Grand National -vs- Turbo Trans Am

[89TTA/95TA Vert]

Hey guys first off I just want to say I come in peace. I'm come from the brethern of the Turbo Buick family. I own a TTA myself and I had a few questions for you GN owners.

I know the GN group and TTA owners are a tight knit group and I think that is great - we need it. Anyway, I come here with a couple questions regarding the differences in the GN and TTA values. I have a low mileage TTA that I may be putting to market soon. I've been watching the values of TTAs, GNs and Vettes for sometime now and I'm somewhat dissappointed by the prices for the TTAs. The market has pretty muched leveled out for the TTA's yet the GN continues to climb. Why is that? Don't take this the wrong way but they made more GNs than the TTAs correct (like 10,000+ units compared to 1,555 units) ? The TTA is a tad quicker (.5 second or so??), better handling chartacteristics?? Those are the ones that I know of. Is there anything else?
So what does the GN have over the TTA when it comes to the used car market (besides a 'real' backseat people can use :biggrin: )? I'm curious as all hell....

Again, I'm not bashing the GN in any way, I love the cars! If I had room for a 3rd weekend toy the GN would be it. The cars are bad a$$ and the people who know what they are respect them very much.


Thanks for your input. And please no flames. I'm hoping I may learn something new here. Maybe I'd be better off selling my Convertible T/A for another V6 with a 'huffer' huh????

Thanks!

 

[moodym]

Your TTA

Just for asking, your TTA hard top or T-Tops?

I would like to have a TTA but the chances are slim as I do not want T-Tops. Since the majority of the cars are T-Tops, I will problem never actually find one.

Mike

 

[Ormand]

I really can't answer this, absolutely. But the value of the TTA may have leveled off because it is the 3rd gen F body. Those bodies are known to be a little flexible, especially when they get some miles on them. Compared to the body-on-frame of the G bodies Buicks, they are just not as stiff, and more prone to rattles and leaks. That may be part of the "value" set on them.

 

[pvt num 11]

Perhaps... Just one reason why I want SFC's. Rarity doesn't always equate into value. Another small factoid, is that the TTA's are newer, and there's less swapping of them around. I'm the third owner of mine, but the second owner owned it for 99% of the time since the car was built. There's a link on the TTA-side of this board that has a detailed list of Ebay bidding histories. HIgh-mileage ones like mine go from 6 to 9k, more pristine ones can go as high as 25+, especially if they're the more rare ones, like a certified Festival Car or a cloth hard-top or whatever.

 

[rex362]

89TTA/95TA Vert

pm sent....

 

[89TTA/95TA Vert]

for the record mine is the usual 'run of the mill' T-Top/Leather. FWIW, my DOES NOT rattle and the leather is as delivered. I'm the only one that has sat in the car under my ownership and from the looks of the other 3 seats apparently no one else has either. Or at least they used extreme care!

I understand the stigma affiliated w/ 3rd Gens. I had other 3rd Gens and other than the TTA they can be labled as anemic and the styling is a love it or hate it. I think it won't be till the Gen "X"ers get to the point where they want these cars and are willing to pay good money for a pristine 3rd Gen.

I'm watching the 7,500 built '79 10th Anniversary Trans Ams go through the roof now. There is one on eBay nearing 40k. This person could've unloaded the car for 38k with no problem. They were holding out for 42k reserve the last time I looked.

I have to believe the TTA has to be behind the 10th's within the next 5-10 years when it comes to the prices to start escalating..

Thanks again guys!

 

[Sleepy]

I have a TTA and a GN. I think the GN goes for more money because of its noterity. When it was labeled the fastest production car in '87, it seems to have left an impression on people. Most people think all GNs fly. I would say hold onto your TTA for a few more years. I think now that the F-bodies are gone, they will go up in value in a few years. At least that is what I am banking on

 

[zproud]

I have a TTA and a GN. I think the GN goes for more money because of its noterity. When it was labeled the fastest production car in '87, it seems to have left an impression on people. Most people think all GNs fly. I would say hold onto your TTA for a few more years. I think now that the F-bodies are gone, they will go up in value in a few years. At least that is what I am banking on

I own a Gn and a ZR1.....,

I belive the Gn HAS Noterity...nothing else looks like it( all black). in the buick family..so it has an incress in value. every one likes it and wants one.

