GM A-Body Brethren: Four-Speeds Forever!

If you caught my last post about real deals under 5K, some of you may easily recall the black 1979 Chevy Malibu parked right next to a white 1978 Pontiac Grand Le Mans. Both were coupes, and at the time, I promised more specific details of both.

We’ll start alphabetically, if for no other reason. The A-body Malibu (later shifted to the G-body platform starting in 1982) has long been a favorite among circle track combatants. They also make for a relatively cheap hot rod for quarter-mile conquistadors, at least for those who dare. That’s it. This one in particular had signage in the window that indicated this one was equipped with bucket seats, a center console and a 250-cu.in. V-8. We’ll dispute the latter, to some degree, in that the 5.0L 305 was tops in ‘79, except in the wagon version. But the point here is that topping the list was the “Factory Four-Speed” notation. Yup - most probably don’t know that one could have ordered a four-speed that year. In fact, 1,903 were reportedly produced with it - far more than the 1980 version, but impressively low considering the stratospheric total production number well into the six figures.

And what of the ‘78 Pontiac? Same thing - touted as a factory four-speed equipped version. A one-owner car with 92,000 miles, buckets, console, heavy-duty suspension, Posi rear, air and other power options. According to the resources we have on hand, the four-speed was a $125 option, and for the moment, any production guess is as good as ours - we’re betting somewhere under 500.

Again, in spite of the fact that - on paper - they are not the single most desirable set of cars to leave the GM assembly line, with the four-speed knowledge now in the forefront, would you have been willing to part with the $2,900 and $2,500 (respectively) asking price?

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Probably could have gotten both for $5,000 and had a father/son (or father/daughter) ...

Think about it folks. Cars from the early Eighties are AACA eligible. That’s right: That ‘81 Malibu you trashed on the secondary street back in high school is now an antique. Same for that ‘82 Camaro you started in the driveway with a brick on the gas pedal to see if the engine would blow up. And you laughed at your uncle when he said that his ‘79 Cordoba would be seen at a car show some day.

Those days are here, and these cars (along with most of Detroit’s best from the Seventies - “best” used loosely among several) represent the single best way to get into the hobby if you’re on a very tight budget. Perfect for the youth movement into the hobby that several national car clubs are waiting for. Here are just a few example captured for sale at this past April’s Spring Carlisle.

This is the next generation of a barn find: A 1982 Buick Regal sedan with its paint intact (I though all the paint looked like crap by now on GM cars from this era?) before the barn even came close to falling in on it. Listed as always garaged - we believe it, looking at it - the four-door contains an economy-minded, non-turbo 3.8L V-6, has air, power brakes and steering, an automatic (they all did), cruise control and an AM-FM radio. All for $3,495, which was already marked down from $3,900. Heck, we’d be tempted to drive it daily.

Then there was this 1977 Chevy Malibu wagon with 68,000 miles showing. So, wagons are cheap - $4,900 for this one, complete with a V-8, automatic transmission and bench seat. The seller may not have been a very detailed-oriented kind of person, but hey, who needs to be for that price? And besides, we all know how much fun wagons can be - and they are a lot more stable that a SUV with junior behind the wheel.

How about this pair? Circle track racers have been a fan of this body style for some time due to their light overall weight and abundant production. The black ‘79 Chevy Malibu had an asking price of $2,900, while the lesser-seen ‘78 Pontiac Grand Le Mans had a $2,500 sticker. There was something a bit more interesting about this pair that deserves more attention… more on these in a later post. Probably could have gotten both for $5,000 and had a father/son (or father/daughter) A-body garage to reminisce over for years to come.

And then there was this. Yup, a 1979 AMC Pacer DL. That’s Hemmings Motor News editor Mike McNessor in the background. Both of us agreed in mere seconds that this single car was the best deal on the grounds. Period. I know, it’s a Pacer - the car that everyone loves to laugh at. But the sticker here wasn’t $5,000, or even $4,000. If we read correctly what we saw on the windshield, you could have gotten yourself a virtually new, 43,000-mile car, with a 110hp 258-cube inline six, power steering and brakes, AM-FM radio, dual reclining buckets, as well as a new water pump, hoses and radials, all for $2,000! Seems low, but as far as we’re aware, that’s no typo.

So, instead of hoping to find a good deal on a collector car, or even a truck, get out there and check things out for yourself. You may never know what you’ll come across - so long as you broaden your scope!

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