questions

I apoligize in advance if this is a dumb question.
I'm a 17 y/o and i'm looking to buy my first muscle car, but i don't live in an area where there are many for sale. So i'll have to drive at least 100 miles. I don't want to drive that far based on one bad picture in the auto trader or online, so obviously i want to contact the seller before doing so. So what are some good questions to ask? What do i want to know before making the trip. I have a friend who has been a mechanic in a Pontiac dealership (i really want a pontiac) for 35 years, who can help me when i visit the car, but i don't want to drag him 150 miles for a POS car.
Please help.

Why would you want a Pontiac?? My first car ('60 Catalina) and most of my other cars were Pontiacs. Most of them were POS! And that goes for the oldest car I have owned ('51), and ESPECIALLY the last Pontiac I owned ('88 TA GTA). Out of about 16 different Pontiacs I have owned, the best one, as far as reliability is concerned, that I have owned was a '65 Lemans. But to be honest, during the years that I bought Pontiacs I could not be very picky because I had limited funds for car shopping. Still, I have owned many other cars and most have seemed to be better built and more reliable.

If you are shopping for an older (60's) muscle car, then stay with Chevy -- parts and mods are cheapest. The old Pontiac engines were heavier and had much less performance potential per dollar spent. Of-course if you are looking for late model performance (which I would advise) then it doesn't matter since Pontiacs and Chevys are almost the same (drive-train wise). Good luck!
:2cents:

um 1g1yy, pretty sure you didn't answer my question. thanks though. Opinions are like noses everyone has one and most of them smell. I like pontiacs, I'm lookin at buyin a first gen firebird or a 66-67 GTO. Those are the cars that i like. I'm not a big chevy guy. So i would appreciate some help, instead of being told im wrong.

Anyone care to help me and answer my question.

Gee, I didn't mean to rain on your parade. Why didn't I answer your question? Well maybe it is because your question is too broad and general. What kind of answer are you looking for? Certainly you know to ask whether the car smokes on start-up; whether it has been wrecked; whether it is all original; whether it has Bondo, or any rust, etc. Those are just examples of questions to ask -- there are many other questions you might ask depending on the answers to those questions, for example, if he says the engine is original then have him get the engine code for you. I would think you would already know these questions and many others to ask before a long trip to see a car. Frankly I can't really think of any that probably haven't occurred to you -- so maybe I should not have responded to your question at all.

As for my opinions being like a nose, well you were gracious not to say "like a butt-..." !! :biggrin: I would like to say, though, that I'm an old fart. I was your age in the sixties, so my opinions smell of some experience and knowledge.

I also want you to know that, like you, I always liked Pontiacs. I liked the Firebirds more than Camaros, and GTOs more than Chevelles. I even had an early Bird (Unfortunately with the Sprint 6, rather than the 400.). And I had a later (74) Formula 400 that I did a few mods on from HO Specialties. Anyway I just wanted to let you know that all old muscle cars were not created equal -- and Pontiacs had some serious design limitations that hinders the power you can make -- unless you have some serious money to sink into one. (Why do you think GM stopped making Pontiac engines -- they are a very old, heavy , inefficient design.) I'm not bashing Pontiacs -- just stating facts that you can verify yourself with a bit of research. Overall my experience with Pontiacs was, most often, costly and not thrilling from a performance standpoint. But, I will agree, if you are not looking for ultimate performance and just want a good-looking, neat old cruiser that seems torquey then an old GTO or Bird is a great choice. :smile:

I OWN A 68 PON.TEMPEST CUSTOM(SAME AS THE 69 GTO) IT CURRENTLY HAS A B.O.P MOTOR. TRUTH IS,LIKE 1G1YY SAID BIG,HEAVY,SLUGGISH. THESE AREN'T OPINIONS THERE FACTS.B.O.P MOTORS WEREN'T THAT GREAT. AS W/ANY OLD CAR WORD OF MOUTH WON'T DO JUSTICE. REMEMBER:THEY TRYING TO SELL IT! GO LOOK IT. EXAMINE FOR RUST/BONDO.LOOK AT EVERY INCH OF THE CAR.BUT IT ON THE BASIS OF HOW MUCH WORK IT NEEDS & HOW MUCH $ YOUR WILLING TO SPEND. DON'T BE PICKY GRAB WHAT YOU CAN! i'M A CHEVY GIRL ALL THE WAY! I WAS OFFERED A GOOD DEAL & I TOOK IT.NOW I OWN A 68 PONTIAC TEMPEST CUSTOM(SAME AS THE 69 GTO)