The TR values are based on the Gn Norerity also

The TTA looks like the standard T/A.. My 91 Zr1 looks like a standard corvette, its value is some were around 20 to 25 k...the car sold new for sticker +3k or 68,000.00 the tta was 30 ish? value is I think around 10 ish..
A third of it new selling price....most Gn are around 65 to 75 % of their new sticker. price and gnx cars are selling for more now then new. it can only help all well kept cars


I get more people looking at the GN ...I was at a car show and a 70 year old guy came up to me and said when did buick make this?

The Tta may come around, But I think it will be 10 years or more.JMO Good luck,,,
Cars are ment to be enjoyed, they are not investments.

Please dont flame me!

 

[TClassic]

The market has pretty muched leveled out for the TTA's yet the GN continues to climb. Why is that?

I've been seeing this over the last several years as well, 2 years ago when I first thought about buying the one I have now ( a pristine 10k mile car) I saw that the NADA for a Mint TTA was at 19,500, TODAY it's at 18even....so not only are they nowhere NEAR a mint GN, they are LOSING Ground

Bottom line is the values for these cars now are in the Crapper.... I saw this as a good opurtunity to just buy one now and enjoy it...ask PhillyTurboSix on this board what his Profesional Appraisal was exactly on his car, he must have been disapointed because he didn't chime in about it??

 

[2QUIK6]

I think Sleepy put it best, its the notoriety of the GN that makes it worth more. And they made over 22,000+ GNs. They made fewer T-types and they came in different colors and they are worth less than the more popular GN too.
At car shows when I have all 3 anniversary birds and the GN, the GN and the 10th Anniver TA get all the attention. Yes, the 10th TA is going up quickly. The TTA will not be far behind.
The whole value of a car is driven by how much someone will pay for it..and may more folks know and want a GN. Not that many people I run across even know what the TTA is...so therefore its going to take it longer to rise in value, but it will eventually.....

Also, as mentioned, the GN was the fastest car built in its day...well, that would make the TTA the fastest also since it was faster than a GN...but have you ever heard it talked about that way??

 

[Blazer406]

Cars are ment to be enjoyed, they are not investments.

Amen....

How could anyone possibly enjoy one of these mechanical wonders as much as I do.... without.....well..... thrashing it regularly....... :biggrin: :biggrin: That is where the fun is....... :biggrin: :biggrin:

IMHO of course.

 

[DragulaGN]

I think there is one other aspect that some people are overlooking.. Looks.. The GN...(in my humble opinion) is a much better looking car than the TTA. I was never a fan of the 3rd gen F body. Dont bash me over the head..I currently have a 4th gen WS6 and I love the looks of it . But side by side..I think the GN just looks better, badder, and classier all at the same time. Just my 2 cents

 

[corsair231]

Pricing of anything is subjective. It is only worth what a buyer will pay for it. It doesn't always depend on how rare, how fast, or how much it cost new. I got my '87 WE4 because the original owner decided he wanted a GN instead and traded it back to the dealer. Although the WE4 package is a lot rarer (about 1,500 vs 20,000 plus GNs) today's value is still less than a GN. I had a '95 Ford Tarus SHO which was an awesome automobile. It had rarity,(production numbers were low about 5,500), performance (faster than a Mustang GT), function, style, and about a $30,000 sticker. You can buy them all day long now for less than 4 grand which is not much more than you can get for a good regular Tarus. You can't argue about the numbers. SHO's had them. The problem is they're what I call niche cars. Only certain types of people want them. The ones that like the body style won't pay for the drivetrain when they can get one that looks just like it for less. The ones that want the performance don't want the body and would rather pay for the more popular and traditional Mustang so they don't have much "market strength". I think the same is true about the '89 TTA. People that want a F-body have a lot of nice, lower priced, easy to work-on traditional V-8 (bigger is better,right), and almost as fast as the turbo examples to choose from. People that want a turbo want the car that made it famous, the GN, and nothing else will do. After all Pontiac can't do a turbo. Just look at the original 4.9 TTA and the Turbo Grand Prix . Life is just not fair. :biggrin:

 

[pvt num 11]

Hey now, I'd love to own a TGP... Nevermind if it was actually fast or anything, that could always be remedied...

Niche. Yup, hit it on the head. Plus, a regular third gen can be had for a song these days, unless it's in really great shape and has low miles, and even then you're looking at a price that is by far less then any TTA will sell for. I originally settled for a heavy-as-hell GTA with a 350. Looks just as cool, and most people don't have a clue what a TTA is anyway, unless you got the door stickers on. I've had one guy flat-out tell me how much I wanted for mine, as he actually knew what it was. Everyone else is like, "Nice car, what's it got, a 350?"

