.

The top raises and lowers like new. However my snaps need to be replaced as they don't snap good. Some do, some don't. The drivers side corner of the top is chewed up where it wraps around the glass. I took it to a convertible top shop and he said for 175.00 he will sew in a new piece and replace all of my snaps. He said the top is in great shape otherwise which it is. This is the only eyesore on the corner. It is fortunate that this is a corner piece anyway. If you have to have a top which I don't plan on ever needing, it would cost a small fortune. He told me if he had to replace my top, it would be hard to do but he could of course duplicate it for about 2,500. Whew! I hope I never need one. That is about it really. The fiberglass back part is yellowed as it is gel coat. I am going to wet sand it down when it gets cooler. A shop looked at it and told me this before I read the brochure from Autoform that said it was gel coat. The interior is flawless and like new. The engine hasn't been cleaned and is really clean. I need to do that though. I also love the tuned port injection. I have a couple of things to do to mine though.

It runs great, drives like new except for this. At between about 35-40 Mph it has a front end shake. Not tires. They are new. Not balance. I have had it checked. Someone who has the cars who is on this forum. (he has 3 of them) said my X brace might be loose. Maybe, I still need to check. Really thats it. The car is as tight as a new car and drives like it otherwise. Pesky shake!

I don't know a lot but know that the '85 and '86 model Trans am is the lowest production numbers. There were quite a few '84 models. The red one on the autoform page you posted is one that sold on ebay a year or 2 ago. It sold I think for 5,000 or so and had about 52,000 miles on it. Original owners sold it. I know it needed a top and paint. Someone on here has a black one they bought off of Ebay I think. Then yours and mine and one other one I can't verify. That is all I have found. Tons of camaros or other years, but not many '85 Trans ams. Mine said 104 on the door. I think 00104 or something like that.

The dealer you bought from said that your car had a letter from Autoform. You also show that in one of your posts. What is that? What does it say?

Pontiac Ninja

If you saw my original post it is my parents that actually bought this (my dad). They have not quite yet taken posession of the car. It is being shipped from Florida by Reliable Car Carriers and should be at my parents house by the end of this week. I will ask my dad to scan the letter and send it to me. I'll let you know what it says or maybe attach it on here or something. This car my dad bought really does seem like a collector's dream with not only the low mileage but the window sticker and that letter from Auto Form. It has about every option also, even the 2-tone color combo, (accept your TPI! ).

Thanks all your interesting bits of information, on replacing the snaps and the shake at 30-40mph. Its always good to have comparisons on things. That x-brace you are referring to is what AF bolted on under the car to the lift pads to make it more structurally sound correct?

You only know of about 5 of these huh (you mean 85s right?) I'll definitely be keeping my eyes and hears open about these. We should send in our info. to that website so he has a couple more 85s documented. I would like to send a letter to GM and see what information they can provide that may be different from what we already know.

Do you have a car cover for it? I've been looking for one for my dad and found a couple places, but just curious on your side. They range in price from like 120-190. He just wants a dust cover though that won't scratch the paint. later.

soldaustin

Don't bother writing GM as they don't know anything about these cars. I am not sure how they did them but dealers did received them already done. I am sure they ordered them but not sure how. I have a letter from GM from when I bought my car stating they don't have any info on Autoform or something like that. I will have to read it again myself. I do agree that they got a great buy. To give you an idea how much. A 1986 Iroc recently sold on Ebay with 46,000 miles. I am not sure but think the Irocs got the TPI engine but I don't believe he told what it was come to think of it. Maybe.. anyway, he said it looked good from a distance but to be perfect, it needed a paint job. It sold for 15,100.00. Another '85 Z28 came though after that with only 19,000 miles. He had different wheels on it and some weird eagle on the front nose which might could be taken off, not sure. Anyway, the bids on it only went up to something like 9,000. It was a much nicer car than the IROC. I asked him what engine he had and he wrote back but never answered that question. So the Camaros are more common.

And yes I am talking I have only actually found 4 Autoform '85 Trans ams so far. I saw someone said they had a 5th but I didn't get a reply when I wrote them and never saw anything about it again.

