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-..." !!
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.
