1970 pontiac catalina wagon

Discussion in 'Station Wagon Auctions, Craigs List and Other Stat' started by 197019701970, Oct 28, 2014.

  1. 197019701970

    197019701970 Well-Known Member

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    I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on this wagon, the fact its a 400 and not a 455 and the price?

    http://classiccars.com/listings/view/503590/1970-pontiac-catalina-for-sale-in-arlington-texas-76017

    I've seen it for quite a few years bounce around from Tampa to NC I think? and now its in Texas.
    Its undergone somewhat of a transformation as originally when I saw it first, it didn't have the roof rack, tint, and the wheels are different now... the square port exhaust is custom too...

    I think it has a great interior, probably rust free as near as I can tell from the pics, but I wonder what size 400 is in it and if its over-priced?

    Thanks for any feedback anyone wants to offer (y)
     
  2. 197019701970

    197019701970 Well-Known Member

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    More on this wagon, ad text...

    1970 Pontiac Catalina - 9 Passenger Wagon If you were cruising in a station wagon back in the day odds are it was with your family. Perfect for road trips these cars were known as a family vehicle that you would typically see packed to the roof with luggage and screaming kids. Well this beautiful 1970 Pontiac Catalina may have started life that way but nowadays has a certain cool factor that sets it apart from those other boring wagons. With a nose similar to that of a grand prix or early firebird this car has style. You rarely see these cars up for sale and this one happens to be one of the nicest in the country. From front to rear this long classic is nothing but high quality. The fit and finish is superb making it a contender at every car show it goes to. The body on the car is in incredible condition and with deep Black paint looks very slick cruising down the road. All of the chrome has a beautiful shine as does the stainless work which is all cleanly mounted in place. The soft ray tinted glass windows are all in good condition and free from damage. The factory roof rack is still mounted in place on top of the factory vinyl roof and has a very cool angled design. 17 Torque Thrust wheels are in place on all four corners and are polished out to a very high quality shine. These are then wrapped with Red Line continental tires. Powering this classic is a 400CI motor that runs very strong and has no problem moving the 9 passenger wagon body. The look is all original which is nice to see in a low mileage car like this. Dual exhaust is in place and routed out of the sides just behind the rear wheels. Rectangle tips were added which hug the body giving it a nice custom touch. Backing the motor is a 400 Turbo Hydramatic Transmission that shifts smoothly and with no issues. The car was fitted with A/C from the factory as well as power steering and power disc brakes. The interior of the car is in amazing condition for its age and still has the original look. Black vinyl is used throughout and is in great shape. 3 bench seats are in place with the back one being mounted to face the rear. This gives places for 9 people to sit comfortably, thus the name 9 passenger wagon. When not hauling people around the 2 rear seats can be folded down giving a ton of storage space. To gain access to the rear seat you can open the rear hatch which was designed to open in 2 ways. This is incredibly cool to see on an over 40 year old car. The hatch folds down like the typical truck bed but also swings open towards the left like a regular door. All of the trim in the car is in good shape as are all of the faux original wood panels. The dash utilizes all of the original style components. The A/C works properly and uses the stock vents which are nicely inset into the dash. Another cool feature is the remote drivers side mirror and power windows which is are pretty cool luxuries to have considering it is from the 70s. This car comes with a lot of cool extras that document its history. A lot of these items are hard to find so it is nice to see them preserved so well. This includes a 7 page original 1970s Station Wagon brochure that was put out by the dealerships, a Pontiac Motor Division redelivery check list, original build sheet, original window sticker with options/price listed and a 1970s original owners manual. How cool is that!? Look around for another one of these cars and you will have a tough time finding one. Plus, if you do happen to find one it wont be near as nice as this one is. Make this cool classic wagon yours for $28,750.00! NOW REDUCED DOWN TO $25,250.00!! Trades considered
     
  3. 197019701970

    197019701970 Well-Known Member

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    Pictures from the ad

    Here are some of the pictures, will add some more from the ad...
     

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  4. 197019701970

    197019701970 Well-Known Member

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    More pictures from the ad

    Here are more pics...
     

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  5. 197019701970

    197019701970 Well-Known Member

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    Engine pics

    Here are the two pics of the engine...
     

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  6. Bad Taten

    Bad Taten Well-Known Member

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    I'll throw you my two cents. Only 12,450 9 passenger Catalina's were built. The base engine was a 400 2 barrel rated at 290 h.p. It is interesting that it says power windows, but you can see window cranks in the interior picture. This is a 1 year body style, hard to find. Most people do not share the same admiration for that front end. At $25,000 I'd expect a modern drivetrain and maybe a custom interior. Very nice car but too pricey for me.
     