There might be more out there, but I just havent seen them. I did write the guy on the website you were talking about a few weeks ago. He responded quick after no reply the first time several weeks before that even. He said he had been busy but took my info and said he would post it but never did. Also I told him the one he has at the bottom changed ownership and he said he would change it but never did. I even sent their names.

The "X" Bracing is a big X done across the bottom of the car to keep it stable and from flexing. It has extra bracing when it was built.

I posted about the car cover on another thread where you had asked about. I ordered a covercraft "Noah" which is good for outside also and blocks UV rays and dust, tree sap, and light rain. None will block heavy rain that I have found and still breath. I paid 180.99 including tax and shipping. It is a great outdoor cover. I just got it. My other cover I ordered 20 years ago or more and it was also a Covercraft. I have more info on the other thread so check it out.

Pontiac Ninja

yeah I would think that with the right buyer my dad's car could bring closer to $18-20K. The only thing the Dream Car place in FL told us was wrong with it was that the back of the mirrors had some scratches and the underneith had little bit of surface rust starting. At only 13,900 miles and only used for car shows that sounds about right. Plus this car place in Florida has been in business for 17 years he said and never been sued for wrongful information. My dad had heard of the place before we called on it also and said it was a real good place to do business with. We'll see when it gets here I guess.

I forgot you had posted in my other car cover thread, sorry about that.

i will try and email that guy with the TA website the info. on our car sometime also. Hopefully he'll get everything updated and entered for us all. I'll even mention about your updates just to see what he says.

I can't believe some of the veterans at GM can't provide info. about the autoforms for us. oh well.

what car is that in your avatar? it looks really good! I love that color. my old 86TA had a color called Firethorn red (maroon type).

soldaustin

It is red, not sure the color. It is very closed to the factory red. This car is also an '85 and used to be red and silver. I changed it to solid red in I think 1987 or so and just repainted it again as the paint was shot. Since I decided to fix it up, it has eaten me alive it seems. I thought I was close to getting my new interior in and the transmission screwed up so I had to have it rebuilt last week. Hopefully I am getting there. I liked the guy you bought from in Florida. I think he told you the truth. Expect some things as it does have age on it. But all in all, I think you willl be extremely happy with it. I would love to have a pair of them!

soldaustin

Well, just when I thought I wouldn't see another '85 Transam Convertible I found one that can be the clone to yours. Looks overall like a nice car, just needs the nose painted. I am curious to see what this one will go for.

eBay Motors: Pontiac : Trans Am (item 290015796560 end time Aug-20-06 22:45:00 PDT)

My car was also just posted on the autoform firebird gallery. He said he was contacting you to get info to post yours. I think it is great to keep track of these. Well this one makes 5 '85 models now that I know of.

18inchboyds

nice, i think the price is a little higher than i would pay for something like that . but it is very nice .ive been lookin at some on ebay lately .

Bovee Trans Am

I am new to this site. I have been looking for information on my 85 Trans Am, TPI 2 seater convertible. After reading all of your threads I went to locate the production number it is AFC5 00084. My car is original and runs like a demon. I need to have the top replaced as it is ripped. It has been painted and I plan on repainting it back to the original red with the silver/gray ground effects. The interior is in good condition.

I have considered selling my car, yet everytime I drive it I fall in love all over again. It has been gargaged for the last 10 years. We only drive it a few times a year.

I will also contact the other website to record my car. When I have more time I will post pictures.

soldaustin

Well that is another '85. I have an '85 also and I think that is posted above. It is also on the website you are talking about that keeps up with them. Yours makes 6 that I know of. I am not sure how many others are TPI but I only know yours and mine. They are the rarest. I am not sure but have heard there were around 50 made in both 85 and about the same amount in '86. No way to know for sure but someone on here does have some information they gave me on production for the 83 and 84 models.