Ah, it's all right, ignorance is bliss anyway. Maybe I'll turn to the darside and get a T-Type someday as a daily driver.

 

[2QUIK6]

traditional V-8 (bigger is better,right), and almost as fast as the turbo examples to choose from.... After all Pontiac can't do a turbo. Just look at the original 4.9 TTA

the V8 3rd gens are almost as fast as the TTA...did I understand that correctly? And we all know that the 89 TTA is the best Pontiac Buick ever built.....that's why it has a Buick motor in it nstead of the Pontiac motor since they screwed up with the 80/81 Turbo TA's

 

[FlyinGN]

The reason Jim has not told about the apraisal is because he has not gotten it back yet..

I've been seeing this over the last several years as well, 2 years ago when I first thought about buying the one I have now ( a pristine 10k mile car) I saw that the NADA for a Mint TTA was at 19,500, TODAY it's at 18even....so not only are they nowhere NEAR a mint GN, they are LOSING Ground

Bottom line is the values for these cars now are in the Crapper.... I saw this as a good opurtunity to just buy one now and enjoy it...ask PhillyTurboSix on this board what his Profesional Appraisal was exactly on his car, he must have been disapointed because he didn't chime in about it??

 

[Gary Wells]

I've been seeing this over the last several years as well, 2 years ago when I first thought about buying the one I have now ( a pristine 10k mile car) I saw that the NADA for a Mint TTA was at 19,500, TODAY it's at 18even....so not only are they nowhere NEAR a mint GN, they are LOSING Ground

Bottom line is the values for these cars now are in the Crapper.... I saw this as a good opurtunity to just buy one now and enjoy it...ask PhillyTurboSix on this board what his Profesional Appraisal was exactly on his car, he must have been disapointed because he didn't chime in about it??

---------------------------------------------
Brian:
Out trolling again?
Do you really believe that they are losing ground?
Please don't quote what NADA states. What do you think? I know that you have been in this game long enough to know, and I also know that you would have never bought yours if you really believed that the average value of a "mint" TTA was going down $ 1.5K a year.
I think that the TTA's have gone up a little in general in the last year. I go by what I would expect to pay if I found one that was up to what I believe are my standards. The TTA's are going up, but not at quite the same percentage of increase as the GN's, just as the GN's are not going up at quite the same percentage of increase as the GNX's. And also from my own personal point of view regarding appraisals, professional and otherwise, I don't think that you will find too many people selling cars at what they are appraised at, although I am sure that there are honest appraisers out there. The value of these cars, TTA's included, is definitely not in the crapper. Over the last ten years in general I have seen the value of GN's, T-Types, & Turbo-T's go up and down, but they have always bounced back a little higher on the rebound. Otherwise, they would not be where they are now. I attribute the main reason of the value difference between "mint" GNs & TTAs is due mainly to the fact that the TTAs were never even popular when they were new, they were quite pricey to begin with, and last but not least, "The good guys always wera black" philosophy. They are more difficult to sell, though, but probably for the same reason that they are not worth as much as a GN in same or similiar condition. They are definitely worth owning, though.

 

[rex362]

good post....dont forget about me guys ....

I am in the market for a clean TTA...

 

[Gary Wells]

good post....dont forget about me guys ....

I am in the market for a clean TTA...

------------------------------------------------------
Damn, another one. This market is going to get crowded very quickly.
Trust me, we're all in the market for a good, clean, anything.

 

[phillyturbosix]

Damn somehow this thread got by me! Anyhow.. funny thing my appraisal just came today when I got home. Terry Shaw took all this time because of the intensive research Terry does about the cars. He contacts allot of people.. looks at different car sales around and the million other things he does to make a appraised current actual cash value of a collectible. Mine came in at $28,000 so I guess I doubled my investment in 8 months. This is from a professional appraiser. Went over my car and all the stuff I have for it and that was the number he came up with. I know what I'm getting from my insurance company do you? NADA numbers are useless when it comes to collectiable cars. They don't have a clue! I enjoy the car for what it is and the backround on it.

Good example.. The time will come like the GNX.. 3 years ago you could get a GNX with low miles for anywhere under 30K 3 years later.. 50 to 60K Maybe because someone had their GNX appraised!

TTA #396 appraised current actual cash value $28,000


I had a local used car dealer (that buys a classic car here and there) offer me 20K for mine on the spot. So I guess Terry was'nt too far off!