  7. 197019701970

    197019701970 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the opinion Bad. I agree with what you said about the price being too much for the car... based on the production stats, and everything I "don't" see in the market place, it tells me the 1970 wagons are pretty rare though: I've only seen a couple for sale in the last 5-6 years that were in decent shape... I've posted pics of both those in the photo gallery.
    A 1970 Full-Size wagon is the only wagon I want to purchase as we had one when I was a kid. Hopefully there's one out there, thanks again for your response
     
  8. Krash Kadillak

    Krash Kadillak Well-Known Member

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    I wouldn't necessarily say that this was "1 year body style". This actual GM wagon body was produced from model year 1965 through model year 1970. Along the way, some of the side styling details, as well as the front sheet metal got changed, sometimes every year. In this case, the outer sheet metal may be different on some panels for 1970, but it's the same basic wagon as the '69.

    Also, as to the engine...
    looks like the Catalina and Executive models had the 400 as standard, while the 455 was standard in the Bonneville.
     
  9. 197019701970

    197019701970 Well-Known Member

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    Krash I know what Bad means though when he says its a one-year style because of the front grille... but I know what you're saying because when you look at a '69 and a '70 from the rear end its almost impossible to tell them apart except for badging really...

    I found this page awhile ago and what was of interest to me was that the 400 engine could potentially generate 265, 290 or 330 hp
    In regards to the Catalina wagon I posted, I wonder if its a 290 or a 265 even? If it was the 265 then its definitely way over priced even more than if it has the standard 290hp/400...
    I know how to read the VIN to see if its a 265/290/330 400ci engine, it would be interesting to know whats under the hood in the black Catalina

    http://www.powerful-cars.com/php/pontiac/1970-catalina-4door-station-wagon.php?p=imperial
     
  10. Krash Kadillak

    Krash Kadillak Well-Known Member

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    The price on this one is certainly up there in the stratosphere. Looking up all these old wagons for sale on the internet has given me the opinion that it's condition that plays a far more important part in determining value, rather than what equipment a particular vehicle has. I've seen time and again where a fairly stripped model sells for quite a bit more than a loaded version just by reason of being in much better condition.

    In the case of this '70 Catalina, I think a 455 would certainly help sell the vehicle, but I don't think it makes that much of a difference. There are certain exceptions (like the Dodge Diplomat with the 440 in it, or a '76 Chrysler Town & Country with a real 426 HEMI). And just a few days ago we posted here in this section a '71 Pontiac LeMans wagon, converted into a GTO' Judge' - at what I thought was a very reasonable price (less than this '70 Catalina).
     
  11. 197019701970

    197019701970 Well-Known Member

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    I agree with regards to the options available in a car for sure with respect to pricing. I recently saw a bare-bones 76 Catalina on Ebay and they wanted a lot for it relative to value/market but it was pristine, and unmolested, so I can understand why they were asking what they were... I believe the Ebay posting was on here recently.
    I guess it depends too on the buyer; someone could be looking for a highly optioned wagon or their biggest priority might be the condition if they lack the resources to do any amount of restoration.
    Having talked to a few people about the 1970 Pontiacs, a lot of them prefer the Bonneville or Executive over the Catalina, want the third row seat and insist it has to have a 455 if its a Bonneville especially... I get that, but at the same time think along the lines of "if its an unmolested car in great shape, rust-free etc, then its worth something, versus something heavily optioned with all the bells and whistles but requires some heavy restoration and work"
    But again it all depends on how someone is set up and what they're looking for...
    For 25k, I would want a heavily optioned wagon and one in great shape...
     
  12. pyasher

    pyasher Well-Known Member

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    For that money it should be perfect! I would want to see it in person. I almost bought a 67 Vista for 20K - missed it by a day- but it was perfect!
     
  13. 197019701970

    197019701970 Well-Known Member

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    Here is the car before the tint was applied. It does look pretty nice, but like you said, would have to be perfect for the kind of price tag they have on it... still a really nice looking wagon. There are also pics of it online before they installed the factory roof rack as well... its gone through somewhat of a transformation since I first saw it online... I think it would look really good with the black centered PMD Bonneville wheel covers on it, but it would be hard to return it to the stock look with the square, chrome exhaust ports behind the rear wheels... Wonder what they would take for it? Any guesses?

    https://www.mecum.com/lot-detail.cfm?lot_id=FL0111-102717
     

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