Good luck replacing the top. It will cost you a lot of money as those are one off custom tops. No one stocks them of course and the more you give the top shop to work with to make a pattern, the better off you will be. I got a price of 2,500-3,000 to build one. Luckily I don't need it but need a corner repaired. How many miles does yours have. And yes please post photos. One '85 red one just went though ebay but didn't sell. It had around 66,000 miles on it and looked pretty nice. (nose had been bumped and needed paint) Some baseball player either owns it or owned it. I don't follow that so would not give one penny more for that and it looks like they thought it would bring a premium just for that.

Good luck and looking forward to seeing photos. Oh, Pontia Ninja who started this thread has a great looking one with around the same miles as mine or maybe a little less. I have 14,700 and I think they are just below 14,000. Beautiful car he has. There are a few more that are not on the autoform page. I told he about Pontiac Ninja but it isn't posted. I also told him about the one for sale on Ebay and another '84 I found but they are not on there either.

soldaustin

I know your dad was waiting to get the Red T/A. I figure you should have had it for a while now. How was it? We haven't heard anything back on here so was wondering how it worked out. The car is really a nice looking car and I am sure your dad will love it.

Bovee Trans Am

I just sent an email to the other site. I also sent one picture that I have, it is not very good. I will try to find some time to take some more.

My car has 82K. My late husband owned the car for 16 or 17 years and for about 6 years he drove the car every day. I just drove it 250 miles and it was so great. I love the way that people look wondering what it is. Here in California I have never seen another one and needless to say most other people have either. It is so powerful that I have to be very careful that it doesn't jump right out from under me. LOL

Bovee Trans Am

Here is the picture of my car.

soldaustin

The car looks great. I am partial to the all red. My other trans am you see by my screen name is one I bought new in 1985. It was red and silver and I painted it all red I think around 1988. As far as value it is hard to say. I also love the looks of them and no one here has seen one. I know of one other one that might still be in Austin that was a 1983 but thats it. The '85 as I said seems to be the rarest from what I am finding. Please do post info about it on the firebird site. I know the guy is busy so it might take him some time to get back to you.

As far as how much they are worth it is hard to say. The one at the start of this thread has one exactly like yours only they don't have the TPI engine. Theirs only has around 14k miles on it and they just bought it for 12,500. The car is mint condition I believe and I think this was a bargain. The other '85 on Ebay only received bids (not TPI engine) of around 6,700 and didn't sell. I saw a red and silver one go though Ebay maybe 2 years ago and it is posted on the firebird site as not knowing much about it. I think it had around 52,000 miles on it and I believe needed top work. It sold for around 5,200-6,000, I can't remember exactly as that has been a while and no one has come forward that owns it.

An '86 Iroc sold last on Ebay. It was nice, all red, TPI engine so really the same car as ours except a camaro. He said it needed paint to be perfect but it looked like a nice car. I think the miles on it was in the 40k range. It sold for 15,100. This one shocked me. So people will pay if they find something they really like. You have a unique vehicle and not many people can say, "Oh, I see those all the time" as they don't. Again, I love the all Red. If you did decide to change it back, all they would have to do is paint the lower spoiler part silver and not the whole car. Glad to see you on here. Enjoy the car! I know I am really just starting to enjoy my white Autoform. It sat up for years also and I figured if I have it, I need to drive it on occassion or what is the need having it. It also gets lots of looks.

Pontiac Ninja

SOrry, I've been away.

My dad did get the car and I will see it Saturday! He said it looks awsome and started right up!

I'll try & come back with some scans of the papers and some more information hopefully. I'll post on SUnday or Monday of next week. later

Pontiac Ninja

Hey could you give me "step by step" instructions to help out my dad in raising the fiberglass back piece and getting out the convertible top to snap it? We didn't get a chance to talk with the original owner. I know it opens from right behind the seats from pictures I've seen. Any help would be appreciated!

On another note, I finally got to drive the car! Starts right up, no problems at all. It sounds great. Not to loud, not to soft. I loved it so much! Everyone was looking at it, haha. I will still have to get my mom to scan all the papers we recievd with it and send them to me. And get some info. to that one firebird site. later

soldaustin

I sent you an e-mail with instructions. Sorry it took me so long to respond. I was out of town on vacation for the past 13 days and just got in last night.